onesixeight

I went down to test drive a Silver/Charcoal '03 E55 today...

I'm not sure if it was me and I only drove the car around for about an hour or so in moderate traffic and short highway sprint...But do you other E55 owners notice a slight hesitation when getting on it? It sort of feels like it's downshifting 1-2 gears and trying to find gears, while I've read that it might be the supercharger hooking up...Any ideas?

Also...What are the different tranny modes? I saw a S=Sport, M=Manual, and C...I'm guessing Comfort? "C" did seem to shift a little slower and smoother than the other modes but the dealer couldn't confirm this mode and the manual wasn't there.

Nonetheless...an excellent car overall. I love the seats, very supportive, SBC brakes not difficult to modulate to a smooth stop in traffic, and wonderful engine. The hesitation felt a bit wierd...but maybe it's because I haven't driven an automatic in a while (been driving an '01 Porsche 996 TT daily for the past 3 years).

I didn't want to push it past 3k rpm, but man you can really feel the torque down low.

ajoe

I had the exact same feeling the first time I test drove the E55. Now that I've owned one for awhile I know what the "problem" is. If you're driving in comfort mode it is simply the "kickdown" time which is slow. If you're driving in S or sport mode or manually change gears you'll find the response to be much quicker. It's a great car!!!

norb

I agree, I think that in C mode it starts off in 2nd gear. Even when you just tooling around it'll upshift very quickly but you have to really stomp on the gas to get it to downshift.

onesixeight

Thanks for the reply guys.

I think when I first started driving, it was already in "S" mode. Does "S" mode start off in 1st? I could still feel the hesitation in "S" mode, but the tire also chirped off the line, so I really didn't want to push it anymore since I might own this car in a few days or so But I'll probably go for the '04 Black/Charcoal coming later this week...

onesixeight

I guess the question I wanted to ask is: Is that hesitation feeling (it isn't that bad)...but is it the feeling of the supercharger hooking up?

For those that notice is, does it goes away or get better past the break-in period? Thanks.

-Chris

Stephen04E55

I know the feeling that you are having with the slight hesitation. The car has felt like that since day one and it does that when you stab the throttle about 1/3 or more and I believe that it happens when the supercharger clutch is engaging. This happens to me in "S" mode when the car starts in 1st gear. Seems to be normal and was waiting for a chance to drive another E55 so see if it did the same thing.

onesixeight

Thanks Stephen...

I'd be interested to find out... I will drive the '04 tomorrow, but looks like you have the '04 and notice the same thing. But when the power comes on, it's there alright. Just wish it didn't do that

Also...What is the recommended break-in for the E55? I had a CLK 55 for a few months and I didn't push it past 4k for the first 1k miles...Is that right?

mbprince

the '04 does the same thing!! I was going to start a thread on it (now I don't have to). Under full accelaration there is no problem but I have noticed that with part throttle the engine almost seems to cut out for a half second or so. I can only guess that the SC has something to do with this as my E500 never had any hesitation at all, ever!! I'd love for MB or AMG to comment on this...........

Stephen04E55

Yeah, break-in is for the first 1000 miles just as your CLK 55. AMG recommends that you not drive over 85mph, vary vehicle speed, and no full throttle starts. Most cars have a sticker on the upper left windshield that is supposed to be removed by the owner explaining the break-in procedure. Mine had been removed when I picked up the car from the dealer. Of course, the owners manual repeats everything I just said.

onesixeight

mbprince & Stephen...

Thanks for the info.

I don't think it will be a deal breaker for me, but I just wish the supercharger hookup was smoother. I drove a new '04 Jaguar XJR for comparison, and it didn't hesitate like the E55...but then again, it's not as fast as the E55 once the E hooks up. Personally, I don't like the old face of the Jag, but otherwise a very nice car and well priced with good standard options. Benz??? How about standard Xenon and Distronic...

Anyone else??? Would an ECU and Pully upgrade from renntech help this problem out?

-Chris

Stephen04E55

Doubt the upgrade from Renntech would do anything since the action of the supercharger is from the electromagnetic action of the clutch mechanism on the supercharger. When the Renntech mods are done, the crank pulley is the one that is changed for more boost(2psi approx) and the ECU is modified for fueling differences for the extra airflow, timing curve, and speed limiter removal. Unfortunately, these mods are around $5k and that is way too expensive for me when Evosport and others are going to have something very similar for about $3k. I am sure they will let us know when the upgrades are available from Evosport.

onesixeight

Stephen...

I didn't think the pully or ECU could change that...Not sure why MB used this design...conserve fuel???

I heard the EVO upgrade was suppose to be out this month...Have they postponed it? I agree Brad and the gang have done some awesome work with the C32's and CLK 55's...

Stephen04E55

The clutch mechanism is there for less drag during cruise and will allow for slightly better economy. I have a whipple charger on my '01 Tahoe and that spins all of the time with a bypass mechanism so that boost is produced at times only when accelerating. During cruise, the supercharger is bypassed even though it is still spinning. This system works off engine vacuum and has a simple valve that opens and closes depending upon engine load. Stock vs supercharger the truck still gets virtually the same fuel economy on the road which is approximately 15mpg. So, why did Mercedes determine that they needed such a complicated mechanism to minimize drag when drag doesn't seem to be much of an issue?....have no idea. The website and info obtained from a personal e-mail led me to believe that the Evo sport upgrage would be ready in the very near future. At Christmas time they said at the end of Jan.....its the end of Jan. now and no word yet. I would expect a post soon if they want the business. The hesitation would never come into effect if you left it in comfort mode and drove like grandma, but who would actually do this in an E55? Not me, but I am used to this little hiccup and can deal with it.

onesixeight

Yup...I can deal with it and it's no biggy. I was just hoping it was isolated to the car I drove or something that can be changed. I was thinking, if Jaguar and others could make a smooth power delivery, so could Benz.

Oh well...Hopefully I can pick up my car tomorrow and enjoy!

-Chris