zdkdeeier493

I'm in a panic. Just about an hour ago I was on Wilshire Blvd. (for those of you who are fimiliar with Beverly Hills) with 2 friends in the car and came accross an E500 driving like a jerk. Likewise, I pull up next to him and overtake him with some speed. Next thing I know we're racing down Wilshire and he's right on my a$$. I open up as wide as I can and he's still just a little bit behind me. Now its a given that I wasnt wide open the whole time and he probably was, but he kept up REALLY well. I also raced another E55 not too long ago and he took me every time. I don't get it, my car for some reason is starting to seem sort of slow. Whats going on? My dad's E55, also an '04 but early year production model, seems MUCH more skippy on the throttle and definitely feels faster. The options I have are 6-Disk CD, Parktronik, and Navi. The only option his car has is 6-Disk. But these options can't weigh the car down THAT much to the point where his seems faster, right? Also, since my car is an earlier production '04, I've got the spare tire as opposed to the "tire in a can". This adds some significant weight too, I guess. Either way, I raced an E500 tonight and I had to try pretty hard to stay out in front. I am an exceptionally good driver as that I have taken a number of courses and driving is a passion of mine, but I just don't know what happened. I'm also prett sure that his car didn't have any aftermarket work although it could have...PLEASE tell me whats going on!

P.S. I also saw an SL55 Renntech at Katana Restaurant tonight. Absolutely amazing. He also powder-coated his badges to match his wheels. AWESOME

deedee545i

For a car with that kind torque, a spare tire means nothing at all.... It's either your problem or the car's problem.....

HarveyKorenzo

maybe the extra weight of the CD's... throw a few of them out and then give it a try.

kaneman

It may not have been a bone stock E500. Remember, you can supercharge the E500 as well... given the same power, the E500 might be faster due to lighter weight. So don't worry, I have an E500 (wife's car) and an E55 here. The E500 isn't bad but is NOTHING in comparison to the E55 acceleration-wise. If he stuck with you, he was NOT running stock or there's something so wrong with your car that you'd know.

zdkdeeier493

If there were something wrong with my car and I'm somehow loosing power, what could it be? Intercooler? Intake? ...

Happy2th

Why not take it to a dyno?

Or, take it to a 1/4 mile strip. If you don't run in the middle to high 12's, then there is something wrong with it.

Vetluver

I have a Vericom which was less expensive than a lot of other "toys" that I have wasted money on. It will give you a baseline on performance and will extrapolate torque and HP. I think Passport and several other companies are marketing similar accelerometers also.

My 03 E500 won't touch the performance of the E55 above 50mph. Below that speed reaction time and traction probably is the great equalizer.

There are nitrous kits out there that add 150+ HP and scads of torque to a stock E500. A bottle lasts about 30 or 40 secs which is plenty of time for a "street race" I have been smoking Turbo Porsches and Ferraris for years in my POS L98 Vette with that little bottle. I never tell them that I have anything except a slightly massaged Vette.... .....

SweC32

Get thee to a dyno......

Can you light up the rear tires at will from any speed in first gear(with the ESP off)?

Does the car slide sideways if you aren't pointed exactly straight when you nail it at slower speeds? Does it give a serious chirp when you hit second gear?

If not, then something may be up (or down) with your E55.....

My 05 E55 does these things easily and is stock (save for K&N filters)

aries palmiotto

If its an 04 E500, its advantage is probably the lower gearing (7-speed). I know that the 04 E500's leave the C55's on stand-still take-off.

Beowulf

Don't know yet - haven't launched yet w/o ESP. Apart from wasting rubber - even from the crappy Conti's - is there any reason to do so?

With ESP on, no to both questions. Minor chirp from WOT throttle launch, no chirp on what sounds like smooth, but somehat lazy 2nd gear shift - but still pulls like a freight train.

Stephen04E55

Chirp into second gear?? My '04 will never do this in any shift mode. Maybe the '05 cars have a revamped tranny program? Who else has an '05 that actually shifts quick enough to evoke a "chirp?" Mine is just like Beowulf's car... All of the cars I drove at the AMG challenge shifted exactly the same way....lazy and smooth but still pulling. SL55, CL55, CLK55, and S55 seemed to shift the same.

MB Fanatic

You might have a bad supercharger water pump. take it to the dealer and have them check it out. I had a bad one and you could really feel it. Anyways I checked out a pump Kleemann had as it was desgined specifically for the 55 engines and it works great. the pump that AMG uses is a stock water pump from any of MB's regular engines.

zdkdeeier493

The car pulls fine in 1st. Shifts to second fine too, I just feel a SERIOUS lack of low-end torque in 2nd and 3rd gears. The car simply doesnt seem to pull as hard as my dad's E55.

BlackC230Coupe

How? the C55 is capable of a 4.7 sec 0-60. The E500 even with 7speed is not close to 4s.

Hussain

My car does the chirp in 2nd if I floor it toward the end of first. It does the same in the S600 as well.

RU_MATRX

Don't forget that given similar handling on the E500 and E55 you had (2) passengers as opposed to how many in the E500 (none)? Also, Wilshire Blvd. doesn't allow for very good tests of acceleration (always has traffic congestion, lights and cops) especially if you guys were chasing each other. Besides, it's much easier to follow than to lead.

If your E55 isn't running optimally, I imagine that it'd still be very tough for an E500 to keep up on a straightaway regardless if you had 4 passengers and the E500 none. Remember that you have close to 200HP MAX and 200+TQ MAX next to the fact that you are much higher up the power band in ANY RPM vs. the E500.

CynCarvin32

For a joke I took on an associates C32 in my 04 E500 and the E500 was FASTER through first second and half of third. Up to say 60 the two were door to door and then the C32 started to pull ahead. On freeway pulls the two were very close with the C32 pulling a bit. The 7 speed does really help. First second and third are very close in spacing and it never falls out of the power band.

But the amg cars are quicker in the end.

zdkdeeier493

Very true, I led whenever I wanted, and I let him go after a while. But the thing that gets me is that I had to try, and try sort of hard at that. Also, my dad's E55 seems much quicker and I have no idea why. I'm taking it in for the brake recall this week, I'm gonna ask about the S/C pump and if there could be anything wrong.

BlackC230Coupe

I dont undertsand how? the E500 even with the 7 speed does not do a 0-60 time like a C32 or a C55. I cant see or understand how the E500 is ahead?

Btw, i thought u had a C32? did u get an E500? or u have both?

vraa

You know what he forgot to tell us?

Each passenger weighed around 500lbs.

deedee545i

I don't understand his words as well.... I think he's kind overstating E500...I think E500 is quite a normal car...not slow but definitely not fast....

cte430

You're lucky to have another E55 in the family to test against. Should be simple. If your dad's car feels much faster than yours, somethng is wrong with yours. You'll probably need to do that test and tell your dealer because they will probably start with the imfamous "no problem found"

mbprince

I had an E500 and traded it in on the E55 because it was just too fast. (jk)

AC556F

New E500s and SL500s are my favorite "race bait". They see the ole 210 next to them and smirk... but then it becomes hard to see their faces as they disappear in the rear view mirror.

E55_POWER

Mine chirps on downshifts from 3rd to 2nd but at 40 something MPH...and this was after the Rennetch...I have never chirped the other way (1st to 2nd).