Dieselman
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- Peugeot 403 Convertible
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BenzedUP
MB Enthusiast
Hi, thanks for your reply.
Would you recommend fitting one on the 55 then?
would you say it's worth it? I don't plan to track my car in the near future btw.
bolide
MB Enthusiast
Hi,
Well, less wheel spin, it's very annoying sometimes, last night doing 30mph shift down to 2nd put foot down slightly.. back end steps out... yellow light flashing...
and with the current AMG diff set up the TC doesnt kick in early it lets the back end go side ways before it kicks in.. can be very fun sometimes but sometimes annoying when your not in the mood.
It'll help a lot but once you've broken traction with both tyres - easy with lots of torque - it won't help
It won't make as much difference on the road as on the track. Given the cost I wonder if suspension changes would be a better option
Ideally you'd have both - a slipper and a set of Penske rear shocks...
Nick Froome
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OP
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BenzedUP
MB Enthusiast
I have H&R Coilovers on mine, made a noticable difference in regards to better traction but still...
I use to have a 2005 M3 with M lock LSD and that hardly ever use to spin, put's its power down better than the C55 but obviously it didnt have the power/torque the C55 has.
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Dieselman
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Are they stiffer than the standard setup, if so they will be more likely to cause wheelspin.
For traction you want well damped but compliant suspension.
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Maybe i'm thinking it's down to my rear tyres? they are Pereli P-zeros all round. But the rears are 245, 35 ZR18, just over 4.5mm left in them, i'm waiting for them to wear out so I can stick 255's at the back or even 265 if it's possible..
Car seems noticably stiffer but believe it or not the Coilovers has helped with traction allot over stock suspensions.
Car seems noticably stiffer but believe it or not the Coilovers has helped with traction allot over stock suspensions.
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Dieselman
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Wider tyres don't have any greater contact patch just a wider one, with less sidewall flex.
Recently a group of E55 cars went to santa-pod and the estate went very well off the line as it was riding on air. Look how the softer suspension allowed the rear tyres to bite down without pattering and losing traction.
This is why cars riding on gas can be both smoother, yet offer more grip.
EDIT:
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/driving-incidents-roadrage/117897-santa-pod-rwyb-2nd-october.html
Recently a group of E55 cars went to santa-pod and the estate went very well off the line as it was riding on air. Look how the softer suspension allowed the rear tyres to bite down without pattering and losing traction.
This is why cars riding on gas can be both smoother, yet offer more grip.
EDIT:
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/driving-incidents-roadrage/117897-santa-pod-rwyb-2nd-october.html
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terrymcg
Active Member
Josef,
I have come to the conclusion AMG's are not designed for good handling/traction!
I don't know all the ins and outs of set ups etc, but I would have to go by all the reviews I read and I have not seen one review really compliment an AMG's handling or traction, just how easily they break it and how much fun they are.
You are probably chasing the impossible with M type handling!
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BenzedUP
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Hi Terry,
Is yours the same in terms of losing traction so easily? as I said in my previous post last night I was doing 30mph, droped it down to 2nd and slightly put my foot down and the back end steped out and the yellow triangle started flashing. I know roads are abit icy etc but it use to do it when it's wet or damp and gets twitchy when you give it some..
Is yours the same?
seen a very noticable difference with the coilovers though.
Yes as regards to M handling your right just wish they had AMG engine power/torque and sound.. and ohh styling!
Drove an M6 a couple of years ago and I didnt not like that much tbh.
terrymcg
Active Member
Yeah to be honest its pretty much the same. I do have 255 on the rears and it did help a bit, but its a lary old beast none the less!
Yes my M3 was a lot more stable and predictable.
BMW and MB clearly do not know what they are doing, I am sure between us we can come up with the ultimate BMBenz!!
Yes my M3 was a lot more stable and predictable.
BMW and MB clearly do not know what they are doing, I am sure between us we can come up with the ultimate BMBenz!!
bolide
MB Enthusiast
In a nutshell!
I read about someone in a well-sorted saloon (race) car swopping to Penske dampers and being more than a second a lap faster
Try a set of Yokohama A048Rs on the car. You'll never look at tyres in the same way after that!
Nick Froome
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It's true. I can't help but compare mine against the 1997 M3 Evolution I once had in 2000, which had an LSD as standard.
The handling was streets ahead in the M3 and it was comfortable as well (would happily do Buckinghamshire to Newcastle and back in a day without feeling it) - and it made you feel like you were an amazing driver.
Some of the speeds I was able to take corners and even outrun an L/M reg Impreza on roundabouts, whilst being able to murder a Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo Fairlady on the M3...
The E55 is a lot more tricky, particularly in the wet.
OK so it is exactly twice the torque (258lb/ft vs. 516lb/ft) but perhaps that goes back to the 'flow' concept talked about in another post...
Getting both rears to break traction was actually very hard what with the 245 35 R 17s.
Happy days.
petermansell
Active Member
I say its only worth it if you intend to drive the car at the edge of its traction. I didn't drive in this mode on the road so it was only worth it to me on track days or in poor weather. But I probably would say that it is worth doing yes. In fact I have ordered a sports diff on my Quattro
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BenzedUP
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I say its only worth it if you intend to drive the car at the edge of its traction. I didn't drive in this mode on the road so it was only worth it to me on track days or in poor weather. But I probably would say that it is worth doing yes. In fact I have ordered a sports diff on my Quattro
Thing is, it's really easy to loose traction in a C55, you don't need to drive it on the edge, back end steps out even when your in a straight line, so i'm hoping the LSD will solve that issue.
in the dry it's ok but as soon as it's abit damp or abit wet then the back end is everywhere without having to push the car near it's limits!
Its something to do with the C55 diff, 'new electronic control that AMG has added to the ESP system, mimicking the effects of a locking diff'
as the SLK55 wasnt as tail happy as the c55 even thought it was slightly lighter!
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Dieselman
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The differential can't alter the traction available, just the gear ratio.
More likely is that the SLK has more compliant suspension settings and possibly more weight on the rear axle.
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Hi,
Just found a Quaife diff, for a C55 £1440 fitted, same price for a C43.
A company in Thurrock in Essex called AMD if anyone is interested.
It is advertised on their web site.
http://www.amdessex.com/products.variant.cfm?variantid=927
Considering an original MB AMG diff is in the region of £1100-£1200 Not fitted £1440 fitted seems quite reasonable for a slipper and fitted.
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I guess this is the reason for my fishtailing whilst nailing it in the dry on a flat road a couple of months back as mine doesn't have an LSD but definitely both wheels were spinning according to the black marks...
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BenzedUP
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Thanks for that, that's a really good price
Might give them a call, ideally i'd like PCS to work on the car as they have worked on my car before and I know the quality of their work!
I have used a plate Diff and a Quafe ATB in a fairly light and adequately powered TVR Griffith which is used for Hill Climbing. Off the start line and out of slow corners where one wheel is unloaded the plate Diff tended to innocently spin one wheel if you got on the power a bit early. The ATB by comparison gives a much better launch off the line and correctly distributes the power out of corners. It has made the car quicker but more difficult to drive as it is even more prone to power overseer than it was, It is fine on very soft slicks but not so agreeable on road tyres or in the wet.
One thing to bear in mind is the ATB stops working if there is no grip at all at one wheel. If one wheel is off the ground or on Ice / Mud it will spin that wheel, to work it needs some grip. For road use having tried both on a reasonably quick car I would think a standard plate Diff is probabaly the best choice.
One thing to bear in mind is the ATB stops working if there is no grip at all at one wheel. If one wheel is off the ground or on Ice / Mud it will spin that wheel, to work it needs some grip. For road use having tried both on a reasonably quick car I would think a standard plate Diff is probabaly the best choice.
