565hp Mercedes SLK

[glimmerman]

http://www.motorauthority.com/...5-amg-up-to-565hp.html

This thing looks badass but not a fan of the SLK.

 

[Arkaign]

Pretty nutty, but sort of pointless. Almost as fast as a 911 Turbo? The 911 Turbo has far less power and similar weight, so that means this thing is not connecting the power to the ground in a reasonable fashion. That same lack of power connection means that its track times will suck.

Mercedes does this constantly : heaps of power without regard to handling/traction. Hopefully the AMG SL Black is a change of pace, but who knows.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Well, it's certainly a lot less, er, secretarial than most SLKs. It seems a little silly to me, but whatever floats your boat I guess.

 

[imported_Mike]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Pretty nutty, but sort of pointless. Almost as fast as a 911 Turbo? The 911 Turbo has far less power and similar weight, so that means this thing is not connecting the power to the ground in a reasonable fashion. That same lack of power connection means that its track times will suck.

Mercedes does this constantly : heaps of power without regard to handling/traction. Hopefully the AMG SL Black is a change of pace, but who knows.

SL 65 is 600hp with a V12, I wouldn't consider that a change of pace. 😉

 

[fstime]

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Pretty nutty, but sort of pointless. Almost as fast as a 911 Turbo? The 911 Turbo has far less power and similar weight, so that means this thing is not connecting the power to the ground in a reasonable fashion. That same lack of power connection means that its track times will suck.

Mercedes does this constantly : heaps of power without regard to handling/traction. Hopefully the AMG SL Black is a change of pace, but who knows.

Really? I bet you couldn't put up a lap time with a M car even a second faster than an AMG car, or are you Michael Schumacher in disguise?

Considering Road & Track could only put up a 1 second faster laptime with the M3 than the C63 and many other tests show the same for the M5/E55. AMG cars DO have suspension/tire upgrades and do handle lots better than your average car.

I'll take the more day to day friendly highway pulling AMG any day.

I love all these BMW owners going on and on about how well their car handles but I have yet to meet one who takes their car to the track on a consistent basis. Just another e-penis extension. Hell, we just had one of our beloved forum member crash his M3 from stupidity, those BMW owners sure know how to take advantage of that great handling.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

Originally posted by: BouZouki

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Pretty nutty, but sort of pointless. Almost as fast as a 911 Turbo? The 911 Turbo has far less power and similar weight, so that means this thing is not connecting the power to the ground in a reasonable fashion. That same lack of power connection means that its track times will suck.

Mercedes does this constantly : heaps of power without regard to handling/traction. Hopefully the AMG SL Black is a change of pace, but who knows.

Really? I bet you couldn't put up a lap time with a M car even a second faster than an AMG car, or are you Michael Schumacher in disguise?

Considering Road & Track could only put up a 1 second faster laptime with the M3 than the C63 and many other tests show the same for the M5/E55. AMG cars DO have suspension/tire upgrades and do handle lots better than your average car.

I'll take the more day to day friendly highway pulling AMG any day.

I love all these BMW owners going on and on about how well their car handles but I have yet to meet one who takes their car to the track on a consistent basis. Just another e-penis extension. Hell, we just had one of our beloved forum member crash his M3 from stupidity, those BMW owners sure know how to take advantage of that great handling.

maaaybe you feel that way.. But perhaps not everyone 😛

 

[imported_Mike]

IMO

C63 > M3
M5 > E63

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: BouZouki

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Pretty nutty, but sort of pointless. Almost as fast as a 911 Turbo? The 911 Turbo has far less power and similar weight, so that means this thing is not connecting the power to the ground in a reasonable fashion. That same lack of power connection means that its track times will suck.

Mercedes does this constantly : heaps of power without regard to handling/traction. Hopefully the AMG SL Black is a change of pace, but who knows.

Really? I bet you couldn't put up a lap time with a M car even a second faster than an AMG car, or are you Michael Schumacher in disguise?

Considering Road & Track could only put up a 1 second faster laptime with the M3 than the C63 and many other tests show the same for the M5/E55. AMG cars DO have suspension/tire upgrades and do handle lots better than your average car.

I'll take the more day to day friendly highway pulling AMG any day.

I love all these BMW owners going on and on about how well their car handles but I have yet to meet one who takes their car to the track on a consistent basis. Just another e-penis extension. Hell, we just had one of our beloved forum member crash his M3 from stupidity, those BMW owners sure know how to take advantage of that great handling.

He hit black ice. How good are you on black ice?

How often do you take your daily driver to the track?

I love BMW owners, too. I just hate the whiners who don't.

 

[Arkaign]

Originally posted by: BouZouki

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Pretty nutty, but sort of pointless. Almost as fast as a 911 Turbo? The 911 Turbo has far less power and similar weight, so that means this thing is not connecting the power to the ground in a reasonable fashion. That same lack of power connection means that its track times will suck.

Mercedes does this constantly : heaps of power without regard to handling/traction. Hopefully the AMG SL Black is a change of pace, but who knows.

Really? I bet you couldn't put up a lap time with a M car even a second faster than an AMG car, or are you Michael Schumacher in disguise?

Considering Road & Track could only put up a 1 second faster laptime with the M3 than the C63 and many other tests show the same for the M5/E55. AMG cars DO have suspension/tire upgrades and do handle lots better than your average car.

I'll take the more day to day friendly highway pulling AMG any day.

I love all these BMW owners going on and on about how well their car handles but I have yet to meet one who takes their car to the track on a consistent basis. Just another e-penis extension. Hell, we just had one of our beloved forum member crash his M3 from stupidity, those BMW owners sure know how to take advantage of that great handling.

One doesn't have to take it to the track to go with a personal preference. I prefer better handling to pure obscene power. There's nothing really wrong with either approach. And for the record, from what I've seen of people doing hot laps in these types of cars, it's actually far easier for an amateur (like 99.9% of ATG, I am not a professional driver, but I am a definite enthusiast who has tracked many cars) to put up good numbers with an ///M vs. the AMG approach. So yes, I would bet that if I drove to the limits of my ability, I would be putting down significantly better numbers with the M. I simply don't have the experience or the pure skill to manage the sort of power that the AMG cars have (and judging from comparos with real experts who do have that sort of skill, even if I did, I'd STILL be putting down better numbers with the M car).

Similarly, although I prefer the Viper ACR to the GT-R, put my on a closed course and send me running, and I bet I'd put down better numbers with the GT-R, because I also lack the skill/experience with that kind of power setup to really put down good numbers, whereas the GT-R is praised (damned?) as a very manageable vehicle to drive to the limit. In this scenario, there's no doubt that a real pro would put down superior numbers with the ACR.

As for freeway pulling, are you seriously saying that a 414hp or 500hp vehicle is inadequate for some reason? 🙂 You could tell a difference in a serious straight race way beyond the limits of legality or sanity (for public roads or for amateurs), but if 400+hp is not enough for you to pull on the highway, then you might have a personal problem.

The AMG approach has so far seemed wrong to me, because they shoehorn whopping giant motors into the vehicles, yet they don't have a crisp, connected feel to them. Now I do admit, the most recent personal experience I have had was back when I was shopping for my E39 M5, I tested a work buddy's '01 CLK55. It was very comfortable, but had a somewhat mushy feel. Honestly the handling felt almost like something from a '90s Ford Taurus. The suspension was a bit soft, there was notable body roll, and when you floored it, there was a tiny bit of lag right before this heaping wall of force kicked you from behind. Making quick changes from left to right was perilous while applying any power, as the immense weight shifted from side to side like an angry ocean tide. The thing had almost 100k on the odometer, so this might have also skewed things somewhat.

What would impress me from an AMG perspective is not just a good power tuning job on a luxury barge, but a total vehicle makeover of the caliber seen from the M guys. The new Black Edition SL seems like it is just that kind of approach. Not just obscene power, but a concentrated effort for responsiveness, crispness, weight-savings, and heaps of grip.

 

[DivideBYZero]

Originally posted by: Arkaign

Originally posted by: BouZouki

Originally posted by: Arkaign
Pretty nutty, but sort of pointless. Almost as fast as a 911 Turbo? The 911 Turbo has far less power and similar weight, so that means this thing is not connecting the power to the ground in a reasonable fashion. That same lack of power connection means that its track times will suck.

Mercedes does this constantly : heaps of power without regard to handling/traction. Hopefully the AMG SL Black is a change of pace, but who knows.

Really? I bet you couldn't put up a lap time with a M car even a second faster than an AMG car, or are you Michael Schumacher in disguise?

Considering Road & Track could only put up a 1 second faster laptime with the M3 than the C63 and many other tests show the same for the M5/E55. AMG cars DO have suspension/tire upgrades and do handle lots better than your average car.

I'll take the more day to day friendly highway pulling AMG any day.

I love all these BMW owners going on and on about how well their car handles but I have yet to meet one who takes their car to the track on a consistent basis. Just another e-penis extension. Hell, we just had one of our beloved forum member crash his M3 from stupidity, those BMW owners sure know how to take advantage of that great handling.

One doesn't have to take it to the track to go with a personal preference. I prefer better handling to pure obscene power. There's nothing really wrong with either approach. And for the record, from what I've seen of people doing hot laps in these types of cars, it's actually far easier for an amateur (like 99.9% of ATG, I am not a professional driver, but I am a definite enthusiast who has tracked many cars) to put up good numbers with an ///M vs. the AMG approach. So yes, I would bet that if I drove to the limits of my ability, I would be putting down significantly better numbers with the M. I simply don't have the experience or the pure skill to manage the sort of power that the AMG cars have (and judging from comparos with real experts who do have that sort of skill, even if I did, I'd STILL be putting down better numbers with the M car).

Similarly, although I prefer the Viper ACR to the GT-R, put my on a closed course and send me running, and I bet I'd put down better numbers with the GT-R, because I also lack the skill/experience with that kind of power setup to really put down good numbers, whereas the GT-R is praised (damned?) as a very manageable vehicle to drive to the limit. In this scenario, there's no doubt that a real pro would put down superior numbers with the ACR.

As for freeway pulling, are you seriously saying that a 414hp or 500hp vehicle is inadequate for some reason? 🙂 You could tell a difference in a serious straight race way beyond the limits of legality or sanity (for public roads or for amateurs), but if 400+hp is not enough for you to pull on the highway, then you might have a personal problem.

The AMG approach has so far seemed wrong to me, because they shoehorn whopping giant motors into the vehicles, yet they don't have a crisp, connected feel to them. Now I do admit, the most recent personal experience I have had was back when I was shopping for my E39 M5, I tested a work buddy's '01 CLK55. It was very comfortable, but had a somewhat mushy feel. Honestly the handling felt almost like something from a '90s Ford Taurus. The suspension was a bit soft, there was notable body roll, and when you floored it, there was a tiny bit of lag right before this heaping wall of force kicked you from behind. Making quick changes from left to right was perilous while applying any power, as the immense weight shifted from side to side like an angry ocean tide. The thing had almost 100k on the odometer, so this might have also skewed things somewhat.

What would impress me from an AMG perspective is not just a good power tuning job on a luxury barge, but a total vehicle makeover of the caliber seen from the M guys. The new Black Edition SL seems like it is just that kind of approach. Not just obscene power, but a concentrated effort for responsiveness, crispness, weight-savings, and heaps of grip.

The '01 CLK chassis is pure shit, so I'm not surprised you didn't like it.

BouZouki would be best advised to watch the following video and skip to 6:10 for a great example of the M concept in action. It's not all about trumping your neighbour with big numbers. It's about application of the right numbers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQOqLMHzBtk