Racing an E55 AMG in the mile

Below, please find an email i received from my friend after sending him a link to this thread...

Dear Danger:
The E55 (all are limited edition) will take ANY stock Corvette ever made, including the Z-06 "without breaking a sweat", to quote Road & Track . . .R & T's numbers were 0-60mph 4.2, 0-100mph 9.4, and the quarter at 12.4 and 116.8mph. Quite simply that bests everything but the 2003 Viper . . .
On the other hand, if the Corvette has LOTS of work done, e.g., one of those 431 Cubic inch street racing small blocks, the outcome might be close. Again, remember that the Corvette will not get off the line as well as the E . . .
Another thing to remember is that this guy is talking about the MILE, not the Quarter Mile. The E55 is limited to 155mph, which it reaches in 23 seconds (!!) versus the 360 at 29.6 and the Porsche Turbo at 22.8seconds. If the 55 hasn't had the speed governor removed, the Vette could well be coming for it pretty damn fast on the big end.
Remember, the E55 runs the standing kilometer just a hair quicker than a 575, MUCH faster than a 360 . . . but a kilometer is only 5/8s of a mile, approximately. Therefore, the E will reach top end (155) with 3/8ths of the race yet to run. If the Vette is highly modified, by the 3/4 distance, it will be closing on the E with a decent mph differential. Will it get there?? I'd expect yes . . .
Therefore, two main questions obtain; 1) has the E55 had its governor removed? If the answer is yes, then bet the farm on the E55 . . . going away . . . If no, then look to question --> 2) has the Vette been REALLY WELL MODIFIED (not some gas station jackass soup up), if so, the Vette has a good shot, provided the 55 can't exceed 155mph. If the governor is removed, wave bye-bye to the 55 . . .
Hope this answers your question . . . Remember, my numbers come from accredited magazines, not my imagination . . .

 

all the cars that day had speedos that ran very high, porsches, mercs, beemers, f cars, lambos' tvrs.

 

Not according to the motortrend numbers I posted earlier. Also does not conincide with my E55 experiances. I still am looking for someone to take me up in a standing mile race.

 

Big deal, that is one magazines (Road & Track) test. All Z06's and all E55's don't perform the same. Car for Car there is a difference, the best example was the early 375 HP ZR-1 Corvettes which varied from car to car. MT has had better numbers for the Z06 than the E55, does that mean that the Z06 is faster than all E55's? I don't think so, you have to remember on a given day with the track surface, tire pressures, weather tempatures, etc. each car will be different.

 

well for one i can tell you that they have tests where the zo6 will run very, very close to that 4.2 time. it all comes down to the testdrivers, and i can tell you right now that motor trends are not the best of the bunch that i have seen... very inconsistent times. no matter though, because you can actually run very little modifications to best that e55, not the "large" amount your friend talks about. to gain an additional 200 horse on a small block chevy like the newer ls1's or ls6's is nothing. with about 5 grand in engine work which equates to an engine service in many higher priced cars, you can run sub 3 second 0-60 times and break past the 200 mark very easily. the T56 tranny in the newer vettes have a very high overdrive 6th gear so that you can cruise at ~1500 rpms on the highway. the top speed of 170 or so comes from redline in fifth. if you shift out of redline in fifth , the car slowly decelerates. it doesnt take much power( in terms of the ls1/Ls6's easily modifiable setup anyway), maybe an additional 100-150 or so to accelerate once in sixth gear, and at this point you break 200 with the stock gearing. i think we worked it out at the shop once and it would take about 535 horse at the crank to break 200 mph with stock body and gearing, so thats about 130 horse more than stock. now, if you want to add nothing more than a set of grippy tires to replace the old bias-ply's of the late 60's, the ZL1 and L88 corvettes will both out accelerate the E55, 0-60 and quarter mile, but once you hit past the mid double digits(if the speed limiter is removed on the E55) technology surpasses the old 4 speed tranny's capability and they drop behind. gearing is everything, right? none of this really matters in the present situation, however. im guessing from the looks/sounds of rob's engine bay he has recammed his motor, possibly with or without a head swap, but i have a gut feeling he might because of the exhaust note-i recognize a slight hint of a stroker crank that i cannot attribute to the variously cammed vettes ive heard........
ill be curious to see how this pans out. good luck!

 

I guess it all really depends on which way the Vette driver is wearing his baseball hat on race day

 

Lets not forget that the E55 is an auto. You put it in D and smash the accelerator down basically. Its easy to get consistent times with that.

The Z06 actually requires shifting. Go to the Corvette Forum and look at real time slips for an idea of what a stock Z06 can run with someone who is good at shifting (low RT, etc.)

12.4 1/4 is nothing for a Z06. Any competent Z06 driver with some experience (meaning, the type of guy who would accept a race) will easily get a Z06 to 12.2 or lower (as low as 12.0 even).

 

I have no doubt in my mind you will bury that E55. To think that a stock e55 would have a chance against a modified LS1/LS6 is a joke.

 

There is no love for MB on this board.


...but it's fun to watch the vette guys get their panties in a bind.

 

It's not that there is no love for the Merc. It is that the Merc is up against a modded Vett. Now if the Merc has, oh lets say, been tuned by Brabus, it is gonna be a nasty fight.

 

Question? I drove a friends z06 and when I would shift I could not shift fast at all. It was like I had to fight to put into gear is that normal? Or did he have something wrong?

And I know is I went from 2 to 3 and got the back end loose.

 

i dont know about that... that would mean your vette is at least a 9 second car...

if its stock and your vette is as modified as you say you should take him... if its modded ya never know.

 

So Ferretti... Anything happen this weekend...?

 

The guy ended up not actually owning an E55 so Ferretti had to break out his imaginary Viper SRT to race him!

 

Any update? After 6 pages of bench racing we need to hear results.
BTW, anyone doubting the Vettes potential check out some of the videos at www.digitalcorvettes.com. They have a bunch of them.

 

Why dont you ship your Vette to Maui, take a nice vacation, and ill race you top end. Ill even give you the jump.

 

Remember the Mercedes strength is not in its 0-60 or 1/4, but after that. In stock forms they outperform Ferrari 575's and Viper Srt's.

 

Come on Ferretti, ya killin us. Rootin for you all the way.

 

Allan,

You always compromise your argument when you babble bull****. The E55 is going to get worked by a Viper SRT from any speed to any speed. Be it 1/4 mile, 0-100, standing mile, whatever.

The E55 is going to get worked in the 1/4 by a GTS too, if the GTS guy can drive. The SRT will lay the wood to any Diablo all day long, so are you saying the Diablo is slower than the E55 too????

 

Allan, I don't doubt that the E55 is very fast up to 150 but I still think that a Viper would probably beat it, just based on hp/torque/weight. Also the Viper is not speed limited. Unless the E55 is modified and has its governor removed I still think it would have a serious problem with a Viper. I think the E55 is an incredible car but if you really want to race a Viper to 155 get a SL600.