007lexus

ok, this guy with his chick wanna race me, actually me flooring the car a few times when i was next to him. So we come up to the next light, we're nose to nose at light. Heres the break down:

Me: (sc400 w/ KN filter with maf adapter)
Opponent: Brand new Bmw little roadster convertible; It had dual twin tip exhaust).

1. At start off line, we started at same time then I was approx. 1 foot length of my car ahead of his. I was at 4500rpm when car switched to 2nd gear.

2. He got a bit a head of me(2-3 ft) then my car switches to 3rd gear and its good night for me.

3. I recall that my car felt little a power-less even though I was pressing the gas, I felt this while in 3rd gear.

I think my sc400 handled quite well for a few milliseconds but this power-curve loss in 3rd gear was disappointing.

What do you guys think? Any comments? Is this because of my stock exhaust?

Hey madmax have you raced your sc against this type of bmw'er?

007

BTW, he pushed his brand new car very hard, i dont think he knows about new engine break-in period.

Keith13b

iTrader: (3)

How many miles on the car, and when was the last time the plugs and wires were changed?

Also could have been bad gas. What octane are you running?

Slick Lex Coupe

That means it was an M Roadster. It has the M3 engine. Could have either been the 240hp version or a brand new 315hp version. I would say you would have gotten beat either way unless you had some good mods done to your car.

Toog4me

Yeah the M roadster flies, i think its a lot faster than the sc though so if you ran neck to neck with him for a tiny bit of a second, or you said you were ahead for 1-2 feet, i dont think it was an m... that thing will take you off the line in a heartbeat.

007lexus

Hi Keith,
Car has 145k, plugs,wires,cap, rotors changed 30k ago. Do you think its time to do another tuneup? Running 91 octane.

007

ChronoJ1

iTrader: (2)

Well...I got completely chewed by a C-class Kompressor few days ago. When I was in front of him before he pulled up next to me, I thought it was some old cheap-a$$ed regular C class.... but after when I saw him just flying by me, I finally saw the emblem 'kompressor'... It wasn't one of those new C's but probably 95-96 models.....

If you know which C class I'm talking about, can you post some spec of that car?

lex400sc

Sluggish in 3rd? That's unusual. That's a long gear, you should have taken him in 3rd if anything. Did you have the ECT on power mode or normal? You also have to milk the throttle just right when it's about to switch gears, otherwise you suffer major lag. The K&N + MAF alone might have hurt your performance after extended heat build up under the hood. The stock air box may be restrictive because of the stupid snorkel, but that's better than sucking in a bunch of hot, hot air. Look into cold air boxes and try to fabricate a scoop that guides more air into the engine bay.

I'm noticing that removing the four stock mufflers helps the SC400 out a lot!! I just ran my friend's '99 328i and schooled him. Prior to the exhaust I'd be very doubtful of a win. I'm looking into lighter wheels next and dropping the spare tire as well as my dual 12"s from the trunk. That should help out a lot (or hurt traction).

lexlikenother

ChronoJ1, the kompressor engine didn't come out on the C-class until '99, so that's the oldest that it could be.

ChronoJ1

iTrader: (2)

Oh....well...the year I mentioned was a wild wild guess....just judging from its old exterior design...
So...tell me about this car.

lexlikenother

I have noooooooooooo idea, all I know is that my mom bought a '98, and that was the year before they offered the kompressor.

007lexus

hey lex,
i noticed something today while driving my baby. I pushed in first gear then into second but when it switched into 3rd, I felt a power-gag(or loss) during a few hundred milliseconds. It almost felt like when you flood a carb car.
Any ideas???

thanks,
007

lex400sc

Are you just standing on the pedal? That's typically what happens when you just hold the pedal to the floor and expect the car to fly through the gears. You need to be aware of the tranny and when it shifts kind of by the feel and sound it makes, and let off slightly when it's about to shift. Otherwise the torque convertor locks in at red line for a split second.

If it's a new car for you and the previous owner was a tender driver, try resetting the ECU and have it relearn your driving style. I believe it takes about 200 miles to finish learning.

If this is not it, what about scheduled maintenance? I heard this helps out a lot especially if your car is due up for one soon. I was never a huge believer in the whole intake-exhaust combo, but truth be told the car feels much lighter with them on then when I first bought it.

Toog4me

There is no way a Kompressor beat you... unless there is something wrong with your car.. they run in the 7s for 0-60...

ChronoJ1

iTrader: (2)

hmmm....
It was raining and I had -5% tread on my tires...
Literally -5%. Could've blown at any time.
Maybe that's why.....

But still...I could beat IS's with aftermarket intake and exhaust with that old tires...

Keith13b

iTrader: (3)

I'd check the plugs if they have 30K miles. They might be needing a replacement; especially if you run the car hard. All else looks good though. Look into the exhaust. With that many miles, the CATS could be clogged or plugged up. They tend to fall apart after 120K miles and clog. Your intake mod might have slowed you down a little too(sorry to say).

I'd get a TC if I were you, HUGE improvement over stock.

Hope it helps,

Keith






P.S To everyone else: Kompressor model Mercedes translates to Supercharger! I believe mid 200 hp range and up; but can't remember.