[Ahmed]

OK guys, I dont know how to say this, what i'm about to tell you came to me as a total surprise! I dont know whether I should feel good about myself, or bad for the other driver... you tell me!!

I was driving back from work when I pulled up at the lights right alongside a gorgeous black S55 AMG, I only became curious of it when I saw the V8 Kompressor badge on the side!!!

Well so.... I looked over to the driver of the benz and sometimes you just know that the other guy knows you're there, knows what car you got, and wants to race you!! He didnt even look at me! Its only when he started fiddling around with his dashboard that I realised he's on for a race... ( obviously switching ESP off and turning the A/C off too!! )

So I did the same, DSC off and Sport ON, AIRCON OFF!!!!!!

Lights turned yellow ( yes, here in bahrain the lights turn from red to yellow then to green, dont ask me why, i have no idea )

So we both take off, he gets a little head start but no problem, I left him for dead by about 2 car lengths by the time I slammed the shifter into 2nd, by then he was losing some ground but.... on shifting in 3rd, he was gaining on me slowly.... thats where i got a little worried....

But.. to my total surprise, by 4th gear he stopped gaining on me and had only closed the gap to 1 car length.. that he started falling back again... and kept falling back all the way to top of 5th when my speedo was showing 260km/h and the xenons of teh AMG about 4 car lengths behind!!

I slowed down and he overtook me giving absolutely no gesture whatsoever....

So.. here's the question!!! Was this expected? Should i be proud of myself? Can a lightly modded M5 take on an S55 AMG the way i did????

Any input will definitely settle my nerves!!!! hmmm

 

[Gustav]

Good work!

 

[gsfent]

Can a lightly modded M5 take on an S55 AMG the way i did????

Any input will definitely settle my nerves!!!! hmmm

Apparently so!!! :thumbsup: All he has to do is stand on the gas pedal, not much skill involved after you launch. So assuming his car was running right, you did a good job. If he has 493 hp, then the additional weight, plus auto tranny loses at higher speed would account for some of the success. Give yourself credit for good driving, you still had to work the pedals and shifter!! :cheers:
Regards,
Jerry

 

[SA-M5]

Good work Ahmed :M5thumbs:

Looking forward to race you :byee55amg

 

[Anglas]

Congratulations!!! You spoiled his day and defenetly made yourself proud :haha2:

 

[Ag02M5]

How many tailpipes?

It could have been a pre-supercharged model.

R

 

[gsfent]

How many tailpipes?

It could have been a pre-supercharged model.

R

Wouldn't the Kompressor badge be for a supercharged car?
Regards,
Jerry

 

[wilsodh]

Good story!! Not to encourage the illegal, but what the hell... we need more good race stories around here!!! :hihi:

Cheers,

 

[Ag02M5]

Wouldn't the Kompressor badge be for a supercharged car?
Regards,
Jerry

I know they had an S55 that wasn't supercharged with the new body style. Not to rain on the parade but someone could easily have slapped on a Kompressor badge or even an S55 one for that matter.

If it was supercharged...then :M5launch: .

Ryan

 

[Stickman]

Lights turned yellow ( yes, here in bahrain the lights turn from red to yellow then to green, dont ask me why, i have no idea )

Hello Ahmed,
Thank you for sharing your adventure with us.

I can answer the light question for you. Many countries around the world do this (including Germany) and I wish they did in the USA too.

By going from Red to Yellow, it allows drivers stopped at the light to prepare to go - to put the car in gear, etc. Then as soon as the light is green, you are instantly ready to go. This versus - Green light -> oh, the light just turned green, let me see, put the clutch in, put it in gear....

This light procedure minimizes the time the intersection spends empty between lights. It is very efficient. The down side, is you can NOT run a red light!:confused3 It is a cultural thing and also a training issue at this point (teaching old dogs new tricks), but that is why we don't have them in the USA. Too many people run red lights.

Not only do we in the USA not get the Yellow before the Green, the engineers put extensions over the lights so we can't see the other direction's lights go from Green to Yellow. Because guys like me are then getting ready to go based on that signal.:noSMG:

In some cases, there is acually a dead period where for a moment the lights are ALL Red to ensure anybody running a Red is through the intersection before the other side gets a Green light.

 

[Kin Mak]

The S55 from 00 up to 02 "only" had 360bhp and did 0-60 in about 5.8. The 02 onwards version had the supercharger and 500bhp and did 0-60 in about 4.6.

If he had a Kompressor badge it should have been the newer car, then again there are always those fools that like sticking things on their bootlids that don't match their car.

No matter what... good job for whopping a what sounds like an arrogant Benz drivers *** :wroom:

p.s. a good indication of wheather it was supercharged or not is the noise. You cannot miss the sound of an AMG supercharged engine.

 

[cosioboy]

Good job brother!

Based on your description, I would say it was a Kompressor S55. If it weren't, he would have likely not pulled away on you initially at the head start (assuming you did a good controlled launch, which I am sure you have done), and it wouldn't have been that close of a battle in my mind. Even with your mods, you should have about 410hp and much less weight (just the SS shaved about 40lbs from stock weight), so yeah, it would be an easier kill going against a normally aspirated S55.

Badges aside (yeah, anyone can paste them these days), and apart from the quad exhaust (one can buy a pair of quad tips by the pound), did you notice the rear taillights and the front headlights? In the 2002 model lineup there was a minor facelift and I believe all 2002+ S55 Kompressors have the revised facia, which includes Xenon projector lenses vs. the older style xenon headlights.

And as Kin Mak states, the sound would have been another giveaway, but considering your SS + X-Pipe setup, operating at full throttle, needless to say the adrenaline rush, this is likely something one cannot attest.

And lastly, what a sore looser! Instead of tipping his hat in defeat (and not anything to be ashamed of, after all he is driving a $100K+ car and losing to a Beast, not a WRX), he decides to accelerate even more and disappear into the sunset... Shameful...

Maybe good news for Benz, as we will be upgrading to the S65 AMG, but that's where the E60 Beast comes in to spoil his 2 seconds of glory... :1:

 

[6spd]

I was kicked by a CL65 Biturbo AMG last week.
I don't know if it was just the shock of seeing a old man and his wife jump off line like that or what, WOW I'm humbled.

 

[pkarmouche]

My new boss has a SL65 AMG.

Gulp.

 

[marcducati]

Lights turned yellow ( yes, here in bahrain the lights turn from red to yellow then to green, dont ask me why, i have no idea )

Here, our lights do the same. When red is on the orange turns on with the red still on, indicating you have to get ready to start...when the green comes on, about 1 sec after. We just floor it on orange.(this was your daily useless information from Switzerland :byee55amg

 

[Cor-Jan]

Here, our lights do the same. When red is on the orange turns on with the red still on, indicating you have to get ready to start...when the green comes on, about 1 sec after. We just floor it on orange.(this was your daily useless information from Switzerland :byee55amg

In Holland the lights go from red to green so you never know.It builts some extra tension,but you can surprise a fast bike with a good reaction.

 

[Ahmed]

In Holland the lights go from red to green so you never know.It builts some extra tension,but you can surprise a fast bike with a good reaction.

hmmm

Well yes ofcourse. If the biker was sleeping!

 

[marcducati]

In Holland the lights go from red to green so you never know.It builts some extra tension,but you can surprise a fast bike with a good reaction.

Keep an eye on pedstian crossing lights, They blink and go red 3 seconds before the cars turn green. I got a few like that flooring a miliseconde(there I go exagerating again) before it even goes orange.

 

[Larry's M5]

Yup, the sound of the S55 supercharged engine is definately a dead give away. My friend's has one and I ride with him to the beach almost every weekend and it's almost as loud as a F360. You should have noted the bass and the hummm when you guys were waiting for the lights if it's a supercharged

 

[cosioboy]

I was kicked by a CL65 Biturbo AMG last week.
I don't know if it was just the shock of seeing a old man and his wife jump off line like that or what, WOW I'm humbled.

Yeah, unfortunately an un- or lightly modded Beast is not a match for the 65 AMGs... But with one of the supercharger packages (Dinan S3, AA, etc.), then we are talking...

Intersting to see how the E60 Beast would pair up against a 65AMG (CL/SL/S). It's been documented it easily spanks the 55 Kompressor AMGs, but not sure of actual tests versus the 65s. If it holds it ground (and then some) against the likes of a Gallardo, then maybe it'll be on equal footing with the CL 65 AMG K.