YS is having fun in the beach so let me give you my opinion, I had a 997 TT.

When the 997tt was bone stock the power was great,handling not very good specially on the track,this car was made to be very comfortable in the street and the susp is very soft for such a powerful car.When you take a fast speed turn the rear starts to move and feels very un save,if you follow in another car the 997 tt you can see how the rear end moves and feels loose.
After some time I made upgrades to the engine,body and susp.I installed H&R adj bars this made a big difference also installed Techart coil overs at first the car was very low and the susp still felt loose so I lifted a little bit and realign and now the car handles very good.The engine also was upgraded with EVOMS 650hp kit and it made the 997 a beast.

I think BS handles very nice not as powerful as 997 TT,the BS gear box sucks the general finish of the BS is excellent BS is a limited edition and will keep a better resale value that the 997 TT.

 

The point is that Kendall/Haywood take stock cars and drive the wheels of them at speeds that mere mortals can't achieve. They don't complain about poor gear boxes, brakes etc., and they do so lap after lap on the bleeding edge, and the cars still perform.

Lesser drivers always put their inadequacies down to the car's limitations versus their own, and then start upgrading bits and pieces (but the pros put the lie to this). The money is probably better spent on Driver Education.

I have seen it with Porsche, Ferrari and MB so it is not a matter of brand loyalty or blindness.

No performance driver in their right mind would by a TT (maybe a GT2, I did) over a GT3.

Instead of the mods you might have done better to buy a more purposeful car. After all, no has yet been able to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Now if you need the back seats, I understand.

 

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do.../pageId=124444

read up on this about the tranny issue that amg is trying to fix.

 

Great and accurate article, supports how great the BS is on the track; and way beyond most peoples capabilities. The rev matching is an issue that is blown way out of proportion (because it is not F1 style). However, before the rev matching becomes a real issue most will have exceeded the limits of their abilities.

As an aside, the new transmission in the SL 63 is a marvel!

The Black Series is a great track car, and the better a driver you are; the more the car rewards you. Transmission upgrades will satisfy the boy wonders (and aural satisfaction) but won't do much for driving abilities.

Black Series = Professional instruction required, and lots of it.

 

No performance driver in their right mind would by a TT (maybe a GT2, I did) over a GT3.
Good point I moved to 3RS...

 

This is my first post, but I wanted to know if the CLK has the ability to be put into "dyno" or "test" mode? Some of the earler AMG's had this option that could be activated via the menu system. When the car is in dyno mode it turns the traction control completely off, but also turns the ABS off. Some track guys say that this makes a huge difference.

(I guess you can also have a mercedes technician set this option as the default mode.)

 

With the 7 speed manual MCT transmission in the SL63, I would feel pretty ****ty if I owned a CLK BS. They are around the same price and the BS is the one that's supposed to be made for the track...

 

Every single Mercedes can be put into dyno mode, that is how they test these cars.

They just gave it a different name for marketing purposes, it is the same exact transmission with slightly different software. It is still an automatic transmission and absolutely nothing like SMG, F1, or DSG transmissions. BTW The new software version will be available to BS owners soon.

 

It's not an automatic, it has no torque converter.

 

The CLK BS was developed a year earlier. There is always going to be something new improved on the technology front each year. So what. The CLK BS will still own the SL63 on the track regardless of transmission.

 

No need to get defensive... of course the CLK BS will destroy the SL63 on track. It better, it cost the same, has a CLK interior and isn't a convertible with all the bells and whistles (options)

I mentioned that because the #1 complaint about the BS I hear is the transmission. It would be so perfect if it was mated to the MCT tranny.

 

You mean every recent Mercedes. My SLK32 does not have dyno mode and no R170 SLK did.

 

Why do you think I was being defensive? I responded to your statement in a straight forward and meaningful way without a bunch of silly faces stuck to my post. If I wanted to be defensive, I could respond to your last sentence by saying something like "How would you know it would be perfect, I doubt you have driven either car" but I hate stating the obvious.

 

So in your mind one equals a bunch? Interesting.

Yes how would a transmission that is lighter and switches gears much faster possibly improve the CLK BS......

I'd rather realize these facts not owning the car then owning one and be blind to it. Thanks.

 

Just one comment.....the CLK BS interior is not a run of the mill CLk interior...the liberal use of suede and carbon fiber are beautifully done....

That is my only point.... continue your sparring....

Tom