Wheel spin on slow gentle acceleration ?? CL55Kom
Discussion
W5Plumbers said:
I cannot keep up with regular traffic on acceleration from stand still and also get wheel spin at 50-70mph (very scary when overtaking!) will look at tyres, bridgstone all weather on at the mo,
Something not right there. My E Class is running about 380bhp and I can give it full beans on summer tyres with only the odd flicker from the traction light at low speeds.
Have you got much tread left on your rears?
The CL55K.....[sigh....]
I used to find mine tremendous amounts of fun when aiming to ‘push on’.
I remember one afternoon heading down to London. Just beyond the M6 tolls where the motorway splits into multiple lanes, parallel to Weeford, I was hoping to enjoy a leisurely cruise with little traffic, fiddling through the radio stations for something pleasant. I’d drifted to the right hand lane - it’s hard when you have 493bhp to just pootle along - when in the rear view mirror this Audi (no less) was just bearing down at enormous pace.
“Upstart”! I stamped that kick-down. All I remember seeing in the mirror was a massive puff of dust and stones. My first thought was I’d killed a tire or two, but actually the thing was just wheelspinning at xx mph and kicking stones in the Audi’s windscreen. And just like that the Audi was a mere dot in the glass...
They dialled out the schizophrenia of the W215 compared to other models that had the 55k, but I’ve never had a car that felt so planted at high speed. Incredibly well balanced. I also had a rear wheel blowout once. Coming out of Dover, after accelerating on I heard this light thud. Then in the wing mirror I could see something wasn’t quite right...stuff flapping everywhere.
So eased off the gas, indicated right and let the car drift over to the hard shoulder. When I managed to get out and have a look, the car was on its rim with a completely gutted rubber carcass. Dunlop’s....the car had barely wobbled. In most other cars you’d be doing pirouettes for the next 150m.
Compared to an SL55 I ran for awhile, the CL span its tires far more. My view is simply that while they are both heavy cars, the SL’s hardtop roof and mechanism is precisely placed to keep enough weight over the rear tires so that traction is that much better. The CL always felt a touch lighter in comparison.
A great car the W215, and one of the most beautiful designs that MB or indeed any other manufacturer has come up with in the last 20, 25 years. I miss mine. Enjoy!
I used to find mine tremendous amounts of fun when aiming to ‘push on’.
I remember one afternoon heading down to London. Just beyond the M6 tolls where the motorway splits into multiple lanes, parallel to Weeford, I was hoping to enjoy a leisurely cruise with little traffic, fiddling through the radio stations for something pleasant. I’d drifted to the right hand lane - it’s hard when you have 493bhp to just pootle along - when in the rear view mirror this Audi (no less) was just bearing down at enormous pace.
“Upstart”! I stamped that kick-down. All I remember seeing in the mirror was a massive puff of dust and stones. My first thought was I’d killed a tire or two, but actually the thing was just wheelspinning at xx mph and kicking stones in the Audi’s windscreen. And just like that the Audi was a mere dot in the glass...
They dialled out the schizophrenia of the W215 compared to other models that had the 55k, but I’ve never had a car that felt so planted at high speed. Incredibly well balanced. I also had a rear wheel blowout once. Coming out of Dover, after accelerating on I heard this light thud. Then in the wing mirror I could see something wasn’t quite right...stuff flapping everywhere.
So eased off the gas, indicated right and let the car drift over to the hard shoulder. When I managed to get out and have a look, the car was on its rim with a completely gutted rubber carcass. Dunlop’s....the car had barely wobbled. In most other cars you’d be doing pirouettes for the next 150m.
Compared to an SL55 I ran for awhile, the CL span its tires far more. My view is simply that while they are both heavy cars, the SL’s hardtop roof and mechanism is precisely placed to keep enough weight over the rear tires so that traction is that much better. The CL always felt a touch lighter in comparison.
A great car the W215, and one of the most beautiful designs that MB or indeed any other manufacturer has come up with in the last 20, 25 years. I miss mine. Enjoy!
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