Going to be heading to the 1/4 mile on Friday for the first time with the 500E. What do you veterans find is the best way to launch? I don't have any modifications for ASR defeat or first gear start. Should I unplug a wheel speed sensor or is the ASR going to help me to get hooked up?
-
Hi Guest !
Welcome to the 500Eboard forum.
Since its founding in late 2008, 500Eboard has become the leading resource on the Internet for all things related to the Mercedes-Benz 500E and E500. In recent years, we have also expanded to include the 400E and E420 models, which are directly related to the 500E/E500.
We invite you to browse and take advantage of the information and resources here on the site. If you find helpful information, please register for full membership, and you'll find even more resources available. Feel free to ask questions, and make liberal use of the "Search" function to find answers.
We hope you will become an active contributor to the community!
Sincerely,
500Eboard Management
Best launch method
- Thread starter CB500E
- Start date
Do not disconnect anything or disable ASR. For street tires, lower the rear tire pressure to 20-22psi to increase the contact patch. Flip on the snow chain switch, and when you see the third yellow, floor it. DO NOT wait until you see the green light or you'll get an embarassing reaction time. There may be a little wheelspin at launch, and the ASR may engage briefly, but it will not slow you more than a couple tenths on your ET and it will make no difference, yes NO difference, in your trap speed.
When you floor it, the trans will drop into 1st gear automatically. If you want to eliminate this slight delay (I'm really not sure it will make any difference in your ET's), just before you stage move the shift lever to the "B" position for about 1 second, then put it back to D. Now stage the car and floor it on the third yellow.
Oh, and don't try to shift manually. Leave the lever in D and keep your foot planted on the floor, make sure the kickdown switch is clicked. The auto box upshifts at ~6000rpm every time which is perfect.
Looks like Dave just put up the "how to" guide to drag racing.
@ CB500E, you can also try power braking at the line...although, when I tried it at the Fontana drags, my ET's were never faster than without power braking nor was my trap speed any better. You can also try to do burnouts right before getting to the line, to help with your launches if you have stock wheels/tires. Btw, what wheels are you going to use? I hope you can get the races on tape and maybe post your time slips.
We have a drag racing thread on this board with lots of info, videos and time slips, incase you would like to contribute with your racing results there as well - http://www.500eboard.com/forums/sho...-and-tune-day-in-So-Cal&highlight=Drag+racing
Good luck at the track, be safe and I hope you can break the 14.00 second mark.
@ CB500E, you can also try power braking at the line...although, when I tried it at the Fontana drags, my ET's were never faster than without power braking nor was my trap speed any better. You can also try to do burnouts right before getting to the line, to help with your launches if you have stock wheels/tires. Btw, what wheels are you going to use? I hope you can get the races on tape and maybe post your time slips.
We have a drag racing thread on this board with lots of info, videos and time slips, incase you would like to contribute with your racing results there as well - http://www.500eboard.com/forums/sho...-and-tune-day-in-So-Cal&highlight=Drag+racing
Good luck at the track, be safe and I hope you can break the 14.00 second mark.
Good point, Steve. Power braking will affect your reaction time but does nothing for your ET or trap speed. In general I recommend bringing the revs off idle slightly, like to 1000-1200rpm, but don't worry about it much. You won't have time to look at the tach and get the revs to a certain point before the tree starts, so you need to do this by ear while keeping your eye on the tree at all times.
Burnouts won't be an option unless ASR is disabled, as he doesn't have an ASR Off switch in his car.
Burnouts won't be an option unless ASR is disabled, as he doesn't have an ASR Off switch in his car.
Thanks for the usefull advice!
Im running 275's in the rear, should I still lower the pressure down to 20psi?
I'll try and get the girlfriend to take a video of a few passes. I cant wait to see the look on my friends faces when I
can finally show them exactly what this car is capable of, they all call it an old man car!
Im running 275's in the rear, should I still lower the pressure down to 20psi?
I'll try and get the girlfriend to take a video of a few passes. I cant wait to see the look on my friends faces when I
can finally show them exactly what this car is capable of, they all call it an old man car!
:blonde:
Attachments
With 275's, you can start out at a higher pressure if you want, and if you still get wheelspin you can lower it. I usually run 24psi but I also do burnouts (as I have an ASR Off switch, and limited-slip diff). With no burnout, you may need to drop to 22 or 20 psi.
It totally depends on the track prep, some will have a clean surface and spray traction compounds like VHT, if that is the case you may have no issues. Other tracks do basically nothing and you'll watch the ASR light flashing through most of first gear. Only way to find out is to make some passes!
It totally depends on the track prep, some will have a clean surface and spray traction compounds like VHT, if that is the case you may have no issues. Other tracks do basically nothing and you'll watch the ASR light flashing through most of first gear. Only way to find out is to make some passes!
Yep, the track/lanes condition and the width of the rear tires will play into better results. I'm running 275's in the rear and have only triggered ASR halfway down the track, but I did get slight wheel spin at the line when my psi was for street use @ 36 psi. With psi down to 26, I never slipped at the line again. Even with the lower psi, I did trigger ASR down the track, but that was prolly do to the track condition.
Try to play with the pressure to get the psi that works without too much wheel spin or triggering the ASR. Btw, are you on 18" or 17" wheels? My 275's are on 17" wheels and I was able to drop the psi down to 26 and with the tire switch engaged and in first gear, I didn't slip at the line at all. So start a bit higher and lower down the psi as needed, the car will tell you when to stop. If you are on 18" wheels then lower psi might be better, for more rubber flex.
Nice.
Btw, are any of your friends going to race as well and if so, what are they bringing? I have a feeling you might end up being more impressed than your friends, from what an "old man" car can do. Lastly, is your car in good running order and have you drag raced before, aside from this time with the 500E?
Almost forgot, pump up the front tires a bit more.
Last edited:
What's the speed of that puppy?
I have raced in the past with my previous VW's
The car is in fantastic shape mechanically. The entire engine has been gone over, all new ignition components, all fluids,
O2 sensor, throttle body, wiring harness etc... I am the most anal person when it comes to my car and I wouldn't risk any problems by taking a car to the drags that wasn't running 100%
Oh boy, you are lucky having so many opportunities for dyno's and drag racing over there!
Over here it is 5-6 drag racing events per year in the entire country. Luckily we have our good neighbour country Sweden which is a complete different planet regarding racing and customizing of any kind. When it comes to anything with "speed on wheels" here in Morepay, the most centric thoughts is speed limits and fines - Ha Ha...
Complaints aside, I have some newbie questions;
- What does ET means?
- Trap speed is probably when you cross the finish line?
- How much is the race fee on an average?
- Is it any trading/sales section on the events?
Thanks
Over here it is 5-6 drag racing events per year in the entire country. Luckily we have our good neighbour country Sweden which is a complete different planet regarding racing and customizing of any kind. When it comes to anything with "speed on wheels" here in Morepay, the most centric thoughts is speed limits and fines - Ha Ha...
Complaints aside, I have some newbie questions;
- What does ET means?
- Trap speed is probably when you cross the finish line?
- How much is the race fee on an average?
- Is it any trading/sales section on the events?
Thanks
Last edited:
1) ET = Elapsed Time in seconds
2) Trap speed is the average speed over the final 66 feet prior to the finish line
3) Race fee varies widely depending on the track and the event. Usually it's around $20-$25, but in some areas it could be as high as $75-$100. The fee for major events can be even higher.
4) There are not trading/sales sections at most smaller events, however certain select events may have this, and major/national events will have numerous manufacturers/vendors present.
At my local track, the majority of events have a $25 entry fee, for larger events (about 4 per year) it can be $50 to $100. They have two "swap meets" per year, one each in spring & fall, where people bring all sorts of stuff to sell. Click here for photos from last year's spring swap meet.
Does the track have evening runs? At the Fontana track I attended, there used to be races in the day and evenings.
Is that Chris B. the blue 300D owner??
I have now found the BEST launch method ever!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enzDKTkK_Eg
[youtube]enzDKTkK_Eg[/youtube]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enzDKTkK_Eg
[youtube]enzDKTkK_Eg[/youtube]
Thanks for the advices Dave!1) ET = Elapsed Time in seconds
2) Trap speed is the average speed over the final 66 feet prior to the finish line
3) Race fee varies widely depending on the track and the event. Usually it's around $20-$25, but in some areas it could be as high as $75-$100. The fee for major events can be even higher.
4) There are not trading/sales sections at most smaller events, however certain select events may have this, and major/national events will have numerous manufacturers/vendors present.
At my local track, the majority of events have a $25 entry fee, for larger events (about 4 per year) it can be $50 to $100. They have two "swap meets" per year, one each in spring & fall, where people bring all sorts of stuff to sell. Click here for photos from last year's spring swap meet.
The trick with entering the stage in 1st and then engage D was smart to skip that downshift delay. I guess I have installed the FGS E420 VB at some point anyway. I hope I'll get the opportunity to join a drag race once, either here in Norway or Sweden, whichever the closest.
Hey CB500E, if I wasn't heading over to Victoria this weekend, I've got a couple of HD Cameras that I could use to video your results. I don't know if Mission has a place to view both start and finish lines, but it would make an interesting montage. Maybe we can set something up for the next time!
My launch method requires some serious tunes pumping through the speakers (and or a deep sub) while staging and all the way down the track. My car likes aggressive music when being raced.
Looks like tonight is rained out. I would love to get some HD footage! If your around may 3 that's the next street legal event.
All other things being equal, the air pushed by 14" and greater subs being driven hard, while launching, can create a 0.05-0.1-second improvement in ETs in the quarter-mile. Rap music generally is best as the highest volumes of air per second are moved with it, particularly at dB levels over 100.
Cheers,
Gerry
Rap's BPM's are too far apart to sustain continuous low end waves for optimum propulsion. Now some serious beats from numerous electronica genres would be the preferred choice. Just think what pumping much higher BPM's and harder bass from genres like Gabber or Hardstyle can do...
[video]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tSvemMKH32Q&feature=related[/video]
[video]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tSvemMKH32Q&feature=related[/video]
I'm going to Sweden/Malmo Saturday for a drag event/show (German cars only).
I have the fgsswitch for first gear start, but not ASR defeat.
Any experience which is fastest kick down/floor it vs. 80% down with FGS?
My feeling is its quicker without the kick down, because kick down forces the ASR on slowing down the car.
The acceleration is first very quick from the 2ed gear.
I've seen some post regarding defeat ASR by jump the connections on #1 and #6 in the Can box, does it work?
(I don't need to control it from the inside of the car as I will only use it a few times per year).
If it work will it also defeat the ABS system?
I have the fgsswitch for first gear start, but not ASR defeat.
Any experience which is fastest kick down/floor it vs. 80% down with FGS?
My feeling is its quicker without the kick down, because kick down forces the ASR on slowing down the car.
The acceleration is first very quick from the 2ed gear.
I've seen some post regarding defeat ASR by jump the connections on #1 and #6 in the Can box, does it work?
(I don't need to control it from the inside of the car as I will only use it a few times per year).
If it work will it also defeat the ABS system?
Just unplug the speed sensor (near the can box) and ASR/ABS will be off !
You don't need ASR disabled for drag racing, unless you need to do a burnout. And then you'll probably only spin one tire. ASR will not slow you down. If you disable ASR and have wheelspin, you'll go a lot slower than if you just let ASR control the wheelspin. If you do have wheelspin, drop your tire pressure to ~20psi or so on street tires.
FGSswitch is not needed for one-time first gear starts. Just move the gearshift to "B" position for one second, then put it back in "D". The trans will launch in 1st gear at the next start only. FGSswitch not required. And this works if you have the ABS sensor disconnected.
FGSswitch is not needed for one-time first gear starts. Just move the gearshift to "B" position for one second, then put it back in "D". The trans will launch in 1st gear at the next start only. FGSswitch not required. And this works if you have the ABS sensor disconnected.
Yes - with the car stopped, move shift lever to "B" for approx 1 second, then move it back to "D". The car will start in 1st gear for that one time, even if you have no FGS of any kind. It's a factory feature that surprisingly few people know about. If you want FGS all the time, it gets tiring to do this at every stop, that's why people like FGS mods.
The snow chain switch allows more wheel spin / slip before ASR engages. It's designed for snow chains on slippery road surfaces. Details are here:
http://www.w124performance.com/docs/mb/other/ASR_snow_chain_switch.pdf
Another trick for on demand fgs is to slip your right foot under the accelerator at a stoplight, obviously with your left foot on the brake, and press the kickdown switch for a moment. Gets tricky though at a dragrace if you can't pull your foot out from under the pedal in time, but its great for stealth FGS when you have the wife in the passenger seat and don't want to warn her of your intentions with a lever shift. 