I keep reading about how you guy's go racing and beat other cars, on rather very public roads, such as Interstate highways and etc. Except for one occasion I have never raced (and that was on a old open relatively unused) at night at not very high speeds (up to 70 mph). I read that some of you exceed speeds of 120 mph! :cool Well I am afraid to do such things, and never take up any challenges. Today I was on the Southernstate parkway when a Guy in a E320 pulled up to me and gave me a grin. He increased speed and slowed back down to me. He wanted to race, however I chickened out. I don't think that racing is really wrong (as long as its done in areas that don't pose a danger to others). All I want to know is how do you guys do this stuff. It scares me for sure. Just how good is that radar detector.

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"Damn the torpedos, four bells full speed ahead"
-Admiral Farragut




-1987 300E Smoke Silver
-1997 S320 Black on Black
-Soon To be E55 AMG
-27 foot Grady White Offshore Sportfish.

I am totally agree with you. If you want to endanger yourself, leave the by-standers. Though I did it couple times on public freeway, I ensures that I would not hurt any one in case something DID go wrong. I would go back and forth on the section where I would "perform" the un-thinkable(checking for traffic and of course, highway patrols). Then just got for it(and keep your fingers crossed). But all in all, don't try it on public road, and the limits are best left out on close tracks....

Andy Kuo

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1992 Mercedes-Benz 400SE
http://members.shaw.ca/AKRY/W140_Side.gif

2002 Acura TL Type S
http://members.shaw.ca/AKRY/type_s_side.gif

I trust Mike Valentine. You just have to understand the V1 protects against everything except Instant-On Ka and Laser. It will usually pick up Instant-On K.

Speeding and racing this time a year is dumb. Too many cops on the road. Always.

I know my car is in superb mechanical condition and never hesitate to run at 100+ (given that conditions permit). However, on the interstate, I usually just cruise at 80. Easier not to have to screw with cops (speed limit is 70 on I-75 down here in Tampa).

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1988 Mercedes-Benz 260E

Well CaptAlex300e...,

Racing can be highly dangerous, rude and inconsiderate of surrounding traffic, and is illegal. That said, I have done my fair share and doubt I will stop.

First off, you HAVE to drive defensively. By that I mean you must be highly aware of what traffic is doing or about to do! If you see cars ahead, no-go, wrong answer, don't do it. If it is clear ahead, then you must decide what your up against, is it faster or way faster or slower? Do you try, thats up to how frisky you are feeling at the moment.

If you decide to engage and you are rolling, drop down a gear or two, you want to be just below or right at the sweet spot of the engine (max power). Usually both of you will cruise at a constant speed until one of you flinch's and then its just a matter of flooring it! Timing is important here, if he goes first, you have to have good timing in flooring it, so as to not get left behind. If he floors it and is in the wrong gear you will usually pass him right away. This is all in a straight line, I highly suggest you avoid any race involving turns!!! Your life is on the line mind you. At least until you know what you are doing. Exceeding the speed limit is a risk you take, go with the gut feeling on this one.

If you are at a stop and waiting the light, things can get fun! First, look around, are there any Cops hiding in the bushes? Look both ways before "gunning" it, you don't want to get T-Boned by some meat-head running a Red! If you have made it this far and traffic is clear (this is assuming both of you are at the front of both lanes) select 1st gear. If you are in a Auto which I would imagine with a 300E drop it into 2nd and leave it there. You can be very hard on your car at what occurs next, weigh it with what you consider prudent! Foot firmly on the brake, bring the revs up to the sweet spot or near it, I've no idea on your engine but I imagine it is high around 3-4 on up? Don't do this for an extended amount of time! You are doing something unnatural to the tranny and higher stresses are involved. 2-4 seconds max is safe (I guess)? Watch the opposing traffic signals and read them, you should have an idea when you get the green, for example turn lane in front getting the yellow, etc.

You'll figure it out eventually. Timing is key at a stop. Whoever guns it first and has the most power and shifts the quickest will win. Shift 500 below redline until you are comfortable with this. Saying all this should be common sense but there insights that add up for a win. Don't race on city streets, its dangerous, pedestrians don't listen but glance and thats dangerous.


I have raced many cars with a lesser car, winning is especially fun when this happens.

You either want to race or you don't! If you don't feel like it, DON'T!!!!!! Its that simple, if you take a risk and are not mentally prepare for what is happening to and around you, BAD things can happen, accidents and injuries. Please be safe with any of these suggestions!

CaptAlex300E,

How do you get the chance to even race on the Southern State Pkwy?? I'm on the SSP 4 times a week driving in from Staten Island (Hofstra student) and I can barely handle 90mph due to how many curves and dips are on that Pkwy. I've raced a couple of rice rockets around Exit 15, and completely destroyed them, but when the curves and dips come up around Exit 17, its totally impossible to do triple digit speeds. I rarely "race", but when some punk in a 92 Civic with orange lights all around comes flaring behind me--I cant resist.

If your around Nassau county, maybe we can meet up somewhere. Drop me a line.....

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Agron
1989 300E ("E 300"-Badged)
Monotoned Astral Silver w/ rear lid deck panel
97 Style Replica E420 Rims 205/55/16
Euro Headlights
Clear Corners
94/95 Taillights
Black Grille Insert
Chrome Exhaust Tips
20% Tint
Pioneer Sound system w/ Sub-enclosure and CD-changer

If you want to race and not get nailed try driving on the 401 through Toronto. Unless you're doing 80mph to begine with you old ladies in Fireflys are passing you.

CaptAlex, if you do want to stretch the legs of your 300E and not worry about endangering others or getting tickets, keep an eye out for MBCA club activities. Sometimes local MBCA sections rent racetracks and the members can drive their hearts out - time trials, acceleration runs and stuff like that. Its alot safer than doing it on the freeway, and a lot of fun. I always think of racing the same as target practice. If you walk into a mall and start doing it it will be over pretty quick; if you do it at a firing range you can do it all day, not break any laws and not put anyone's (yours included) life in danger.

Just a little not on racing, when I moved to Richmond Hill I was moving our stuff in a moving truck (like the famous yellow rider truck) on and 407 in Toronto. I had never driven a truck that size so I was doing about 5% under the speed limit and staying in the far right lanes. For a while I noticed a Porshe 911 coming up behind me. I say for a while because he wasn't really speeding, just keeping up with traffic which would eventually overtake me anyways. A few minutes later as he was passing me a few lanes over to my left one of those fancy Acuras (not a usual one, but the lamborgini looking ones, raced down the onramp on my right, saw the porsche and honked it horn. You wouldn't believe how fast they took off. The highway was pretty straight and I think I could see ahead about 2 miles or more. They were wiping through traffic like shot through a gun and then they were gone. I have never seen anything move that fast on a highway. I'm just glad they were in front of me when the started, that probably gave quite a scare to some people to see these two cars coming up in their rear-view mirors at what must have been close to 120mph.

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Jason Priest
1999 E430
1995 E420 - retired
1986 420SEL - retired

SAVE IT FOR THE TRACK !!!
Way back when I was a teen, boy was I STUPID! Driving on the HWY like a maniac, I paid the price-BIG TIME! Do a couple of driving school track events a year and you'll help to get it out of your system. Go to the Drags on the weekends and let it out. Then, you'll be content doing 70 MPH on the ON/Off ramps.
Check out the High performance/on-track driving schools by Skip Barber, PDA and Car Guys. All have sites on the WEB. They will help you become a better, safer driver. If there is enough intrest, car guys will hold a track event for a group of us at a discounted rate at one of many tracks around the east coast. Let me know if anyone out there is into it!
BTW- that section of the Southern State is nick-named "BLOOD ALLEY" for a reason!!!
If ya gotta run on a public road, go to Ocean Pky at Jones beach. It's a great straight High speed run in the winter at night. Nobody is out there at 3 AM!!!!
Gary

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00 Silver/Black AMG E55
96 DCM Impala SS
94 Admiral Blue ZR-1
81 Candy Apple Corvette Cpe

Agron & Capt,
The curves are what make the Southern PKWY nice to drive on. I wouldn't race on there though unless you really know the area. Unfortunately the best place to increase speed on that road happens to be directly in front of the State Trooper precinct as you come of the Belt! On certain days the Troopers put the suped-up Mustang they have right there on the hill right after the bend, and wait...
There are just to many drivers in the NY area for you to do anything insane for even a few minutes.
zrusny is right though, OCean PKY late at night is the best...also the belt going east parallel to sunrise highway, also late at night.


[Edited by yal on 12-20-2000 at 10:28 AM]

I wanted to say I agree with 420SEL and zrusny.

On the street, racing is VERY risky and can be dangerous with traffic around.

I suggest getting in touch with your local chapter of the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America), they hold events local to just about anywhere in the country. They usually have at least one event a month and more likey 2 a month in NYC. In the winter the pace slows.

The cost is minimal (cost a rules manual and fees for track time lasting all day, $12-$15 total). Go to a autocross event and race on a road coarse set up with cones. This is the safest form of racing there is as you never get out of second gear and speeds rarely exceed 45. The track is set up in such a way so that it is impossible to hit anything other than a cone which rarely does damage.

Don't under estimate the fun factor here and you will learn a ton about car control, its a blast and safe! When you do one of these autocross events you will definately have a new appreciation for what you and your car can do, and as a bonus you will usually drive much safer to!

Just a thought

Racing is spooky. I told myself many times - "don't do it"
but as soon as someeone starts with me.... here we go.
So far I got a $200 ticket ( as soon as I got ahead of a Mustang cop clockeed me doing 72 in 50 on rt 4 in NJ) and got a guy into an accident ( I slowed down with the trafick, he pushed on ). So as you ssee nothing good came out of it. The exitment you get out of it is often overvelmed by a "scared sh...less" feeling .
If you can ignore the chalngers and keep driving, do it. Don't race.

__________________
Dmitry
90' 300CE
17" Intra Signums
Brulen mufler
Euro Headlights/Clear Blinkers
White gouges (made my own)

I heard a racing story that made the news in the town next to me a long time ago. Two cars, a Porsche and a Corvette, were racing through the middle of town. One ate it, hit a pole and killed himself. The drivers? The Sheriff and District Attorney.

Unfortunatley in a Benz there is just no shortage of takers. Everytime I step on the highway i'll run into some punk that just wants to act like a moron. Is it the way the car looks? I don't know but patience and restriant becomes a real virtue sometimes! Maybe we need a coast to coast Autobahn with a huge disclaimer on every entrance to it.

Correct me if I am wrong, but don't some states have laws where if someone else has an accident while you are racing them, you are partly at fault?

There maight be, but by the time he crushed i was well behind him and the race was over.

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Dmitry
90' 300CE
17" Intra Signums
Brulen mufler
Euro Headlights/Clear Blinkers
White gouges (made my own)

I entered the "imports only" drag race at the Silver Dollar Raceway in middle Ga. and raced against some imports. I DID not hold the brake and rev it up, I just floored it at what I thought was the appropriate time. My best run was right at 90 mph. I did not want to screw around with the tranny holding the brake and accelerating. Unfortunately, I red lighted and lost but I did find out what it was capable of through the 1/4. Had fun too.
engatwork
'95 E320
'97 Honda CRV