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  #1  
Old 10-09-1999, 08:25 PM
Franck
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The SLK would run in A stock under current SOLO II rules. The class was won by a Porsche 968, followed by a BMW Z3 2.8 in second. I am considering an SLK as a possible ride in the class. Although there is a considerable range of difference in the horsepower and weights of the vehicles in AS, they are not everything in SOLO. Handling is very important. As an example, the top five Neons in D Stock would have finished in the top ten in A. My Neon will match or beat a stock SLK and it finished 3rd in DS with my son driving.

Since the service manual is apparently not available, I have a few questions. My primary concerns the range of factory provided adjustment of camber and caster in the front and rear suspension on the SLK and the method of adjustment. What does the service manual say about the range of adjustment? Is there anything that would limit the range in the service manual?

As long as I am asking questtions, how does the 230 kompressor engine respond to little tweeks such as free flow air filter (K&N) and catback type of exhaust systems? Most of the articles I have read put the SLK slightly behind the Z3 2.8 in zero to 60 times but the tests usually use the SLK auto.

Does anyone have any experience autocrossing the SLK?



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  #2  
Old 10-10-1999, 08:41 PM
Alain V.'s Avatar
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Franck, my mom has a 98 SLK w/auto trans. I have driven the car a few times but never autocrossed it. The car is small and has decent sized rubber on it, so I'm sure that with a set of DOT stickies it would be a natural in solo competition. The factory adjustments usually allow for about 1.5 degress neg camber on most models and as you may know, MBZ (like most german cars) usually have alot of positive caster. I don't have the facts about SLK's yet though because I haven't had to align one yet.

[This message has been edited by Alain V. (edited 10-10-1999).]
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Old 10-11-1999, 04:30 AM
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All of the testing I have seen shows no acceleration advantage in the SLK manual vs automatic. On occasion the manual has even been slower. Given a good enough driver, the manual probably is still quicker on the track.

If I remember a C/D article on a long-term SLK where they did a Renntech cat-back...only gained 2-4 HP. The exhaust note was improved but still a bit buzzy. K&N's certainly shouldn't hurt. You may want to look into a tuner SLK boost kit if you are really hardcore.

Your best bang-buck handling gain will be DOT legal competition tires. BFG R1's, Hoosier's, Yoko A032R, usual suspects... A tuner swaybar and perhaps even a matched spring/shock set would help to the minor detriment of ride. You may want to give Brabus or any of the other tuners an email/call there...

If you plan on sticking really close to stock just go for the competition tires. I remember a C/D article from about a year or 18 months ago where they tested several cars and various mods for Solo II competition. Without exception, the biggest help was DOT competition rubber.

Good luck out there!...Lee

[This message has been edited by Lee Scheeler (edited 10-11-1999).]
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Old 10-11-1999, 04:02 PM
Franck
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My Neon was in the C/D test with my son driving. DOT racing tires are a given but tuner kits and spring changes are a no no in stock class.

The front swaw bar and the shocks are free in stock as are the air filter, spark plugs and anything after the cat. Of course, going from a class of 30 to 40 identical cars to class in which your vehicle is somewhat unique reduces the likelihood that the competition will successfully protest you but I would rather have a legal car.

Are there any differences in equipment from year to year. I understand that the 1999 model was the first year available in the US with a manual transmission. I have also seen that the European versions is rated about 8 hp higher than the US version (193 vs 185. Is there a specific reason for this difference?

For 1999 a sport package with 7.5x17 frt and 8.5x17 rr wheels is available. Were these wheels available on an earlier year? Is there enough space in the wheel wells to put bigger tires on these wheels?

Is there still a one year waiting period for a new SLK? And finally is there any truth to the rumor that a V-6 will be offered for 2000?

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Old 10-11-1999, 08:39 PM
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The SLK "sport" cars have the wheel-wells pretty full as-is, but you might be able to squeeze another 10 or even 20 mm more section width under there. A call to Tirerack and/or some of the tuners may be in order there.

I'm not aware of any major differences between the US and euro car. Europeans rate power slightly differently than we do. That may account for the difference. As far as I know the US will only get the same kompressor engine for Y2K model year. In a couple more years...that is anyone's guess. You know an AMG version has to be in the works sooner or later. Most of the dealerships I've seen have some stock of SLK's which would indicate that the waiting period is not so long anymore. That is something that is probably more dealer specific. If your dealer is small volume and only gets a couple a year, there could easily be a year long waiting list. A larger volume dealer (though not always the best at customer service) can get harder to find cars faster than a smaller outfit. If you are looking for something in particular let me know and I can put you in touch with some people....

Given that the spring/tuner kits are not permitted, there is one other area to look at. I'm not familiar if the SLK is similar offhand, but certain W124's can be lowered a small amount by changing the OEM spring pads from one OEM pad to another OEM pad. I'm not sure of its availability or legality but, its an idea... You probably can't gain much off a spark-plug change. K&N should be good for a few HP if there is any shortage of airflow as is. Wonder if the front swaybar from a C43 would fit?

Hope this helps...Lee
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Old 10-12-1999, 03:47 PM
Franck
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Thanks for the suggestions. Ideas like the spring pads can make a difference. However, the legality depends on what the service manual and parts manuals say about them. The same thing applies to the suspension adjustments. If the manual says you can do it, the adjustment is fine. I started this thread after I was told that the service manual was not available. Since failure to have a service manual is a protestable, do you have any idea when the manuals might be available on CD or on paper.

I think that the next thing I need to do is find someone who will let me drive one for a while. I will be in Stuttgart next week. Maybe I can get an SLK for the weekend. It is worth a try.

Thanks for the help.


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  #7  
Old 10-13-1999, 01:07 PM
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As far as I know MB will not do a service CD for a chassis until it is out of production. Since the SLK (W170) is still pretty fresh I wouldn't expect any service CD for awhile. The only other source of info that I know of is dealer microfiche. That is considered proprietary and can't be sold to the public legally. Perhaps one of the techs can chime in with any specific references or other sources of information?

BTW, I seem to remember a autocross event where a stock SLK and a stock CLK320 were both used. For some reason the CLK kept turing in slightly faster times on a tight cone course. (regardless of driver) You would think the SLK would be much faster but... You may want to find a dealership or independent who has one of each in stock to test drive. You would still run into the service manual/info problems with a CLK but I just thought that tidbit worth mentioning. Enjoy your trip to Stuttgart. Let us know how it goes.

Hope this helps...Lee

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