quickersilver

...I raced a few of them in the S4 from about 5mph up (I'm stock), and it was pretty much dead even both times; like you, I got the second one when I hit fourth.

Also, as someone else noted, auto trannies are very consistent, and it's much easier to duplicate the mags' times with them than with a manual: the auto will time and execute its shifts perfectly, every time, without bouncing off the rev limiter, shifting to early/late/slowly, etc...and in either car, auto or not, reaction time will always play a big part.

Plus, if you botch a launch (especially in the S4, which tends to bog down on a bad launch due to AWD), you've just lost at least 1/2 second, and more like 3/4, and that's gone; you're not going to make it up once you're rolling.

With Stage 2, though, you should be able to take a CLK430 pretty easily with a good launch, assuming you're using good gas and nothing's broken. WS6's can be another matter, as they're pretty easy to get into the 12's with some mods. That 350 is a killer motor...

Mark P

I didn't realize the 4.3L V8 only made 275HP/295/ft-lbs. I was in a Stage2+ S4, and we pulled on the guy over and over again, and highway+ speeds. He would never be the one to take off first, but whenever we went, he went. I thought maybe he wasn't giving it all he had (thus why I wanted him to be the one to take go first, so I'd know it wasn't just because we had the jump.). But now, looking at the numbers, I guess he's just slower. Odd, I expected more.

UberVier

If you're in the right gear on the highway AND Stage 2+, you'll walk him pretty good IMO. He'd need time to downshift at least one gear, so there's your jump.
A friend of mine has a 430, and from a slow roll we're dead even, up to about 90. Haven't gone past that yet His car sounds nice, we fabbed a CAI for it that goes down into the front air dam.

quickersilver

...to me, a car with a 5-sp auto that'll keep up with a stock 6-sp S4 from a roll is pretty dang quick, but ymmv...also, while the 4.3L motor isn't in a super-high state of tune, its output per liter (64 horsepower/liter) is higher than the 5.7 L motor in the regular 'vette (61 hp/l). Neither are anywhere near the highest hp/l out of a production NA motor, though, which I belive is Honda's crown jewel in the S2000 at 120 hp/l...

quickersilver

...you wouldn't happen to have a photo of that, would you?

UberVier

We put it together out of parts from some ricer intakes, got it where we wanted it, and had to fab some PVC parts also. It starts at the MAF, which comes directly off the engine at the back center at a 90 degree bend, which makes things a bit tight, but there's tons of room where the oem box went (btw, that lifts right off, after you pull off the tubing that draws air from the front of the car). And there was just enough room to use 3" PVC and a 90degree bend to get down to the lower air dam area, where the filter sets, albeit pretty tightly. A better system should be made as straight as possible, and maybe that's it the works, who knows, we get lazy!
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/17771/cool_off.jpg">

Mark P

but there's that small thing lacking called a supercharger

quickersilver

Well, the CLK55 is the AMG version of the CLK; it's the CLK430's big bro...5.5L, 350 HP, 376 ft-lb o' torque. It kicks some serious booty in the git-up-and-go department. Just picked one up here recently. I drove one back to back with the CLK430, and it was like "Hole-eee-sheeit, hang on!" (which was the same mistake I made when I drove the S4 after driving the 1.8T), and that was all she wrote. But I'm gonna miss the S, I'll tell you that...helluva car.

Anyhow, have fun out there!