I Took My Mercedes E550 To The DRAG STRIP! - What Does a STOCK W212 M278 Run in the QUARTER MILE???

[@worldofthemusic8074]

I didn't see his subs at first, wasn't expecting to see under 500 subs. Really great content, deserves more than this!

[@bucksgarage]

Thanks for watching! My first foray into making and editing videos, I have a lot still to learn, but I am glad people seem to be enjoying what I am putting out so far. Stay tuned for some cool stuff coming up soon.

[@jaylenterence1902]

Right I was expecting over 500 thousand

[@MonaLisa-el9wi]

I have a 2011 e550 coupe with less than 92,000 miles. Any suggestions on how to learn more about my car. Where do I start? I love it, and I have been told that "I don't know what I have." LOL

[@bucksgarage]

I don't know a ton about the earlier NA engine, other than it is very reliable. The Mercedes forums are decent, there is also a "W212 Owners" group on facebook that has a lot of members and some good info.

[@emjaitaylor7847]

Thanks for sharing man, I just brought one!

[@bucksgarage]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@S.Madman]

With out a trans tune power is held on 1st, 2nd, and the beginning of 3rd. You being at 2700 ft of elevation will rob some power out of your car. It is doing just fine. At sea level it will do 12.5-12.7. A tune will get you at 12.5-12.7 at your elevation. Do shut off your A/C as it takes a moment for the compressor to uncouple (magnetic). Suspension in sport to keep some weight on the nose. The difference between Eco and sport is it holds manual shifts longer, starts on 1st all the time, and auto downshifts on hard braking. When staging don't torque load the trans, it will not build boost. When you get the second yellow prep light enable the brake HOLD. Time the gas right before the end of the last yellow, and punch it.

[@bucksgarage]

Thanks for the tips. I did have the AC off, sport suspension, and sport mode on for each run. I was trying to brake stand it and rev it to 2k or a bit more for each run, not sure it was really helping much. So you have found it runs faster without a brake stand? Why do you enable the brake HOLD? Little bit faster than left foot braking and punching the gas?

[@S.Madman]

@@bucksgarage Brake HOLD builds a little boost.

[@bucksgarage]

@@S.Madman Awesome, I'll give it a shot!

[@nicolepansini7607]

I’m at 5900 altitude and ran about the same ET (13.3 stock) and (13.2 w/tune). I haven’t tried the brake hold method but rather just brake and gas at the same time to build boost to the max it will allow (2000 rpm). I’ll definitely try this method! Thank you for the video and additional comments from others. It’s hard to find similar m278s out here to compare with!

[@bucksgarage]

@@nicolepansini7607 I am surprised you only gained a tenth with a tune? Agree, even just trying to find info on the E550 is difficult as some of them have the NA 5.5L and others have the M278. Glad to be getting some input from other owners of this awesome car!

[@parasqiv]

I’m so proud 🤗 ! old , performance , good looking car, I have the same configuration (interior/exterior) on 350 cdi 4matic 🥰

[@bucksgarage]

I was really impressed with the car, did a lot better than I thought it would!

[@7urkm3n]

You need to open Agility(amg) mode, it keeps rpm on 3/5k and insta boost on start.

[@bucksgarage]

Been thinking about doing that. I want to tune the car as well, not sure if agility mode is still useful if you have a full on tune.

[@7urkm3n]

​@@bucksgarage Not sure about that, just make sure to have a good tuning, to not end up with rod bends :)

[@bushycroissant1336]

I got the 2013 w212 e550, I've been curious about what it's quarter mile would be. Great video!

[@bucksgarage]

Thanks for watching! Glad you enjoyed the video. I didn’t see much for completely stock E550 drag race runs on KZbin, so I thought it might be helpful to give it a shot and see what it did. Not too bad for an older girl with some miles on her!

[@Youcallthesebagels_]

Best I ran was a 12.98 at 109 stock, and 12.28 at 114.5 with a Renntech tune

[@Sashki81]

Buck what size tires do you have on your 20’s did you go wish 30 or 35 series?

[@bucksgarage]

Check out my full video on the wheel specs and tires. kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYu0fqCwdtKDd9E

[@aryton3391]

Hey brother, I have an M278 and I’m tuned by Weistec with gutted stock cats and deleted resonators and mufflers. The car put down 604whp to the wheels.

[@bucksgarage]

Holy smokes! That is some serious power. How does it sound with all that exhaust work? I am really worried to mess with the exhaust as I don't want it to be any louder while cruising on the highway, I just want some bark when I really get on it.

[@smsunder]

@@bucksgarage I have a '10 E550 coupe where I removed the stock mufflers and now I get that deep sound of the V8 and when at highway speeds it is not loud at all...only when you get into it. Sport with accelerator gear kickdown she pops and you can hear it! Makes the car even more fun to drive! I did only muffler delete as I didn't want the "drone" sound with removal of the resonator. You can get the Magnaflow X pipe to replace the resonator.

[@lilchu7336]

Any mods done?

[@wiggpickle]

Good video quality. Ecu tuning can slightly help 1st and 2nd gear by lying to the tcu, if the tuner chooses to do so. The TCU tune will modify torque limitations and other transmission variables to your needs. How much a tcu tune will accelerate wear depends on the power you're making and how often/hard you launch it. Some guys report no issues, some have broken driveshafts, etc. An ecu tune alone will get you mid-upper 12's. What track are you running at?

[@bucksgarage]

Thanks for all the great info here and on FB. Nice to get some input from someone else who has dragged this car. I’m trying to decide which tuner I want to go with, will have to ask them about TCU as well. I’d be pretty happy with consistent 12.5’s. My local track is Firebird Raceway.

[@ibbij]

Aaron, I can’t wait until I get to have a chance on a 2012 c207 body with m278 engine. I bought it over the weekend and being delivered later this month. Have some things to fine tune based on the pre-purchase inspection before getting more spirited. You are definitely an inspiration to the cause 🤣

[@bucksgarage]

Enjoy your new car!

[@lazymaniac5511]

Just came across ur chan today..saw the 208 Tires hat in one of the vids and figured ur a local lol Awesome content bro 💪🏼 The w212 has tq limiters in the mct trans and its really hard to get decent 60ft times. What really helped me with my E63 when it was stock is Boostane octane booster (BK Industries has it) turn the traction off all the way by holding the traction button off for like 4-5 seconds and brake boost...u gotta find the sweet spot...mine was 2800rpm. You can also go into the dyno mode and run it like that. I'm pretty sure u can dip into high 12s 💪🏼 These cars can advance the ignition timing to componsate up to 96octane.

[@bucksgarage]

I was really hoping to get just into the 12's, I think you are right, the car seems to have it in it if I can just make it happen. Thanks for the tips, I need to try dyno mode and will definitely give the octane booster a shot next time. I know my bigger wheels aren't helping at all either. Do you still have your E63? You aren't the wagon with the 350 badge on it are you?

[@lazymaniac5511]

@@bucksgarage Not the wagon lol, but I've seen it. I don't have it anynore unfortuneately it got totaled last yr. I gave it to my son for his 18th bday present and a few months after a lady was merging lanes and hit him...no injuries or anytning like that 🙏🏻 but the car got totaled (frame got bent a little) It was a fun car about 760whp and 850wtq However when I gave it to my son he was runing it with a 75mph limiter on 🤣 Just to make sure he is safe.

[@bucksgarage]

@@lazymaniac5511 Haha that is a heck of a car for an 18 year old, good idea with the limiter. Glad he wasn't hurt. Hopefully I'll get to meet you in person one of these days, maybe at one of the car shows or Firebird.

[@lazymaniac5511]

@@bucksgarage Looking forward to it 🙌🏻

[@MeesterQ]

I have a ‘14 e550 with a weistec tune. 12.6 all day (as long as the car isn’t heat soaked).

[@bucksgarage]

Awesome, good to know what a tuned car is putting down. What elevation do you race at? I would be pretty happy with a mid 12 for this car, it is my daily so I don't need to go too crazy with it, I have a different car I can save the crazy for.

[@MeesterQ]

@@bucksgarage i'm in Washington State, times from Pacific Raceways, elevation about 308ft. and that day the DA was pretty decent. The weistec tune is pretty damn consistent, but we are truly limited by the transmission. i've heard of, never seen, TCU and ECU tuned e550's in the 11's. not being able to launch the car at 3-4k rpm really hurts our 60'. this is my daily as well, so i'm not risking grenading the trans, but i've heard the trans tune makes a hell of a lot of difference.

[@bucksgarage]

@@MeesterQ Awesome, good info. I am at 2,500 feet but did have some nice cool air for these runs. I agree, the trans really holds it back a lot, but I also don't want to beat on my daily so I am kind of glad it is conservative off the line. I really like the 50mph-110mph speed on this car, wouldn't mind that being even faster with a good tune. Are you happy with the Weistec? Wish you had gone with something else?

[@MeesterQ]

@@bucksgarage i'm happy with the weistec, but there's always that thought if other tunes are better. for what i paid, i'm happy, i waited until there was a discount and purchased the tune. the only thing holding my car back right now is that stupid crushed exhaust manifold. smh.

[@bucksgarage]

@@MeesterQ Thanks for all the info, always nice to get some first hand knowledge on some of this stuff. I wish the exhaust options were better for this thing, but man those turbos and manifold is packed in there tight!

[@skyhawk409]

Good time ,you need to light the tyers to wake up gear I find.but u may struggle being 4matic!

[@bucksgarage]

Yeah not sure the 4Matic would appreciate me trying to light the tires. I'm pretty happy with how it did stock, especially with the bigger wheels.

[@usmceric1]

Looking forward to you putting a quality tune on your car and seeing how it goes. Yeah that 1-2 shift is definitely an anchor. I can tell even in daily driving in my 14 550. Curious if it would be any faster with paddle shifting it?

[@bucksgarage]

Yeah I am excited to see what it will do with a good tune as well. I am also curious to see if paddle shifting would help. Unfortunately, I was at the strip for almost five hours and only able to get 3 runs in, so you really don’t get a chance to try everything. I need to go back and try dyno mode and paddle shifting, stay tuned, that will likely hit the channel!

[@andycape4697]

@@bucksgarage I don't know precisely if it does a difference but it sure feels like it! Amazing video yet again Buck! Keep it up!

[@bucksgarage]

@@andycape4697 I definitely need to try it once or twice to see what sort of difference it makes. Thanks for watching, appreciate it!

[@serdarsz]

paddle shifting is not reliable on this car, reaction is slow and hard to time. on mine i activate dyno mode as i still have the feeling that the car still tries to controle even if traction controle is off.. but that's a feel, never timed it yet but willing to before the dyno tune. duno if its the trans learning program but sometimes mine starts at second gear at stop and sometimes at 2 (both sport mode) nevertheless great daily driver!

[@mikeissweet]

I have this car with 530hp tune. Very curious if I could get a high 11 Edit: it's a 2013 with renntech tune. 168k miles and still rips like nothin

[@bucksgarage]

Only one way to find out!

[@Stupidboi1]

Or are you at the firebird raceway in Arizona at 1100 ft or in Idaho which is 2800 ft

[@ajatsoca5715]

I'm waiting to see if you are going to add a diverter valve/anti surge valve? I've been wanting to do the upgrade myself but I cannot grasp the install by just reading the steps.

[@bucksgarage]

I don't really have too many parts upgrades plans left for this car, maybe some cosmetic stuff. It is my daily driver and road trip car so I may tune it, but otherwise I want it to be comfortable and reliable. I have a different Mercedes I plan to go a bit nuts on performance wise, stay tuned to the channel for that. Thanks for watching!

[@chevota400]

There's no need for one unless you bump the boost up quite a bit. You can get a simple app like Torque Pro and a cheapo $10 dongle to watch your boost and you'll see what I mean. It would be a complete waste of $ on a stock M278.

[@FranklynWhite68]

Watching another channel (Legit Street Cars) and he ordered another part for his trans that killed the shifts. I’m sure you can easily crack the 12s, possibly low 12s with it. I know he ordered from FCP EURO.

[@bucksgarage]

Alex from LSC is part of the reason I decided to try Mercedes out. I haven't seen him do a trans tune on this transmission, the 5 speed used in the M113k cars he has tuned a few different ways and it can be much better. Think I'll do an engine tune on this car, I'm sure that'll get at least mid 12's if not a bit lower.

[@Stupidboi1]

How long you owned this 550?.. I hear they’re built well like the 63 twin turbo 5.5.

[@patrickmatthews3175]

Love the info you're putting out there....Q...How did you get your 20's on the front to fit, I have a 2012 E550 also tires size are f 245/35/20 r 275/30/20. Do I need smaller tires or can I use spacers? Thanks in advance

[@bucksgarage]

Hey, thanks for watching. I go over the whole fitment process on a previous video when I added the wheels. Essentially, my wheels are an ET35 vs the stock ET48, with the same 8.5 width. So they are 13mm further away from the strut. My main concern was the extra height of the tires, given the 20” wheels. I was afraid they would hit the strut perch, but they fit just fine with plenty of clearance. If you have Airmatic, and your offset is right, they should be fine with that tire size. If you have regular suspension, you might have to bend the strut perch cup up a bit, just a few whacks with the hammer and it fits. Check out that vid if you haven’t already, I go over all of that in pretty good detail.

[@neilhefty2999]

Thanks for doing this Buck! My suspicion was that the stock 550 could do right around a 13s run, looks like that's about correct. Also, I've found some slight benefits in launching in 1st by going into neutral and revving the engine to warm up the turbos, let it fall back to idle and then shifting back into first. I wonder if there would be a way to start in 2nd gear, because that would save a bunch of time w/o that 1st>2nd shift.

[@bucksgarage]

Interesting workarounds. I would bet it could definitely go faster with some trans tuning or other changes like you mention, but then you have to appreciate the car for what it is to. You can certainly tell it was not designed to be a drag race car, the car really shines more in the 50-120mph range, which is exactly what you want for passing slower traffic on the highway. I just drove the car on a roadtrip that was mostly 80mph freeway speeds, I was continually impressed with how fast it could go from 70mph to triple digits. It could be fun to make this car better at drag racing, but there are other cars that would be a lot more fun for that purpose. I did this run more to just get a baseline number so if I choose to do performance mods later, I can see what the real world affect is rather than just claimed HP number gains. Thanks for watching!

[@chevota400]

Neil: I'd say your gains are all about water temp. The cars power drops as water temp goes up, which is programming, plus the usual drop in power from temp. My oem M278 programming makes the most power way down ~113F and it drops steadily after that. The thermostat is somewhere ~200? The fan doesn't come on until 223F and slowly ramps up to full speed at 237. At idle, especially in gear, the water isn't moving well and your ignition timing is ~0, which makes heat, which it's programmed to do for emissions. Revving in N gets the water flowing, which I rev to ~1500 because more doesn't seem to help. The timing jumps drastically at 1500 which should be ~32, which greatly reduces heat and between the two brings your temp down fast. There's also ping, which when detected, and it probably is, will pull both timing and boost, possibly some throttle and and cam timing too. The more ping the worse it all gets so the cooler the water and heads are when you launch the better. Revving in N will cool the turbos, but it doesn't matter and imo cooler is better anyway. You can start in 2nd by putting it in Manual and not hitting the kickdown button, which is still full throttle btw. I can assure you it would be a waste of time, but don't take my word for it, give it a try so you know. If I were do a simple mod I think I'd install a switch or push button to manually turn the fan on so you can get it much cooler when you rev it. Of course you can also program it to kick the fans on at lower temps, which is what I did. Mine now starts at 195F and ramps to full speed at 220. My idle temps are now ~205-210 and if it's real hot out it might hit 215, maybe. I've never hit 220 since the adjustment. I set power to full until 220F. I did all this using HP Tuners, if you're willing to shell out the $700. It'll let you remove the speed limiter too, including the reverse one. And of course you can bump boost, which is the main point of getting it in a car like this. You can also tame that annoying loud cold start thing it does the first 30sec. Tame it all the way down to nothing if you want. Considering what a normal tune costs, or doing anything to these cars period, it's very cheap for what can get in return.

[@Mlive722]

Mercedes run great when is colder out . Engines run so hot i have cls550 great Racing stig knew it all along lol.

[@nicolepansini7607]

I have a 2014 e550 and can’t seem to get better than a 2.1 60’ even with a tune. Highest rpm it will allow me to do is 2,000 rpm. Let me know if you find any tricks for launching off the line!

[@bucksgarage]

I am thinking that putting it into dyno mode might be the trick. However someone with more experience drag racing this car than I have said to not brake stand it, because it won't build boost. He said to use the brake hold feature, then just punch the gas off idle for the best launch. I want to try that along with manual paddle shifting to see if it will do a 12.

[@nicolepansini7607]

@@bucksgarage sounds like I’ve been doing it all wrong! I also tried manual mode but it kept kicking me back to sport automatic as soon as I launched. Thank you for the recommendation about the brake hold! I’ll definitely try that next week and hopefully with a good DA I can hit some high 12s lol

[@bucksgarage]

@@nicolepansini7607 My local track has another grudge night this weekend, might take it back out and try some of these methods too!

[@nicolepansini7607]

@@bucksgarage good luck! Looking forward to an update 😁

[@astrak1001]

@@bucksgarage Yep use brake hold, if you're car has manual mode, not just paddle shift but has the M button to put into manual mode use that and let the car panic shift.

[@smsunder]

That was some good runs in the stock, E550 sedan! Did you make a run in sport mode with manual shifting to see if there is a difference in times/speed? What tire pressures were running? With a tune you'll gain more HP and torque where the 0-60 ft will improve.

[@bucksgarage]

I never did manual shift it, just sport mode. I was hoping to try manual shifting on the 4th run for the night, but between the wreck and then someone oiling the track, three runs was all I got. Will probably head back and try again, and manual shift it to see if it helps at all. Didn't mess with the tire pressure at all, figured with my inability to hard launch and the 4Matic, traction probably wasn't an issue.

[@smsunder]

@@bucksgarage I look forward to your next vid and she how she gets down the track!

[@Stupidboi1]

if your are at a track at about 600 ft or less, elevation then this car should run 109-111 in the 1/4. 4matic 0-60 stock at low elevation should be 4.7 sec. Sedan, 4.5 for coupe. Now I see mountains and greenery, so it’s Idaho, so 107 mph would put it at around 110-111 mph on a track under 600 ft elevation. Not bad. Impressive with over 112k miles.

[@wiggpickle]

Did you get rid of this car?

[@karbonfiba2044]

Put it in second and use the paddles...you will get off the line better...good run!

[@bucksgarage]

Thanks for the tip, will give it a shot next time!

[@chrisfarabella7901]

@@bucksgarage bro please dont do this lmao... imagine trying to bike up a hill in 2nd gear. just killing ur legs and the gears

[@lahfarlah4360]

Next video Upgrade the interior light to 64 ambient lighting..that will be a great video. 👍

[@bucksgarage]

I haven’t looked into that at all. Is it a big difference over the stock ambient lighting?

[@darveshthind2971]

@@bucksgarage most likely you can just code it to 64 colours.

[@erick3786]

@@darveshthind2971 how did you get this done? I’m curious 🧐

[@bucksgarage]

@@darveshthind2971 interesting, I’ll have to look into that.

[@darveshthind2971]

@@erick3786 my cousin got it done on his 2014 BMW, should be the same as mercedes. My e class is a 2017 with the 64 color ambient lighting it’s just the coding

[@acnconstruction]

is it a 4MATIC?

[@bucksgarage]

Yep

[@ryansandy7125]

I heard if you turn your air conditioner off your car will go faster.

[@bucksgarage]

Spoken like a guy who used to drive a 90’s 4Runner!

[@aad5683]

Nice

[@bucksgarage]

Thanks for watching!

[@rileyhillier9365]

my e550 went 11.7 on a crapy tire in 80f temps.

[@bucksgarage]

What track did you run on?

[@rileyhillier9365]

@@bucksgarage Orlando speed world, did it in a rwd coupe. Are you on Instagram ill send you the vid

[@bucksgarage]

@@rileyhillier9365 that’s a smokin time. Yeah @therealbucksgarage on IG

[@camirocz]

20 inch wheels killing your 60 foot, .It s a 12.9 second car for sure on stock wheels .

[@Stupidboi1]

You can’t get real numbers when at a 1/4 track a mile above sea level.

[@UhhhhhnooOOo00oO]

Not really known for its transmission .. let's just say. Stock is not those wheels and tires. It also probably has lost some over the years. The car new did a 12.8 at 112MPH. It sacrificed braking and cornering by a decent amount over the 2011 V8. I don't know how they only achieved 402hp from a V8 Twin Turbo engine (I wouldn't like to do the maintenance on that) The AMG is the hammer. That got better brakes, handling and power and it costed more. ;) It means, they detuned the E550 to save about 2 MPG. Whether 518hp or 550hp. It was much more money but, does stop over 50ft shorter from 60mph. 12.1 @ 120.8MPH.

[@andycape4697]

That 402 is actually to the wheels and if you look at many tunes available for this car most offer performance gains to compete with stock amg specs with minor mods. The m278 is also very similar to the m157 and many mods can be fitted on both. Also, if you wanted a awd e class with this body style this is your only option since the amg was only rear wheel drive. This changed with the facelift version in 2014. This is the exact reason why I also went for the e550 instead of the e63 for that model year :) also, brakes are a fairly easy mod

[@UhhhhhnooOOo00oO]

@@andycape4697 Why do I care about tunes? Why would I want to do that to a car? I could strap a rocket engine on the back and do the 1/4 mile in about .8 seconds. It wouldn't be that comfortable. I own an E63 AMG and a E350 4Matic. I know the ins and outs of these vehicles and the tuning, models and accoutrements you can add to the vehicles. I'm currently installing a Carbon Fiber package for looks only. When is the next time you are going to be in a Tour race with a luxury sedan? And why are you assuming, that I don't know any of this. Just because one doesn't list their entire brain content in every comment, it behooves one not to assume. The point here is a 'STOCK' 2012 INEXPENSIVE E550 that good Olè BUCK enjoys. 20 inch wheels and tires plus camber not withholding. You meant well though. I know more than most humans should about the near billion dollars spent on the 2014 Facelift.

[@UhhhhhnooOOo00oO]

@@andycape4697 Without my BS....the jet for me is getting the model after the change. Like the S63 in 2014, or the E63, in 2017. The S Class transformed its tech way before the E and the C. The C is the "CHEAP" Mercedes and thr C also stands for something else. I won't tell you what the A in A Class stands for. Next purpose to waste more money and the planets resources for humanity, will be an S63 or S65. I don't know if I'm going coupe or Sedan.

[@andycape4697]

@@UhhhhhnooOOo00oO oh boi talking about throwing your whole "brain" content and ownings like you're trying to flex on me or something. Tuning a car is pushing a model to its limits wich is a really good way to keep a good car relevant today. No one cares about your ownings or future purchases it wasnt the point of my response. I was only saying that this e550 can actually be better than a e63 year for year. But that didin't seem to stimulate a single of your braincells... And now instead of comparing apples to apples youre now talking about your ownings or future purchases that are completly out of subject. Nobody gives a flying fuck about your e63 nor of my new s63, new cls and new hellcat. ;) Cheers and btw, s63 sedan is where its at.

[@S.Madman]

@@andycape4697 When I bought the E550 I was not really looking for one. I was looking for a 4wd, powerful, and comfortable sedan. The 2011 and 2012 both ticked the boxes, but it was the 2012 with the torquier motor, Brembo brakes and standard 4WD, that made the selection easy. Had it since new "Launch Edition", and have not been able to find a daily driver replacement.

[@jaredolson7543]

There's an easy 12 in that car.

[@bucksgarage]

Sure was close! Having a boost problem right now, wastegate actuator isn't functioning correctly and is leaking all the boost. Wouldn't call the car "slow" without the turbos, but they sure do help a lot!

[@jasonacheson8167]

Lol, leave it to a hillbilly Mustang guy to put it in the wall.

[@bucksgarage]

Mustang must have seen a crowd and knew right where to go!

[@busalove2013]

Do yourself and your merc a huge favor, and DON'T tune it! Tuning your car can often lead to multiple issues.