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I find it hilarious the author claims the car was superbly prepared and then talks about them having engine issues at altitude. Almost guaranteed this thing ha

I find it hilarious the author claims the car was superbly prepared and then talks about them having engine issues at altitude. Almost guaranteed this thing had a hacked up EFI modification done by some tuner... those guys never really know what they're doing, AMG/Mercedes almost certainly won't share how that computer works since modifying it on a street car almost certainly is illegal and will cause the car to fail inspection. In general it is always interesting most of these guys seem to be from NYC and born into privilege in a car dealership family. Alex Roy fit that model. It seems like you need to be born into that privilege to end up being a professional race car driver but you also have to have more talent and hard work. The cannonball stuff seems like some kind of 2nd tier automotive fame seeking. When I was into racing & stuff I'd meet tons of guys who all thought skill was more important than following the law.. but none of them were that successful in competition and all of them had plenty of accidents. Even if you don't find any of this interesting Alex Roy's book is a great read. Having once rode a motorcycle 1000 miles in well under 24 hours I get the appeal of this but not the super illegal speeds. The increasing use of electronics and internet to escape detection is pretty interesting.

zeusk 7y ago
The engine issues were result of the low octane fuel. Performance engines require high octane fuel to avoid "knocking" (or pre-detonation of fuel). The 92/93 octane recommended for stock performance engines is not available everywhere, let alone Ethanol blends and 95+ octane required for tuned engines. > Almost guaranteed this thing had a hacked up EFI modification done by some tuner... those guys never really know what they're doing, AMG/Mercedes almost certainly won't share how that computer works since modifying it on a street car almost certainly is illegal and will cause the car to fail inspection. You sure as hell don't know what you're talking about either, because most of the tunes don't touch the software as much as they change "maps" or the data tables that the ECU uses for fueling/AFR, ignition timing, cam profile (VANOS/VVT/VVL etc.). The tunes themselves don't result in a failed inspection (I own a tuned BMW N54 motor myself, that passes inspection without any hacks) but if you're generating enough boost, it may be necessary to remove the catalytic converters in the downpipes after turbos for a smoother flow which results in a failed inspection. Most modern inspections rely on the ECU to report a failed/missing catalytic converter so getting around the inspection is an easy task for someone inclined to remove downpipe cats.
- tomatotomato37 7y ago
  90% of modern cars have encrypted ECUs now, which means most data modification involves either fooling the stock system with a piggyback or waiting until the type breed of people who crack to videogame DRM get around to your specific car model. That being said I do think they did a shit job at tuning since it seems the only engine tuning they did was a turbo and piping package with no mention of the engine electronics or fuel system at all.
  - ollie87 7y ago
    The vehicle had an huge fuel cell installed, it's likely they had much larger fuel pumps added to account for increased consumption caused by having a higher intake pressure. As for electronics, what sort of upgrades are you imagining? A handbuilt AMG engine already has all the trick things you'd want for engine management any way.
ce4 7y ago
Was your 1000 miles trip an application for an IBA membership? https://www.ironbutt.org/ https://www.ironbutt.org/

zeusk 7y ago

The engine issues were result of the low octane fuel. Performance engines require high octane fuel to avoid "knocking" (or pre-detonation of fuel). The 92/93 octane recommended for stock performance engines is not available everywhere, let alone Ethanol blends and 95+ octane required for tuned engines. > Almost guaranteed this thing had a hacked up EFI modification done by some tuner... those guys never really know what they're doing, AMG/Mercedes almost certainly won't share how that computer works since modifying it on a street car almost certainly is illegal and will cause the car to fail inspection. You sure as hell don't know what you're talking about either, because most of the tunes don't touch the software as much as they change "maps" or the data tables that the ECU uses for fueling/AFR, ignition timing, cam profile (VANOS/VVT/VVL etc.). The tunes themselves don't result in a failed inspection (I own a tuned BMW N54 motor myself, that passes inspection without any hacks) but if you're generating enough boost, it may be necessary to remove the catalytic converters in the downpipes after turbos for a smoother flow which results in a failed inspection. Most modern inspections rely on the ECU to report a failed/missing catalytic converter so getting around the inspection is an easy task for someone inclined to remove downpipe cats.

tomatotomato37 7y ago
90% of modern cars have encrypted ECUs now, which means most data modification involves either fooling the stock system with a piggyback or waiting until the type breed of people who crack to videogame DRM get around to your specific car model. That being said I do think they did a shit job at tuning since it seems the only engine tuning they did was a turbo and piping package with no mention of the engine electronics or fuel system at all.
- ollie87 7y ago
  The vehicle had an huge fuel cell installed, it's likely they had much larger fuel pumps added to account for increased consumption caused by having a higher intake pressure. As for electronics, what sort of upgrades are you imagining? A handbuilt AMG engine already has all the trick things you'd want for engine management any way.

ce4 7y ago

Was your 1000 miles trip an application for an IBA membership? https://www.ironbutt.org/ https://www.ironbutt.org/