I read alot of talk about 300-E owners smoking the occasional taurus and misc grocery getter/rice burner.
I have an 89 190 2.6 and I hear the 0-60 is in the mid 8's. The 300's go a little lower than that but not much. I was just curious about what you guys do to optimize the drag performance and yes I hear over and over that we don't have alot of low end torque. Some times people talk about break torquing and shifting from second. I find that putting it in second really puts it in first( Is that correct?) and then I noticed that I could bring it back up to drive and it would stay in first allowing for faster take off.
Is it safe to be switching from 2 to 3 manually at high rpms? I have had this car for a year and I found early on that flooring it at a stop would downshift and take off in first briefly and then chirp the back wheels shifting up. I'm pretty sure that is not good for the tranny and so I don't do it. Also found that if I took a corner flooring it, the downshift would end up in a wheel spin and I would not go anywhere.
I would just like to see what the rest of you guys have to say with your experience and I wanna hear racing stories =)!!!! (The entire time I have had this car, only a single Camry taunted me. What up with that?)

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Rob C
89 190E 2.6
Beige

Not beige, amigo, but Smoke Silver. Unless it's darker, then it's Desert Taupe.

For some reason I rarely encounter any takers; the only notable one of late was a 328 QV that I let blow by me getting on a highway. I hung back to let him by because I think there's not much that sounds better than a Ferrari in full song. However, I did need to advise him that I wasn't driving just any 4-door. Hehe. Killed him...much moreso than I even expected, and I know he was trying hard to keep up. We both got off the next exit, and he just stared. Apparently not familiar with the Merc that Porsche built. It's precisely that wolf in sheep's clothing thing that I love best about my car.

Don't bother with manual shifts; if you've got your foot buried the car knows what to do and will shift at redline. If not then get a tech to figure it out.

The tire-chirping thing is not too too hard on the car...no moreso than any type of abuse. Your car has rubber buffers everywhere designed to take the burden of this behavior (i.e. driveshaft flexdisks, differential rubber mounts, etc.) so simply be reasonable.

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Best regards, Michael
'92 500E
'88 300TE

Yea I love it when people mess with me on the highway. I only have a 2.6 but I can still leave most people in the far recesses of my vision. I really did not know what to call the color. But the next time someone asks I'll tell them that desert thingy just to see their faces Thanks!

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Rob C
89 190E 2.6
Beige

I race pedestrians. It's the only guaranteed win in my 2.6

I think the cars do really nicely from 70-105mph and you can get them to move from down around 50 or so if you kick it. I like having power on the highway. I don't stoplight drag much because let's face it - the car is more or less a dog and it seems so much more abusive to bang the redline from 1-2-3 than to drop to 3rd at 65 and race it up to 90.

Maybe I'm getting old.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA I love that racing pedestrians thing.I know 2.6 ain't meant for drag racing sports car style but lets face it, How many cars can you buy to match the performance and the price without paying sports car insurance? I think its a pretty damn good compromise. I do agree on the highway thing though. I love going from 72 to 120 when some jerk is tailing me. My last car was an 86 mercury cougar with an engine problem that could not break through the 85 mph barrier so I am pretty happy.

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Rob C
89 190E 2.6
Beige

i also have an 89 190e2.6, but this is a rare 5spd manual. Somehow 1st gear is too undergeared and there is a big gap between 1st and 2nd, and considering the low-end torque characteristics of the M103 engine, i almost always get behind when the light turns green, and/or the car behind me turns up tailgating me. That is, until i shift into 2nd and really rev it.

and yes, i always get underestimated by most cars on the highway, where the car comes into its element. It's a bit difficult to see the "2.6" from a distance, or to understand what that means.

what i really love to do is take the car in 3rd on highway onramps and take it near the redline as i merge into traffic, with the knowledge that redline in 3rd gets me all the way to 160kph/100mph, with the engine sounding just happy happy happy in the process. You can even feel it come on the cam at about 4200rpm.

another thing i like about it is that top speed can be attained in 4th or 5th gear. In 4th gear at top speed, the engine is at approximately its power peak. In 5th gear at top speed, the engine is approximately at the torque peak. Bogey car bothering you? Just downshift to 4th and floor it.
Too lazy to shift - just leave the stick in 5th, floor it and watch the needle climb.

i don't mess with bimmers though ... unless i can see clearly that it is a 4cyl version ...

pedal to the metal!

Thats cool man. Sometimes I really wish I could have the stick. Sounds like so much more fun. It really does not make a great difference in performance but its the control. How is the cluth and the shifter in one of those? Really tight?

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Rob C
89 190E 2.6
Beige

the clutch takeup is less than ideal - it is not as progressive/linear as i would like, and it is always a challenge to shift smoothly in the lower gears. And all those rubber isolation components in the drivetrain make themselves felt if you botch it. But this makes a smooth shift all the more satisfying.

the (wide) spacing among the gear ratios is not designed for performance, and you really have to rev high before upshifting to keep the engine happy in the next gear (the 2.3-16s on the other hand have close-ratio gears, i believe).

The engine rpm also does not readily fall when releasing the gas in preparation for an upshift (and it does need to fall by many rpms due to the wide ratio spacings), and maybe this is due to the high rotational inertia of the engine/flywheel. As a result, it is difficult to shift quickly, smoothly.

but the stick feel is very positive and solid, though i would want a shorter throw.

the pedal placement facilitates heel-and-toe downshifting, and when done properly and smoothly, it is *very* satisfying. I just wish i had more exhaust noise so people can hear me blipping the throttle while my brake lights obviously indicate that i'm also braking while doing this ... people somehow do not expect this from benz drivers.

overall, it is a very satisfying and endearing car, and i do get my recommended daily allowance of therapy on my daily drives ... just don't let me get caught in stop-and-go traffic ...

Well that sounds cool. It would be nice if more aftermarket stuff would improve performance. About the only cheap thing you can do is put a K and n filter which gives you absolutely nothing from what i hear in these cars. These cars don't breathe like a mustang or something else with big thirst for air.
Like I said, I think the stick would give me so much more control. When I am at a stop sign or trying to make a left run in middle of street I either have to put it into 2 or take it easy. If I floor it, it woill downshift and lose all traction while drawing alot of attention to the loud tire squeal. Don't need to be making high profile. And the other thing is the rough shifting that seems to be a normal thing. I have to accelerate just right in such a way that it will not bang into the gears. When the ac is on not only do I lose power, it also makes it shift alot more harshly. Another thing is that around here (Tallahassee Florida) there are alot of hills. Going up a steeper hill it seems to refuse to downshift into first. I think mercedes just made the car for the people looking for better gas mileage and safety.

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Rob C
89 190E 2.6
Beige

If your tires are squealing in turns, you should probably look into getting better (and/or wider) tires. I've got 215/60 H15's on our 300E, and I can only get the (cheap, generic, brand, but thankfully almost ready to be replaced) tires to barely squeal by accelerating fairly briskly in a hard turn. The 3.0 engine isn't torquey enough to produce much wheelspin, unless you're turning real hard, or on slick pavement.

If the transmission shifts are a bit rough, I think you can probably have that adjusted somehow. (not sure how exactly, though) Also, if you've got the 4-speed auto, it will never shift into first by itself unless you floor it from second gear.

anthony

yea I have 205's on the back and 195's on front. It ain't the tires. Its the fact that it downshifts right when I'm turning sharp and it just lets the wheels loose until I let off the gas. I think the reason they made it to start in second all the time is for gas mileage. However I find that you can shift to "2" and it will start in first but you can then move it back to Drive and it will still be in first for that take off. I have not really tried to see what I could do yet like that but I know its better than just flooring the gas in drive. Its funny how we don't have torque to be spinning our wheels off the line but in the rain it is incredibly easy sometimes.

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Rob C
89 190E 2.6
Beige

That is some great performance the 2.6 give, but just how much hp does the 2.6 make?! Have any of your ppl race with an 16V? My is an auto, and i have race couple of 2.6 before...(stop light 0-60)and i tell u is a darn close race..the 16v make 167hp does the 2.6 make more? how much more?! and by the way Brain16V, help me out here!! have u raced an 2.6 before?? ( u have an stick rite?) but i just want to let ppl know, 16v is one fast car also!!! (my 3 cent =)

Assoc,.AIA
John

Well the 16 valve better be faster. The regular 2.6 makes 159 horses.

16V is definately faster - through all gears and at all speeds. The 2.6 makes something like 160hp. I've heard 157, 162, 165, etc etc but about 160 seems right. The 16V is definately the performer of the bunch, but they're so hard to find in good shape these days. IMO - The real key to the 2.6 is the torque from the inline 6.

Tallahassee - don't know why you're getting so loose all the time. I only wish. If a really harsh (vs. FIRM AND SOLID) shift is kicking things loose - get it adjusted. You might need some new flex couplings or something like that too (sounds like you're getting some kind of whip-shift or whiplash thing - not right). But definately have an MBZ specialist do the tranny adjust.

And yes, though I berate how little power (both stopping and going) my economy-minded breatheren put into this car, the ride, handling, build quality and rather timeless bodywork all make for one hell of a fun car to drive.

Just out of curiosity, what brand of tire are you using?

anthony