Well, wait for MY kit - instead of that crappy duct tape that SoCal240/6 uses, mine will be the genuine 3M version.

But most importantly, mine will also include a vintage Mark IV Vapour Injector, still in the box, from the first "oil crisis" in 1974. So, along with the extra 28.6 HP, the car will now get exactly 62.776 MPG.

 

You guys are forgetting the critical "free" yellow stickers which triple the hp increase of each component in your packages.

 

My kit tops all ya'lls, cuz I'm throwing in an authenthic Kitchen Aid processor, replacing the intake, which feeds into the flux capacitor.

Unlike the DeLoreans, of the 80's, my kit will make your C240 travel through time at 87mph, not 88!


(batteries sold separately)

 

Hi.

Im about to buy a new C240, but my main concern is performance. I hear the car is really slow from a dead stop, but after gathering some speed it starts to accelerate. I wanted to know if any of you has installed or knows of any performance oriented parts, that could help the car gain some hp. Im particularly looking for a ''chip'', but any performance parts will do.

Thanks in advanced...

 

You can get a chip, exhaust, intake, underdrive pulleys and all together you may make an additional 20hp, maybe. Not even C230 territory. Why not just spend a few bucks now, get the C320. Although it may cost more up front you'll save the dough on all those mods and you'll get much of it back on resale. When I priced the two cars with identical options the difference was about $3,000. The mods I mention will come out to over $2,000 with no value add at resale time.

I got a C240 loaner and it wasn't as bad as I thought, fairly average accelleration, not bad. When I get C320 loaners they fly.

 

The best low-cost upgrade for your car would be our underdrive pulleys. You will notice a difference with them. Currently, our pulleys are on sale for an introductory price of $499. You can ask BrabusCClass about them, he has them on his car.

Thanks

Ben

 

I havea 240 that's pure stock. Trust me, it's not that bad. It's actually not bad at all. The car has plenty of acceleration from a dead stop. I have NO trouble getting up to speed.

It also depends where you are coming from. If your last car was an slk55, then you may not be satisfied with a c240. But if your last car was a Yugo(not that there is anything wrong with that), then you'll love the 240. Speed and pickup are relative. They're different things to different people.

But if I may say, I AM SO SICK OF PEOPLE ON THIS BOARD SLAGGING THE C240. CALLING IT SLOW, SLUGGISH, BLAH BLAH BLAH. THIS SH*T COMES FROM PEOPLE WHO DON'T EVEN OWN THE CAR. I AM SO SICK OF IT!!!!! ENOUGH!!! THE C240 IS THE BEST DEAL ON THE ROAD TODAY. AN MB WITH A SMOOTH AS SILK V6 FOR UNDER 50K ON THE ROAD(IN CANADA).

Out of all the c classes I have seen in TO, over 90% have been c240's, then 230's, then 320's. I've actually only seen 1 C320. For a car that's such a POS, with a slow as sh*t engine, it sure is popular amongst us morons in Toronto.

Why should I pay an extra 10 grand for 30 more HP? Does that really make any sense to anybody? The C320 is definately faster, NO doubt, but is it worth 10k? Not in my book.

Don't bash the car until you've actually driven it for an extended period. And until you've gotten a feel for it, and how to drive it best to get what you want.

BTW, Buellwinkle, Mach, this is not aimed at you.

 

I have a C240 with the 6 speed manual and find it to meet 95% of my urges for speed. I do wish it had 10-20 more hp / ft-lb torque, but it's rare when I actually would use it. The car is actually faster than the 2001 Audi A4 I had and it had the 2.8 liter V6. The engine is exceptionally smooth and will satisfy most of your desires (that is unless you care about 1/4 mile race times), but for day in day out driving - you will enjoy it.

 

I agree with you that power is all relative to what you are comparing it to. I understand that you also don't like when people comment on the C240 having less power than the C230 or C320. But you've turned the tables now and "bashed" all of the C320 owners by saying that the car is not worth the money. First, according to MBUSA, the C240 lists at $30,500 and the C320 lists at 36,900 which is only $6400 more! For that, you get many options that you have to pay extra for in the C240 that are standard in the C320 (like auto tranny). Some differences I don't even believe are available on the C240. You also get 215 HP compared to 168HP. If you add these things together, IMO, it is worth the extra money, if you're willing to pay that much more. As for seeing more C240s on the road, I think you will find this in all the classes with the cars on the lower end. I see more E320s and ML320s than the 430s. I'm not sure if the coupe will surpass the C240s out there, but the C240 has an additional year over the 230s.

aleq_41, I think the best thing you can do is go and test drive the C240 and see if it meets your needs. If YOU think it's underpowered, then try the C230 or the C320. I think they are all fine cars. If none of those have the power that you like, you can always go for the C32.

 

I currently ordered my 2003 C240 6 speed. Its comming in about a month. I would definatly want some more INFO on the underdrive Pully. Who makes it? Who can I get in contact with so I can order it? How many horses does it offer? Is it hard to install? Let me know so I can order it. My last car was a 99 C230 Kompressor. I had a few mods on that. I was very satisfied with that car in all aspects. I hope my 2003 C240 6 speed doesn't dissapont me. Let me know. thanks.

 

Well, just to be fair, the $6400US difference makes a $10048 CDN difference. And since he's from Canada, I'm quite sure he was talking in terms of Canadian $.

 

i havent driven any mbs with bigger engines, but my C240 seems to be getting faster as each day comes. i really noticed that its much faster now, than when it was new last year. it has sufficient power, but like all mbs ive driven, it has a heavy gas pedal........so it all ends up with the correct pedaling technique to make d car fly. my IS200 really feels much faster accelerating out of traffic coz its gas pedal is on the soft side.

Once uve learned d correct gas pedaling technique (auto tranny)...the C240 is sufficient.

But if were living in the U.S., id get the C320 or C32, 3.2 engines in my country are taxed exhorbitantly......duhhhhhh.

 

I've got a '01 C240 6speed and I agree with everyone who has posted before me. IMO - you dont buy a C240 if you want ultimate performance or something you can mod to get a significant upgrade. You can mod the motor/ECU/exhuast and get maybe a 20-25HP increase. But it will cost you $$$$$, where if you used that same money, you could have gotten a C320 or C230K. To me, if you test drove the car and was happy with the performance, then you know what you are getting yourself into. If you are not happy with the performance, then you can look elsewhere to get the increased HP. Unfotunately, it will cost you more $$$$, but modifiying the C240 will cost you alot of money also. And I dont think it is cost effective - not as much as the C230K where you can do more mods with "relatively" lower cost. I am not into the how fast can you go from 0-60 and beat everyone off the line. Been there - done that. But, I do like a car that does perform well - the C240's performance is fine for me. Like almost everyone else, I would like to make some changes - but moreso with suspension than motor. I wanted a manual tranny in a sedan - and in 2001 - the C240 was my only choice. So, knowing all my options, thats what I went with. It's your choice - each person has his/her own perception of what level of performance they want. Just be happy with your decision - if you buy the car, you know what you are getting yourself into - dont let anyone make you second guess yourself. And dont expect much more from the car than what you are getting - unless you are willing to spend money to do so and for not a significant amount of HP gains from the C240.

 

I just bought one a couple months ago and I think it has plenty of power. If you need a quick start even with the auto trans you can start in lower gears and shift manually.

 

For '03, the manny is std. in the 320, so the price difference should be less, right? Personally, I think that the 240 is acceptable only in the manny version, but we all have our different priorities.

Of course, the best mod you could do for a 240 is to add $5k back into your wallet and get a c230. Dyno-proven increase in hp of 24! Best bang for the buck that I can think of. Of course, if you need a 4-door, then you're back to the 240 vs. 320 debate.

 

I don't care if people say that the 240 has "less power". That is 100% correct. What pisses me off is people who don't even own the car and who have only driven it for 5 minutes say **** like "it's sluggish", "it has no pickup", blah blah blah.

The only fundamental diff btwn the 320 and 240 is the engine. There are minor things like digital HVAC blower vs analog that are different. I remember looking at the chart in my c class brochure. The differences btwn the cars were few and far between. Nothing I considered worth paying extra for.

And yes, in Canada, the 240 Classic auto costs $39,450 CDN. The 320 costs $50,600 CDN. That is over 10k. And,15% tax on 50k is more than 15% tax on 40k, so the car works out to more than 10k difference, all for an extra 30hp.

I never slagged the 320 and 230. I never said that they were overpriced or POS's. They are amazing cars, all of which I would be proud to own. In fact, what I did say is that the 240 is the best deal on the road in Canada, meaning that it is underpriced. I think the 230 and 320 are priced very well against their competition.

Please quote the exact line in my post where I bashed 320's and 230's.

 

Someone posted on another thread that the C240 was a "dog". But when you own a C32 - I think about 90% of the other cars you drive on the market will be "dogs". Lets get real here - just because one car does not meet up with your performance standards does not mean it is a bad car.

 

Then I offer my apology for misunderstanding. But I think my point is still valid. When you consider what you are getting for that $6k ($10k CN), I think it's worth it.

Of course, if power is your main driver, then, like Tommy says, the best bang for the buck would have to be the C230.

 

YES!!!! Thank you Bruno, this is the best post in this entire thread. I agree, my 240 is much faster today than when I first got it. I also agree that it has a heavy gas pedal. But once you learn the proper technique the car isn't sluggish or slow. Driving it for 5 minutes isn't enough time for anyone to adjust to the car.

 

Let's all remember that Rev's operating on new father 2 hours of sleep per night, so his posts may make even less sense than his "normal". :p

 

This is only a matter of opinion. Other things included in the C320 are Auto tranny (I know that the 03s will offer mannys. I don't have prices on these at the moment.), Full electric seats, Vent fan for the back seat. Maybe for you, you would not purchase these options, but that does not make them worthless.

You are correct. I did not realize we were not talking in US Dollars. But my point/view remains.

Even though you may not have intended this comment to be a bash, you are saying that the C320 is not worth the extra cost over the C240. Perhaps I took this too personally....

David N, I am not trying to start a 240 vs 320 war in anyway. I in fact agree with a lot of your opinions. I would not state that the C240 is "sluggish" unless it is in comparison to a more powerful car. The same could be said about the C320 compared to the C32. For the record, I considered the C240, but found the extra HP, and auto tranny etc. to be worth the $$ difference, so I ended up purchasing the C320. I was also in a position to pay the extra money.

 

I just went to MBUSA to look up 03 prices for the C240/C320.

The MSRP for the C240 is $30,565, and the C320 is 35,865 for a difference of $5,300. To add the Power seat pkg to the C240 (standard in the C320) is an additional $1,250. Premium sound (also standard in the C320) is $625. This brings the difference down to $3,425.

Auto tranny (not standard in either for 03) is an additional $1,325, and Tele Aid (also not standard in either) is an additional $775.

 

well, this thread is officially hijacked... (nice to see some gumption amongst the sedan owners )

to answer the original question, i think the underdrive pulley upgrade is probably the only reasonable thing to do. here's brabuscclass' thread on it... https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...threadid=12492

i don't know of any chips for the c240 but maybe upsolute, giac and renntech have them or are in development?

here's renntech's prices for mods to c240... but the prices are so high that you may as well have gotten the c320! ecu is listed...
http://www.brumosrenntech.com/custom/c240.html

here's upsolute... but real hp gains is probably much less than listed.
http://www.upsolute.com/eng/index.html

 

My question about UD pulleys which has yet to be asnwered is: what are the risks from installing the pulleys? There must be some. Living in hot as hell Houston I would be concerned about spinning my water pump slower..... Can anyone provide any information on the downside to this mod? Thanks.

 

Compared to a 320, the 240 is SLOWER, not SLUGGISH. Likewise for a c32 c320 comparison. Slow and sluggish are two totally different things. It's possible to have a car with a bigger engine and better #'s be more sluggish than a car with a smaller smoother engine. The two things have no relation to one another. See, we disagree on the word "sluggish". Sluggish is not something you can compare against with another vehicle. "Sluggish" speaks to how well a vehicle's engine and transmission work together to provide a smooth as silk driving experience. Does the car shift at the right time to provide the smoothest drive while still providing optimal performance? I think the 240 does this well. I know, I own the car. People who call it "sluggish" and have only driven it for 5 minutes really annoy me because they can't really know how smoothe it is until they get familiar with it. The car is definately not as fast as a 320, obviously. I will NEVER disagree with that. But I personally don't think it is slow or sluggish for being what it is. What more do people expect from a 2.6 litre v6 engine? Should MB have squeezed out an extra 20hp from this engine? Is it really that poorly designed? I don't think so. When I'm sitting at a traffic light with the music off, I can't even hear my engine running. I can't feel any vibrations at all. It's as if the car is off.

In terms of pricing, options and packages, their costs are different in Canada. I was also in a position to buy a 320 as well, but I saw no added benefit. The extras were things that I didn't really care about. And I didn't feel they were worth an extra 10k plus. We obviously disagree on the worth of these extras.