Hi everyone,

I have an appointment tomorrow to test drive an 02 C230k coupe touchshift with C1, C5, C7 options. I have a few more questions...

Q1: I understand the coupe only comes w/ one susp. option. If i get 17" wheels pkg is the wheel gap simply bigger or does MBUSA "re-work" the gap?

Q2: I know US vehicles top speed typically at 130mph but I understand the coupe is capable of 149mph. Is there some sort of chip or a way to remove the limit? (BTW I've done 135+mph on my Audi A4 confidently)

Q3: Can you manually turn on/off the traction control, ESP, ASR, etc?

Q4: Since I will be leasing I have the option of 02 or 03 model. I know the engine is different. Does any 02 owners regret not waiting for the 03 engine? Is the 1.8L more tunable? Any more info?

with 17" wheels, the outside edge of the tire is still same distance from the inside of the well as it would be with 16".

Evosport supposedly removes the Vmax limiter. Ben, can you confirm?

What do you mean by manually? You can trun them off completeky, but that will also turn off ABS.

No regrets.

I doubt anyone will have any regret on the 2.3 engine. The only positives for the 1.8 is less weight (makes up for 3 less HP), less vibration, less noise after startup (clickity-clack is less with the 1.8, but not gone), better fuel economy. There are no mods available yet, er at least no one has posted any facts. I ordered my car in May, at that time only 2003's were being built. Neither dealership in Portland had the exact features I wanted in a 2002, or I might have cancelled the order before delivery, as the wait was killing me. Now that I have my 2003, I have no regrets not getting a 2002 (except that I might have been able to save a couple more grand).

It will be 1 to 2 years before there are mods available for the 1.8L based on what's available for the 2.3L that has been out for 5 years and 2 1/2 years in our layout. A pulley will be more difficult on the 1.8 as it's a single plane crankshaft pulley so making the s/c go 20% faster means your waterpump, a/c, power steering, everything spins 20% faster. Also the 1.8L is in it's worldwide introduction this month. The euro tuners didn't have a year head start as typical. Don't even expect an air filter for 2 years as we just started getting ITG custom made for us on the 2.3L and K&N is not yet making it for the 2.3L.

The 2.3L is still in the SLK230 so I would imagine there will continue to be more mods produced for this engine. However the 1.8L is so new that it will take a few years to get a few mods developed for the marketplace.

Is the 1.8L really new? or just new to North America?

The 1.8's are new everywhere. They began building cars with them in May.

Actually, you can only turn off ESP via the dashboard switch. To disable traction control completely, you need to do a "custom" operation via the dyno mode settings. (Scan the board to find this info).