808_230K

what is this... "winter" you all speak of? :p all we get is more rain... nasty, humid, rain... if I'm lucky it'll break into the low 70's during the day *sigh*

ayilar

Just ordered four 245x45R17 Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2 tires and matching MM Bello SML wheels from Luke at the TireRack. The Dunlop M3's were out of stock already, which made the choice between them and the Michelins very easy.

Battalion1PFD

Hello,
I just joined the forum, I too tried to order the Dunlops but had to settle for the Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2's on MM Bello's from TireRack. I sold my 1986 300E and just love my new Kompressor. So much has improved in just 18 years.

ayilar

Welcome!

Guest0001

So the E would be ponderous and you would consider an S500?

ayilar

The E that I drove was a 320CDI. I drove it twice, then drove the S430 and S500 right after it. I knew what to expect from the engines but was very surprised by the steering. To me, it felt like night and day. The S500 felt (almost) light and responsive where the E had felt hesitant and ponderous. YMMV.

ayilar

OK folks, here is my 2,000-miles update with, finally, some comments on the tranny and the engine:

1. Clutch:
Only got nice things to say: not too heavy, good feel, linear takeup. It's quite pleasant, unlike the heavier, non-linear clutch on our 2002 V6 Passat.
Overall: very good.

2. Manual transmission:
Good: the tranny has by now significantly loosened up. Almost all the notchiness that I experienced when the car was new is gone and shifts are now smooth.
Not so good: the throws are too long for a "sports" transmission, the grid could be more precise (particularly for spirited driving), and shifts are a bit too slow to my taste (it is as if the tranny does not like to be hurried).
Overall: OK.

2. Engine
Good: peppy, linear acceleration (easy to drive smoothly but rather flies when pressed hard), sound of the "kompressor" when pushed hard (in contrast, my kiddo finds it "noisy")
Not so good: a bit noisy at low speeds and on the highway, and the sound is never the most refined. In all fairness to the car, though, several of my passengers have commented on how quiet they find the car.
Overall: good.

3. Fit and finish.
The car feels tight despite the awful local roads. However:
(i) A few more "rattles" have appeared, perhaps due to the colder weather. More precisely, I get intermittent buzzing sounds from (a) either the pano roof or the passenger seatbelt housing, (b) the front passenger's seat, (c) the dashboard somewhere. (b) is the most annoying but disappears when a passenger is on the seat.
(ii) If I were to nitpick, I'd say that (a) there ought to be a rubber covering for the dead pedal, (b) the floormats do not look like they'll survive many years, and (c) I sense some slight flexing in the driver's door handle.
Overall: good.

4. Suspension.
When I first looked at the C in 2001, I looked at the 240 and 324 and thought that the Passat was pretty comparable (not as good but close). Nope -- my VW and MB have similar bump absorption capacities but, when these two cars are pressed, the Passat feels like a whale compared to the Coupe. Where the Passat wins is during long trips on the interstate -- it is a very relaxing car, more so than the Coupe.
Overall: very good compromise.

5. Seats.
OK. The Sport Sedan's seats are much better than the Coupe's. On long distances, the Passat's seats are firmer (yep) but better. In town, of course, the Coupe's seats beat the Passat's hands down.

Note: I have switched to winter tires. For those who had wanted more pictures of my car, I have added a few more pictures (with MM Bello wheels and Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2 tires) in this thread.

Outland

BS. Its just different. Most of the cars Ive owned have been stick...this tranny, even with the old setup is not a bad shifting car.

Have the dealer check to see if its turned on in DAS. Mine, and most of the 2002 production wasn't. Personally, I think it was done on purpose, because they thought some lawyer would use it as a reason to sue. Same mentality that limits the C7 cars to 135ish because the base cars don't have proper speed rated tires. Without it, next stop is 149mph. Pretty impressive for a four banger.

ayilar

Outland:

(i) With the exception of rental cars and a V8 Buick (owned it for 2 years, loved that old boat), all the cars that I have ever driven have had a stick shift. In 20 years or so, I have put thousands or tens of thousands of miles on each of these cars -- including an Audi, a BMW, 3 VWs, a Honda, a Nissan, 3 Opels, and a Citroen. I have even put several hundred miles on an Alfa Romeo (my brother's). Except for the Citroen (my first ride) and the Nissan (my first purchase), I drove these cars when they were new and then not so new. Trust me, _my_ 2005's tranny was at best just OK initially.

(ii) I am not the only person to have found the shift quality less than stellar -- you only need read some of the reviews in this thread. Look at these two examples:

AutoCar (May 2004): "You also get used to the gearchange, which is so notchy it forces you to use it slowly and deliberately. Not sporty (...)"
Auto Express (February 2004): "(T)he Sports Coupé is not without its problems. Changing from second to third gear isn't as smooth as it should be (...)"

(iii) Granted, other reviews seem to contradict the above. Top Gear's, for example, or another AutoExpress writer's (who was commenting on the C230k WZ manual):

AutoExpress (February 2004): "(T)he facelifted C-Class's biggest improvement is not the new engine, it's the transmission. A six-speed manual developed for the SLK does away with the old rule of thumb that every Merc should be an auto. With more substantial rods replacing the cable linkages of the current model's unpopular manual box, it has a much more solid feel, and makes shifting a real pleasure."
TopGear (April 2004): "Another ingredient in the C-Class mix is a totally new six-speed manual gearbox. Encased in titanium, no less, for lighter weight, it's much, much better than any previous MB effort."

(iv) Based on my own experience, I suspect that the writers in (ii) may have been driving young cars, whereas those in (iii) may have been driving vehicles with some miles on them already.


Bottom Line:

Let me rephrase my point as follows: one should not judge the manual transmission by how it performs in the first few hundred miles, because it really loosens up and gets better over time.

mick1

this isn't true with my c320wz at all. i even think it glides into gears too easily, like a honda stick shift. it definitely requires much less effort than the 5-speed transmission on my '99 bmw 328i

vadim

I completely agree! No problem nailing gears during occasional street races As sporty as could be - intuitive and presise, I have yet to mis-shift. Althouth it indeed took some time to get used to the gearing + throttle pedal response.