Best way to gun the car?
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Mercedes Benz C250 Sport Sedan
Best way to gun the car?
I'm coming from a manual car where its pretty straight forward when you're gunning it, so my question is: How do you get the most power out of the car? Do you leave it just in D? or Do you drive in the manual mode? I have a 2012 C250 sport sedan btw.
-I promise I used the search function, still couldn't find it
-I promise I used the search function, still couldn't find it
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2008 W204
Well on my C300, perhaps when I am slowing down for a car to turn and I have an empty road ahead, from regular automatic mode, I'll hold the shifter in -D, (if you hold it, the car shifts into the most optimal gear from acceleration), from there I'll gun it and shift up, its fun!
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From: Germantown, MD/Rehoboth Beach, DE
2024 GLS450
I find that unless I am trying to be ridiculous, mine pulls hardest in E if you give it 3/4 throttle or so and let it shift at ~4,400 RPM. At high revs - the turbo is really too small to provide much benefit. If you are in the twisties or such, keep the revs up with manual mode- if the turbo starts to spool down you're gonna lose a lot of power until it winds back up.
Sport mode + stick it to the floor in D otherwise.
Sport mode + stick it to the floor in D otherwise.
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Mercedes Benz C250 Sport Sedan
Well on my C300, perhaps when I am slowing down for a car to turn and I have an empty road ahead, from regular automatic mode, I'll hold the shifter in -D, (if you hold it, the car shifts into the most optimal gear from acceleration), from there I'll gun it and shift up, its fun!
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Mercedes Benz C250 Sport Sedan
I find that unless I am trying to be ridiculous, mine pulls hardest in E if you give it 3/4 throttle or so and let it shift at ~4,400 RPM. At high revs - the turbo is really too small to provide much benefit. If you are in the twisties or such, keep the revs up with manual mode- if the turbo starts to spool down you're gonna lose a lot of power until it winds back up.
Sport mode + stick it to the floor in D otherwise.
Sport mode + stick it to the floor in D otherwise.
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2008 W204
I've never tried it, but I have read in the manual that it will go all the way to redline and then shift itself to save the engine. I usually shift at around 5000 RPMs, in the high RPMs the 3.0 v6 feels like its being strained. I have no experience with your engine though so I wouldn't know.
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From: NYC
2012 C300 4Matic
He's wrong about this. Most likely what he is noticing is that when you are in Eco mode and you press the throttle beyond 3/4 (from a stop) the transmission will suddenly shift from 2nd gear (the car starts normally from 2nd gear in eco mode) causing a harsh downshift. This harsh downshift gives off a solid "kick" as the transmission hits first - feels very powerful.
Truth is, if you start in Sport mode you are already in first gear, no time is wasted on that downshift, and you accelerate faster (probably a negligible difference). You do miss that 'kick' so it may feel less... exciting... but 1st gear power is available quicker.
Truth is, if you start in Sport mode you are already in first gear, no time is wasted on that downshift, and you accelerate faster (probably a negligible difference). You do miss that 'kick' so it may feel less... exciting... but 1st gear power is available quicker.
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Mercedes Benz C250 Sport Sedan
I've never tried it, but I have read in the manual that it will go all the way to redline and then shift itself to save the engine. I usually shift at around 5000 RPMs, in the high RPMs the 3.0 v6 feels like its being strained. I have no experience with your engine though so I wouldn't know.
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Thread Starter
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Mercedes Benz C250 Sport Sedan
Truth is, if you start in Sport mode you are already in first gear, no time is wasted on that downshift, and you accelerate faster (probably a negligible difference). You do miss that 'kick' so it may feel less... exciting... but 1st gear power is available quicker.[/QUOTE]
Ohh that would explain why eco mode is so slow, makes sense. So just gunning it in sport mode while in D seems to be my best bet!
Ohh that would explain why eco mode is so slow, makes sense. So just gunning it in sport mode while in D seems to be my best bet!
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From: Germantown, MD/Rehoboth Beach, DE
2024 GLS450
I'm not wrong about this - I'm not talking about from a dead stop. I'm talking about from a roll - E tends to let the vehicle get pulled along by keeping the engine in the torque band more than revving the **** out of it where it screams but doesn't really pull as hard.
The 1.8 is a different beast than the 3.0 or 3.5 in how it puts the power down.
The 1.8 is a different beast than the 3.0 or 3.5 in how it puts the power down.
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Mercedes Benz C250 Sport Sedan
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From: Germantown, MD/Rehoboth Beach, DE
2024 GLS450
The 4 cylinder is a relatively tiny engine in a relatively heavy car. If you get it out of its powerband it feels rather gutless.
It doesn't have a lot of power if you are just loafing around until the turbo is wound - at which point it pulls hard. E mode tends to exacerbate the turbo lag on the car as well when starting from a stop. From a roll, it's a lot less eager to upshift in E and it spends a lot of its time in the fat part of the torque curve.
The 6 cylinders pull harder in a linear fashion the more revs you give them, the 4 is a lot more dependent on boost to give you that feel, and if you catch it with the turbo spooled down or get up into high revs where the turbo isn't of much benefit it stops pulling as hard.
It doesn't have a lot of power if you are just loafing around until the turbo is wound - at which point it pulls hard. E mode tends to exacerbate the turbo lag on the car as well when starting from a stop. From a roll, it's a lot less eager to upshift in E and it spends a lot of its time in the fat part of the torque curve.
The 6 cylinders pull harder in a linear fashion the more revs you give them, the 4 is a lot more dependent on boost to give you that feel, and if you catch it with the turbo spooled down or get up into high revs where the turbo isn't of much benefit it stops pulling as hard.
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From: Dallas-Ft.Worth, TX
C43
Interesting analysis. Thanks for the layman's breakdown.
I have a 350 and recently had a 250 loaner and had a lot of fun with it. The turbo is very impressive. The 350 is much more steady acceleration. The 250 is more punchy.
I have a 350 and recently had a 250 loaner and had a lot of fun with it. The turbo is very impressive. The 350 is much more steady acceleration. The 250 is more punchy.
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From: Toronto
2008 c300
I'm not wrong about this - I'm not talking about from a dead stop. I'm talking about from a roll - E tends to let the vehicle get pulled along by keeping the engine in the torque band more than revving the **** out of it where it screams but doesn't really pull as hard.
The 1.8 is a different beast than the 3.0 or 3.5 in how it puts the power down.
The 1.8 is a different beast than the 3.0 or 3.5 in how it puts the power down.
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From: NYC
2012 C300 4Matic
I'm not wrong about this - I'm not talking about from a dead stop. I'm talking about from a roll - E tends to let the vehicle get pulled along by keeping the engine in the torque band more than revving the **** out of it where it screams but doesn't really pull as hard.
The 1.8 is a different beast than the 3.0 or 3.5 in how it puts the power down.
The 1.8 is a different beast than the 3.0 or 3.5 in how it puts the power down.
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From: Llandudno, Cape Town, South Africa
late 2009 CLK 350 Coupe Elegance, '65 Jaguar S Type wires
Revving against the brakes will probably achieve the quickest pull away from standing start but will ultimately screw up the transmission. It's a very bad practice.
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From: Germantown, MD/Rehoboth Beach, DE
2024 GLS450
We're going to have to agree to disagree then. I own one, I drive it every day, and I know how it drives. It doesn't like to have the **** revved out of it, and once you run it out of the peak of the torque curve at 4,300 RPM it falls off rapidly. With 7 ratios to pick and a wide torque curve, it does not need to be revved to redline to put it back in the powerband after a shift.
E keeps it in the fat part of the torque curve longer.
E keeps it in the fat part of the torque curve longer.
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2012 c250
just try it out on all options...E or S...manual or auto...and find what suites your driving pattern. personally i hate the new 1.8 turbo...too much lag and not enough power...
i drove my friends new BMW 328i (2.0 turbo). and it has much better response than benz. im concidering a trade soon.
i drove my friends new BMW 328i (2.0 turbo). and it has much better response than benz. im concidering a trade soon.
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From: NYC
2012 C300 4Matic
We're going to have to agree to disagree then. I own one, I drive it every day, and I know how it drives. It doesn't like to have the **** revved out of it, and once you run it out of the peak of the torque curve at 4,300 RPM it falls off rapidly. With 7 ratios to pick and a wide torque curve, it does not need to be revved to redline to put it back in the powerband after a shift.
E keeps it in the fat part of the torque curve longer.
E keeps it in the fat part of the torque curve longer.
I usually put it in N and go down hill, step on the gas a bit so it sounds like its going fast, but in reality its not. I still have fun though!
