quaz

All,

I'm wondering if this is normal.

I notice that there appears be be a bit of lag in the accelleration of my CLK430. For example...say I'm going about 40 and merging onto an expressway. I press aggressively on the gas pedal ....and the car seems to say "Oh...you REALLY meant to press the gas pedal that far"....and then it kicks in with all it's V8 glory.

It's not too bad....but definately noticeable when you use a heavy foot quickly. I'm only talking about a second or so....but...you can definately tell.

Has anyone else experienced this? Or is this just something that we have to live with?

Mach430

Next time you're at 40, try putting the car into 2nd and then pressing the pedal. Make sure you shift to 3rd before 70.

quaz

So you're saying that the lag is normal?

ok.

So, two quick taps to the left and then upshift before I hit 70 huh?


Thanks, I'll try that.


quaz

jkelley

The CLK transmission is a split personality kinda beast. Drive it like your grandpa, and it'll give you a nice, smooth, comfortable ride.

Drive it like a batouttahell (not just fast at the top end - kick it down hard & often) for a few days, & it'll adapt. You'll find that lag shortening dramatically.

Ever notice a significant "click" at the bottom of the accelerator travel? That's the kick down switch. Hitting that, combined with a rapid rate of travel for the gas pedal (stomp vs. squeeze), is what the brains in your beast keep track of to trigger a change in shift patterns.

apacket

After driving my car fairly aggressively for a couple days, my car's shifting personality changed. I actually thought something was wrong with the transmission because it wouldn't shift "up" as often and as quickly as it used to - it stayed in the lower gears longer and just wanted more gas.

Since I thought I "broke" something, I started driving slower... after a few days everything was back to normal. I guess it was just the transmission "adapting".

It's just weird how it takes a few days for it change back and forth. Or maybe this is all a figment of my imagination.

quaz

That makes sense.

I usually drive fairly conservatively.....rarely do I stomp on the gas pedal.

I wonder if there is a way to perhaps change the programming so that it doesn't change personalities....sort of custom configure this behavior?

I must admit...it's cool stuff that the care can adapt....but....it should be able to recognize a good old fashioned fun stomp every now and then.


quaz

sungulent

i have experinced the same problem with my clk320
no trans problem with my ml500

sorlo

I experienced that with my 320.

I didn't know the transmission can adept to different style. Gotta try driving agressively to see if my car adapts my driving style. (this car is fun, always have new things to play with)

VMan

I have noticed this exact issue with my 02' CLK 430, however it is from stand still to gun-it.. It feels like it wants to stall out.. then WHAM.. Its outta the hole... Havent gotten use to it yet, and it is kinda annoying.. I hope it adjusts soon..

quaz

There must be a way to get it to "stop adapting" ?

Not so much for me....I don't really drive aggressively alot...besides...the gas mileage is bad enough already !

:o)

rp430

I don't know what you guys are talking about with this day or so to adapt thing. If I lazy about, the car shifts soft, but when I drive aggressively it shifts harder (faster) at higher rpm's. When I revert to being calm, so does the transmission. Also, when driving quickly through the twisties, the car will hold the gear it last downshifted to even if I let up on the throttle, which is a nice feature because you don't want unnesessary shifting going on when cutting the apexes. What I am saying is that mine adapts to the type of driving I am doing at the moment and does not wait to see if I will continue this for a while before changing it's habits.

Newbie

I agree- all I have to do is tap the shifter to the right (in drive) to get it to upshift out of the previous gear, and if I calm down, the tranny will start adapting pretty quickly.

sungulent

i like to see you 5% onyx tint

i wanna tingt my windows lighly if u have a good pic post it or

im from los angeles too myabe i can come and see it

let me know

apacket

The aggressive/lazy shifting I am talking about happens when I leave it on D, not when I'm "manually" shifting. If I drop it down to 3, it goes to 3, that's not the issue.

Like I said, it could be my imagination. But all I know is, at times I even let off the gas for it to shift up and it won't (usually at high speeds in 3rd gear).

Safet

My car says, "David, this is K.I.T.T., I am going into auto-drive mode!" then as it's talking my climate control lights flash on and off, and you hear, "da dadada da dadada da dadada da daaaaaa"

AolHoward

check the W208 clk bulletin posted by MBTECH208, there seems to be a fix for this slow accelerating problem ...

Ahmed

THANKS LOADS YOU GUYS!!!!

You answered alot of questions i had regarding this matter.Now i know what its all about. Its just that i did'nt know that the transmission adapts over a period of few days.

I drive rough sometimes and my tran is always raring to go, hardly shifts and revs alot. But the delay in kickdown is there. But i get the feeling that this delay is basically the time it takes for the car to decide exactly whaty it needs to do!!!

But the ESP light really does annoy me and why can't i completely turn it off?!!

Guess that would be a deathwish would'nt it?

Safet

Ahmed,

That ESP light is telling you, "whoa, slow it down there." For me it keeps blinking non-stop.

LOH

If I'm not mistaken (at least here in the USA), when the ESP is manually deactivated it is only "turned off" to about 15-20% effectiveness. If I remember correctly, someone once posted that this is some sort of factory default setting but the dealer can reprogram the ESP so that it can be completely deactivated. I haven't verified this with my service advisor yet. Does anyone know for sure?

I'm pretty sure the transmission doesn't take a couple of days to adjust its aggressiveness. I think the driver adaptive feature takes only a few minutes and if you continue to drive aggressively or sedately the transmission reacts accordingly. If you change your driving stlye, so does the box and not in a couple of days.

BTW Ahmed, your car is simply beautiful.

jkelley

IIRC - there is a series of button pushes/key twists that will allow you to fully disable ESP until the next time you start the car
No disagreement here. I can tweak the shift mode of my 55 with just a couple slams of the go pedal. My perception (which could easily be less than crystal clear) was that my 430 was a little less willing to adjust - never needed days, but seemed to take more than the 55.

rp430

apacket, that's the beauty of the transmission! It you are hard, it will hold the gear anticipating more of the same. As soon as you drive "lazy", the transmission will adapt and shift normally again.

apacket

I love how my car adapts to my driving and that I don't have to adapt to my car. I wish my girlfriend was this way.

I'm taking my car out to dinner saturday night. I think everyone here should really sit down and think about how much our cars care for us (from safety to performance), and how we always think twice about upgrading wheels, springs, shocks, filters, .... Have a heart, give back some love.

And no, I don't work for evosport :p though I would like a commission from any sales sparked from this hallmark card post.

sungulent

this is why i spent about 50 dollars a week just on car wash alone

for 2 benzos

i know its free at the dealer but they do a nasty job

i agree with apacket love ur car

i think i love benzos more then girls call me weird but thats how i am...

Silver_Lana

You are wierd.... but thats okay, we all love our Benzos on this board.

2000 CLK 320

Get a power chip or speedtuning usa chip and it will get rid of the lad that occurs in thebeggingi