qdessa

Which setting will give the best mileage - especially in stop and go driving - the W or S setting on the trans?

01BlackE320

The W (winter) setting blocks out first gear. I hate the way the car feels in that setting and never use it. I would imagine that would hurt fuel economy slightly as well, in stop and go driving. Stick with S

TMAllison

Depends on how hard you step on the throttle as to which will provide better economy.

I don't drive aggressively but like S more; know some other folks who like W better.

Lancelot

W not only blocks out the 1st gear, it also upshifts at lower rpm's...

Hirnbeiss

I think W will be more efficient in stop & go driving if you're easy on the gas. Lower rpm generally = lower fuel usage.
Also, applying Newtonian physics we know that Force = MA, so the lower the acceleration, the lower the force you're using. Since energy = force over time, the lower the force, the less energy you're using.
The only variable that causes reality to deviate from theory is the actual efficiency of the engine. Engines are more or less efficient at different rpm ranges, so lower rpm for the same output will not always equal lower fuel burn.

Figuero

With an automatic transmission you want to get into OD as soon as possible and drive to keep it in OD. At very moderate throttle the transmission upshifts very quickly and you would be in 2nd gear before you cross an intersection from a dead stop anyway. I doubt very much there is any significant savings in W vs. S. However, if W forces earlier upshifts and holds OD longer then that's probably going to help you.
My guess is how you drive is 90% of potential fuel savings. Short of hypermileing there are a few things that can make a big difference.
Accelerate slowly, play the hills - give up speed going up, gain it back going down, anticipate red lights and traffic ahead and adjust speed to minimize braking, keep speed as steady as possible in traffic.
As they say, drive as though you have an egg taped to both the accelerator and brake pedals.
It would help if Mecerdes had an "instant readout" of mpg like BMW as that really gives you the right feedback to maximize mileage. Once you have that instant feedback, it's very obvious what you need to do to keep the mpg needle pointed in the right direction.

SLOPESTAR

you are all crazy! In a full size luxury car that gets 20-30mpg, you are worried about what tranny setting to use to eek out a mile or two a gallon? I have an idea, In winter months or in adverse conditions, use W.
The rest of the time use S. Use Ohlord's link to reprogramming your tranny every 2 weeks or so and drive like the Granny you bought it from. Or like in my case, program it once and drive the s&*t out of it and still get 20-30mpg. That's it...hope it helps

ohlord

and starting out in 2nd gear W mode will take the mass to be accelerated longer to get to the most efficient mpg.Use W in snow,ice,mud.
Use S all the time,if you know how to drive in the above conditions.
Happy Easter

TMAllison

I'll remind you of the "Tortise and the Hare".....

Semikolon

W causes much more wear to the gearbox.. a worn out gearbox is much more expensive that a couple of miles to the gallon..

SLOPESTAR

I'm going to drive in "N" and save the most! My father is the king of coasting and has destroyed three transmissions in his dodge town n' country minivan that way.

ohlord

coasting in neutral with the engine running on the 722.6 is like running it without fluid pressure.Kills them quick
c vans should be killed quicker.

Partz

ROFLMAO I agree I drive my E55 like I stole it and get 21MPG in the City and if I didn't I wouldn't care. If I was worried about fuel economy I would drive a C230 Kompressor like my wife