mg-E550

the manual says to select the c/s button that changes the transmission program only when in park. anyone know why this is and if there are risks to doing this while in drive/in motion?

highroller550

i've had the car since october and i press that button anytime i feel like it .... no problems yet :P

aeggroup

+1 ...

Ninjaryder

If you plan on keeping your car long term & trouble free always refer to the manual. I won't even look at C/S until the car is broke in (1000+ miles)

DHI

+2

ttoE550

Yeah, I do too. But be honest -- do you think pushing it makes any discernible difference? I honestly cannot feel any difference. Even the track testers at some magazine said the same.

DHI

Actually, yes.

Pulling off from a light in 1st instead of 2nd feels (and sounds ) very different to me. Subsequent shifts are just slightly crisper and occur at higher revs.

I just wished that it would save the last setting chosen, instead of resetting to "C" all the time.

aeggroup

I agree.....

YYZ-E55

They recommend not changing the mode when driving because it alters the steering response, suspension, transmission shifting, etc. Theoretically if you were making a serious maneuver and you hit the button, it could cause you to lose control.

My thought is that if there was a serious risk, MB would program the button so that it could only be activated when the car is stopped (same as navi destination input). Changing the driving mode while in motion certainly will not damage the car in any way unless you hit something!

DHI

You are probably referring to other car makers or systems.
The W212 C/S button only changes transmission characteristics.

highroller550

whatever that button does. to me it make it feel like a new car. i love it.

YYZ-E55

Sorry - I was referring to the "dynamic handling" sport button found on the E-Coupe (and other MB models). The concept still applies as it relates to the transmission - if you're in sport mode in a fast turn and you shifted to comfort, the trans could upshift and change the weight balance, causing you to lose control. Not sure how many people are driving their non-AMG E saloons to the limit like that, but hey

mg-E550

Thanks for all the replies! I have had the car and have pressed it a number of times on motion, but just wondered if I was shortening the life of the tranny.

On the other point about noticing the difference, i definitely find that the car behaves differently both starting off (1st vs 2 d gear) as well as up and down shifting. In s the car holds the last gear much longer before upshifting and generally seems to downshift more quickly.

My only complaint about the system is that the shifts using the paddles in either c or s mode are too slow.

ttoE550

I spent some time playing, and I don't see it. I confirmed several times that putting it in S mode does not automatically put in in 1st at takeoff. After sedate driving, stopping at a light, hitting the c/s button to put it in S, and taking off at full throttle, I still get a (near instantaneous) downshift from 2nd to 1st. Likewise, after some "spirited" driving, I could take off in C mode in 1st gear.

There is a corner I take every day. It's a nice wide 90-degree corner that can be taken at good speed. For fun, I typically accelerate hard at the apex. Whether in C or S mode, driving up to the corner in a sedate manner will give a downshift near the apex under acceleration (not ideal). In either C or S mode, driving "spiritedly" prior to the corner, the car is one gear lower and does not downshift (ideal). By "spiritedly" I mean kicking down the transmission two or three times before arriving at the corner. And the sound is glorious both ways under spirited driving.

Personally, I think this car is smart. I think you can be in C mode and make it behave like what I will call "a beast" by managing the throttle. (Maybe the E63 would then be a "wildebeast.") Likewise, in S mode it will behave like the same beast, also by managing the throttle. The potential difference, as much as I am able to determine, is that the S mode is perhaps quicker in moving to beast mode. But whether in C or in S, once the car is in beast mode, it is the same.

I find it reassuring that a test driver from Car and Driver Magazine also could not tell the difference.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...take_road_test

christiaan

i really dont get what your talkin about, the 550 coupe, doesent have that CS button, it only has the M button....

firefighter608

There is a sport button on dash near seat temp buttons on E550, lit is sport mode, off is default comfort mode

gichundo

didn't break the point to rev over 2000 RPM on my W212 yet... but from past experience through W209..... There was slight bump on acceleration and tone change on exhuast due to reving higher on gears.....

DHI

Thanks for the details. But do you feel any difference at all? I assume that the CS selection is confirmed on the dashboard screen?

I definitely feel a difference in my car.

ttoE550

Yes, I do see the S on the dash when I push the button. As far as a difference between the two goes, I think I do see a slight difference in how quickly the car adjusts for spirited driving. In effect, pushing the button seems to say "we are about to take off" and if you confirm by indeed taking off, then the car responds more aggressively fairly quickly. In C mode, though, it seems that you have to do a little more to wake the car up (like kicking down the transmission a few times), and once you do the car is just as aggressive as it is S mode.

But if I am driving like a grandpa in C, switch to S, and continue to drive like a grandpa, I feel no difference.

Try it. Drive like a grandpa in both modes. Does the car feel any different? Then drive in a spirited fashion in S mode, switch to C, and continue to drive in a spirited fashion. Does the car suddenly seem more sluggish? For me, the answers are no.

Now I will admit that I typically switch to S on on-ramps to highways because I want the car to already be awake if I need to accelerate hard. In Washington DC it seems that many drivers like to race you to block your merge. My experience driving in Montreal (wonderful, wonderful city) is that the drivers are much friendlier and accommodating. I think it's the only place I've seen the zipper merge actually work!

OT: Do you ever get to Mont Tremblant? (north of Montreal) It has my favorite race track (won twice there several years ago), a great luge, and great restaurant ambiance, even if the food is mostly so-so. I highly recommend it. I'm not a skier, so I went in July each time.

DHI

Montreal drivers... relatively competent. Little use of turn signals, few/faded visible line markings on pavement, drivers expect fellow to be decisive in their driving and so few get offended when things happen quickly. In fact, slow indecisive drivers are frowned upon and cause more frustration than anything else. In short drivers here are generally awake.

Tremblant... I've done a few track events there in 96, 97, and 98. Awesome classic track. Flows well and is rewarding to drive. Never drove the track since it's slight redesign and resurfacing. You may remember it for it's abrasive surface making it nearly as quick in the wet.

C/S button... I'll keep playing that button with your comments in mind.

Cheers, fellow Merc owner.
David

Tjdehya

If you drive like grandma then the c/s button wont make a difference but if you step on the throttle a little harder and a little longer then the difference is obvious.