Low end Torque

[sean sherry]

Never a truer word... Horsepower sells Engines .but Torque wins Races.
I now know why our C 200 CGI drives much better than our C250 CGI.
There is no noticeable power gain until nearly 4000 RPM. in the C250. Whereas the C200 's power comes in at round half the Revs. Same 1.8 Lt. Turbo engine.
I have to drive the C250 in sports Mode and boot it along to feel the same omph. The older 5 speed Auto holds both Cars back .. but at least it is reliable and not costly to rebuild if it ever becomes necessary.
The C250 Avantgarde looks all shiny and bright in Metallic Silver with dress Chrome all over, but I made the right choice when I bought the plain White C 200 new.

 

[c107]

Seems surprising that Mercedes would make the more powerful variant of the engine less flexible? Especially as its the 250 version that fits itself in the 4x4s etc with their sizable bulk.

 

[sean sherry]

I guess that the C250 is designed for the Autobahns. Which are few and far between here ! The C 200 is a very flexible version of the same basic Engine. It had crossed my mind to source an ECU from a c200 , but then i discovered that the head and valve timings are also different to the C250. But no big deal they both have Mercedes excellent Chassis Engineering and Safety built in. I always found that it is how a Car performs on the open Road is the Key for me.

 

[Styria]

Hmmmm........what an interesting subject. Helmet reckons that his GLC 250 (?) would run rings around his 6.9n acceleration. I have witnessed someone very prominent on TK flog the marbles out of an old 230/4. Very impressive except for the poor engine absolutely screaming "don't do this to me".

My Gleaming Beauty always illustrates to me how much torque she's got in top gear - as flexible as an old Rolls Royce Phantom V12 of the '30s. Up 6.9 torque forever ! Regards Styria

 

[sean sherry]

Perhaps I am judging my C250 CGI too harshly.... who me ???

Last night I drove both the C200 and the C250 back to back, and where as the C200 has more get up and go initially , the C250 is no slouch either, just needs more Revs. Both would perform better with better quality Fuel as there is in Europe. The sulphur content here is way too high.

 

[Michel]

The more gears you add in the transmission, the more get up and go you will have.
Whilst I was at SEMA in Las Vegas earlier this month, I had a Mustang convertible as a rental car (US$15 extra over a Ford Fusion for the 4 day rental) that had a 2.3-litre I-4 with a 10 speed auto gearbox.
That thing would chirp constantly off the mark at the slightest touch of the accelerator.
First gear was 4.7, 2nd was 2.99, third was 2.15, fourth 1.77, fifth 1.52, sixth 1.28 and you had to get to 7th to have a ratio of 1.00. The rest were stupidly over driven up to .64 in 10th.

It's all in the transmission!

 

[sean sherry]

Yes Michel, I have always understood that the designers were intent on keeping the Engine in a designated sweet spot to achieve the best outcome for power coupled with low emissions.. and fuel consumption. But nothing for nothing... a metal part failure in the elaborate Transmission = big $$$$$

 

[sean sherry]

Direct injection Engines .like . my two C Class CGIs are prone to gumming up the inlet valves as only filtered Air passes through. With mileage I find that regular cleaning is beneficial. Not easy when there are no vacuum tubes to connect too. To access the inlet manifold requires the Air Box and Ecu to be removed to then remove the MAP Sensor. I will now drill the manifolds and fit brass air connectors with hoses running to an accessible position. Some Subaru cleaner in pressure Pac once a year and also with a good squirt of cleaner into the inlet of the Air Flow Meter should keep the system happy. I also use top quality Engine Oil as the Timing chain and sprockets are prone to excess wear if mediocre Oil is Used. The cost accountant got involved in the quality of sprockets !!