After stating 240s are dangerously slow...
 

I have bought one sight unseen.:o
What is the highest maintainable top speed of an 82 240 4 spd manual on a flat roadway? The last 240 I drove was an auto and topped out at 70.

That would be w/ a/c on.:D

I think the 4speed manual ones with a healthy engine can hit the upper 80's to near 90mph, the manual puts a lot less drag on the engine than the auto.

at those speeds the engine is screaming... you know whats slower than a 240D auto. a 240TD auto...

Personally, I don't like to sustain much over 75 in a 240D. They will go faster, but the gear ratio is pretty low. At 80 mph, they will be close to 4000 rpm.

is it possible to install a 2.47 diff on a 240?

Sure, just move the drivetrain to a go-kart and it can then get itself up to nearly 100 mph..............;)

An auto 240D with the A/C on can peg the speedometer.

I suppose it's physically possible, but I doubt it would be able to maintain highway speeds on anything except level ground. Even a 3.07 or a 2.88 would probably be too high. We're talking about less than 70 HP in a 3500 pound car.

Maybe an 85 mph speedometer. ;)

Obey the shiftpoints on the speedo as *minimum* points for grabbing the next higher gear and that 240D will not seem so sloooow...... Assuming you get used to driving the 4-spd without lugging the engine, should even be more sporty than your '82 300D (normally asphixiated/automatic?)

No, it can't.

This speed is scary, but it has been done in a 1979 240D automatic with the air conditioning on.:)

i wont take mine much over 75... it has a VERY hard time going over 80 so i try to keep in under 70 to be safe

I should have mentioned that I was talking about the 85 MPH speedometer. On level ground you can comfortably cruise over 80 MPH, although it is a bit loud. One thing that worries me, is the vibration that the engine produces soon after pegging the 85 MPH speedometer.

Despite the noise, I would still trade my 300D for a fully manual 240. Somewhere between the sunroof, auto transmission and extra sound insulation, the 300 feels like a barge in comparison. Oh well, thats compromise for yah'

Yea, but you always have to come back up the other side of that hill......


Uhm, I don't think you really had to tell us that....:D