Who's got a 617 turbo with a stick? What are your driving impressions of it? Pros and cons?

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1981 230E, 1984 300D.
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www.ranwhenparked.net

I do, but Im running a 2.24 Rear End, and I get very good mileage. I enjoy it, however my flywheel is not correctly balanced to the engine, Apparently the shop I used did not understand the idea of matching the 240D flywheel to the 300SD flexplate.

Its a fun swap, but I will say that the mercedes Auto trans is very well suited to the engine.

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1984 Euro 300SDC, (4spd standard)
1986 Toyota Landcruiser Diesel HJ60 5spd X2

Gone but not forgotten (some sold, some stripped)
1983 300 SD, 1985 300 SD, 1983 240D, 1986 300 SDL, 1985 300 SDL, 1983 300 D, 1984 300 D, 1985 300SD, 1987 300 SDL, 1983 300 SD, 1985 300 TD Euro, 1983 380SEC, 1990 300 D, 1987 300D, 1982 300D, 1982 300D, 1994 E420, 1987 300 TD, 1987 300 D, 1984 300 D

I have an 82 cd with the four speed. It drives just fine with it. The better setup is getting a euro three hundred flywheel but the two forty is fine....it just is not quite as smooth.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I have one. There is a bit of vibration when you use the 240D flywheel, but only when lugging the engine. You do not gain any acceleration over the auto, but you do gain simplicity and a bit of efficiency.

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1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver

1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver

1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine

I have suggested this before and lots of people ' poo pooed' the idea :There is a reason Mercedes Benz put non turbo engines with stick shifts...and turbo engines with automatics...
The people I know of who have the turbo and stick even with the 300 flywheels have reported some vibration issues.. Whether this has to do with the way the engines are balanced or the inability of machine shops to match up the swapped flywheel or what... I don't know...
My description of the lack of difference in acceleration has to do with the ability of the auto to allow the engine to get into its power curve without giving the clutch heat and wear problems....
With a turbo auto you can pretty much floor it at every stoplight and get the same mileage and plenty of speed with no harm done ( and the efficiency of the turbo )...
I have a stick 240d ... and appreciate that an autotrans as old as our cars
has huge drawbacks as soon as they start needing work...and even if you could find a great rebuild shop... it may cost more than you gave for your car in the first place... of course, even that compared to a new car can come out way ahead... but finding a good shop which can bring these old auto trans back to new condition is the real problem.
I have decided that a non turbo 300 with a five speed is about the optimum car for being able to have working space in the engine compartment , simple rebuildable parts ( the manual trans ) and longevity with the potential of no unfixable vibration.

I like my wagon. I have the 3.07 diff in it and I think that is a about the best I could do without a 5 speed. The powerband on the 617 turbo is a bit narrow for a stick unless you have a lot of gears and like to shift alot. It would be great to have a higher high and a lower low. No vibration to speak of with the 240 flywheel since it is match balanced correctly.

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1980 300TD with 1985 300TD Turbo motor and 240D 4 speed.

The non-turbo 617 is basically the same engine as the turbo engine, so I do not buy the fact that it is inherently unbalanced with a manual flywheel. The VGT really helps the off the line power, which is why I believe they did not offer the turbo with the stick shift. IMO the 3.07 is too high for the 4 speed with the 617, ideal would be a 3.46 with a 5 speed.

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1979 240D- 316K miles - VGT Turbo, Intercooler, Stick Shift, Many Other Mods - Daily Driver

1982 300SD - 232K miles - Wife's Daily Driver

1986 560SL - Wife's red speed machine

agreed, but my car does really well with the three hundred na , 307 diff and five speed. First is a little tall but doable as long as you don't get in a hurry taking off.

The 300d flywheel for stick is very heavy. The extra weight dampens the five cylinder hop and at idle it mascarades as a six cylinder, its so smooth. You can feel the five quiver at a couple of different rpms while accelerating but it would go unnoticed by most drivers.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I have an '83 TD (3.07 diffy) with a Getrag 5-speed. Shifting the turbo takes some getting used to but now that almost all my driving is highway that's academic; what I really love is 2100 RPM at 70 MPH and the consistent 28 mpg.

Yes, it does have the strange harmonic vibration from 1700 to about 1900 RPM but, the prior 4-speed did too. And, it's not the flywheel because you can rev that dog to the redline in neutral and there's not a lick of vibration.

I was replacing some bad glow plugs the other day and discovered that the throttle linkage wasn't pushing the power lever on the IP all the way to full load. About 3 minutes of adjustment took care of that and it's almost a different car now...next is the wastegate. It's opening at 9-10 psi...

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Never a dull moment at Berry Hill Farm.

Just thought I'd bump this up. I have a 5-speed getrag (from some sedan) in my 300GD. It's a NA engine now but I just agreed to buy a turbo engine for it.

Any comments from anyone who's driven an NA 300 vs turbo 300 with a manual?

-Tad

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1995 G320
2003 C230 Kompressor Coupe
2005 ML500
2007 ML350

I love mine, after spacing and replacing rubber my vibes are gone. I can run 50MPH in fourth gear turning 1500-1600 RPM with little to no vibe unless I try to accellerate too fast, even then its not a annoying vibe like when I started, if I feather it it will pull up the speed even in fourth at low RPM. this is with a 4speed and 2.47 gear

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1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)

Which rubber are you referring to?

This one has 4.89 gears (high speed) and 235x85R16 tires.

-Tad

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1995 G320
2003 C230 Kompressor Coupe
2005 ML500
2007 ML350

engine and trans mounts, driveshaft flex joints

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1982 300CD Turbo (Otis, "ups & downs") parts for sale
2003 TJ with Hemi (to go anywhere, quickly) sold
2001 Excursion Powerstroke (to go dependably)
1970 Mustang 428SCJ (to go fast)
1962 Corvette LS1 (to go in style)
2001 Schwinn Grape Krate 10spd (if all else fails)