I've grown so accustomed to the phenomenal stopping power of 4 wheel disc brakes that I've nearly rear ended two people this week. Once in my mom's minivan and once in my brother's motorhome.

NOTHING STOPS LIKE THE MB 4 Wheel Disc Brakes

Don

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DAILY DRIVERS:
'84 300DT 298k (Aubrey's)
'99.5 Jetta TDI IV 251k (Julie's)
'97 Jetta TDI 127k (Amber's)
'97 Jetta TDI 186k (Matt's)
'96 Passat TDI 237k (Don's
'84 300D 211k Mint (Arne- Undergoing Greasecar Conversion)

SOLD:
'82 240D 229k (Matt's - Converted-300DT w/ 4 speed

Yes, you can become addicted to MB brake systems very easy.

Excuse them for doing a good job. When we get in other cars we sould first test their brakes. Damn few are up to MB standards.
Don't blame the equipment. Blame the driver.
Charlie

Don,

I know what you mean. Just finished a 4K mile trip in a brand spanking new, special equipped Tahoe. Found I had to start braking down much earlier than I expected. Guess you could say it was the first time I'd run a Tahoe hard. Those first couple of fuel stops taught me real quick that the brakes were not what I was accustomed to. Now the speacial equipped sedans have brakes that are comprable.

__________________
Mike Tangas
'73 280SEL 4.5 (9/72)- RIP
Only 8,173 units built from 5/71 thru 11/72

'02 CLK320 Cabriolet - wifey's mid-life crisis

2012 VW Jetta Sportwagon TDI...at least its a diesel

Non illegitemae carborundum.

Umm? Any chance tailgating may be part of the problem here? See the other thread about brakes and defensive driving.

Aint that the truth! And Mike if you are talking about the crown vic.. thier brakes are nothing to brag about.. they feel like stopping a freight train in comparison to an MB.

While I do love my 87 300D, my Volvo 740 GL wagon breaks far more impressive! Both are better than most!:p

Hi Don,
another thing about with ye mb brakes, is when you can stop quicker than the person behind ya can...


chip

BTDT last year, Diablo...I was in stop-and-go on the freeway and had grown complacent about braking. The car in front of me stopped on a downhill grade, and I was a little slow in hitting the binders because I knew I could stop. A kid in a rusted-out Ford Ranger rear-ended my California-clean diesel coupe. Owwwwch...

The repair bill is $3500. I can't see spending that on a $3500 car, so I just drive it. Everything works -- it's just a bit ugly.

The moral of the story, though -- when I come up on traffic backups now, I pump the brakes to warn the clueless behind me.

Russ M.
'82 300cd
'82 300td
(purchased with the kid's insurance settlement)

When I drive my wife's Nissan Quest, I have to approach driving and stopping totally differently.

Even in NJ, I not only don't I tailgate, but I attempt to minimize the need to brake whenever possible, i.e. in stop and go traffic. In spite of this approach, I have to stop alot harder and earlier in the Nissan versus the MB.

It is really quite amazing how much my driving style has to change.

JCD

The driver really is the most important component of braking. A couple times I rode with someone in a small-sized pickup truck that didn't have brakes. Stop signs, red lights, traffic, not a problem.

I actually have the opposite experience. When I get out of my Chevy 2500HD and into the Benz, I have to remember the brakes aren't as sensitive. I think overall stopping power is roughly equivalent, the pedal travel on the truck is just a little less.

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Keep everything as simple as possible-but no simpler--Albert Einstein

I've done the same thing. Going from the Toyota to MB was hard, I almost rear ended a truck, I had to remind myself in the Camry that now I have drums in the back with small discs in the front. The brakes on the older MB's are great but on the new W220, wow! Try a panic stop with one of those, you really need your seat belt! Perfectly level to!

__________________
2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Mine stop real well for being a 1983 car with solid discs, but they arent up to par with my 91 BMW, which has big ventilated discs on the front, and very low weight.

Is there a way to put ventilated discs on the w123? I saw a thing for some ventilated discs for a very old camaro. Looked like solid discs with round vent holes through them.

Any ideas? Im not knocking the MB discs, I just think that you cant have too much stopping power.

JMH

__________________
Current Diesels:
1981 240D (73K)
1982 300CD (169k)
1985 190D (169k)
1991 350SD (116k)
1991 350SD (206k)
1991 300D (228k)
2008 ML320 CDI (199k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (442k)
1996 Dodge Ram CTD (267k)

Past Diesels:
1983 300D (228K), 1985 300D (233K), 1993 300D 2.5T (338k), 1993 300SD (291k)

Problem is the best brakes in the world mean nothing if you don't have the traction to use them.

symptoms of that are being able to lock the brakes up.

now if you are able to stand on the brakes without locking them up then you have more traction than braking.


Maybe many of the mercedes just have better tires and therefor more traction.

People that tend to drive a KIA RIO tend to buy tires at PEP boys on special 4 for $88, definately not the best tires in the world.

__________________
Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche