How do you make a 300d-T go fasTER ? Like, really FAST
 

guys, simple question: how do you make a w123 300d-t go faster? The exhaust is pretty restrictive, and so is the exhaust manifold. How about some custom headers with a turbo bung, and a completely different kind of turbo? what kinds of aftermarket turbos have people tried, how much boost have they run with them, and what internals needed to be replaced?

this car is like, waaaay too slow for my taste, but i know it has potential

Mild performance improvements can be made to a 300D Turbo for reasonable amounts of money and effort. BUT you're not going to make a W123 go really fast without spending a buttload of cash.

For the same money you'll get a lot more of what you're looking for by trading up to a newer model with the 6-cylinder turbo and selling your W123 to someone who appreciates their other fine qualities.

Just my 2 cents.

You should sell the w123 and get a w124 500E with the hand built porsche engine, burn some rubber with that bad boy :D

LOL. Its not going to go much faster. If your 0-60 is between 12 and 14 seconds, that is about all you're going to get unless you spend about 4-5k on mods....even then, the increase would be minimal....could buy a second 400E to have fun with for that amount.

The stock exhaust is not restrictive at all, it is free flowing. A straight pipe gives a very small performance increase in low end torque because the turbo spools a bit faster, but otherwise no difference.

The problem with the 617 is that it is not a cross flow head, and only has 2 valves per cylinder. This makes performance mods pretty much moot for the motor. A better motor to mod is a 603 or 606...they can make serious power.

The boost is already as high as it needs to be. With more boost you put more strain on the engine, bearings, head gasket, everything. And there will be no additional power unless you also increase the fuel, which means fancy injection pump tuning and changes ($$$$$)....and if you increase the fuel, it will run too hot at high load and your EGT could become a big problem very quickly....once again limited by the head design.

The 617 already has a free flowing air intake and exhaust....changes to that are pointless....and modding the engine would cost a fortune to make any additional power.

If you want Speed you bought the wrong car, simple as that. Go buy a 280e if you want speed. ;) Don't ruin a perfectly good 617 with mods that won't work.

Do a search in the diesel performance section. There is plenty to read about there and you'll get an idea.

There is a sub-forum called diesel performance tuning. As you shamelessly don't seem to let things be I'm sure you'll find alot of fun stuff to do there.

Also:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czV3fwZ73gc

From what I've been able to glean so far, after doing many mods to a w123 617 you will still have slower car than a stock 280E.

An 87 300D has decent performance right out of the box. The w201 190D 2.5 turbodiesels have excelent performance as well. Nice examples are available for between $2 and $3k, which is less that you will have invested in a modified 617, which is still going to be slower.

I love the 617 and I'm satisfied with the mediocre performance it provides. It's old tech now, but for the late 70s early 80s, especially in it's 126 chassis iteration, it seemed pretty high tech in it's day.

so, guys. what can i do to get some mild performance gains, without breaking the bank, and without taking apart the engine and messing with pistons?

so far all i've done is delete the egr, and install a K&N air filter. how about an aftermarket air intake? perhaps going with the half-sized oil cooler (for models without A/C, presumably), and using the area above the small cooler for a cold air intake? course this will reduce the oil cooling capacity. or maybe re-route the stock oil cooler (or a larger one) to underneath and behind the bumper?

my only other thoughts are light weight CLK wheels, which will only save me a pound or two per corner, which is not bad for a start.

i'm willing to entertain any suggestions or links to what others have done (on a budget)

:deadhorse:

No need to spend any money. Just shred some dead weight. Remove passenger seat, back seat, spare tire, clean out the trunk, remove compressor and belt, condenser, evaporator, blower, radio, antenna. 1st aid box etc etc. That is what a F1 car is like.

If you are looking for a sport car's performance then you bought the wrong car.:D

Installing the K&N was pointless, unless your goal is to maximize dirt intake into the engine. Put the stock paper filter back on, the engine will thank you for it. The K&N offers no performance gain, only a wear-out-the-engine-faster gain.

hahaha. guys. i knew i should of expected replies like this. no doubt i'm beating a dead horse on this one. i'm not thoroughly convinced about the K&N filter though. I regularly clean, oil and rotate it. but forget about the filter and cold air intake for a sec...

let me re-phrase it this way: if you had $1K to spend, and you wanted to eek out a bit more performance out of this engine, what would you do, specifically?

i'm keeping the car essentially stock on the interior, so nothing will be removed to save weight. i already have a 190e which is set up as a track car, i couldn't fathom trying anything like that on a w123 unless it was a beater to begin with

buy yourself a nice set of wheels and tires and a smaller diameter steering wheel. new bilstein sport or hd shocks unless you are sure they are not worn out. Absolutely anything else you do you will not be able to feel any difference....not for a grand anyway.

It sounds like junior, like, needs a, like Honda...... :rolleyes:

http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c2...ff/Ricebag.jpg

A highly modified Big Block Chevy under the hood would fill the bill.