I have written In one other forum about the terrible performance my 300E is getting. I am getting smoked by Ford Taurus, minivans and today my friends 92 mustang. I love the car and appreciate its quality and overall appearance. It is humiliating that the car gets pants by these inferior vechicles. Please heed my call for help (advice) or at least some conforting words. By the wya I don't have great amounts of money to spend because I am a college student.

P.S In the future I plan to buy a 500E or E55 etc

get NOS. Since you plan to get an E55 or 500E, in the future. Well, if you want to even have a chance w/ your friends Mustang and since you don't have money (College), I can understand you, NOS is the best in the cost/benefit area but I don't know how safe it is for your motor. At least you'll be able to beat that pesky Ford Taurus. ;-)

Just suggestion really.

Regards,

Clinton Davis
'86 190E 2.3-16V

You can run NOS pretty inexpensively. However, it is important not to go overboard with the stuff. It is too easy to keep adding NOS and going faster but there is a limit to what the motor and drivetrain will take. The more often you use it the less you will be able to use. Ballpark figure for very occasional use would be a 75HP kit. Bone stock a M103 (3.0, 2 valve per cyl 177HP/188lb-ft) 300E (inception to 92 model year) should be able to do 0-60 in the 8.0-8.5 second range. If a taurus smoked that they were an SHO model. Still, think of it this way...Mustangs and their ilk attract cops, your car attracts women. j/k (sort of)

Hope this helps...Lee

Thanks to all that replied. I really love this web site; there really is a sort of commeraderie that exists among Mercedes Owners. Lee, the Ford wasen't a SHO model becasue I can tell the difference between the stock and SHO, and I know that it was stock. It si pathetic that my mercedes got its (scuse my german LOL) ass kicked by a stock Ford Taurus. Not only wasen't this bad enough but a minivan (don't laugh it alost made me cry) smoked me too. By the way where could I get NOS for a Benz and how much will it cost. Also how hard is the install.

PS When i graduate college and get a good job I'll be pantsing Vetts etc, that is with my E55.

Honestly people, I don;t know what the hell your guys' problem w/ the 300E is. I can beat any of my friends 2000 Mustangs anyday; as a matter of fact, I got $20 the other day just for doing that. It's not that much off the line, but after you hit about 40 or 50, they can't even begin to catch up. The 300E is not made to do burnouts on take-off, but rather cruising at 130. You know, I don't think the performance is that much of a problem; maybe it's just the driver Kidding.

ss109,

Is your 300E really that fast. You beat your friends mustang. What king of stang was it a GT or the v-6 model. Well I think that I'm going to take it to a mechanic, it can't be really that slow right. Also I would like to point out that I really appreciate the quality of the car, and the overall almost perfection of the car. Its not too big and not too small, its got a really nice ride and overall love the car. The only thing is that Ford Taurus beat me off the line and even minivans. Well thanks for the suggestions, and by the way what other cars have you amoked with your 300E's. I am really suprised that the 300e beats a mustang, especially a 2000.

i think your Mercedes may need to be serviced
it could be a filter or low on trans fluid?
i dont know how technically inclined you are?
im putting a k&n air filter in mine a lot of my friends have used them and say they make the car preform better
they cost between 50-60 dollars depending where u buy it but, they are reuseable for the life of the car.

I've driven a V-6 mustang (briefly), and I'd have to say that it doesn't have the pull of the M103 3.0L. The 5.0 mustang, no chance whatsoever, but a V6 is definitely realistic. And if it's one of the 4-cyl ones (do they still make those?), no problem at all.

CaptAlex, you ever downshift your transmission into the "2" position? If not, that's your problem right there.

There is one GT 5.0 at my school but I can't even touch that one (3L v 5L). But like I said, all of the other 6 cyl Stangs get a little in front of me on takeoff, but after I get going a little, I smoke em. Uhm, do you have your Air or Heat on when you try and race these minivans? Air on this car takes soooooo many horsepowers.

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'92 300E
'74 Vette

No I never run the AC, I love the wind and fresh air. Well I'm going to take it ti a service station, (and actually check the air filter and transmission fluid myself. Well tell my what other cars have you guys smoked with your 300e's. Also all other MBZ owners should go to the "How many victories" section and post what cars have you pants etc. Thanks a lot.

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300E
Soon To be E55
27 foot Grady White Offshore Sportfish.

Adam, don't bother with the K&N. Been there, done that. Didn't notice any improvement in performance. Did notice that the intake noise level went up though. Maybe making a benz sound like a NASCAR rig gets people to thinking it's more powerful. At any rate flow dynamics won't really show improvement until the upper end of the RPM stretch. By then you should have left all the Detroit iron in the rearview. Try it if you must, let me know your impressions. A clean MBZ element should be just as good.

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Jeff L
1987 300e
1989 300e
1987 BMW 325

[This message has been edited by jeffsr (edited 04-22-2000).]

I have never seen any "dyno proof" that K&N filters do any good. Besides the airfilter cover and casing is rather obstuctive, and the filter should not make that much of a difference.