Hey, c'mon...that's an AMG 3.6L...that ain't so little on power. Neil's W124 TE with an AMG 3.6L actually out accelerates an E500 to 100. Of course, helped by a 3.0x final drive...

__________________
Rainmaker
93 500E, 43k mi, Pics of upgrade parts
Evo II Wheels on Dunlop FM901 235/45x17s
94 Facelift
RennTech CF Airbox
RennTech ASR Defeat
RennTech Chip
1st Gear Start
97 Range Rover 4.6 HSE Vitesse, Yellow, "Tonka" (sold)

With the 3.6L AMG M104, go to a 3.07 limited-slip diff, and when you downshift from D to 3, the power is immediate and authoratative.

I agree with the stock USA rear diff, things weren't that fun.

FWIW, the Mercedes USA fiche lists a 3.07 limited-slip for the C36 but at almost $3K.

:-) neil
1988 360TE AMG
1993 500E

Just poor mouthing to fool all those predatory Honda Civics! Actually, the 3.6 is a little lacking in on-demand torque when cruising at 2500 rpm or so.

I e-mailed Neil a couple of weeks ago about his 3.27 final drive ratio. He tells me that it works great, but also that I can't use his approach on my ASR equipped car. I'm going to keep looking into this. I don't really need a 150 mph car, especially as I live only about half a mile from the local highway patrol office. The 3.27 would cut my top speed to about 127 and it would tach about 3000 at 65 mph.

Neil,

Have you thought about swapping rear diffs on the 500? Would you know which parts would be needed to do a 3.07 swap? Or is there a complete diff that can be purchased with a 3.07 *and* LS? (other than RENNTech, of course...looking for alternatives here)

Thanks!

__________________
Rainmaker
93 500E, 43k mi, Pics of upgrade parts
Evo II Wheels on Dunlop FM901 235/45x17s
94 Facelift
RennTech CF Airbox
RennTech ASR Defeat
RennTech Chip
1st Gear Start
97 Range Rover 4.6 HSE Vitesse, Yellow, "Tonka" (sold)

Leroy- the 3.07 C36 is for ASR, but it is $3K from Mercedes (ask Anthony @ Cutter Motors).

The 3.27 and 3.07 that are inexpensive ($400-500K) are NOT ASR.

Rainmaker- don't know yet of any alternative 3.07 or 3.27 ASR diff for our 500E's, other than RennTech or Mercedes.

However, I believe if you find a shop that has all the tools (including measurement & pre-loading), and lots of experience rebuilding Mercedes diffs, then you can take the innards of a 3.07 limited-slip 450SLC differential and put them in a 500E diff.

However, if my 500E's stock 1st gear start is any indication, I think 3.07 is too much, and we need to get the 500E's rear-end to hook-up with ASR off and in 1st.

Those with 275 rear tires, does the 500E hookup well in 1st gear, or again too much wheel spin?

Thanks,
:-) neil
1988 360TE AMG
1993 500E

The RENNTech 3.07 with Limited Slip comes up to around $4,000 and change! Ouch!

And that doesn't even include the diff I've got to buy for them to work on (I can't send my diff as the 500 would be out of commission for 3 months or so at least...and we can't have that, can we?)

I *used to* have 275/35 18s but have since changed to 235/45 17s (245/45s were not available here)

When I had the staggered wheels, it hooked up noticeably better than the 17s, especially on less than optimal road conditions.

Had to learn to modulate the throttle better...

__________________
Rainmaker
93 500E, 43k mi, Pics of upgrade parts
Evo II Wheels on Dunlop FM901 235/45x17s
94 Facelift
RennTech CF Airbox
RennTech ASR Defeat
RennTech Chip
1st Gear Start
97 Range Rover 4.6 HSE Vitesse, Yellow, "Tonka" (sold)

Were the 275's too wide, or was the 18-inch too harsh of a ride?

I believe that a 275/40R17 has the proper diamter (25.7-inches similar to the stock 225/55R16), but is too wide?

Do you need to roll the fenders? With 17x10 or 17x9 wheels (I believe necessary for 275's, please correct me if I'm wrong) even fit on the rear?

:-) neil

Neil,

$3000 is pretty stiff for what I want to do, but perhaps I could find a 3.07 diff in the used parts market. Alternatively, do you know whether I could deactivate my ASR and use a limited slip 3.07 or 3.27 like yours?

The 275/35 18s weren't too wide. As a matter of fact, 285s would've been perfect. (Would've been a slightly taller tire too) The ride was a bit more harsh, not a lot. The suspension was doing a great job of keeping bumps more audible than felt. I for one feel that the extra grip more than offset the slight added ride stiffness. Note that both tires were Dunlops, with the 17s being the next generation up from the 18s...so the difference in traction can't be due to tire design/brand etc.

The only reason I changed is that I was worried about bending a rim if I hit a goodsized pothole. And there are quite a few of those here, especially during the rainy season (which is like a third of the year).

There was no rubbing whatsoever even during extreme cornering at speed (don't ask).

Didn't have the fenders rolled. And I think 9.5 inch width rims would be okay for 275 to 285s.

__________________
Rainmaker
93 500E, 43k mi, Pics of upgrade parts
Evo II Wheels on Dunlop FM901 235/45x17s
94 Facelift
RennTech CF Airbox
RennTech ASR Defeat
RennTech Chip
1st Gear Start
97 Range Rover 4.6 HSE Vitesse, Yellow, "Tonka" (sold)

What wheels were using for the 275's?

I'm thinking 17x10 AMG Aero III's with 275/40WR17 tires would be a good setup.

Anyone else?

:-) neil

I got the car with AMG Monoblock IIs in staggered 18s. Still have em. I'll probably put them on during the summer months...

__________________
Rainmaker
93 500E, 43k mi, Pics of upgrade parts
Evo II Wheels on Dunlop FM901 235/45x17s
94 Facelift
RennTech CF Airbox
RennTech ASR Defeat
RennTech Chip
1st Gear Start
97 Range Rover 4.6 HSE Vitesse, Yellow, "Tonka" (sold)

If you want faster kickdowns which require less throttle pressure, then tune the valve body to do so. It sure beats rigging up all the funky gadgets...especially if you want a truly automatic trans with no manual intervention.

Stummala,

That sounds like just what I want. When you say "tune the valve body" are you talking about some sort of screwdriver adjustments, or are you referring to rebuilding the valve body? If the former, where could I have it adjusted? If the latter, where could I have the valve body rebuilt?

Leroy- an experienced MB's transmission tech. can provide the adjustments. It's very similar to the article on adjusting Porsche 928 trannys which are sourced from MB:

http://members.rennlist.com/v1uhoh/kickdown.htm

For 1st gear start, Oscar at Star Motors in Los Angeles, has the experience to do the 1st gear start changes to the transmission valve body.

It involves much more than just springs, and it does take 2-3 of trial & error to get it right, which means your tranny is drained & filled 2-3 times.

I'm 90% sure that a C36 can be engineered to work with the the Sport/Economy or Winter/Summer switch as Satish has installed.

Best of luck,
:-) neil

why not just buy a car with a manual transmission. that way you can always get the gear of choice. as an added benefit you will get better gas mileage.