I noticed some 0-60 times for the 500E's and ran a couple of times on my 85,000 mile 1992 400E. On a 65 degree night, I averaged 7.4 sec's, just left in drive. How does that compare with other W124/119.XX cars?

That 2.25 axle really kills off the line acceleration.What was the purpose? Gas guzzler taxes or CAFE ? Did the engineers handicap the 400E so they could saddle it with 195/55-15 bicycle tires and leave ASR as an option?

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S.R.

I think the reasons you cited for the 400E's rear axle ratio were ALL factors. I think one of the real big drivers was that the tall ration really makes the car a highway star....RPMs are quite low at fairly high speeds, which is what I'm sure you've noticed, and mileage for a V-8 is quite good.

Remember, the 400E was not marketed as a performance sedan at all...it's mission was to be a nice, luxurious V-8 competitor to the Lexus LS400 and Infiniti Q45. The 500E couldn't/wasn't designed to compete with either of these cars (which I recently made quite clear to a Q45, who tried to demonstrate his car's accelerative prowess quite unsuccessfully), being about $30-$35k more, and the 300E didn't have the 8 but was an otherwise quite appealing car. Stick an 8 in there that's already in the parts bin and you have a new product at a new price point.

I looked at 400E's prior to picking up my 500E; if I'd gone that way, the ratio was history for sure....I believe the 500E gearset will pop right in (which is something like a 2.82) which was what I'd planned. I think with the right ratio and a big 'ole set of sticky tires in 225/50-16 and you'd have quite a serious ride.

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Best regards, Michael
'92 500E
'88 300TE

How's the top speed on the 400E compared to the 500E? Does that taller axle ratio help or is the top end power limited anyway? Just wondering.

Having owned both 400E and 500E they are very similar in some ways and completely different animals in others. The rated times for the 400E/E420 was 7.1 0-60mph with the 500E's being 6.3 seconds. Both are conservative, with the 500E's being about a full second high. I've timed 400E/E420's in the low-mid 6's with low -mid 15 second 1/4 mile times. Michael is right, their forte is highway cruising and kickdown from speed. (the kickdown from speed really the "home" of all M119's) First time you cruise up to about 30mph and hammer it the tranny does a 4th-1st downshift and you are off.

The 400E has lots of potential but was really hamstrung from the factory. Bolt in a shorter rear differential and give it the 225/50/16's and you'd be well on your way to a neat little sports sedan to run with the GS400, bimwads, and such. It might not dominate them, but it would certainly be close in the running. Hate to say it, but that diff and those 260E spec touring tires are just silly on a car that has 300-lb-ft of torque, nearly 300HP, and weighs 3700lbs. (given the same size/type tire is used on many hondas, camry, etc) You would think the 500E gears would bolt right in but this topic has been discussed before. It appears the 2.82 from the 500E will not work, but the diff from a manual transmission SL320 will. I forget the ratio offhand (search for past posts on E420 diffs by MBDOC) but it is somewhere in the mid-high 3.xx's.

Robert,
Top speed in the 500E is theoretically limited to 155mph. Have pinned the speedo PAST 160 till it tached out in top gear on my 92. That car accelerates harder from triple digit speeds than most "fast" cars do TO triple digit speeds. The 400E seems to run out of steam somewhere in the 150-155 ballpark. This is mostly because you can take 3rd gear up to 135mph then shift into 4th from there. Again, the gearing could be a little shorter or the power MUCH greater for that setup to really work well.

Hope this helps...Lee

PS what did you use to time your car? G-tech? Timing traps at a local dragstrip?

First off, I bought the 400E for my wife (replaced our '89 300E). About a year and a half ago I got into the Riverside MBCC auction with my dealer buddy. I looked at several 400E's. There were two 500E's, but both of them were much higher mileage (134K, 155K) and priced about 3-4 grand more, and nowhere near the condition of the 400's. I picked the nicest '92 400E and ended up with it. If the car were for me, I'd have gone for the less nice 500E, but that's another story. With 74K on the clock, I did a full service and then replaced both motor mounts, radiator(neck broke from the bad motor mount). When I finally got tired of melting the 195/15's anytime I needed to accelerate quickly, I upgraded to Mille Migla "Stars" 16X7.5 and Dunlop 8000 225/50-16's. This positively transformed the car. No more burning rubber, and major improvement in handling. I've had the car out at Willow Springs big track and been very impressed.

The times I posted for 0-60 were done causally with my chronograph. I'd be really surprised to see a 400E do this in less than 7 seconds. The car is just too heavy for that 2.25 rear axle. speaking of the axle, I'm wondering that if you go about changing it, what about the engine management? Won't the change in RPM Vs road speed through something off?

Top speeds, well I've had my 400E up to 149-150, and I seem to recall hitting the speed limiter. It takes a lot of road to take the car that last 10 mph from 140-150. I had contemplated a chip from somebody to remove the speed limiter, but it's kinda low on my priority list, just don't have that much oppourtunity to top it out.

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S.R.

Robert (and others):

As regards top end, I've driven a 400E (but obviously not as much as Lee) and the car's got great grunt up until 135-140ish. However, the 500E is just a monster, and seems to just come alive at 100. I've not ever driven a car that could accelerate from 100+ like this car, just no sign of slowing down even at 150ish. Even though the 500E is only rated 47 HP higher than the 400, it feels considerably more and I don't think it's just the gears. Rumor has it that the 500E's got the very strongest quad-cam V-8s coming off the assembly line, and I certainly don't doubt it.

As regards ultimate top speed, a 500E will pull redline at 165MPH (supposedly they're limited to 155, but Lee's been past that. I'll check mine very soon), but with even taller gearing will go 175 MPH, drag limited.

Steve: I'm fairly certain that changing to a taller ratio will not screw anything up other than perhaps (??) your speedo. All 4 wheels continue to spin at the same rate, so no wheel-speed sensor/ABS issues there. But I simply don't know where the speedo picks up its signal in the tranny, and if you'd need to change the speedo drive gear somehow; wish I could be of more help, but I'm certain that someone around here will know!

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Best regards, Michael
'92 500E
'88 300TE