Awww, thanks for the info David, love the name, btw.
ALso, I posted the same thing on MBCA and I got different answers... (kind of reversed between the two sites, so I expected).
ohh, come to think of it, I would post link, but you have to be a member... so I'll copy and paste some of it... as follows:
Subject: RE: Driving HARD
Name: Mark Harbeck
From:
[email protected]
Date: 25-Jan-2001
I have heard from people who are into sport sedan racing (using streat legal cars modified for racing) that even this kind of "abuse" does not have as great an effect on durability as you might think. Things like clutches, brakes, and tires obviously wear out faster, but the major mechanical components usually only seem to wear out about 10-20% faster than "normal" driving. Most of the wear in an engine occurs in the first few seconds after a cold start. Once warmed up there is very little wear. The auto trans might be a different story, but MBs were designed to be driven in what most Americans would consider a VERY hard manner...full throttle cruising, etc.It used to be said that German cruise control was a brick on the gas pedal :-)
Subject: RE: Driving HARD
Name: frank mulone
From:
[email protected]
Date: 25-Jan-2001
Every time there is a shift there is slippage and friction to make it happen.Higher RPM and heavy loads make for more friction and slippage than usual.
How much quicker will it wear out is dependant on maintenance too.
If it lasts 2/3 of what it would have normally lasted it still may be worth it to you if you are having fun.
Then again sometimes even babying a transmission does not make it last what it should have.
It is not an absolute science and there are no guarantees, just odds, and the odds are working against you when working a transmission hard.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
...just for the record...