Primitive car = good - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

dbn1066 · #31 10-12-2007, 09:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig

I don't know if they will "keep up," but they will probably outlast them.

As you may attest, a 123 turbodiesel will easily keep up with 'most' modern traffic. I commute 100+ miles a day in mine. I can go from 55 to 80 pretty quick. Uphill freeway onramps are not a problem, etc. I guess it comes down to driving style. I frequently impress other drivers, judging from facial expressions. And with 4-wheel discs in good shape and a rebuilt/maintained suspension, I can stop and turn just like the rest of 'em in normal daily driving. I'm just happy without all the electronic/computer controlled stuff. Don't get me wrong, I can appreciate the new stuff. It just isn't for me and I don't see it as necessary to accomplish getting from point A to B. Mechanically powered/controlled bells and whistles are fine with me- and can be fixed by me

Spending tons of cash for electronic replacement parts is frustrating- been there, I'll stick to simple.

And I'll outlast them. Ever see how fast an insurance company totals a new vehicle these days? Scary.

#32 10-12-2007, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbn1066

As you may attest, a 123 turbodiesel will easily keep up with 'most' modern traffic. I commute 100+ miles a day in mine. I can go from 55 to 80 pretty quick. Uphill freeway onramps are not a problem, etc...

I agree that the 617 turbo has more than adequate power for day to day driving, I routinely cruise at 80 with mine and I don't have any trouble accelerating with the traffic. I was just saying that you won't win many drag races.

Hatterasguy · #33 10-12-2007, 09:30 PM

While my car won't win any drag races, it will out brake 90% of the cars on the road. In a panic stop I worry more about the guy behind me than whats in front. I have had a couple of instences where the guy behind me ended up alongside or in front of me. Once on I95 an accident happend and traffic stopped instantly. The late model Accord behind me ended up slightly ahead of me. Luckly the driver knew how to drive and had a break down lane to use.

Post 86 W126 brakes in good worker order with some modern rubber are still very impressive. The ABS system works quite well.

#34 10-12-2007, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

While my car won't win any drag races, it will out brake 90% of the cars on the road. In a panic stop I worry more about the guy behind me than whats in front.

Very true, whenever I have to stop quickly I have one eye in the mirror. About two years ago I had a deer stop in front of me on a 2 lane road in the middle of no-place, NC; I'm sure I would have hit it if I was driving just about anything else, especially anything with ABS. These things probably have about the best (non-sports car) brakes around. Driving my POS jeep is very scary after driving the benz.

dbn1066 · #35 10-12-2007, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig

I agree that the 617 turbo has more than adequate power for day to day driving, I routinely cruise at 80 with mine and I don't have any trouble accelerating with the traffic. I was just saying that you won't win many drag races.

Sorry, I knew what you were saying. I certainly agree that off the line is a problem...

And I don't like the 'recovery' time after slowing down and then speeding up- having to quickly hit the pedal to floor to kickdown or manually doing with the shiftknob can be a minor pain. I don't worry about it 99% of the time. Just continue on my liesurely way

#36 10-12-2007, 09:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbn1066

And I don't like the 'recovery' time after slowing down and then speeding up- having to quickly hit the pedal to floor to kickdown or manually doing with the shiftknob can be a minor pain. I don't worry about it 99% of the time. Just continue on my liesurely way

I keep my transmission cable adjusted pretty tight so I can get a downshift without having to "floor it," closer to half peddle in most cases. I can more or less control the shift points with my right foot.

dbn1066 · #37 10-12-2007, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig

I keep my transmission cable adjusted pretty tight so I can get a downshift without having to "floor it," closer to half peddle in most cases. I can more or less control the shift points with my right foot.

Think I'll put that adjustment on the 'to do' list for tomorrow. Any input on your exact procedure?

Gil · #38 10-12-2007, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

While my car won't win any drag races, it will out brake 90% of the cars on the road...

I found this out when driving a rented Dodge Stratus in northern California this summer. Going up and down those hills on two lane roads, and even on the straightaways at only moderate speed, the brakes were adequate, but needed noticeably more room. Took some getting used to. I couldn't believe the difference, even in a lighter car that should be twenty plus years ahead of the technology curve over my old 300CD.

#39 10-12-2007, 10:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbn1066

Think I'll put that adjustment on the 'to do' list for tomorrow. Any input on your exact procedure?

Just try tightening it by about a 1/4 or 1/2 turn at a time until it shift where you like it. If you over do it, you will find too much delay up-shifting. It's really just personal preference, you won't hurt anything.

Hatterasguy · #40 10-12-2007, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gil

I found this out when driving a rented Dodge Stratus in northern California this summer. Going up and down those hills on two lane roads, and even on the straightaways at only moderate speed, the brakes were adequate, but needed noticeably more room. Took some getting used to. I couldn't believe the difference, even in a lighter car that should be twenty plus years ahead of the technology curve over my old 300CD.

I know everytime I drive a late model Japanese car I'm usualy surprised by how little happens when I hit the brakes. Smaller rotors and weaker calipers.

Of course our cars were built for the autobahn, and you need large heavy discs to work at 150mph.

In a properly set up MB if your sitting in the passanger seat and you don't have your seat belt on when the brakes go to full lock your going into the dash.

Hatterasguy · #41 10-12-2007, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Craig

Very true, whenever I have to stop quickly I have one eye in the mirror. About two years ago I had a deer stop in front of me on a 2 lane road in the middle of no-place, NC; I'm sure I would have hit it if I was driving just about anything else, especially anything with ABS. These things probably have about the best (non-sports car) brakes around. Driving my POS jeep is very scary after driving the benz.

I find stopping without ABS tricky. The rear's tend to lock really quick and if I am surprised I can't react quick enough. ABS is nice, just slam on the brakes and the computer cycles the brakes faster than a human could ever dream of. It allows you to use your brain power to steer the car to a better spot if its possible.

I hate traction control with a passion, but ABS is nice. I'm not a professional race car driver, the computer can do it better than I can.

As far as stopping distence it will beat a human every time. More so on modern cars because they have wider tires, tires are the real limiters on these cars.

Mark DiSilvestro · #42 10-12-2007, 11:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gil

I found this out when driving a rented Dodge Stratus in northern California this summer. Going up and down those hills on two lane roads, and even on the straightaways at only moderate speed, the brakes were adequate, but needed noticeably more room. Took some getting used to. I couldn't believe the difference, even in a lighter car that should be twenty plus years ahead of the technology curve over my old 300CD.

What year Stratus was it. I've found the brakes on one late '90s Chrysler 'Cloud' car to be among the worst of any car I've ever driven. A friend owned a '99 Cirrus with antilock, and his brakes were mushy and unresponsive - worse even than the 4-wheel drums on my '60 Fintail. New pads, shoes, wheel-cylinders, bleeding and carefull adjustment of the rear brakes improved stopping perfomance to barely acceptable IMHO. Now another friend owned a '96 Neon and his brakes worked OK. But I suspect that part of the problem with the Cirrus brakes was that they weren't much heavier/larger that what was on a Neon.

Happy Motoring, Mark

ROLLGUY · #43 10-12-2007, 11:43 PM

I will take the primative car any day. I have had as new as a 2002 (PT Cruiser) and liked it a lot, but the Benzs take the weight off of my wallet. The newest I have now is an '87 (Suzuki Samurai),and everything else is older. Of the 2 Benzs, the '85 190D is a pleasure to drive if I am not in a hurry, and the '82 300CD is a pleasure to drive ANYTIME! Both are paid for, and are the most reliable/trouble free pieces of equipment I have ever operated!
It would be nice to have some safety features like those found in newer cars, like air bags. I have experienced an air bag, and I feel it saved my life. I will trust God to keep me safe in the Benzs without air bags.
Although I have had a Ford truck, it has served me well. Not everyone's experiance with Fords has been bad. If Mercedes Benz made a pickup truck, I would have one!!

#44 10-12-2007, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

I find stopping without ABS tricky. The rear's tend to lock really quick and if I am surprised I can't react quick enough. ABS is nice, just slam on the brakes and the computer cycles the brakes faster than a human could ever dream of. It allows you to use your brain power to steer the car to a better spot if its possible.

I just can't get used to it, and I can't just jam on the brakes and let the computer take over. As soon as I feel the funky ABS feedback, I back off.

Mark DiSilvestro · #45 10-12-2007, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

I find stopping without ABS tricky. The rear's tend to lock really quick and if I am surprised I can't react quick enough. ABS is nice, just slam on the brakes and the computer cycles the brakes faster than a human could ever dream of. It allows you to use your brain power to steer the car to a better spot if its possible.

I hate traction control with a passion, but ABS is nice. I'm not a professional race car driver, the computer can do it better than I can.

As far as stopping distence it will beat a human every time. More so on modern cars because they have wider tires, tires are the real limiters on these cars.

Without ABS, a vehicle's brakes should at least be sufficiently balanced so that the fronts will lock up before the rears to avoid a spinout. That's what happened to me last year in a panic-stop with my '98 Nissan Altima. Sometime after midnight I came over a blind rise at about 65 mph headed for a dead stop traffic jam. Skidded in a straight line for maybe 150 feet to a stop within 10 feet of a minivan.
Flat-spotted my new front Michelins big time!

Happy Motoring, Mark