Manual 240D on a steep hill - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

soothappens · #1 11-09-2009, 12:21 AM

Basically how do you do it ? Down hill great , up hill white knuckle driving especially when theres a light at the top and the guy behind figures its a benz no way he has a stick , and pulls within inches of the bumper.

Parking garages are another worst case scenerio especially when busy. Inching up the slope car in front car behind , haven't tried it yet don't know if I want to !

I bet someone from san francisco would be a pro at this, or do they just play it safe and stick to autos?

pawoSD · #2 11-09-2009, 12:34 AM

Parking brake can help.....or pressing the throttle + brake at the same time, bring the rpms up, let off clutch, then let off the brake....all in one smooth motion. Or....parking brake set, off normal brakes, raise engine speed, release brake + go off clutch. There's ways.....it'd still be pretty interesting though!

68hp is not a lot to push 3,500lbs up a steep hill.....

Jeremy5848 · #3 11-09-2009, 12:49 AM

My wife would use the (hand-operated) parking brake to hold her VW Beetle on a hill while she managed clutch and throttle with her feet. I imagine it would be similar with a foot-operated parking brake.

GregoryV022 · #4 11-09-2009, 12:54 AM

well, in my 16 valve, i have like 3 times the horsepower and 30% less wieght. i just floor it and pop the clutch

t walgamuth · #5 11-09-2009, 06:22 AM

Just take your stick out to a little traveled hill and take off twenty times and you will be set for life. I did it in the vacant lot next to our house when I was sixteen.

A really bad one will merit setting the park brake and letting the clutch out til it begins to grab and letting the brake off.

Good luck!

Shawn T. W. · #6 11-09-2009, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

Just take your stick out to a little traveled hill and take off twenty times and you will be set for life. I did it in the vacant lot next to our house when I was sixteen.

A really bad one will merit setting the park brake and letting the clutch out til it begins to grab and letting the brake off.

Good luck!

Yup +1!

Practice a little . . . stop the car, put a block of wood or something about a foot behind, see if you can NOT hit the wood!

tombance · #7 11-09-2009, 07:59 AM

And dont be afraid to slip the clutch a little. Slipping the clutch is way better than stalling it or rolling back. It really frustrates me when people stall their cars, just give the thing some more revs!

moon161 · #8 11-09-2009, 08:23 AM

Surprisingy, not a problem. I grew up around hills, but was nervous on my first trip to pittsburgh in the Benz 240D. Use the foot brake as a hill holder if you need it, get some rev's on the engine and come off the clutch easy. Release the foot brake as the clutch takes to load.

Use the right foot keep rev's up and to prevent stalling.
Don't ride the clutch because you're afraid of stalling, you can burn the clutch and plate that way. Your foot should be off the clutch in a second or 2 at most after starting to take off.

soothappens · #9 11-09-2009, 08:30 AM

So what I gather is if Ihad 3 feet and 3 hands , no problem other than that practice ,practice , practice ........ and some luck thrown in to the mix .

Ive been driving standards for 20 years . This one is fun to drive been driving it for 5 years never have found myself in these situations , but its always in the back of my mind. I was just wondering if I was the only one.

Seem like there's more than a few of us with standards. You would never guess that by craigslist or ebay ......" RARE 240D standard" !!!

bustedbenz · #10 11-09-2009, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soothappens

So what I gather is if Ihad 3 feet and 3 hands , no problem other than that practice ,practice , practice ........ and some luck thrown in to the mix .

Ive been driving standards for 20 years . This one is fun to drive been driving it for 5 years never have found myself in these situations , but its always in the back of my mind. I was just wondering if I was the only one.

Seem like there's more than a few of us with standards. You would never guess that by craigslist or ebay ......" RARE 240D standard" !!!

I think the 4-speed must be fairly common and it's the elusive 5-speed that people value so much and consider so rare.

I'll add about the 10th "me too" on the "set parking brake, release clutch halfway while throttling up, and then pop the brake off" method.

vstech · #11 11-09-2009, 09:29 AM

surprisingly, the 240 has no major issues with hills. give it a try. you can simply heel/toe the throttle/brake, and gently lift the clutch... if it's a REALLY steep hill, it's a nice stress reducer to apply the Parking brake, but really, off idle, the torque pulls fine with a standard 240... that 3.69 rear ratio helps a lot.

moon161 · #12 11-09-2009, 10:17 AM

Some manual suby's have a hill holder that keeps the brakes applied until you roll off.

pj67coll · #13 11-09-2009, 10:41 AM

Just ride the clutch dude. No big deal.

- Peter.

300sdToronto · #14 11-09-2009, 01:52 PM

I was taught to drive many years ago in Scotland in an early 70's MGB.

I was not allowed to sit my driving test until, amongst other things, I could pull away on a steep hill start without crushing a matchbox placed behind a rear wheel.

Find a good hill and practice. You should be able to modulate the clutch and accelerator to make the car either creep up or back down a steep hill at will. Then it's simply a case of introducing use of the parking brake so you don't wear the clutch to much (and to give your legs a rest).

compu_85 · #15 11-09-2009, 02:03 PM

Yup, you just need to learn to be quick with your feet

-Jason