How quickly should my transmission downshift when I hit the kickdown switch?

Sub-question: can the delay be reduced? It seems to take about half a second in my E300D.

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RIP:
2011 E350 BlueTEC, Schwartz 81k (totaled by uninsured drunk driver)
1964 Unimog 404.1 (wrongfully towed by the city)
1994 E320, Brilliantsilber 208k (transmission shuffled off after sudden catastrophic fluid loss)
1982 300D, Silberblau under a blue repaint 256k (sold for parts)
1995 E320 Polarweiss, 131k (sold for parts)
1995 E300D Polarweiss, 287k (totaled by drunk driver)

It takes about half a second to downshift on my car. Knowing this, I press the pedal down hard 1/2 second before needing it. It's an art.

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Cheers!
Scott McPhee

1987 300D

That's how I've been driving. I put my foot in it when I intend to change lanes, signal, start turning the wheel, and by that time the transmission has downshifted.
Good to know mine isn't slow.

Now about making it shift quicker...

__________________
RIP:
2011 E350 BlueTEC, Schwartz 81k (totaled by uninsured drunk driver)
1964 Unimog 404.1 (wrongfully towed by the city)
1994 E320, Brilliantsilber 208k (transmission shuffled off after sudden catastrophic fluid loss)
1982 300D, Silberblau under a blue repaint 256k (sold for parts)
1995 E320 Polarweiss, 131k (sold for parts)
1995 E300D Polarweiss, 287k (totaled by drunk driver)

I thought that Mercedes seemed slow until I started driving my 2005 Dodge Magnum. It's positively annoying in comparison (the Dodge I mean).

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Mac
2002 e320 4matic estate│1985 300d│1980 300td
Previous: 1979 & 1982 & 1983 300sd │ 1982 240d

“Let's take a drive into the middle of nowhere with a packet of Marlboro lights and talk about our lives.” ― Joseph Heller, Catch-22

The newer cars have full electonic control of the throttle and they turn off the throttle before an automatic shift and bring it back on afterword. This reduces stress on the transmission. I suspect it allows them to use physically smaller gears and get six or seven in the space it used to take for three.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I usually force a manual downshift with the shift lever before a passing maneuver, if I know it's going to be tight. That speeds things up a lot, especially if the speed is such that the trans has to downshift twice. The car's not capable of anticipating what you'll need, but you are.

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1981 Mercedes 300TD, 1994 Honda Civic Del Sol
http://mefi.us/images/fuelly/smallsig-us/67195.pnghttp://mefi.us/images/fuelly/smallsig-us/103885.png

^^ driving at rush hour in Houston freeways - you need the NAOM606 in the sweet range - above 2600 rpm, for multiple manuevers I just keep it in 3 and tap to D when I straighten out

When pressing the kickdown switch - the little germans in the boiler room take a while to belt up - why stress them out with a missed calculation.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

Not really just a Mercedes thing, either. I used to have a Ford Crown Vic with gearing such that passing maneuvers often required kicking down two gears, from 4th to 2nd. I would manually downshift to 3rd first, as it made the car a lot more responsive. I also felt it was easier on the transmission and drivetrain, as the first shift didn't have to happen under full throttle that way.

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1981 Mercedes 300TD, 1994 Honda Civic Del Sol
http://mefi.us/images/fuelly/smallsig-us/67195.pnghttp://mefi.us/images/fuelly/smallsig-us/103885.png

The above is what I do also (and with less smoke then tromping on the pedal).
I have only tromped on the Pedal 6 times in 4 year to down shift due to some situations where I had no choice.

I am also used to driving slow low powered Cars like the Chvey Chevette (I owned 3 over the years) or my 177 cubic inch Plymoth Valient.

I also perefer Manual Transmissions; unless there is a lot of stop and go Traffic.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

Is there any harm to shifting back and forth between 3 and D on the fly? I do tend to use the transmission that way, as sort of a two-speed manumatic, but I wonder if that causes extra transmission wear.

__________________
RIP:
2011 E350 BlueTEC, Schwartz 81k (totaled by uninsured drunk driver)
1964 Unimog 404.1 (wrongfully towed by the city)
1994 E320, Brilliantsilber 208k (transmission shuffled off after sudden catastrophic fluid loss)
1982 300D, Silberblau under a blue repaint 256k (sold for parts)
1995 E320 Polarweiss, 131k (sold for parts)
1995 E300D Polarweiss, 287k (totaled by drunk driver)

as long as you dont overrev the engine and dont have trans slip you would be OK.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

Any shift the transmission makes is one less that it will make in its lifetime. Having fewer shifts under less load is easier on the transmission.

-J

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

I feel like shifting that way manually before I accelerate is easier on the trans than if I activate the kickdown and make it shift when I'm already at full throttle, but I don't have anything to back that up.

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1981 Mercedes 300TD, 1994 Honda Civic Del Sol
http://mefi.us/images/fuelly/smallsig-us/67195.pnghttp://mefi.us/images/fuelly/smallsig-us/103885.png

Sure it's easier, you're doing it under less throttle = less torque applied to the clutches = less wear.