Actually out ran something!
 

I was at a stop light last night when a Jeep pulled up behind me. I hear the thump-thump of rap-crap music (music!?). Light turns green, I take off hard as I can to get away from the noise. I notice he's trying to keep up! So I keep it to the floor and slowly pull away from him. At about 80mph I let off, cause he's way back there. :) He must have had the 4-cyl with an automatic, but hey, I found somethng I can actually out run:cool:

Probably can outrun a lawnmower too, well at least after you get over 10mph. Actually, I've never thought my 300D was that slow.

can't outrun anything much from the line, it's on the highway when I can cruise 90 for as long as I feel like it that I outrun all the little 4 banger ricemobiles. They can't keep it up for more than 20 miles or so before they have to back off due to heat. Also in the GA, TN and NC mountains I have run away from more than one jerk who was pushing me up the hill on the backside when horsepower can't match handling:D

never really did.

These people always try to cut me or outrun my old diesel. I have no clue why. Maybe they need a proof that the Jeep Cherokee 5.9 is indeed a fast truck... DOOHHHH...

also saw a guy with an ML55 try to chase an M3... :rolleyes:

I ran at 90mph on the highway and it was funny when some Isuzu SUV tried to overtake he backed off as the road got kinda bumpy.

diesel drag race...yeah right
 

Last summer some kids in a tricked out Integra tried to get me drag racing with them on I-81 in upsate NY- I was heading down a long mountain pass, about 95mph, and they entered the highway at the bottom, slowing down to block my progress. So, I casually signaled and went past on the other side, only to have them catch up (I could hear the kazoo mufflers buzzing away as they tried to catch up) and try me again. Did they not see the large turbodiesel badhe on the trunklid (of my 81 300SD)? I was with a good friend, it was a long roadtrip- we laughed and laughed over this for about 20 minutes afterward. I guess I technically out-ran them... :D

You turbo guys really got it easy. You wanna talk tough, I passed a pickup with a small utility trailer on a 2 lane highway driving about 58 miles per hour.
I came around a curve, (suspense builds) saw that the straight stretch was clear (very long one) and put the pedal to the firewall. Took almost 1 mile to get past him but I did it!...;) Finished the pass at 70 miles an hour with a slight uphill grade.

1975 240 D, just a smokin' machine I tell ya!!! :D

I doubt I will ever get the chance again but boy it felt good that one time!

I am embaressed to say it, but here goes... I was cruising down the freeway at 75 MPH in the 300D. I was passed by one of those new Honda hybrids running on D cells.

rickg,

congrats on your kill!
:D

I love being slow. I drive slow on purpose to piss people off, so when they try to pass me I floor it and hit the button under the accelerator and they can't pass lol.

Though some old ass driving his (can't remember) was driving 15 under so I gunned it and passed him on the left on a 2 lane +turn lane road. :)

Though my Grand Cherokee has some balls, even for it having the I6. I love smokin people in that bad boy. My only problem is in wet conditions I'm done. Not enough weight in the back end and all I do is spin the tires and go nowhere. Though you can't beat the little diesel's economy and handling! It really does a good job, that's why it's my daily driver. :)

Once you get over 15 or so, you got lots of power. Make sure to turn off the POWER emergency brake.

my brothers W124 87 diesel. Beats all 323, 318, and Z3s across intersections. They are slow.

On the highway, My brothers, some friends and I outrand a new E320 down the highway, it couldnt keep up with us. We were going down some mountains / curves kind of like I15 near tejon pass.

My W123 can beat a lot of crappy 4 cyl american and honda cars. Mr 240D with the 1 mile to pass story you should upgrade to 5 cyl diesel. Same harness practically. Lost more power, especially with the manual transmission.

Yeah drive slow like 40 mph, shift it to second, take second to 47, throw it in third, get it up to 80, throw it in drive, youd be supprised what cant keep up in a old 123.

If you throw up 17s on your benz vs 17s on a honda, there is no way they can keep up on the turns. Hondas are slow except the vtec models. Watch out for the guys that put the prelude engine in their lower end honds. It can keep up with the SLK 32.

Austin

Power
 

Speaking of power, my sdl really does move out better than I expected. Of course, in the 30 mile hour zones I am a slug and people get pissed at me because I don't jump off the line. People have no patience and they just have to be first in line even if it's to the next red light. When that turbo kicks in, it just takes off though. Most sedans do not beat me at lights when I floor it, they stay with me or pull ahead until 15 mph then boom turbo boost and I get some respect real quick, I either pass them or tie neck and neck. the SDL really does fly, and gets up to 90-100 in no time at all. Is there really THAT much difference between sdl and sd??

My wife gave a co-worker who professed to be a "car guy" a ride home in the '87 300D turbo the other day. On the way home he started telling her about how one of his neighbors had a Mercedes diesel and what dumb cars they were because they were so slow and shook so much. About the same time she started passing this truck on the highway going uphill and casually looked over and said "by the way, THIS is a diesel." She said he was pretty quiet all the way home after that. I think she's finally a convert.

The new 400CDI, is way powerful, it outperforms the E420, that is why they are making that engine obsolete. It is just shy of the 500 Engines performance. I know someone that drove an S400 on the autobahn and on the track, he said it flies. He reather have it that a new S500 because of the performance and the fuel economy.

Austin

That 603 is a pretty gutsy engine once the turbo comes up. Quite a surprise to the folks that automatically pass a diesel no matter how fast you are driving (as 15 over the limit!).

Where you will get most hotshot drivers with you diesel Benz is when the road gets rough or twisty -- you don't need to slow down, but they sure do! Japanses cars aren't too bad, but anything American (including Toyota trucks) will go out of control very rapidly, while the Benz just glides along. I love to drive the road home from town at night with someone pushing me at lights -- typical ridgetop winding road once I get out of town, including two negative bank curves, that I can run at 65 or so. Never have a problems with tailgaters there.

While not a diesel story, I had an old coot in a Mercury Grand Marquis tailgating me on Highway 57 last year -- short old bugger, was peering out between the steering wheel and the dash about 1 1/2 car lengths back and wouldn't stay off my bumper (the 300TE). I figured he was going to hit me sooner or later, so since slowing down didn't do anything but get him closer, I tried gradually speeding up to see just how fast he wanted to go. He finally made a sharp, flat curve on the worng side at about 85 and backed off fast. Obviously NOT looking at the dash.

Passed me at the next little town -- burned rubber to get around me! I waved, would MUCH rather have him tailgate the car in front than me -- I suspect he can't see anything, so just runs up the tailpipe of the car in front to drive on the highway. Scary.

Peter

They actually had to de-tune the engine because it was getting so close in performance to the S500. Oh how I would love one of the new CDI engines.

I agree with you guys, acceleration isn't that bad after 15. On the highway it's great. I love driving it on the highway way more than driving it on the street.