Need a substitute car for autoX this Sunday!
 

Ok I'm going to let you all decide which car I take to autocross this weekend since both my regular car and the backup car eliminated themselves from going this week.

The regular car, my 300D, started knocking and I don't have the time or the parts to figure out whats causing it before sunday.

The backup car, my 500SEC performed great today untill the ride home when something inside the transmission decided to not shift out of second gear anymore.

So I'm down to a few choices:

My 2006 R350, my 1983 380SEC, or my 1984 300TD.

Oh the TD of course. :D

I vote the TD also. That WOULD be a change of pace!

I bet the R350 will outhandle them :)

I said the 380SEC because I don't know ***** about it and have no ability to control posting opinions on subject with which I am completely ignorant.

So follow my advice!

B

PS I think T Walgamuth probably has the most experienced opinion with autocross on OD. Therefore, avoid his opinion at all costs.

While starting over with a Toyota would probably make you more competitive, I went with the SEC. As much as I would've liked to take my 300TD to autox, I figured I'd probably have more fun running the course than driving it.
It's a total guess, but I'd bet the R350 is a pig. Heavy cars are no fun to try and get around the tighter corners. I can't imagine how crappy a decreasing radius turn would be.

Holy crap R350 weighs damn near 5000 pounds.

Option 4!:D

R350, you never drive that anymore.....

sec, man.

No contest.

Tom W

Actually there was a guy with an R500 that came out last year a few times, he had my 300D by almost a full second (when I had street tires still :D )

I need to stick with a diesel if I want to stay on top in my class.

Whats a thread without pictures?
Here's each of the cars listed:

R350:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...TG/pics108.jpg

380SEC:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...ef/pics281.jpg

300TD:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...TG/pics104.jpg

If you are running scca all of them will be h stock. Of them I would choose the sec for the lower center of gravity and the special feature on the shifter that allows you to hold it in first and second (using B iirc) and the tranny downshifts itself as soon as it can without exceeding redline on the engine. It will help slow the car down without using brakes.

Tom W

scca rules, but they split the MB's into further groups.

Just for grins take the 300TD. Can you put the wheels from the 300D on it?

What wheels are on it now, they look really good on that car! -- too bad I am stuck up in NY now I was looking forward to see you run the course.

What group is running the Autox? I used to run the MWCCA, BMW, and some of the Porsche events when I lived in the area. Frederick was a little too far for me.

It's the local chapter of the MBCA, the Greater Washington Section. The autocross is held about an hour from here in Winchester Va.


The 300TD is in the lead, only a few more hours before the polls close so get your votes in.

I'd offer to let you take my SEC, if I could get it started.

With 12 votes, the 300TD was the winner, so I was thinking today when going around the course in the brick what funny people there are here on mercedesshop.com :D

All in all, the car did much better then I thought it would, surprisingly doing better then a lot of other more agile cars with good drivers too. my 2nd run was the best, while my third was on par to be better, some hard right turns left the engine starved for fuel and slowed me down a lot.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...uro/img001.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...uro/img008.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...uro/img013.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...uro/img014.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...uro/img015.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...uro/img025.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...uro/img017.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...uro/img021.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...uro/img022.jpg

Looks like fun!
 

Sorry I missed it today. It looks like the wagon was pretty good out there.

I saw you on Rt 340 heading back to Md. I was just getting back from NY where I had to deal with the wife overheating the BMW.

Times for all cars in attendance today:

1) 92 Honda Civic 60.957
2) 07 Porsche Cayman 61.933
3) 03 Corvette Z06 62.841
4) 07 Porsche Cayman 63.006
5) 05 Subaru WRX STi 63.174
6) 03 SVT Cobra 63.451
7) 92 Acura Integra GSR 63.607
8) 86 190E 2.3 66.447
9) 86 190E 2.3-16 67.209
10) 05 Crossfire 67.275
11) 86 190E 2.3-16 67.375
12) 90 Maza Miata 67.486
13) 92 Subaru SVX 67.900
14) 93 400E 68.296
15) 92 190E 2.6 68.478
16) 04 Honda S2000 68.547
17) 87 Porsche 924S 69.033
18) 86 190E 2.3-16 69.703
19) 07 SLK350 69.968
20) 98 Dodge Neon 70.153
21) 98 Dodge Neon 70.396
22) 04 SLK320 70.733
23) 03 E55 AMG 70.988
24) 86 190E 2.3-16 71.039
25) 84 300TDT 71.679
26) 08 VW R32 72.060
27) 03 Honda Civic 73.175
28) 00 C280 73.319
29) 04 SLK320 74.675
30) 08 VW R32 74.722
31) 93 400E 75.537
32) 88 Mazda RX7 75.740
33) 00 C280 77.486
34) 84 300SD 94.320


Heres how the fastest MB of the day ended up at the end of one of the runs, sideways in the stop gate!

CORRECT:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...uro/img003.jpg

INCORRECT:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...uro/img004.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...uro/img005.jpg

Good job!

You beat some cars that should have beaten you. Thats always fun.:P

Tom W

Seems like the driver plays a large part. That Z06 with some slicks and a good driver should have taken names. Cayman as well...

They Cayman owner is our course designer, it would look bad if he wasn't near the top ;)

Here's some more action shots someone else took:
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...n222008036.jpg
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...n222008037.jpg
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...n222008040.jpg
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...n222008041.jpg
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...n222008042.jpg


And here's some of the top placed cars:

92 Honda Civic
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...EarnestFTD.jpg

07 Porsche Cayman
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...8/th_Mike2.jpg

86 190E 2.3
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...n222008011.jpg

86 190E 2.3-16
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/d...n222008025.jpg

Thanks for posting pics, I'm going to the next one!

little update: trans is back in the SEC tonight, 3rd gear had detonated and took reverse with it. it's going to have a custom exhaust made for it tomorrow, this should be fun ;)

1986 560SEL - Duchatelet :)

haha, it is moving on its own now, but I dont have a lot of confidence in it yet till I go over it more. still have to put the rebuilt trans in it.

Is Andreas making your custom exhaust, John?

no, Rick @ executive tire in Rockville md is doing it, I dropped it off today.