Mercedes 300se Rpm's

[benz-in-memphis]

Hi Folks..i Am A Proud New Mercedes Family Member..i Have A Beauty 1988 300se W126 Model..straight Line 6 ..gas Model...black On Black, Its Quite A Car...!!....i Have A Question..mine Runs Like A Top And Drives Great....when I Finally Got To Drive It On A Freeway, I Noticed That At 70mph The Rpm Is Around 3700 Or 3800..or Close To That...is It Supposed To Kick Down To A Lower Rpm At High Speeds Or Do They Run This Way On Purpose..?..that Seems Kinda High To Me, But I Dont Know A Lot About These Cars Yet....what Rpm Should I Expect To See At 80mph..?..thanks For Your Help

Originally Posted by benz-in-memphis

Hi Folks..i Am A Proud New Mercedes Family Member..i Have A Beauty 1988 300se W126 Model..straight Line 6 ..gas Model...black On Black, Its Quite A Car...!!....i Have A Question..mine Runs Like A Top And Drives Great....when I Finally Got To Drive It On A Freeway, I Noticed That At 70mph The Rpm Is Around 3700 Or 3800..or Close To That...is It Supposed To Kick Down To A Lower Rpm At High Speeds Or Do They Run This Way On Purpose..?..that Seems Kinda High To Me, But I Dont Know A Lot About These Cars Yet....what Rpm Should I Expect To See At 80mph..?..thanks For Your Help

my 1992 300SE is the same, like you i thought something was awry the first time i drove one, i have compared mine to may and they all run at about the same engine speed at cruise., it is related to the weight of the car and the engine displacement, so the differential is geared a bit low to handle the weight. mine is close to 4000 rpm at 80mph

[wbain5280]

The 6 cyl MB's run about 3000 rpm at 60 mph. That's just the way it is. The car should be quiet and vibration free. Check your motor mounts and engine shocks.

[1991300SEL]

91 300SEL turns 3400 rpm at 70mph.

1988 - 1991 use the same motor.

The 92 mentioned above does not have the same motor as the '88 mentioned in the first post.