If not, anyone know what the option number was?

No, optional, production code 471, at least on that model. Other models where it was standard the production code may not show up at all on the VMI.

Thanks for the info. Does lack of ASR render the car useless in the snow even with good snow tires?

Not at all. One of my '94s is a non-ASR car, has a set of Blizzaks (not my favorite snow tires but they work) and in really bad snow I put a 50# bag of sand in the trunk, it does great. The non-ASR car is my winter car.

The ASR in my other '94 makes it a little more idiot-resistant, but does nothing to get it through snow better. Personally I like the ASR okay, but since it does not have an on/off switch, I'd choose a car without ASR over with ASR for my own use.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

I look at ASR as more of a safety feature then anything else... In my W140, it kept the car inline a few times when it started sliding in the rain. I was glad I had it more than a couple times. :]

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Current cars:
2000 ML55 AMG, 174k miles
2003 C240 T-Modell, 202k miles
1995 S320, 207k Miles

I think Arthur once indicated that in a NH winter in heavy snow ASR renders a car a useless quivering blob or something to that effect. It sort of overthinks its way into a stationary position when you're trying to move forward. This is of course not its biggest weakness.

The tire chain switch seems to allow the car to spin its way out of the aforementioned quivering blob problem, but I agree it needs an off switch, and nobody seems to know how that might be accomplished without also crippling the electronic throttle and/or ABS and/or cruise-control.

Its biggest weakness is IMO the fact that it isn't that useful. It does seem to have problems as the wiring harness to the electronic throttle can degrade and toast the system, but when it works it works.

The biggest advantage to the ASR (traction control) is that it upgrades the ABS to a 4-channel instead of the 3-channel Ford-style ABS that the non-ASR 124s have. It is also very nice on wet roads to be able to keep your foot in it as you pull out and get a little accidental tirespin. My (daughter's) E 320 will spin itself into a frenzy on a quick right-turn takeoff with the open differential in the rain. Kind of hard on the new Blizzaks.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff