Open differential??

[Busarider]

New to the W202...Love the car!

Does my 97 C230 have an "open" rear differential, or is it "limited slip"/"posi-traction"?? It seems like only the right rear wheel is driving the car...I notice a lot of slip in winter driving conditions here in Alaska.

Is there an aftermarket source to upgrade the rear differential to a locking diff?? By-the-way...anyone know what the "standard" gear ratio is in the rear-end??

My car does not have any of the traction control options.

[1995c280]

you do not have a limited-slip differential. i believe only the C36's had that but i may be wrong. i believe the ratio is a 2.87:1 in your diff.

Jason

[Espresso]

I have a Kleeman LSD in mine. IIRC the gear ratio is 3.70. At 240kph I am at about 4300 rpm..I havent really looked down at that speed..LOL

[stox]

Originally posted by 1995c280
i believe only the C36's had that but i may be wrong. i believe the ratio is a 2.87:1 in your diff.


Nope, the C36 is open. Sure would have been nice it they were LSD.

[RemoLexi]

how much does a kleenman LSD cost and where would I find one?

[Espresso]

Originally posted by RemoLexi
how much does a kleenman LSD cost and where would I find one?

You got me. It came with the car. Supposedly, the C55 has a bigger housing than the rest. They isnstalled the C55 housing & LSD in the car when it was almost new(It broke within the first 1000 miles). It had then & still does have serious traction issues.

At a stop, if I load the convertor even just a little I lay waste to the tires. This is also another reason I can never really take it to full throttle. I'm going to try & make it to the track when it opens on the 4th of Feb. Mount a set of drag radials & see what it does.
Here is a pic of me launching at 1400rpm.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/Black05PT/pictures5047.jpg

[Busarider]

So, the next question is...Where can I get a locking diff for a C230 Benz?? Anyone have a good source for this type of item?? I sure would like to get that rear-end locked!

By-the-way...Please excuse my ignorance. I'm from the school of "American Muscle Cars" and "Japanese Motorcycles". I'm new to the "Euro Stuff" (no disrespect intended) since my wife bought an ML320 a couple years ago, and I just picked up this 97 C230 to play with. I've developed a huge appreciation and respect for the Mercedes Benz.

[RemoLexi]

Benz's have their own personalities and behavior.

im assuming if you weld the stock diff. it would wear your tires out badly on turns (especially U-turns) and uhh , probably break loose agian and mess up everything inside?

so ya I want to know also where I can get a LSD ...

[Busarider]

Yeah...going around a corner with a welded diff is a bitch! But it works great for 1/4 mile drag cars.

Theres got to be somone on this forum that has put a W202 on a road course...touring car class or something?? I can't imagine someone would run an open diff on a race car. Where are they getting the locking diffs from??

[RemoLexi]

http://www.kleemann.dk/site/Main/accessories/lsd

Hmm ... contact them for more info on cost and if its avail. for W202.

[omeyhomey]

all benz are open diff except for the SL65 which has a clutch type limited slip but clutch types do not last long. the best are the BMW E36 style mechanical helical limited slips that pretty much last the life of the diff (much like many of the aftermarket ones out there like quaife and etc).

Benz doesn't put them in their cars in order to "dummy proof" their cars b/c limited slips act completely different than open diffs in slippery conditions and open diffs are much less likely to have the back end kick out, one tire just spins and nothing dangerous happens, where as a car with alot of power w/ a limited slip and an inexperienced driver could end in catastrophy. thats why

also welding up the spider gears is NOT a good idea and is the ghetto way of getting limited slip. If you want you can get a kleenman style LSD kit for cheap, many after market are offering those spring style LSD packs but some claim they put alot of strain on the spider gears and also can eventually cause wear on the housing b/c it is constantly putting pressure on the diff casing by pushing outwards.

[Nitrogenbalance]

Originally posted by Espresso
You got me. It came with the car. Supposedly, the C55 has a bigger housing than the rest. They isnstalled the C55 housing & LSD in the car when it was almost new(It broke within the first 1000 miles). It had then & still does have serious traction issues.

At a stop, if I load the convertor even just a little I lay waste to the tires. This is also another reason I can never really take it to full throttle. I'm going to try & make it to the track when it opens on the 4th of Feb. Mount a set of drag radials & see what it does.
Here is a pic of me launching at 1400rpm.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/Black05PT/pictures5047.jpg

If you don't mind me asking....what have you done to your 230/280 in order for it to need drag radials to hook up??? My C43 would hook up no prob with street tires when it was stock. That was at 302hp/302tq.

[Espresso]

Originally posted by Nitrogenbalance
If you don't mind me asking....what have you done to your 230/280 in order for it to need drag radials to hook up??? My C43 would hook up no prob with street tires when it was stock. That was at 302hp/302tq.
I havent actually done much to it, besides a cut airbox, & some exhaust work. Everything else was done by AMG(besides the diff). It has cams, ECU, & some other things that I cannot rember off hand from my conversations with the P.O. & Benz dealership owner here.
I am not sure about how much power I have but I know I can lay waste to a CLK320. Both off the line all the way to top speed(I stopped at 180kph, when I knew he couldnt keep up).

I am going to run drag radials, because I was told the line at the track sucks & if I have trouble hooking on the street I will definitly have trouble with the cobbled up & cracked concrete drag strip(it is an old airport called Rio Hato) that they have here. I am not going to drive 1 1/2 hours just to not be able to hook up & get some suckass numbers.
I figured I would try & get some numbers out of it, before the engine does go south on me.

[RemoLexi]

Originally posted by omeyhomey
If you want you can get a kleenman style LSD kit for cheap,

Where ???

[Espresso]

From what I was told. The W210 comes with a LSD as an option(the best being a 2.87 gear ratio) & it is also a direct fit to the W202.
Ofcourse I have not done the conversion, so I cannot completely confirm this.

[RemoLexi]

so how would I know an LSD if I see one ?? meaning looking at two diffs. one being LSD and one open diff. what are the visual differances if any ?

[Busarider]

I suppose Benz didn't see fit to put a locking diff in a car with a four cylinder motor. I don't get traction busting power from my C230, but it would sure come in handy in the winter. I wonder...does the C230"K" have enough factory power to warrant a LSD? I've never driven a C230 Kompressor.

I doubt you could regognize a LSD from a non-LSD from the exterior of the housing. But if a W210 has a factory LSD and is a direct fit on a W202...I guess I'll be searching the salvage yards for a W210.

Kleemann only makes diffs to fit into V8 and V12 powered MB's (so thier web page says). Anyone else have a good source for this type of equipment for Mercedes-Benz?

[omeyhomey]

Originally posted by Busarider
I suppose Benz didn't see fit to put a locking diff in a car with a four cylinder motor. I don't get traction busting power from my C230, but it would sure come in handy in the winter. I wonder...does the C230"K" have enough factory power to warrant a LSD? I've never driven a C230 Kompressor.

I doubt you could regognize a LSD from a non-LSD from the exterior of the housing. But if a W210 has a factory LSD and is a direct fit on a W202...I guess I'll be searching the salvage yards for a W210.

Kleemann only makes diffs to fit into V8 and V12 powered MB's (so thier web page says). Anyone else have a good source for this type of equipment for Mercedes-Benz?

their LSD can be applied to any diff, its just a simple spring mechanism that pushes the spider gears outward so they act like a LSD. its a super simple principle. it can be applied to 4 cyl just need to make one a slightly different size thats all.

[c280nz]

Originally posted by omeyhomey
their LSD can be applied to any diff, its just a simple spring mechanism that pushes the spider gears outward so they act like a LSD. its a super simple principle. it can be applied to 4 cyl just need to make one a slightly different size thats all.

i am so very very tempted to do this!
i just havent had the time or energy to pull my diff out and apart to measure to order the closest sized one, im not sure if they would make one that would fit, id expect to need to modify one slightly.
phantom grip is one company that make the product you refer to.
(next time my car is in the air for a while il try and make it happen an test that method )
i also hear that a lsd out of a 190e 16v can possibly fit