C43: 1/4 Mile Times/weight Reduction/maintenance, New Owner with TONS of questions

[MoreTorque99]

I bought a 1999 C43 back in Feb. that now has 67,000 miles on it. I finally got my account activated and now I can blurt out all my questions. I have never owned a foreign car before so I am new at this game.

The weather is finally getting nice and the drag strip is now open. Has anyone ever run their C43 down? I have found magazine 1/4 mile times from 14.4-14.9. I do not belive this as my friends Pontiac GTP runs faster than that and I am able to put many car-lengths on him very quickly. I am going on April 27th, but I would like to know what to expect from this car.

Are the E55's of the same year (1999-2001) considerably faster with the 5.5L V8?

I have not been able to find any moderately priced mods for the C43, so I decided to start ripping some weight out. I have gutted the trunk of the spare tire, jack, and the spare tire holder. Floor mats are out and I have no personal items anywhere in the car. The AMG front engine cover is also off. What else has anyone taken off?

I have already done an oil change using a Napa Gold filter and Mobil 1 0w-40. Is there any easy way to get at the air filters? I haven't looked very hard, but it looks like you need to take roughly 6 upside down screws. Is this the correct way?

I negotiated a 2yr/24,000 mile powertrain warranty into the deal becuase I read some scary transmission stories so I am not too worried, but I have a question. If I floor it around say 30mph after just slowly cruising, the engine spins very high and seems to bounce of the rev limiter before it shifts. It seems that the colder the temp is, the more likely this is to happen. This also happens around 50-60mph. This does not happen but once a week so I am unable to take it in for repair. I am taking the car in for a transmission flush soon to see if that cures the problem. It has worked before in my domestic cars. Think it will cure this problem? I have also read about reflashing the transmission and engine ECU's. Does anyone have more info on this?

About the "inflatable" seats.... mine "deflate" after about 2 minutes of driving. Am I doing something wrong or are they bad?

Finally, is there anyway to completely disable the traction control? I want to launch the car on my own without a computer trying to "help" me.

I thank you so much for any input you can provide. I absolutely love this car, but I just wish it had a bit more "oomph"

[Ashkan's C280]

well you can get K&N filter ngk plugs, mag wires, pullies (evosport), custom ram air intake, high flow cats, delete res, new muff, and better suspension, are all minor and total won't run you over 1500, and those will add to your car nicely. Also be sure to add apperance mods as well, nice new avantgrade grill, clear corners, change bodykit if you like, clk door pins, speedybenz camber kit is always nice, poly front bushings, ss oil filter, ss breaklines, derlin bushings, heim joint, mainly check out what speedy benz has done and others have done, there is no need to reinvent the wheel when someone has done it for you....

ot - I went to the wheel supply and for 225 I had my shocks springs pads, ngk plugs and wires all put in, and can i say very nice upgrade, the car why idleing a little higher but that is down, it handles much better, not crazy well but it is a nic ejump from before, H&R is not too stiff, I understand what you mean now, you can feel ground more but its not bad, I have a one finger gap in the front, and no finger gap in the back, I have been thinking about my next buy, and its either going to be the lorinser kit or some wheels, or a bunch of little things, e.g camber kit poly bushings, berlin bushings, heim joint, ill door sills, chromed door handles, chromed trunk boot lid, smoked tail lights, the newer style rvm

[Denlasoul]

Hello and welcome,

To answer your questions, here are some of my thoughts and inputs.

MB, has a tendency to understate their cars. I personally have not ran my car at a track or anyhting, but I am pretty confident that my car is a bit faster than what is stated in magazines.

E55's are faster but I have never ran against one. You can talk to coolcarlski, he did a 5.5L engine swap for his 4-3.

There are not really alot of mods you can do without spending $$, but like some have suggested, underdrive pullies, new plugs, wires...one thing to do is make sure your car is running 100%.

Yes, the only way to the airfilters is through the airbox and it's screws (like 10 or so).

As for tranny, remember you have an adaptive tranny. If you drive like a grandma then your car will adjust to shift in the same manner. If you drive aggressively, it will likewise adjust. One thing I have noticed is a "flatspot" of around 20-30mph at 2000rpm-2500rpm.

As for the seats, pop off the back of your seat and check the connection of the tubes. Often, they come loose and will cause them to not hold air, or you may have a hole in them. To hold the tubes into the connector better, you can use zipties.

I do not think there is a way to completely disable traction control. Although, you could probably pull the fuse and that might work.

DLS

[99amgc43]

the air box just pulls right off from the TB, its only held in by 4 clips, then you have to use a star head to take the screws off (you cannot take the screws off with the air box still on the car)

[98c43amg]

Nice to meet you.

Here's something to consider ... At one time, I had complained to two different MB dealerships about the performance of my car ... slugishness and poor response to movement in the gas peddle. And a definite bog @ around 1500 rpm. They "supposedly" looked everything over. Couldn't find any reason. Hey, car was under warranty and I believed MB service was a step above the rest. So I wasn't getting my hands dirty ...

Then one day I decided I'd finally get off my butt and install K&N filters on my own. I took the airbox off ; Low and behold, there was an =incredible= amount of dirt, sand, leaves in the air box ... I do not jest, it looked like mice had moved in. It was under a year when I had a new filter put in, so I sure didn't think intake was the source of my woes when discussing things with MB techs.

Well it was! Woe did that make a huge difference in responsiveness once put back together, with K&N's ta boot. The car couldn't breath before! ;)

Now, something else... A complaint I had in the past was that you really had to step on the peddle for it to "move". Move the gas peddle 1/4 of the way and it hardly made a difference. So the great little "tune" to correct for this is to get friendly with your MB tech, and ask him to set your car's "Ignition Correction" to RON93. < See this thread > (http://www.club202.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=551&perpage=15&highlight=ron93&pagenumber=1)

...note the titles within the images of the path within the program as to where the setting is within the Star Diagnosis System; incase your MB tech hasn't been down this road ... it's uncommon to meet MB techs who have from my experience. However, these are pictures for a W203, so the path to get to it might be slightly different for the W202 (don't remember). Remembering now, the W202 didn't have the Stage 1 - 3 setting for fuel for example...

The ignition setting of RON93 -- as the european octane setting which uses only RON, where we use (RON+MON)/2 to determine octane -- means the car will use AT LEAST US Octane 91 (because all US fuel have MON equal to 89). This results in the engine using a different more agressive map for max retard/advance, as it can depend on the engine using a higher octane then possibly 89 or 87 and adapting up if the engine doesn't knock.

There's a few replies from me in that thread regarding my experience with the setting. With this setting, there's a noticible change in torque [pull] as I move my right foot. And as soon as I move the gas peddle the car's got the get-up & go. Here's a thread on mercedesshop.com (http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforum/showthread.php3?t=63782&highlight=ron93) where I recommended it (I'm mbc43amg on that board) to another member Tump (Tump43 on this board), and the positive review after doing it.

If you really want your car to breath do this... :) (http://www.club202.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2664&highlight=bored)

[coolcarlskic43]

Interesting! RON 93 I need to talk to Jefferey about that mod.

[98c43amg]

Originally posted by coolcarlskic43
Interesting! RON 93 I need to talk to Jefferey about that mod. gunna be tough to wait 'til he gets back from vacation I bet. :p

[coolcarlskic43]

Originally posted by 98c43amg
gunna be tough to wait 'til he gets back from vacation I bet. :p So you're running your car on Ron 93 and you can vouch for the performance increase right?

[Renn 208]

Originally posted by coolcarlskic43
So you're running your car on Ron 93 and you can vouch for the performance increase right?

I think I'm going to remain skeptical of the "93 RON" mod until someone can come up with before and after dynos/0-60/quarter times...

[98c43amg]

Originally posted by coolcarlskic43
So you're running your car on Ron 93 and you can vouch for the performance increase right?

Yes, but realize, it is =not= more ultimate top-end power (i.e. isn't increasing torque near redline) -- it is more torque across the low to mid RPM range, and gets the car much closer to instant throttle peddle response then when ignition correction is set to "default"; almost as if it wasn't a [blasted] electronic throttle.... especially if you row the shifter and keep the car in 2nd or 3rd to keep the revs up... ;) ...well, maybe not you w/a 5.4L :p (...I'll be there soon)

The top 1/3 of movement in the gas peddle hardly does anything with my car in default. Feels sluggish unless I floor it & get it to kick-down. And I don't think that's unique to my car. I don't think we should have to floor a car rated @ 302hp & 302 trq for it to "move out". The pull should always be on tap ... well when car's in RON93, most of the response is within the first 1/2 of the peddle range. YEAYA...that's what I talk'n about! :cool:

[98c43amg]

Originally posted by Renn 208
I think I'm going to remain skeptical of the "93 RON" mod until someone can come up with before and after dynos/0-60/quarter times...

...then you'll be missing out on something good. You've read my comments...

there's also Tump ... "After I picked up the car it was quite a bit quicker and had a much deeper growl ...It makes an incredible difference. After this change I certainly do not need to buy a computer chip upgrade -- I don't think it can do more. [comparing it to a used C43 for sale he test drove] ... With the RON93 upgrade, there is now no comparison."

there's also speedybenz ... "Well it has been awhile since I switched my fuel setting to 93RON and it feels as if the car just sudenly figured out what to do. The engine is now very responsive and peppy. I am very happy with the mod and would suggest it to others now. I would not have said that 3 weeks ago. For some reason now the car just flat rips."

...the point I'm trying to make is it's a "drivability thing" ... I can't really say for sure the car would be quicker in the 1/4 with it ... it seems quicker to 60mph with it . What it is is that the car is =much= more enjoyable to drive when the car's RMP range is between say 2K - 5K with a "fatter" torque curve and a more immediate connection between the movement of the right foot and thrust of the car ... i.e. I'm much happier every moment I'm driving the car around.

[Renn 208]

Yep, I've read all the comments, and while I do trust certain people's judgements, I'm still not convinced ;)

[98c43amg]

Originally posted by Renn 208
Yep, I've read all the comments, and while I do trust certain people's judgements, I'm still not convinced ;)

Try it ... give it a month ... put it back if you don't agree... ?

[coolcarlskic43]

Originally posted by 98c43amg
...then you'll be missing out on something good. You've read my comments...

there's also Tump ... "After I picked up the car it was quite a bit quicker and had a much deeper growl ...It makes an incredible difference. After this change I certainly do not need to buy a computer chip upgrade -- I don't think it can do more. [comparing it to a used C43 for sale he test drove] ... With the RON93 upgrade, there is now no comparison."

there's also speedybenz ... "Well it has been awhile since I switched my fuel setting to 93RON and it feels as if the car just sudenly figured out what to do. The engine is now very responsive and peppy. I am very happy with the mod and would suggest it to others now. I would not have said that 3 weeks ago. For some reason now the car just flat rips."

...the point I'm trying to make is it's a "drivability thing" ... I can't really say for sure the car would be quicker in the 1/4 with it ... it seems quicker to 60mph with it . What it is is that the car is =much= more enjoyable to drive when the car's RMP range is between say 2K - 5K with a "fatter" torque curve and a more immediate connection between the movement of the right foot and thrust of the car ... i.e. I'm much happier every moment I'm driving the car around.


Yea well if it's gonna fatten my lowend and mid range then it's probably gonna kill my topend,which will not help me in the 1/4.
I guess I'll call Marc(Tump) and verify his Ron 93 results. He posted 234 whp on the dyno at www.ICSperformance.com but when you looked at his TQ curve,I must say it was nice and fat compared to my friends 238whp stck C43 and my other friends 227whp CLK 430 which were both peaky.I'm sure Marc's car will pull much harder across the whole rev range according to the area under the hp and TQ curves.But I'd still be curious about the 1/4 mile and topend.

PS by the way,how come speedy benz does'nt answer his PM's or e-mails?:rolleyes:

[Renn 208]

Originally posted by coolcarlskic43

PS by the way,how come speedy benz does'nt answer his PM's or e-mails?:rolleyes:

He's a very busy guy...give him time, he'll get to it.

[98c43amg]

Originally posted by coolcarlskic43
He posted 234 whp on the dyno at www.ICSperformance.com but when you looked at his TQ curve,I must say it was nice and fat compared to my friends 238whp stck C43 and my other friends 227whp CLK 430 which were both peaky.

I'll have to dig my dyno runs up and post them one day soon. BTW, I've been looking but didn't catch one from him ... where did he post the curves for the public to see (if he did)?

Also, a question about your dyno run. How did you [well, ICS Perf] get the measurement in the 2K rpm range w/o having the car kick down on you?

-steve

[98c43amg]

Originally posted by MoreTorque99
I bought a 1999 C43 back in Feb. that now has 67,000 miles on it. I finally got my account activated and now I can blurt out all my questions.
... snip...


MoreTorque99 , where are ya ?! ... we didn't mean to jack your thread! :D How's it going with your car? Let us know, as well as after the 27th (and if that was with the car @ RON93 or not) . Here's a few other answer to questions you asked:

- Yes, E55 is only about 300lbs more which is more then compensated for by the added torque and power produced from close to 25% more displacement. Coolcarlskic43 put the 5.5L [5.4L actually] engine in his C43 and it's a monster ... I have an engine being shipped to me @ this time and will be doing the same soon.

- Regarding add'l weight reduction, there's a thread started by the a highly respected ex-Motorcyle racer here with the handle of speedybenz. Here's the link (http://www.club202.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=646&highlight=weight+reduction+program) , but the "search" link @ the top of the page is your freind ;) There's nothing I could add to that.

- RE: If I floor it around say 30mph after just slowly cruising, the engine spins very high and seems to bounce of the rev limiter before it shifts.

...DON'T YOU JUST HATE THAT???!!! Sometimes comes with a bad burt tire+rubber smell...

Ya, mine does that ... when I was in a ride in speedybenz's C43 it did that ... I've read about many many other's that say thiers does that.

The tranni ECU just can't keep up. As I've heard it described, the tranni ECU is inbetween "adapting" from easy driving/shifts to agressive driving/shifts, and isn't sure if it should be down-shifting or if the torque in the current gear is enough. The ironic thing is, it slips the clutch and lets the revs run up and finally shifts... wasting all the torque multiplication that could have been used if the car would have down-shifted immediately!

I've had three [or was it four] tranni rebuilds. All sorts of things looked at. Still does it. I've resigned myself to two things ...
1) By process of elimination have to surmise it's an "ECU thing" and won't get fixed unless MB were to address it ... and they won't admit it's a widely occuring problem with us... so it won't get fixed! :mad:
2) Row the shifter ... when I know I'm going to want to take off quick a second or two before I'm about to hit the peddle, I put my hand on the shifter, then a split second before I press down on the gas peddle, I row the shifter to 2nd if I'm under 50mph, or 3rd if I'm over 50mph.
:classic:
Viola, no slip and the car does what I'm expecting it to do!

- The seats plain SUK! The tubes are always coming loose; especially if wifie is short and requires the seat all the way up, and hubbie is tall and requires the seat all the way back. It seems like you have a valve problem if it inflates then deflates minutes later. That happened to me too. I do not exagerate when I say my car must have been in the shop over 10 times due to the seats while the car was under warranty. If you have an extended warranty, use it on this.

- I don't believe there's a way to put our cars into "dyno mode" like the newer MB cars have with the multifunction steering wheels.

MoreTorque99, Let's hear from ya!
-steve

[coolcarlskic43]

Originally posted by 98c43amg
I'll have to dig my dyno runs up and post them one day soon. BTW, I've been looking but didn't catch one from him ... where did he post the curves for the public to see (if he did)?

Also, a question about your dyno run. How did you [well, ICS Perf] get the measurement in the 2K rpm range w/o having the car kick down on you?

-steve Keep the car in D3 at WOT and leave it there after shifting thru D1 and D2 my friend.LOL! When are you getting the motor?Steve,I understand Jeff M is leaving today or tomorrow.

[98c43amg]

Originally posted by coolcarlskic43
Keep the car in D3 at WOT and leave it there after shifting thru D1 and D2 my friend.LOL! When are you getting the motor?Steve,I understand Jeff M is leaving today or tomorrow.

...but not @ WOT in 2nd I'm guessing???

... Problem I had was @ WOT, the tranni will hold a gear up to redline even if you short shift the tranni into the next higher gear @ 4k-5k rpm, shifting @ redline regardless. It would therefore hit third @ about 4K rpm after shifting from second @ redline... so I didn't get any measurement where I really wanted it; from 2k - 2.5K up.

Ya, because of that I'm having the motor shipped to my house. I haven't heard back from Norm after calling & e-mailing him over the weekend to give him the address.

[coolcarlskic43]

Originally posted by 98c43amg
...but not @ WOT in 2nd I'm guessing???

... Problem I had was @ WOT, the tranni will hold a gear up to redline even if you short shift the tranni into the next higher gear @ 4k-5k rpm, shifting @ redline regardless. It would therefore hit third @ about 4K rpm after shifting from second @ redline... so I didn't get any measurement where I really wanted it; from 2k - 2.5K up.

Ya, because of that I'm having the motor shipped to my house. I haven't heard back from Norm after calling & e-mailing him over the weekend to give him the address. I'd have to explain it over the phone to you.PM me your tel#.

[MoreTorque99]

Wow... talk about a lot of replies :)

It doesn't look like I will be going to the track on Apirl 27th as they are predicting a rain/snow mix and a high of 40. I will try for the next week.

I'd like to try that RON93 mod as I only use 93 octane from stations that use separate pumps, but I am not sure who talk to about doing it. Does anyone have suggestions for who to go to in Wisconsin?

I was going to mess around with the intake today but being 41 and rainy outside doesnt make me want to work on the car.

Thanks for the replies.

[98c43amg]

Originally posted by MoreTorque99
I'd like to try that RON93 mod as I only use 93 octane from stations that use separate pumps, but I am not sure who talk to about doing it. Does anyone have suggestions for who to go to in Wisconsin? The only folks who can do it are ones with the Mercedes Start Diagnosis Computer ... As that costs $20K or so, usually only MB Dealerships have them. They won't [shouldn't] charge you anything officially, as they're not officially supposed to be touching that. Get real friendly with a tech or the head tech ... dropping a C-note (or whatever) when you get service usually does wonders ... bribery will get you everywhere. :cool:

[Denlasoul]

Originally posted by 98c43amg
bribery will get you everywhere. :cool:
So true, so true............

[MoreTorque99]

Okay, it was cold, but I got bored today.... It looks ugly right now, but I will paint it black soon. The car REALLY gets up and goes now. The high rpm's really feel quite stronger. Not to mention it sounds killer when at full throttle.

The filter is an S&B so it actually does it job unlike a K&N. It is the same size filter that they use on aftermarket C5 LS1 Corvette intakes.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y118/MoreTorque99/IMAG0020.jpg

More pics later...

[coolcarlskic43]

Originally posted by MoreTorque99
Okay, it was cold, but I got bored today.... It looks ugly right now, but I will paint it black soon. The car REALLY gets up and goes now. The high rpm's really feel quite stronger. Not to mention it sounds killer when at full throttle.

The filter is an S&B so it actually does it job unlike a K&N. It is the same size filter that they use on aftermarket C5 LS1 Corvette intakes.



LOL! Ugly but functional.I could imagine that the car felt a whole lot better. I have the same idea in mind but I think I'd like to do a dual ram with aluminum powder coated piping.Then I'll either polish the intake mani or just ceramic coat it.

[MoreTorque99]

Originally posted by coolcarlskic43
LOL! Ugly but functional.I could imagine that the car felt a whole lot better. I have the same idea in mind but I think I'd like to do a dual ram with aluminum powder coated piping.Then I'll either polish the intake mani or just ceramic coat it.

I plan to at least paint it black for now. Eventually I probablly will have someone create an all aluminum version of the exact same thing.

Once it gets warmer I will hand polish the intake mani.

Took a freeway trip with the car and holy crap does it feel different. I generally make an intake like this for every vehicle I have and it has never made this big of a difference. $10 in parts and a filter I had on hand... I can't complain.

[98c43amg]

http://www.brewcitymuscle.com/forum/ .... nice! We're lucky to have ya in the W202 community. :classic: ...I can't figure out which forum topic there the W202's can be discussed in however ...:p

[MoreTorque99]

Originally posted by 98c43amg
http://www.brewcitymuscle.com/forum/ .... nice! We're lucky to have ya in the W202 community. :classic: ...I can't figure out which forum topic there the W202's can be discussed in however ...:p

Thanks! I started BCM back when I had a Z28 and thought i'd never go near an imported vehicle. :)

[alphanumeric]

umm if that is PCV plumbing pipe.. that stuff is really poisonious.. the heat from the engine gives off deadly fumes.. thats why you NEVER see people using that stuff lol..

altho I dont know if the engine will get it hot enough to melt... but I wouldnt chance it

[MoreTorque99]

Originally posted by alphanumeric
umm if that is PCV plumbing pipe.. that stuff is really poisonious.. the heat from the engine gives off deadly fumes.. thats why you NEVER see people using that stuff lol..

altho I dont know if the engine will get it hot enough to melt... but I wouldnt chance it

Ive done it on roughly 10 vehicles and it has never melted. I'm a bit strange, but not dead yet :)

[98c43amg]

Originally posted by MoreTorque99
Thanks! I started BCM back when I had a Z28 and thought i'd never go near an imported vehicle. :)

...if the C43 only had a manual like those F bodies... :rolleyes: :dispoint: (I'll be try'n hard real soon to see if I can mate it to either a Getrag 226 or older S6S 420G )

[MoreTorque99]

Originally posted by 98c43amg
...if the C43 only had a manual like those F bodies... :rolleyes: :dispoint: (I'll be try'n hard real soon to see if I can mate it to either a Getrag 226 or older S6S 420G )

I had a race built 4L60E auto in my Z28 with a SuperYank 3500 stall... I love autos :) It clicked off a few 1.5 60' times :)

[98c43amg]

Originally posted by MoreTorque99
I had a race built 4L60E auto in my Z28 with a SuperYank 3500 stall... I love autos :) It clicked off a few 1.5 60' times :) Nice. I understand the benefits on the 1/4 mile track when you're only in a gear for a second or @ the most two ;) ... but when I had my SLK 320 6-spd -- regardless of how crappy that gearbox was -- the car was still so much more engaging to drive around, especially when there weren't pesky slow-pokes in front of me. Same with my Jeep. I figure a 5.5L motor + manual in my C43 should finally shut me up (tho the wife still says it won't make me happy; nothing can :rolleyes: :D )