Just thought I'd share my experience from this weekend with you W202 nuts. I experienced the hands-down best handling W202 there is out there, arguably up there with the best handling 4dr sedans in the world. Now I know what a "canyon carver" truly is.

I just came back from a visit to NoCal to visit the legendary speedybenz, and got treated to a ride [of my life] on his favorite road --barren with no traffic to slow him down -- to help me determine if I wanted to make the plunge for a complete speedybenz custom suspension for my C43. As I say in my title -- and not to diminish anything from his other performance optimizations he's made to the intake & exhaust, but only speaking currently about his suspension -- I've experienced car handling nirvana this weekend. Well worth the miles I used on the round-trip flight.

I thought it would be good, but never imagined it would be that dramatically superior to my own C43. To imagine my C43 [and your W202] has that much untapped potential within it, brought out with his exceptional custom suspension components [and sick ass 255mm width tires up front and 275mm tires in the rear]. Man, we need EuropeanCar to do an exclusive on his car!

It was so interesting -- and even more a delight -- to be a passenger to a racing professional doing what I do when I drive my car to the limits, but instead "doing it right in every way" [!]. Furthermore -- being driven in a car I so intimately know the chassis of and know the limits of -- it was dramatic to experience those limits I've come to expect be exceeded with such fluidity, balance and control [no doubt his skill and smoothness on the wheel greatly factoring into that ]. Where I'd expect my car to start pushing into that ditch on a left turn, or over the yellow line on a right turn, Jeff's C43 only dug in deeper and followed the intended path with ZERO body roll. How much Jeff coaxed it based on skill vs. how much was inherently available from the car I can't say yet, until I get the suspension on my car ... but I'll let you know cus I'm going to buy the complete setup!
:banana:

I didn't have much of an idea what the road would be like he was telling me about that he was going to take me out on. As I saw it unfold, the stupid grin on my face must have only grew stupider and stupider. Imagine my joy when Jeff didn't only take me for a few turns over a mile as a tease of what the car can do, but stormed at 10/10ths for I think it was 9 miles. Not one car in the way on the way out ; a few cars in the way back; some that remarkably pulled over and let us go; others optimally placed to passing zones so only moments were spent at "civil" speeds. Oh, if I only had roads like that near me.

When I got to take it out on regular suburban roads and a couple of hiway on/off ramps, served to reinforce what I was feeling from the passenger seat. The car had remarkable balance and control with such fluidity in the turns and zero push.

My only regret is I didn't keep one eye focused on Jeff's footwork while he was driving! But between the long distance scenery of the canyons, and the short distance scenery of the canyon road's apexes accelerated upon at joyfully un-civilized speeds, it really didn't enter my mind until about a day later!

Ironically, I also didn't notice if Jeff had the ESP turned off or not. Jeff, did you press the button and turn it off for the drive? Just curious. Thanks so much for the experience. I wish I had a video camera so I could share it with everyone here. Can't wait to get it on my car.