"190e30-Now with COSWORTH" (190e30)
10/25/2020 at 20:57 • Filed to: None
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"190e30-Now with COSWORTH" (190e30)
10/25/2020 at 20:57 • Filed to: None | 8
| 12 |
Some of you may have seen me posting about the progression of my M272-powered C230 build over the course of the last few months, as I jumped into the quest to make a 3800lbs (3400lbs, upon consulting my photos. Whoops!) car turn. The fruits of my labor had a chance to yield some success this weekend, despite damp conditions on Saturday and frigid conditions Sunday.
Overall, the car was good. The weight of this chassis is something I have yet to outdrive (weighed at 3385 without me in it and a half-tank of gas). The Goodyear Eagle Sport All-Seasons were predictably a clear weak point, as even in the questionable conditions of either day, they were unable to provide the grip and confidence that similarly-classed cars (STX) were demonstrating with RE71Rs.
This was genuinely rewarding for me. My first project I’ve embarked on, and from full suspension, to a fairly-involved intake manifold/throttle body swap, to completing a custom oil catch can install the night before the event, I’ve delved into a whole lot of “Well nobody really does this to these, but I’m going to try my best.” And after a whole weekend, nothing went wrong. No oil leaks. A bone dry catch can. No clunks, no knocks, no lights on the dash. I did it and it works.
(Swipe to video 2 to see how my All-Seasons operated under some left foot braking).
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
Moving forward, two things are necessary; tires and brakes. This car came to me with unknown pads and rotors, and I feel it. Stopping power was minimal at the onset of a run and trailed to none with heat. Keep in mind that this car received the 4-piston fronts from a C55 as part of the sport package, and this should not have been an issue.
Tires were a whole different battle. Understeer took a lot of effort to fend off all weekend due to the weight of the car, and stopping was also greatly affected in this area. Brake-biased traction control meant that in order to fully shut down all helpers to keep them from interfering in my runs, I had to put the car in “Dyno Mode” which also meant disabling ABS. This was a new concept to me, and I was only able to use about 40% of my brake pedal before the fronts would lose grip and lock.
A good weekend. Full of body roll, trail braking, and lovely M272 noises.
For more on this build, feel free to check out my Instagram (tagged above) as well as some of my more educational videos on my YouTube channel, titled “Danny Plays With Cars.”
fintail
> 190e30-Now with COSWORTH
10/25/2020 at 21:31 |
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These weigh 3800 lbs? Geez. My W210 E55 AMG weighed roughly that, and the fintail weighs around 800 lbs less.
way2blu does a rev update
> 190e30-Now with COSWORTH
10/25/2020 at 21:33 |
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Followed & will subscribe too. This is good oppo.
That M272 exhaust tone is really nice. Makes me hesitant to sell my ‘06 C230 6MT:
What’s been your favorite part of the 203 driving experience? I really enjoy how comfortable mine is despite the super low factory ride height.
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190e30-Now with COSWORTH
> way2blu does a rev update
10/25/2020 at 21:56 |
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I love that it does everything. Mine is on adjustable Konis and H&R springs plus sway bars, and it just works. I commute in it every day, tuned yet hovering around 30mpg, and it rides like stock. T hen I bring it to something like this and it’s knocking on the door of cars on true coilovers and good tires.
These chassis were underrated, and the 2007 Sport in particular. A lot of good upgrades from the factory made this a surprisingly nimble car when stock.
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190e30-Now with COSWORTH
> fintail
10/25/2020 at 21:59 |
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Just checked my photos and I was dead wrong. Not sure where I got the original number from but will revise in the original post.
Chalk the understeer up to my driving then, ha
W210 AMGs rule. My dad has had a couple, and the V8 is an absolute sledgehammer. A really good chassis and interior to boot.
S65
> 190e30-Now with COSWORTH
10/25/2020 at 22:07 |
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Good deal, how are your Konis for street use
?
Are you going to swap out the pads and rotors for something more aggressive
? What sway bars did you put on it?
Also, I read your post on your college years a bit back. It was wonderfully written. Looking forward to see what else you get up to.
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190e30-Now with COSWORTH
> S65
10/25/2020 at 22:14 |
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Thanks for the kind words! That one was fun to do, and a big motivation behind this build; the fastest car or most logical choice isn’t always the most fun.
The Konis are exactly what I wanted. Several times this weekend I found myself wishing I had done a true coilovers like the majority of other cars competing, but at the end of the day the car was plenty competent and tomorrow I get to twist the knob to “Soft” and lazily ride into work on the bumpy disasters that are Connecticut highways. The ride is sublime enough to rival stock Mercedes suspension.
Pads and rotors all around will be next, yes. FCPEuro just started stocking a full set of rotors and EBC yellow pads for this thing, so looking forward to cashing in on a lifetime warranty for those.
I have an adjustable rear sway from H&R (I believe 19mm) and a front sway from a CLK63 Black Series (I believe 22mm). I think those are likely where I found the pace that I was able to get out of this thing.
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S65
> 190e30-Now with COSWORTH
10/25/2020 at 22:29 |
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Yeah I want to do something similar with my Honda, lower it and autocross it. I ’m not sure if I wanna do springs + struts like you did or coilovers, I already have a bigger rear sway bar for it ( 19mm ) . and I w ould like a front to match.
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fintail
> 190e30-Now with COSWORTH
10/25/2020 at 22:47 |
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That seems more in line with what I was thinking.
Yeah, my E55 was a great car, amazing powertrain in those. My biggest case of seller’s remorse is selling that one on.
Derpwagon
> 190e30-Now with COSWORTH
10/26/2020 at 00:59 |
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One of those is for sale near me for pretty cheap. I'm half tempted.
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190e30-Now with COSWORTH
> Derpwagon
10/26/2020 at 05:33 |
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They’re excellent cars, just be sure to buy the right one. A lot of these had a balance shaft issue that requires a very expensive service, and if you don’t do it in time the repercussions can be even more expensive. If you have a vin you can check for this on BenzMedic and other websites to see if your engine serial falls in the window of failure, because Mercedes eventually switched to a revised balance shaft in late production.
The PCV system is a little wonky and fails a lot, but the parts are cheap and the work isn’t too hard. But when it does fail, extra oil gets into the intake manifold (which has electronically-adjusting swirl flaps) and typically will lead to flaps failing, triggering a code. The recommended move is to replace the whole manifold, which is around $700 for a new Mercedes unit.
These are really the only things to look out for. Otherwise, mine has 140k and was full throttle nearly all weekend without missing a beat.
mhr555
> 190e30-Now with COSWORTH
10/26/2020 at 07:13 |
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Dammit...why can’t y’all get some real numbers. Painter’s tape drives me nuts!!!
UserNotFound
> 190e30-Now with COSWORTH
10/26/2020 at 07:37 |
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Very cool. Love seeing the wrong car s used the right way.
This reminds me of my dream of Chump Car racing an E320. There's one I could pick up for cheap if I ever wanted to ...