PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

Ok -- I just got home and thought I'd share what happened hardly 10 minutes ago...

I was driving back from my friend's place, and I take a final right turn onto this major road that'll lead right up to my residential area (where I take a left and enter the subdivision). Anyways, it's night out, and as I take the right turn, I see in my rear-view another car that has cool Xenons, and yellow fogs -- however, I first think "GS4XX" .. but no, the headlamps aren't as clear as the Lexus's. So I slow down a little and let this mystery pull up next to me (i'm about two minutes away from taking that left into my subdivision...) .. It's a MB C36 or C43 -- I want to say C36 b/c of the yellow fogs -- I think all new mercedes have the clear ones like I have on my E320. At any rate, he's pacing along at 55mph, and so am I .. so .. whoA .. there goes that left turn I was tellin' ya about .. forget that!!! It's a cool night out, not too many cars, I'm ready to square away at a stop light with this mofo.

So I approach a light that just turned green .. and I punch it ahead of him (i go from the right to the left lane) to intice him into a friendly race (if this is getting too long.. scroll down to <<<THE RACE>>>) In the distance I see a lonely car slowly pulling up to a red light and he's still beind me, approaching quickly. I jump in front of that slow car and now I'm on his immediate left -- WE'RE AT A STOPLIGHT!!

<<<THE RACE>>>

I quickly glance over at his car and I see all these stuffed animals littering the interior.. so I think uh-oh.. some dad w/ his kid.. better not do this now.. but I drop into SS (big mistake as you'll see) and put my left ft. on the brake and my right on the accel., just in case he wants to party. ***GREEN*** He slowly goes into it, we're headlight to headlight -- then he PUNCHES IT!! .. so do I -- he got a 1/4 car lead and we're neck and neck to 80mph which comes up REAL FAST!!! .. and then "stutter stutter stutter" and MY CAR STARTS JERKING FORWARD AT 80 MPH!!... I FORGOT TO SHIFT DAMMIT!!!!@#$#^# I could have easily kept up w/ him thru 3rd gear, and then he mighta got me .. but we ran outta real estate. Now I'm all worried (since this is the first time I banged the rev limiter .. ever.. and over four times for that matter..) . I'm hopin' I didn't ruin anything, so I roll down the windows to listen for anything wrong .. all fine. I drop to 2nd again (finally shifted to 3rd after he let off the gas) .. as we're approaching a crowded red, I jump on the throttle, get ahead of him and put on my blinkers to remind him I kept up w/ his $55,000 Mercedes no prob. Then I took a left and circled back to go home -- still listening for anything wrong w/ the TL-S.

I love this car!!!!!!!

Hey -- quick q... is it bad to hit the rev limiter once in a while??

Hope you enjoyed this.. I know I did!

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2002 TL Type S
White Diamond Pearl
Parchment

AC

Nice!

Don't worry, I use to hit my rev limiter alot in my TL. I redline the hell out of my Bimmer now. I'd like to think that even though the TL/TLS redlines at 6750-7000, today's technology will easily let the car go up to 8000 but just to be on the safe side, they limit it at the range that it is. Now I'm sure if you do it ALL the time it probably ain't good for the car.

BTW, I think you're right, no chance against the C-anything beyond 3rd gear. ARGGGGG, damn Acura 4th gear.

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

I can only imagine what the TL-S would be like if we didn't have such an extraordinarily tall 4th gear -- the car would literally pull to it's top speed as consistently as an M3 does! I wonder what the TL-S mated w/ the M3 manual-box would be like -- eheheheheheh fun!!!

AC

No doubt, hell I'd buy a new one then!

AKRY

Great kill!!! Just can't resist it eh?? Stoned a '96 Mustang GT Conv and a '90 Honda CRX(tricked out) today.... they shouldn't have tried...

Anyways, regarding that "C36", I hate to burst your bubbles, but C36/C43 comes with WHITE foglights, which are mounted on the bumper(like TL-S). So, the one you raced must be a C280 with AMG kit and some mods(heavy mods I would say as stock C280 would NOT be able to keep up with TL-S for sure).

Andy Kuo

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'92 Mercedes-Benz 400SE
Pearl Grey/Black

'02 Acura TL-S
Satin Silver/Ebony, w/out NAV

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

VTEC

I got beat really badly in h-way by C43.Even can't keep up 110-140 mph..with C43.

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2000 3.2TL Firepepper red w/o nav
stock spoiler
Comptech springs
Custom front Grill
Bosch 4+ platinum spark plug
25% Tint/Mud guards/
acura-tl.com sticker at front windshield

BarryH

I traded in a '97 C36 for my TL-S. The C36 would blow the doors off of even a modified TL-S. It has 276HP and 284LB of torque. 0-60 is 5.8 seconds and the 1/4 mile is in the 13's. 90% of it's torque is available at under 2000 RPM's. For those that like to race, I wouldn't mess with any M-B AMG or BMW M.

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

Andy --

I don't think it was a rebadged C280, he did pull on me slightly after he had the 1/4 carlength lead, then I hit the end of 2nd gear and BAM -- rev limiter .. bounced off of that like a little kid on a trampoline! I know it couldn't have been a modded C280 -- no way -- it had the 17" AMG rims.. on the back on the right it had the classic ///AMG in chrome.. and I saw a CXX .. only two numbers, but it was too dark to decipher if it was C36 or 43 -- I'll say C36 so I don't get flamed .. hehehe.

BarryH:

I dunno bro -- this wasn't an off-the-line WOT race.. we both gunned it at about 7 or 8 mph (big difference in 0-60 mph time for ANY car, i think you'd agree). Like I said, he gunned it before I did, but he pulled ever so slowly on me -- that's how I KNOW he had a C36, not a C280 (I've never even SEEN a modded MB in my area -- we live in a wealthy suburb, no one needs to mod a less expensive MB, they just go buy the real thing!) Barry I remember you mentioning you had your C36 before you traded it in -- did yours have yellow fogs? I know I've seen a C36 w/ yellow fogs before.

Here's the link stating the 1996 C36 does the 0-60 in 6.4 seconds:

Mercedes-Benz C36 Performance Stats

268 hp/280 lb-ft 1995 C36

This 1995 model had less hp than the 1996, and it only had a 4-speed automatic; this fact coupled w/ the fact that its peak torque is at 4,000 rpm, leads to me believe it was a '95 C36 -- and I'd say these two cars are very close in straight-line performance (TL-S and C36). We have peak torque at the high-end of the powerband so each time we shift, the VTEC will still pull hard **until 4th gear**

Here's the line stating the C43 does it in 5.9 seconds:

Mercedes-Benz C43 Performance Stats

If you go to car-stats.com .. look up the C36, they post 14.4 and 14.5 1/4-mile times -- all these stats are extracted from mag. times and what-not. With the way the C36 is geared -- peak torque in the middle of the powerband, I can see how the VTEC of the TL-S could keep up w/ it until the end of third gear. Plus, the C36 will launch a hell of a lot better since its RWD -- A modded TL-S would beat a C36 by inches to the 1/4 mile.

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by PeterUbers on May 10, 2001 @ ]</font>

BarryH

The fogs on the C36 are wierd. There are actually two sets. One set is the standard C factory fogs in the headlights and there's a set of auxilary fogs in the front spoiler. The 95's had yellow fogs flanking the headlights. The 96-97's had halogen headlights flanked by white fogs. They all had the second set of white fogs in the spoiler. Although when you used the spoiler fogs the rear fog would come on also totally confusing drivers behind you (it looked like one brake light was on all the time).

The 97's were the first with the 5 speed (vs. 4 speed) automatic and a revised chip which upped their horsepower and torque to 276/284. The inline 6 in the 97's was as fast as the V8 in the C43's because of better weight distribution. The C43 weighs about 125lbs more than the C36 and carries it all over the front wheels.

It was a cool car and I enjoyed owning it. They only imported 700 over three years so it was less common than the BMW M3. I never got to really push it's performance though because when I lived in Lincoln Park and commuted to Oak Brook I was always in bumper to bumper traffic. In NY/NJ, the roads are so bad the AMG suspension made the car feel like a carnival ride.

To me the TL-S represents a decent balance between performance and handling and driving comfort and overall value.

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

BarryH --

I totally understand the traffic issue in the southwest Chicago suburbs -- I lived in Elmhurst for a few years -- Oakbrook traffic sux .. specially on Butterfield and 22nd St. I still think the C43/36/ and the new C32 are the coolest looking midsized sedans on the road -- the M3's styling has nothing on 'em w/ the AMG package. You had a sharp car bro, but your TL-S is just as nice!

AKRY

Peter --

C36 with 4-speed auto isn't all that impressive, some how as the tranny is still the old design, hydraulic tranny instead of the newer, electronic controlled. Neverthless, it's a nice kill!!! Time for me to find my victim(s)... MUHAHAH..

BarryH --

Regular C-Class has foglights(Foglights are WHITE on C-Class) in the inner side of the headlight housing. However, C36/C43 has the inner one as High Beam instead of Fog... Foglights is the one in the front air-dam. As for rear foglight, you can have just front foglights on(I am sure you are aware of it, but some members on this forum may not)by pull out the headlight switch by one click, pull it out 2 clicks(the orange light will lit)will activate the rear foglight also.

C36 was pretty much maxed out(mechanical-wise, which is based on the same 3.2L I-6 used on S320)and is darn fast. As BarryH stated, C43 is barely any faster than C36. And in some tests, C43 is actually a tick slower.....

Andy Kuo

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'92 Mercedes-Benz 400SE
Pearl Grey/Black

'02 Acura TL-S
Satin Silver/Ebony, w/out NAV

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

BarryH

Dude, I owned the car for four years. I know how the fog lights work(ed). So you know, you turn the regular lights off and on by turning the switch to the right. To turn on the headlight based fogs you pull the switch out one notch. To turn on the auxillary fogs in the spoiler and the rear fog you pull the switch out again to it's second setting. The headlight fogs go out when the auxillary fogs go on. You can also use either set of fogs without the headlights being on.

You're also wrong about the inline six engine. It's a bored out and stroked version of the 2.8L used in the regular C with all mechanical modifications done by hand at the AMG shop.

I still have the original '97 brochure. PM me if you have any more questions as this must be incredibly boring to everyone else on the board.

AC

Not boring at all. I still think it probably was a C36 since I can't imagine the C280 beating the TLS. However, again, notice that Peter did not hit 4th gear, in which most German cars 328,330,C280,and so on and so on, would have inched/walked away from our beloved.

Guest

PETERUBERS:

I live in Elmhurst now and I definitely agree that traffic on 22nd and Butterfield is a b*tch. They have police route people out of some of the buildings on the other side of the road which brings traffic to a dead stop.

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

Patmac:

I used to intern at the Waste Management facility on Butterfield Rd., right after Yorktown Mall. This was back in '97, and I used to tell my manager I was done for the day .. w/ all my intern duties JUST to beat the traffic -- loved the job to death, but I had to leave exactly 15 minutes before 4:00 pm or I'd actually be in traffic for more than 45 minutes more!! Go figure.

About racing and needing a car in "the turns" as so many people talk about when the M3 comes up or perhaps the S4 -- In mine and Patmac's neck of the woods, the only time you can "race in turns" is probably at night, and cops are everywhere -- Don't see much sense in purchasing a supercar like the S4, M3 just so I can only drive it like I drive the TL-S w/ the occassional whomp on a C36! Just my $.02 -- Patmac, good to meet ya, what color is your TL-S, I'll look for you -- I'm in Naperville right now!

1000bpm

I work bang opposite the Oakbrook Mall, on 22nd. Imagine how frustating it is for me