AMG C36 - A 14-Month Long-term Update (83'312 km)

The C36 was due for its 4'300km service on 5/19 immaturely since I had to go with Eddie with his X5 (also due for the service). I live no longer in the Chai Wan area so going to Pak Lok Auto is going to be a chore. So I will just go when I have a chance. Plus I suspect the engine oil was not going great since I had a couple weeks of engine overheating a month or so earlier.

Also I have the factory MB spark plugs replacing the TM plugs. It turned out to be a bad idea. Not only I lose power but also torque and responsiveness. I will put the TM plugs back in during the next service or earlier if I can find a chance. The mighty C36 engine now turns into a silky, creamily smooth C320.

Also I learn that the wiring to the transmission has hardened and therefore due for a replacement. The front pair of upper A-arms are also getting more and more frequent clunking noise whenever they are subject to some serious suspension travel or lateral loads. Those two expensive repairs will be on the list for the next service.

Otherwise the only complaint I have is the tendency of minor understeering. This can be solved either by changing to a stiffer and stickier front tires, or lifting the rear ride height by 10mm. The ride is perfectly acceptable to me now, provided that the front tire pressure is not above 32psi when cold. I especially enjoy the firm and controlled way that they flow over the speed bumps of all sizes and shapes.

Changing Spring Rate on C36 Update 3

I understand the last update (2) was not an update but some useful information. However this one is. After spending a week with the H&R I springs I felt there was room for improvement.

The H&R springs made the C36 handle a lot better. And the ride was very good for the first one or two inches of spring travel. However after that due to its progressive or variable-rate nature they became awfully hard when compressed. It gave a hard time to the shock absorber especially during the rebound. Simply the shock absorber could not cope with the higher spring rate (or rebound). The H&R springs was shorter by more than an inch and two coils less, compared to the original springs. It would be nice if the H&R springs were of the same height of the original springs. This way it would add perhaps one more inch of usable spring travel and suspension compliance. Also it would help to increase the ground clearance much needed to clear the ramps, dives, dips and rises of the HK roads and parking. Most of the time I had to slowing down to a crawling to clear.

So on a Saturday morning Shing Gor of Pak Lok Garage and myself set out to the Mercedes part store to look for alternate solution. I brought my original springs to compare. We searched the database and found out that the original springs in my C36 were from the first of the listed springs of the two generations recorded in the part database. Quickly the store provided the second generation springs for some comparison. Eureka! The two new springs were of the same spring height but with one coil less turn compared to the original, both front and rear. This would mean the new springs would have around 10-15% more spring rate. We examined further a few other points and concluded that it might just work for me.

The fitting took more than two hours. I chose the thinnest spring pads front and rear. My initial impression was the loss of sparkling handling but a return of the Mercedes classic ride I had been longing for since the days of C200. The front springs now sat a tad lower a few days later. The ride was surprisingly more compliant and compliant over rough roads. There seemed to be boundless amount of spring travel. There was a new found stability and firmness in the ride. It seemed to me that the original springs were indeed a bit soft and would not work with the new shock absorbers (AMG-Bilstein) that was installed 14 months ago. The new factory springs did work better with the shocks now and hence provided the much needed improvement. It was now a joy to ride the car in both smooth and rough pavement. There was reduced nose dives in each of the corner when the front wheel found its way into pot holes. There was the tuneful and muted bump thumbs alike the W126 that I remembered. The body movement was gentle and slow when the car floated through low frequency dives and crests at high speed.

It made me remember the ride in the C200.

Mercedes Part Number Reference:

Old Factory Spring came with the C36: Front (202.321.1204), Rear (202.324.1104)

New Factory Spring for C36: Front (202.321.1804), Rear (210.324.3104).

Changing Spring Rate on C36 Update 2

Following is quoted from a forum discussion on benzworld.org:

Springs differ in two main areas... spring rate and spring length. Changing the length does affect the rate, but let's talk about springs in their static state.

Mercedes makes a whole series of different springs. They have different rates and lengths. These different springs are spec'd for different cars. Higher spring rates are generally for use in a heavier car. Spring rates can also be increased to vary the "sporty" driving nature of the car. Different spring lengths are used to vary the ride height of a specific car. The different thickness spring shims (often referred to as "pads" on the forums) are used to vary the space between spring perches, effectively changing the length of the spring.

For a given car, using the weight based on the number of options installed, the desired ride height based on the car market, and the intended ride quality, the intended spring and shim can be calculated.

Because Mercedes wanted a more "sporty" driving quality with the AMG models, a higher spring rate was in order. Depending on whether the AMG car is intended for US or Euro markets, a different spring length is chosen to provide different ride heights. Since Mercedes has a huge catalog of different springs from which to choose, the logical course would be for AMG to specify what the desired characteristics are, then choose the off-the-shelf spring that matches these characteristics. The W210 E-class springs are higher spring rates to handle the slightly increased weight of the car, so these were used. That's why the AMG cars come from the factory with springs that look like regular Mercedes springs and have regular Mercedes part numbers.

Changing Spring Rate on C36 Update 1

This is a quote from a website http://www.spdusa.com/change.htm:

the Mercedes C280 sedan is changed into the Mercedes C280 Sport with very small changes. It has stiffer sway bars, the shocks are calibrated stiffer and like the Honda, they change the upper link in the front suspension. The spring rates are not changed!. The car is much more controllable at high speeds and high rates of yaw (turning quickly). The Mercedes C36 (now C43) has slightly stiffer springs for Europe, but not America.

Out of curiosity I have ordered a new spring kit for the C36. It was the H&R Sports Spring Kit Part Number 29377, designed for C36, C43, CLK430 and CLK55. They will lover the vehicle by 25mm, as claimed by their website and specification. Again I have ordered the spring kit with a reasonable discount via Pak Lok, my favorite garage for Mercedes. I chose H&R because of its reputation in ride quality and its German origin.

There is another H&R Sport Spring Kit Part Number 29277 for are designed for the rest of the W202 model range (for the lesser models like C280, C180 and anything in between). It says it will lower the height by as much as 40mm, which is scary to me. 

We needed to find the W210 spring pads to fit the top section of the H&R springs as they were not flat at the top as the factory springs. Judging from the difference in heights I selected the thickest spring pads front and rear. However when we dropped the car to the ground I was hugely disappointed. The car simply sat too low and it just looked plainly stupid. I was sure that was not the 25mm I had been expecting. I don't mind firmer spring rate but I seriously challenge the usefulness of lowered suspension.

Besides the ground clearance concern I had also issues with the reduced spring travel. It is bad for handling in my knowledge as we are dealing with street condition.

My drives in the next few days turn out fine. The springs were obviously carefully engineered not to be offensive. The ride was actually acceptable 85% of the time. Handling and traction have improved a lot, 40% plus in my subjective valuation. Steering responsive and diving while braking are also vastly improved. Still I could feel 15% of the time the whole car was under-damped, as I kept the very expensive factory Bilstein-AMG shock absorbers which was merely one year old. My wife actually prefers the new found handling finesse and gained traction. She does not mind the added hardness.

For me personally I prefer the softer and more floaty ride over sharpened handling and added traction. Anyway I don't really needed them to help me to drive fast and to meet occasional challenges on the streets. And I don't need to take the C36 to a morning drive. And I have planned to revert to the factory springs whenever I can find time to do so. I would like a new set of factory springs which I hope will be softer than my original springs that came with the C36, as well as the H&R spring kit.

Here are two web links to the H&R site (one from US and one from Germany):

http://www.hrsprings.com/site/index.html

http://www.h-r.com/

C36 vs C36

It is unfortunately I don't have any images to share here. Indeed it was an excited test drive for me. 1997 C36 vs. my own 1995 C36. The test drive was done two weeks ago via the arrangment from Pak Lok who found the 1997 car. My wife was there, too. Believe it or not, she gave the nod but I didn't take the car for an exchange. I was trying to find it because a lot of my friends are interested. However eventually none of them were brave enough to show up for a test drive and it was quite frustrating.

As all you know I have test driven a few C36s in the past, however they might all be alike in spec and performance. Needless to say my own was the best. This was no longer true after testing driving the 1997 version. There are enough changes to justify any reason to give up my own C36. First and foremost is the 5-speed gearbox, which gave much better response and completely change the way the big 3.6L engine deliver its power and speed. It accelerated much harder and faster. I have no doubted thru the quick change of gears it may out-accelerate my own C36 with 4-speed by as much as 1 seconds from 0-100kph. The 1997 was busy changing gears to answer the call of the gas pedal with the lively engine. You can feel the energy and the torque of the lively engine and the gearbox . My C36 quickly changed up to third gear and then hanged in there for a long time. While doing so, it relies on the 3.6L engine's torque and power to do the acceleration. I certainly find this lazy torquey American style way acceleration slightly more addictive. What's slightly disappointing is that the crazy shift mode (sports) in my C36 has changed to a 'winter' mode.

Engine-wise it wasn't as smooth as my C36 at idle. It did give a raspy and energetic engine note and has the responsiveness and free-revving spirit of a small engine. I couldn't not believe it is a big inline 6. The 5-speed gearbox does give the same (I believe) engine a different character. Only when you drive long enough you notice they are actually sharing the same engine. I have no doubt the ECU program has changed accordingly.

Besides being two years younger, the 1997 did have a much better body work with deep, luxious and smooth silver paint. The leather rear seats are in great condition. Honestly I don't like the newer busy-looking, heavily padded and thick AMG steering wheel. I don't like the new electronic a/c controls. I prefer the old rotary temp dials and buttons. They are responsive and rugged and require very little adjustment in getting the cockpit confortable throught the journey.

The ride is firmer and less floaty. The car feels slightly more solid. The....

C36 Engine Temperature - A 81'000km report

Sometimes before the last service I have noticed the engine water temperature shot over 100C occasionally. Sometimes it was 110C when I came home and parked the car.

Nevertheless I had Pak Lok to flush the radiator but it didn't help much in the following Saturday. It helped a bit but not much. On the positive side the engine still ran smoothly and willingly without a hitch.

I sent the car back to Pak Lok for a check and replaced the thermostat and the water temperature sensor. The water temperature soon dropped below 80C all the time, and reached no more than 85C in in the most stressful condition. But then engine was not responsive, sluggish, and unwilling to rev. And we could smell the unburnt from the exhaust in dead or slow traffic if the window was open. Obviously the engine was not in its optimal running temperature resulting in an incomplete combustion. It was a relief that the radiator and the engine cooling was excellent. The water passages and jackets were not blocked, otherwise the water temperature would remain high even after the part replacement.

It turned out that the Pak Lok used an OEM thermostat of 71C for general replacement. While it worked for all old MBs except for my own cool C36. The lack of on-road performance due to over-cooled water temperature has troubled me. So I reverted to my old "overheating" thermostat while waiting for the factory thermostat 86.5C ordered from Mercedes. Immediately the performance was back and the engine didn't mind it was 90C or 110C. Just like before, it simply pulled like a train smoothly and not complained a bit.

Finally today I have the thermostat replaced. After some hill climbing and slow crawling the water temperature shown was very stable at around 85C to 89C. Not bad in a ambient temperature of 25C to 28C. The engine seemed to enjoy itself in the narrow band of warm water temperature - quiet, smooth and torquey responsive and instant power on demand are how I would choose to describle it.

This hot summer will come the ultimate test. I will report then how it turns out.

This proved that the thermostat was faulty at the outset. And now the problem should be considered solved.

April 5th - After several days of running in different conditions, the engine temperature remains steadily in between 80 and the 100 lines of the water temp gauge. So far so good and the engine itself is longer stressed or labored. It just revs smoothly and effortless across the wide rev range. I am glad that it has gone back to what it supposes to be.

Now the windshield wiper was not working hard enough like it used to be. Time for replacement is not far away, I guess.

C36 Long-term Update (12 months and 79'000KM)

Slowly and for some unknown reason, the C36 has become Tiki's favorite car. C36 has grown on her after one year of ownership. I think it is the build quality, robustness and the responsiveness of the engine that win her heart. It was not as nimble and nice handling as the MX5, but I think in her view the difference is not important for daily driving.

The C36 has just got a wax job and a 8000km service. The C36 was last serviced more than 4 months ago. The car was so good and ran so flawlessly we decided to give it a wax job every time it was serviced, as a reward for it and ourselves. Between the lately much improved MX-5 and C36 Tiki still picked the C36 as her default ride. In turns I picked the MX5 more because it was in a much better shape mechanically since we owned them last summer.

There was some rattling from the Altec Lansing 6"x9" speaker on the left. It had nothing to do with the car itself. I need to yet find a way to kill the rattling at idle, as the noise would go away when the car starts to move. The engine idles smmothly and I guess it was the natural frequency of the overhanging treble-midrange assembly of the Altec Lansing. I thinking attaching some weight would change that frequency. Will let uou know later on that.

The broken engine temp light behind the console has been replaced. Engine oil, filter, air filter and the coolant were changed. Throttle vavle was cleaned. Engine response is improved and more refinement was felt. The car now feels 100kg lighter and moves off the line with relative ease.

The ride had worsen because someone at the garage didn't agree with my slightly under-inflated setting. While the rear can live with higher pressure up to 33psi when cold. The front tires should be set no more than 30lbs max.

The gearbox, while changing up and down smmothly without a hitch, suffers from slight hesitation while shifting among Reverse, Neutral and Drive modes. There was a minor vagueness, too, while engaged in D, when I move my right foot from braking to gas pedal. That's fine with me as I was not bothered by any of those, until I was told my the owner of Pak Lok who did the elevaluation of my C36 after it had been serviced. Really even I know now I do not mind and I happily learn that I could live with the vagueness. Normally under similar circumstance I would plan a gearbox overhaul. Not this time.

The car was almost one year now. It passed the annual inspection even before the service. So we decide to keep for another year. At least it is decided for now until we will be tempted by another MB. I really like its (W202) understated, smart and yet slightly outdated look. Despite a few dents and minor scratches on bumpers that we collected in the past 12 months, with the new wax job the C36 still looks its part. 

I would like to do something special on the C36 and wondering what would be a good choice. Beefing up the stereo or a new set of 18" or 19" wheels and tires? Nah. It seems not exciting enough. New paint job? Maybe and perhaps not. Perhaps a change back to the refurbished original AMG wheels that are sitting at the back of the parking space.

MX-5 Long-Term Update (6.5 months and 39'500 KMs)

This is a brief update following the last blog entry not long ago.

During last week when the Honda DC2 (integra Type-R) is ready I left the MX5 to the KYB. KYB has this special gear oil "NEO" (a USA formulation for the real-life racing application). This would be the last hope of getting rid of the notchiness in MX5 manual box, especially when it was cold. I picked up the car last Sunday and the gear change was like a wet dream, not close to knife through softened butter but 85% there. Anyway it was a huge improvement and I felt gladly that an expensive gear oil can save the beautiful MX5 from its biggest drawback.

The gear oil change made my day.

I am glad that I don't need to have someone to open up the gearbox to check the tear and wear, and hence find a fix.

Now both C36 and the MX5 get my equal vote of daily use. Really I have difficulty sometimes which car to take out. Sometimes it is easy because my wife will take one first and I have no choice but to take the remaining one. However in a few rare occasions I had a hard time to decide, hence just took the public transport and left both cars at home.

I know it is a stupid thing to do and why the hell I need to have two cars at home. Well I can tell you that sometimes I do feel very good about taking public transport when I know I have a choice. It is a state of mind. No man needs to have three cars at once as a practical means of transport. It is no economical, nor even environmental friendly. I am sure I am not a number one guy favored by Al Gore, ranking at the top of the list contributing to the global warming. Damned me.

MX-5 Long-Term Update (6 months and 39'000 KMs)

The MX-5 was having its second service in the middle of Janurary. Its registration and annual government inspection was performed. This time I decided on a thicker Miller synthetic oil instead of the thin, more free-flowing (or watery in that sense) Japanese Speed Master. Fuel filter and air filter were changed.

We also gave it a good wax job from NTI.

For some reason the car's cranky clutch and sticky gear shift was improved. The clutch had no longer any issues and the clutch action was smooth, cold or warm-up. It felt very patchy and blocky before when the engine was cold. The flat spot in the mid-rev range was gone. The power delivery is more linear and seemed to have 5% more grunt.

The MX5 drives like a dream with the top down. With the roof up it is tolerable and the handling is not as good as with the top down. Don't ask me why it is just how I feel about it.

Fuel consumption remains reasonable at slightly over 10 KMs per L.

After the service we did use the car more now at 3 times a week. We were thinking about not keeping the MX5 because of low usage and now we have a second thought. My wife Tiki said we should keep it for as long as we can enjoy it.

It was very rare for me to meet another second generation MX5 on the road. It in a way makes the MX5 unique on the roads of Hong Kong. Although I think not high about being unique. From the way I conduct my driving on roads, I am better off left unseen and un-noticed.

3.5L V6 Family Sedans and the truth about them....

Car Plus ran an article for a review of Toyota Camry 3.5L and Nissan Cefiro 350JM. It caught my attention and I bought the newest (Janurary) issue right off the convenience store on the X'mas day. Both front-heavy-and-front-drive cars have straight line power but are humbled by their siblings with smaller engine in the corners, of any radius.

If you know earlier my decision to get the Mercedes AMG C36 this March was based on an early test drive of the Toyota Camry 3.5L (both 2.4L and 3.5L) in Feb. It was a rare test drive arrangement that an old Toyota salesman has arranged for us. The car actually felt more manageable than I thought, with the big 3.5L V6 with its accessories hanging off its nose. My initial impression was very good, despite I could always feel the mass. Toyota actually achieves something quite like what Mercedes does with its famed S-class - making a heavy car feel nimble and easy to manuver under "certain speed" and general road condition. Don't get me wrong. There are tons of engineering and development behind this achievement.

Go get your copy of the Car Plus and read about it. It is the kind of the article that attracts my attention. And I have waited 10 months for this article. What is the fuss about it? Well you know I bitch always about the wrong power/weight ratio of modern cars, and their emission control and the passive safety advancement.

This leads to the next question. Why I need 3.5L engine instead of 3.0L, 2.5L or 2.0L? I need the 3.5L as a minimum as a power reserve because there is a lack of advancement in automobile engineering, thanks to the marketing and the poor consumer public who have shown in the last 10 years the auto industry where the future is.

If you don't know what I am talking about, read this. Our cars are getting heavier in the last 10 years, by at least 15% or more in my estimate. And the tighter emission control and device has ripped the performance off our engine. And thanks to all of that, our cars are getting more expensive, too. And there is more. Depite the fuel efficiency claims of the modern cars, I don't think in the real world condition the cars today are more fuel efficient than those 10 years ago. It makes me think that enough engineering has been done in the past in fuel economy and whatever that have been done in the last tens years are only to offset with weight penalty of the passive safety equipment, luxury items and the 20 air bags.

What I want? I want a 1.5L engine Honda Civic with 0-100kph (0-62mph) in less than 8 seconds, with gross weight no more than 1,000kg. Please look at what our current environmental, sporty Civic we have today and tell me what you think. Ditto the Toyota Corolla. Both companies can no longer produce their entry level family sedans with 1.3L engine. Why? It is because then the cars will be too damned slowed and the sophisticated emission control and multiple catalytic convertors will just strangle the little peppy engine to suffocation. Don't believe me, get yourself, if you can find one, a 1.3L 4-speed manual VW Golf made in 1980s for a test drive. You will be amazed by two facts - first how much technolgy has advanced in the past 20 years. Second how little these advancements have done to us in a meaningful way.

And to end this blog, I have two groups of people to blame. First the majority of marketing people /product managers in the top selling or failing auto companies - their stupidity increases together with their power to show the direction, influence and shape the new cars we drive today. I suggest that they should always have an engineering degree or an pure science discipline under their belt and not a MBA degree. Sorry, I have both. Second it is the mass consumer public who have shown always the awful truth that "customer is always right". Thank you and it actually saved me money by making me turning to junk yards or second hand markets to look for ride made roughly 10 years ago. It is a shame, man!

MX5 - A 4-Month Long-term Update

If you notice I haven't discussed much about the MX5 in the blog. Don't get the wrong idea I still drive the little open-top twice a week. It is a fact that it gets less use between Tiki and myself. We have nothing against the MX5. We use it in bad weather as well as in the nice days.

I have no complaint about its suspension and handling. I think it is just right and complaint enough for most of the road conditions of Hong Kong. Although it is easy to detect the body flexing from time to time, the body and the interior trim still feel like like one tough solid piece. Rattling is rare and interior trim noise is low, even with the inferior road conditions. It was really an impressive feast how Mazda engineers have worked out a magical compromise. MK1 Mx5 has been known to be weak in this area. MK2 really improved on this big time.

The drivetrain (engine and transmission) is not really ranking very high on my list. The gearbox is notchy when it is cold. Sometimes it is difficult to shift from 1st and 2nd gear. However I must say that the gearbox and gearchange actions have improved since day one back in August. Somehow I feel that the clutch condition and/or the poor gearbox oil are to be blamed. However I find them tolerable as they are. The gearbox is a six-speeder that I was told a bit more difficult and less smooth and finesse when compared to the original 5-speeder. Anyway. I will have the gearbox/gear looked at during the next routine check.

The engine has a very nice smooth torque from 1'500 to 2'500 rpm. Acceleration in any gear at this rpm range is just really nice, with a feel of smoothness and urgency. Unfortunately it was so narrow but still usable in the less hurried traffic conditions. While the power and torque above 3'ooo rpm are present and linear in the delivery, there is nothing to brag about. It could be the flow restrictive catalytic convertor that was the culprit. Sorry, I have no plan to replace with an after-market, flow-free exhaust.

I think the MX5 is best driven as it is, as it is magically engineered where its deficit is very tolerable and easily forgiven. It does not have the leisurely and yet smooth torque and power delivery of the big inline-6 but it gets the job done one way or other.

AMG C36 - An 8-Month Long-term Update

To be honest, I like the C36 more than the MX-5 even thought the split in terms of usage is like 60/40. I wrote more about C36 than I did with MX-5. MX-5 is a fantastic car but it seems to me that I always have more materials on the C36.

I did a follow-up suspension adjustment right after return from the Kyoto trip last Saturday (November 25th). The rear ride height was lifted half an inch to its original height while the front was kept low. I like the steering feel and quick turn-in by lowering the ride height by half an inch in the front. So no change in the front. By lowering the ride height both front and rear the cambers were also increased, more in rear than in front, visually speaking.

In my previous report I have told what I found in the handling and ride. However after a few weeks I found that the rear was way too grippy and stable, and refused to self steer under load, therefore lessening the front wheel cornering load. The result was a tight and a nervous handling that constantly needs adjustment, especially when cornering in an inconsistently cambered road surface. And despite the additional grip and decisive turn-in the front would always want to understeer and behave slightly weird under steering load because the rear failed to give and passively steer. Simply there was way too much grip in the back due to lower ride height, lower CG, and increased camber. So I had been thinking of going back to where it was before where it felt very nice.

After changing the rear spring pads I was a bit nervous about it. Fortunately the C36 still looked level despite the higher ride height on rear wheels. One can tell the tire to wheel arch distance was different between front to back now but not easy to tell if viewed from a distance. The rear seemed to work with the front in harmony and the consistence was back. Basically I got what I want after only a trial and error. Not so bad, dude, and I lost the nervousness and tight handling characteristics I do not wish to find on any Mercedes.

The C36 runs fine as usual. Its ability to steer in tight space and make 2-point turn (instead of 3-point) in narrowly two-lane with small turning circle still amazes me today as it were the first day I laid my hands on the W202. It is a kind of car that I will leave it on a busy or quiet street (Mongkok, sidewalks or whatever) for a few hours or whole day without worrying a bit. I did that a lot now and it seemed to provided the added sense of freedom (of not worrying). I wonder if I will behave the same if I run a more expensive car.

Of course the ride could be better but I am not complaining. It is now and has always been too springy for me, as if the car is slightly under-dampened. It is not the best and will pale in comparison to the modern Bimmers and Mercs. The magic is that it works for me and is liveable as a means for A-to-B transport and daily commuting. I had bad experience when I was not happy in a big way with a much more expensive and overall better cars. But not this C36, as I don't love it nor hate it but like it a little. What am I looking at now for the future? A black 2003 E55 AMG...and it came with a pair of air twisters. However it is something that could not be traded with my pocket changes. So I will leave the idea at that.

AMG C36 - A 6-Month Long-term Update (Part 2)

The picture above was taken on Saturday (Oct 21st). With watchful eyes you would notice that the C36 has been dropped 1cm (half an inch) fron and rear. However I doubt you would because I need to measure by a ruler to tell. I did not change to sport springs or lowered suspension. I don't dare to think we the humble motorists can do any better job than a team of AMG engineers more than 11 years ago. Those who think they could can continue to dream on and suffer. The C36 still wears original springs and AMG shocks. The trick is to use thinner factory spring rubber pads. Why not lower even more? Well, I still need to go places where ground clearance is of paramount importance. Second, lower height does not mean better since it will hurt the handling balance (front and rear, as well as left and right) and suspesion geometry (usually resulting in more negative camber).

Suspension travel is important in HK, especially in some of the corners and roads that I need to make the car lean and move the center of gravity around to induce rear steering to balance the front understeer. Harder and/or shortened spring will make the task more difficult and I need to carry more speed into the corner to create the desirable amount of wheel loading. Otherwise the car will feel stiff and unwilling to turn progressively. With stiff and lowered springs the turn-in will always be snappy and direct but it also makes the chassis feels lifeless. Most of the time it does not help corner speed and smoothness. I have tried enough "amateur" modified "daily" cars myself who think theirs were a success. But in the end it would be heart-breaking to tell the owner it is much worse than the original car that he has started with. Putting a dent into someone's ego is not my cup of tea, so I always keep that to myself until a certain point.

By that 1cm I already feel sitting lower in the driver seat. I can feel the center of gravity dropped, too. There is no more rocking side to side. It cleans up a lot of quite a lot of body movement. And the suspension seems to deal with road irregularities with faster response, especially the speed bumps and road joints. Turn-in is much improved and the car feels more in one-piece. Corners now feel slower and more stable at the same speed. However ride hurts noticeably (or feels differently) even though the compliance and suspension travels are still retained. It is a good trade-off and the ride isn't offensive either. I have a feeling that once the car (or myself) has been broken-in, the pereceived smoothness and refinement will come back. My fingers crossed.

Steering effort has increased, perhaps due to increase in negative camber. A little amount of tramlining not felt before has presented itself. The front end is more snappy, stable and firmly planted on the road. The rear is no longer tail happy as before (slight disappointment here). There was a trade-off. It took me a few months to get used to the previous setting which I disliked in the first month or two (back in summer). Now it is time for me to learn again how to adopt this new setting. Ride definitely is choppier and less refined (more bump thumps). Gone was the initial softness (floatiness) in the first inch of suspesnsion travel. However the whole package is now more nimble and chuckable. Love it or hate it! I really don't mind the old ride. Either setting will work for me. It is hard for me to believe that reducing 1/2 inch of ride height without any change in springs and shocks provides such significant changes in ride and handling. Dropping the ride height by an inch will definitely be disaster to me.

Engine oil (Miller synethetic from a drum) and transmission oils have been changed at this 72'060km service. Throttle cable has been changed. What a joy and highly recommended! Much finer throttle response and the modulation is fantastic. Feeling I am driving another engine and reminding me the ultra smooth C240 we once owned. Rear parking sensors (4) were fitted. My wife absolutely loved it and wanted the same for the MX-5 even though there was one fitted.

To end this entry I must tell you one story and how I was forced to bring the car to the garage on Thursday leaving workplace. Well I did not drive the C36 nor it was driven to the garage. It was towed! When I told my friends my C36 was stranded in the middle of highway they laughed at me and told me to stop bragging about the reliability of Mercedes AMG cars. And get a life and an updated Japanese car. Well, they were wrong again. Ignoring the fuel warning light for a long time, I ran out of fuel thinking there might be 10 to 20 km worth of fuel left in the tank. My bad. Still I can claim that my C36 is as reliable as I speak now. I am not proud of nor feel bad about my first and hopefully the last bad experience. Now let's see this:

AMG C36 - A 6-Month Long-term Update (Part 1)

網誌分類：Motoring Experience in Hong Kong |

網誌日期：2006-10-13 20:27

The C36 remains a great ride for daily commutating. Reliable and refined despite some bump-thump on rough pavements. Smooth, torquey and quiet engine is its hallmark. Power and responsiveness are an advantage when looking for gaps in heavy traffic or a quick lane change. What C36 differentiates itself from its W202 brothers and sisters is its build quality and robustness. And there is a dose of calmness and peace feeling that can only be found in much bigger, less nimble Mercedes. I have started to worry about C36 that is growing on me. If the weather condition does not allow me to take the MX-5 with roof down, I will take the C36.

I have made a long list of things to fix. However Mercedes makes cars in such a way nothing really breaks all of a sudden. Instead it will deteriorate slowly so it is difficult to determine exactly when it is a good point to change or replace. Even though I have set up a policy it is not always a no-brainer. My policy is that if there is a threat to passive saftey or a nuisance, I will ask to fix. Will give an update here after the service.

W202 is a fine car to put good car stereo in. It is inherently a quiet place and solidly built. What has been bothering me is the factory speaker sizes (5" only)  for the front and the rear deck (6.5" only). They don't allow me to put the speakers of 'right' size in. Frustrating!

After 6 months it was time to "upgrade" the stereo inside the C36 with 'drastic' measure. In the past I used Focal 5" 2-way in the front and 6.5" 2-way in the rear deck, with Nakamichi CD300 CD-Player as head unit. The sound quality definitely has much room to improve. I thought hard about the upgrade and did not want to spend money, if all possible. I wanted to keep the system simple, with no weight penalty of added audio components or harnesses. This time I did not use the Kam Lun in Mongkok since very time I did not get good result. Money spent and the experience was not usually rewarding. I do not want to carry an amplifier unless it is the best amplifier my little pocket money can afford (this way only second-handed). I used a one-man small shop for his workmanship and skill, and his superb patience with me.

What I did was fun. the 6.5" Focals were moved to the front. With some modification and new wood panel the 6.5" would fit into the 5" factory speaker location. The bigger and deeper magnet fitted like a glove inside the front door panels. There is no interference and it was hidden well behind factory grille. Nice. I traded my 5" Focal two-way for the small shop's Altec Lansing ALS693 (used, very old and more than 10 years old). They sounded good with clean and punchy bass. Good for pop music. The shop owner happened to own 4 of the classics and I picked the best among them. However another panel and metal cutting were needed to mount the 6x9" speaker in the 6" space in the rear shelf deck. Again the shop owner did a beautiful job and hid the ALS693 (as old as the C36 I believe) securely behind the factory grille. I had no idea but the American 6x9" sounded great with the French Focal in the front. It was a sweet surprise. The CD300 Nakamichi remained. Not bad. The sound is now much improved, with fuller body and more presence and vocal details. The best part is the natural mid-bass and more punchiness. Soundstage is expanded and appears wider.

Next step would be getting a Audison 2-channel amp to power the Focal in the front. Right now I am happy with what I have. And it is time to enjoy the music on the road.

Road aggression and road presence

I believe there is a subtle change in some of the fellow road users in HK when there is a climate change. Climate change is not necessarily same as the weather change. The result of the climate change would result in more aggression in some of the keen road users, or a slight disrespect of other road users and less polite road manners in others. I found this change taking place today (9/18) even though the weather has been dry and cooler since early last week. I remember the similar case two years ago during a small traffic accident on June 30th where I ran into a frentic young Mercedes CLK230 driver. He slammed his car into my Subaru and sued me for riskless driving. Of course my wife and I made sure that he dropped his case.

In my own case, it results in a more defensive driving attitude towards my road rights. By that I mean I am least tolerant of the road users that do not meet my 'own' set of rules of driving, and subsequently tell them the explicit message of who is the 'boss' here by flexing the traffic muscle. Of course while doing so I myself sometimes commit traffic offence, minor as they may be, and ugly behvaior which makes myself laugh and embarasses my passenger (90% of the time it is my wife). Sometimes I explain to myself that rules are made to be broken when the traffic is thin but good for all when it is thick. Anyway I try to feel least guilty about it, even if sometimes I get myself into trouble. I just treat this as an inevitablity in life and tell my own ego to let go.

Sometimes it is difficult to tell the other driver not to get into my way if I am driving a wrong car, or a car that lacks the presence on the road. An Toyota Echo or C200 Mercedes Benz is hardly convincing. Of course there would be least problem with the C36 AMG or the roaring DC2. People usually give way when I am thundering down the road twice the road legal speed limit. I have no idea why there is a difference between the C36 and C200 because they look the same to me. But on the road C36 has road presence, even with its subtle innocent look. And it was the main reason why I gave up the C200 that is on the top of my pre-owned list. MX-5 is a mixed bag. It needs to drive relative swift and go around corners fast in order to create a road presence.

There I have the solution to myself during the time of climate transition. Drive cars with more road presence.

A short ride in the Z3 M Roadster

Too bad the short drive experience took place in a rainstorm. Not only I could not enjoy the drive with the roof down, but also could not unleash its M power (3.2L Inline 6 engine - 321PS). Finally at the last stretch of highway I was able to rev the engine to 4000rpm at 3rd gear. Boy, does this engine have power? Whoosh....

The ride was firm with good damping. The body was structurally sound and strong. The controls are meatier and require more effort compared to MX-5. In general it is easy and relatively stress-free car. Refinement is above average. The driver chair is comfortable, unlike the typical E46 chair requiring constant adjustment.

Low-end torque is aplenty for its weight (my guess is a little over 1'400kg) and I am sure it has plenty of power up its sleeve about 4000rpm. The engine feels stronger than the 3.6L AMG inline 6 in but more so from mid to high rev range. I think 0-100kph can be done in 6s. It is indeed a much faster car than C36 if the M power is unleashed. Engine refinement is high but I really doubt the engine has been broken in at all.

Excellent power to weight ratio - 321ps for 1'4xxkg. Similar to Mitsubishi Evos.

Tire sizes front and back are exactly the same as the C36. 225/45R17 and 245/40R17 Bridgestone. A sweet surprise. Bridgestone S-03 tires.

I was asked to pick up the car for a service check from the owner's resident to the Pak Lok garage. I took maximum care in that process.

Is it a replacement for the MX5? You bet, but not in a couple years.

Really it is a modern classic.

Mitsubishi "i" - The Rear-midship K-car

I was drawn to the car a month ago before it showed up in the showroom, next to where my office was. I was with my colleague who was actively shopping for a replacement for his 5-year old Mercedes A190. In July we finally paid a visit at the showroom during a lunch break to actually kick its tires, check out the interior and touch its metal skin. We did not have a test drive but simply were curious. Finally my colleague found himself a shining black VW Golf 1.6FSi with a good price. And we thought the price of HK$128,000 was high. We liked it a lot but could not readily accept its compactness.

There was some form of attraction just by looking at the early images and reading the spec sheet. I could not clearly tell you what exactly the factors were. I did not actually like the K-car concept. And I thought the "i" or any K-car would be too small and underpowered. What really drew my attention was its design/engineering, simplicity and effectiveness as a means of daily transport. I have then read many magazines about the "i", and all seem to respond positively after the test drive. One magazine reporter was delighted by the effectiveness of its air conditioning in the hot summer of Hong Kong, and the nimbleness of the 900kg chassis.

I have always high respect for the engineering at Mitsubishi, although not always in the "design" area. "i" seems to get both right. I like the look and I don't mind being seen in owning and driving one. I like the big slanted windshield and the supersized "double-wishbone" single-armed windshield wiper. It is so Mercedes. Of course it was designed as a platform for the next generation Smart-for-four, or in a slightly shortened and modifed form - the Smart-for-two.

I have no idea how it feels to drive it. I am not a big fan of 660-cc 3-cylinder turbo engine, which should be okay in terms of power and refinement (hopefully). The 0-100kph time of 12.5 seconds does not impress, but is not too slow either. A lot of small family, mid-size 2.0L sedans and 7-seaters also fall in this performance level. No big deal if it is good to drive. Fortunately Mitsubishi or Sime Darby did not opt for the dreadful CVT gearbox, but a well-engineered 4-speed auto box. It was reported to be excellent and working very well together with the small turbo engine.

In terms of fuel consumption it should be frugal. 18.4km/L (10.15 mode) and the 35L fuel tank should give a max. range of 644km. My guess is that it will have a 450-500km range for every fuel stop, approx. HK$400 per fill-up and around HK$0.8/km (based on HK$14/L fuel price).

Having said so much about the car, I think I should ask for a test drive to find out more.

What are your perfect cars?

網誌分類：Motoring Experience in Hong Kong |

網誌日期：2006-09-02 04:32

What is a daily car?

- must be relatively easy to maintain

- must be fuel efficient

- stress free and comfortable.

- basic luxury and excellent engineering

- a positive and clear image

- nimble and relatively light weight and balanced.

- good handling, willing to corner and responsive torquey smooth power delivery.

- painless to own and use.

- not worry about where to park and can go anywhere without second thought.

How I live with it:

- after a period I will be more sensitive to the shortcomings as the advantages and positive feelings fade.

- I need to live with the image.

- I need to live with the lack of power (C200)

- how to stop the negative feeling from building up?

- sometimes the build-up is not tangible as I find reasons here and there to shift attention and/or reduce the amount. But eventually it will catch up with me and ending up with a replacement.

- Tiki suggests I should always go for the best and avoid the intermediate. Going for the best go inline with a balanced decision.

MX-5 in the Slalom

At the invitation of the Peter I attended in the Sunday afternoon the slalom activity on the island side. I did not want to mention the name of the annual event because I didn't think it was well organized. The organizers there had done their best but every year it was just the same. I went there at 4pm and did my two rounds around 5pm. As expected I was given two opportunities and in both trials I had it wrong through the course and through the cones. No one was to blame because I knew I was a slow learner.

However after seeing all the more powerful and heavier cars before me smoking their tires and understeered I was happy to report that my little MX-5 did great. All the tight corners could be tackled with quick flips of steering wheel left or right, without the use of handbrake. The MX-5 has a clean and sharp weight transfer and handling, even with a passenger on board. The Toyos are worth a big mention. I just loved it. I went to wrong route twice so my time was not recorded.

However I was asked to leave after my trial. And I did with Tiki.

And I heard Peter won the competition with his Evo in his class. Congratualation!

Pity I did not see it.

Next time I need to get a ride first through the course before my trial.

AMG C36 - A 5-Month Long-term Update

The above image was taken almost two months ago by Eddie Ling. Thanks, Eddie.

It has been a while since I wrote about the AMG C36. Apparently my feeling for the C36 had changed slightly when the MX-5 arrived. Some were good and some were nearly not as good. The AMG has been with us since late March this year and has been a reliable workhorse. However it always seemed to be a much much longer time. Over the weekend I thought to myself what would I get next, a BMW or a Toyota/Lexus. I need to remind myself that it is not the time yet, at least not until Christmas.

Our time split between C36 and MX-5 has been 50/50. On rainy days of course we take the C36 always. Ditto when we need to carry more than ourselves or move a lot of stuff from one point to another. Having said that, we are entirely happy with the carrying capacity of the MX-5.

The C36 will be due for the 5000km oil change and service in a week or so. We report no problem whatsoever. The car feels more substantial and solid than either of the C200 and C240 we once owned, despite being the oldest of the trio. I believe it was handbuilt with the best engineered parts and components available in the mid 90's. It starts instantly in the morning every time with a twist of the key. It makes a lot of noise under the bonnet during the first minute and quiet down soon enough when the engine oil fully circulates and reaches all the moving parts. A/C runs and hums for a cool and quiet interior. Its engine still pulls like a train and remains smooth and silent at idle or city driving. When asked to do its AMG duty it will scream and redline without hesitation.

What separates the driving experience (or pleasure) between MX-5 and the C36 is the steering, chassis and the weight (1,030kg vs 1,600kg). While the MX-5 and the C36 have similar level of grips and double wishbone suspension in all 4 corners, there are a lot of play and body movement in the much heavier car. C36 just feels a lot less precise and less confidence inspiring. Only looking at the C36 speedometer I can tell myself I am probably going fast enough but the cornering limit is still convservative. I think I can always go faster but don't know exactly how. There is plenty of grip (Michelin PS2 225 in the front and 245 at the back), which cannot always be felt, especially in the wet. The C36 simply understeers initially and needs a few "seconds" to settle itself after weight transfer. In fast cornering it is important to dial the steering very quickly with slight trail braking to kill the understeering and settle the car. All needs to be done in a smooth and graceful way, especially in the quick left-right-left or right-left-right twisties. Believe me, it is always a handful, with the big Mercedes steering wheel. A BMW with similar weight will just do much better in the steering and handling department.

However it has always been a relax drive in the C36. There is no need to rev the engine up above 3,000rpm in city driving with good pace unless there is a need to impress fellow drivers sharing the road with me. Fuel consumption is much better than most people think (12L per 100km or 8.33km/L on average recorded since day one). The gear ratios chosen in the 4-speed auto can only be described as perfect. It will cruise at 2'500rpm at 100kph at 4th gear and seldom requires a kickdown 90% of the time. There is not a big gap between 2nd and 3rd gear I find in most cars today. The gearbox sometimes is a bit jerky but most of the time it does its job seemlessly without being noticed. There is a big change in the gear strategy when switching from "E" to "S" mode. In "S" mode, it will always keep the engine revving above 3,000rpm, where the engine is on the "hot" cams. I uses "S" mode very occasionally, sometimes after the action was over I remembered I could have used the "S" mode to a better effect.

A wax job at North Point was given to C36 on Sept 2nd, Saturday. It looked Fantastic.