(Ram Dakota) midsize pickup truck to be built in Toledo in 2028!

[ShadowsPapa]

However, I take issue with your position on the MB front suspensions. They may ride nicely but they can be the most needlessly complicated Rube Goldberg-esque contraptions possibly ever fitted to anything with wheels that isn't a BMW. (who also famously ran AWD model driveshafts THROUGH the oil pan instead of spinning the motor around)

Very different suspension from what we talked about. In fact, he brought parts with him to show te design, the materials (a forging I'd not seen before) and we talked about how it was very much like the WK2 front steering/suspension.

What you are showing is a nightmare for sure.

Sponsored

 

[ChrisNLA]

If it's the infrared immobilizer fob, then yes, that was one of the best electronic gizmos Mercedes ever designed. It remains the only immobilizer that cannot be defeated as far as I know. The fob has an IR transmitter than must be plugged into the vehicle in order to start. There's no RF that can be cloned, no key to be cut. Either the car gets the signal direct from the fob or it's bricked.

However, I take issue with your position on the MB front suspensions. They may ride nicely but they can be the most needlessly complicated Rube Goldberg-esque contraptions possibly ever fitted to anything with wheels that isn't a BMW. (who also famously ran AWD model driveshafts THROUGH the oil pan instead of spinning the motor around)

W124 4matic insanity:

*Hank Hill voice*

What in the world.

 

[BourbonRunner]

Very different suspension from what we talked about. In fact, he brought parts with him to show te design, the materials (a forging I'd not seen before) and we talked about how it was very much like the WK2 front steering/suspension.

What you are showing is a nightmare for sure.

The DaimlerChrysler mashup wasn't entirely a failure at least from an engineering and design standpoint. Good engineering is timeless because it's good. There's a reason why the OM617 is still considered one of the greatest motors ever made and was in Benz's for almost 30 years relatively unchanged. Had it not been for more stringent emissions it still would be in production.

That said some of the MB front ends, even the non 4Matics are nightmare fuel.

*Hank Hill voice*

What in the world.

Blame zee Germans.

 

[BourbonRunner]

Here's a shot of the front end of the same era W124 non 4Matic to give you an idea of how silly Zee Germans can get.

The spring from the 4Matic version though... that stretch is where the driveshaft runs THROUGH the damned thing. Nuts. Yet, it works incredibly well with a ride that is smoother than your grandfather's Eldorado.

Not to be outdone by the guys in Stuttgart, over in Munich BMW engineers said "Hold my Marzen and watch this" and ran the shaft right through the oil pan with a brace to hold the diff in place. To do a gasket replacement on the pan you have to suspend the whole motor with a beam, drop the subframe, pull the axle...

Sponsored