Spectre
The Deported
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2007
- Messages
- 36,832
- Location
- Dallas, Texas
- Car(s)
- 00 4Runner | 02 919 | 87 XJ6 | 86 CB700SC
Just wanted to point out that the 5.6 we got in the US was a punched out, but watered down motor. The 5 liter V8 was better in every way (and made 315hp) and was featured in many a grey imports before Mercedes wanted our politicians to think of the children.
Yes, but the reason we got that motor was that the 5L Merc motor wouldn't meet our new car smog regulations; when it was retuned and equipped to do so, it lost more than a third of its horsepower and would not get the W126/C126 out of its own way in a manner befitting the marketing or price. Hence the displacement change in an effort to get power back up. If you ever have a chance to drive a gray market 500SEC with the piggyback fuel injection computer installed by the importer to get the car US emissions compliant, do it. If the box is still working, you're in for a surprise and a drive of misery. Which is why such boxes were often removed by their owners after the import procedure was done and only reinstalled for smog checks.
While the 5.0 certainly could have been better and it's certainly not my favorite classic American V8, it's not really fair or just to compare a USDM engine's power outputs to a Euro market's one. Even today, EU market motors that are retrofitted or otherwise made to be compliant with US pollution laws often lose power upon doing so- and some EU engines simply cannot be made compliant at all, not and still have market-viable power numbers anyway.
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