2009-05-22
After the turbo installation it's time to upgrade the brakes and the suspension. The goal is to build the car to W201 190E 2.5-16 specs where possible. This is the starting point with the small non-ventilated front brake discs.

Removal of the steering knuckle and the front wheel hub from the shock absorber and the lower control arm.

Here is the new ventilated brake disc and the new teering knuckle and front wheel hub. The parts are from the model W124 and are the same as in the model W201 190E 2.5-16.

2009-05-24
I changed the front springs and the brake calipers. In the pic is the longer original 190E front spring  and the shorter 2.5-16 front spring. The original dimensions are: free height 398 mm, coil thickness 13,7 mm, 10 revs, outer diemeter 108 mm and spring rate approx. 50,3 N/mm. The dimensions for the 2.5-16 spring: free height 373 mm, coil thickness 14,4 mm, 10,75 revs, outer diemeter 108 mm and spring rate approx. 57,7 N/mm. I changed the springs with budget coil compressors. The compressed length is good to be less than 320...330 mm when it is put in place.

The new front disc in place...

..and the suspension and brakes ready.

2009-05-26
The front end is ready. The changed parts are the steering knuckles and wheel hubs, brake discs, pads and calipers and the front springs and the torsion bar.

2009-05-27
The rear end is ready. The changed parts are the rear springs and the torsion bar.

2009-05-28
A rolling road dyno gave: engine power 138 kW (188 hp) and rear wheel power 116 kW (158 hp) with 0.45 bar (6.5 psi) boost. Original power in 1990 was 87 kW (118 hp).

2009-06-28
The best quartermile with the new setup has been 15.86 s at 139.6 km/h (86.7 mph). The time is about 0.6 s slower and the trap speed about 14 km/h slower than those measured with the acceleration meter. The trap speed and the weight of 1340 kg (2950 lbs) gives an estimated rear wheel power of 150 hp which is quite near the dyno value of 158 hp.

Top speed in a one mile pull was 198 km/h (123 mph). The mixture went too lean (over 0.9 lambda) at about 5500 rpm in fourth gear. In the diagram below are the lambda and rpm values as a function of time in a one mile drive. The kickdown was active in the upchange from first ro second and by-passed after that.