how is a 230k a 1.8?

[C230kompressor]

iv just been looking at 203's for sale online !
i would like a bit more power so was looking at 230 kompressors
which iv had before in the 202's.
all the 203 230k's i can find are 1.8
how does that work? i always assumed the 180k was 1.8
the 200k was 2 litre the 230k was 2.3 etc etc
have i missed something or are people re badging?

 

[stwat]

As far as I am aware, they all use the same 1.8l engine but in different states of tune.

 

[C230kompressor]

I know some of the 180s were 2 litres as my 180 is a 2 litre on the logbook! But a 1.8 and a 2.3
Thats quite a bit of difference

 

[markjay]

The M271 engines found in W203 cars from 2003 to 2007 are all 4-cyl 1.8L.

The differences between the C180K, C200K, and the C230K are in lower compression ratios and bigger compressors (plus other minor tune ups) increasing the power from 143bhp on the C180K to 196bhp on the C230K.

 

[markjay]

Pre-2003 engines were indeed 2L.

 

[C230kompressor]

I see. So basicly mercedes just decided to make one engine and tweek it! Surely
There is more strain on a 1.8

 

[markjay]

Regulation re emissions and fuel consumption made manufacturers extract more power from less capacity.

On the latest incarnation of the M271 the supercharger was replaced with a turbocharger for this reason.

Obviously bhp is not the full story, a 6-cyl M272 will always be better to drive...

 

[DITTRICH]

The w203 is where the link between model number and engine capacity started to break down. markjay has it correct.

 

[Dieselman]

I see. So basicly mercedes just decided to make one engine and tweek it! Surely

Wasn't it Mitsubishi made the engines?

 

[redbaron]

How is this an issue - most mfrs have used different engines in different tune for years?

It is simple economies of scale.

bmw 1 er 116 118 120 i or d were all 2.0

merc diesel 200 220 250 all 2.1

the VAG 1.8t has been in tunes from 120 to 230 at pretty much every stop in-between.

How you badge them in the showroom is immaterial..

Wonder if c63 owner/renter's know it is not a 6.3?

 

[brucemillar]

Hmm. I have often wondered about this. My W203 - 2004 model is a C240.

This is a V6 petrol listed as a 2.6 litre lump. So the name on the tin really means nothing?

 

[tor_ake]

They should just put the BHP on the lid.

The 240 started out as 2.4 back in 97 but they discovered it was better for some reason to make it 2.6, but they did not change the output, still 170hp so they couldn't "up" the number on the rear.

Incidently, the 180, 200 and 230 on the M271 is pretty near what you can get out from the hardware, without replacing engine internals. The C180 yields 18xhp with headers, the 200 has lower compression so it can be kitted with pulleys and header to 200-ish hp, and the 230 has a larger supercharger, so with pulleys, header and the right software it might not make 230 but maybe 220.

 

[John]

Badges not lining up with engine sizes has been the case for a long time.

I can remember very early 80s 316 BMWs using a 1.8 engine. E36 323i used a de-tuned 325i 2.5i engine.

You may as well look at it as just a model rather than correlation.

 

[nick mercedes]

iv just been looking at 203's for sale online !
i would like a bit more power so was looking at 230 kompressors
which iv had before in the 202's.
all the 203 230k's i can find are 1.8
how does that work? i always assumed the 180k was 1.8
the 200k was 2 litre the 230k was 2.3 etc etc
have i missed something or are people re badging?

The older m111 evo engine seems a more durable engine than the m271 which seems to have a lot of issues.

 

[C230kompressor]

The older m111 evo engine seems a more durable engine than the m271 which seems to have a lot of issues.

is that the pre 2003? which would have been the same in the 202's?

 

[markjay]

There are pros and cons... the old engine was criticised for being rough and boomy, and it is also less powerful than even the entry-level model of the new model (in spite of being 2L while the new one is only 1.8L).

Incidentally, not all 4-cyl petrol engines were 1.8L, on the later W204 one of the C180 engines was in fact 1.6L. Guess it had great CO2 emissions...

 

[nick mercedes]

is that the pre 2003? which would have been the same in the 202's?

Sort of, same sort of engine as a 170 or a 208.

M271 can cost a fortune when they go wrong and used ones are thin on the ground due their fragile nature...