Secular_55k

Hey all,

just purchased a 2006 E55 AMG that has 118k miles on it for 12.4k.

First impressions: Holy s*** that torque. its addictive. This is the first merc i've owned and went with this due to power, relatively low purchasing cost, and overall (from what i've read) decent reliability compared to most other german power-house cars.

I do plan on modding the car ( pretty heavily... atleast for me :P) so i figured i would give a wish-list of sorts. and if you think i am missing any key mods please let me know!

Power:

-Bigger throttlebody
-Intake
-Longtube headers + mufflers
-Pulley + tune
-bigger heat exchanger(intercooler)
-MAYBE some race cams

Cosmetic:

-E63 front end conversion
-Rohana RF2 Matte Black Rotary Forming Wheels ( 19x8.5 F 23 lbs 19x10 R 23.5 lbs)
30% tint all around (except windshield)
-Most likely going to wrap or paint the car ( havent decided which yet or which color )
-few other misc. stuff (cf spoiler, wrapping here and there, etc)


More to come soon and will keep this updated as kind of a way to keep track of my build

Thanks!

Hotsauce55

Congrats! Set aside some funds for SBC and airmatic failures. Suspension and alternator will be in question too at that mileage if original. Keep us updated

Secular_55k

What is SBC? also airmatics have already been replaced!

C32Mark

It's on the passenger side of the car. A big metal box with hard lines going to it. Its called the sensotronic brake control.

C32Mark

I would also look in to getting a quaife limited slip differential.

black06c230

No to cams and HE. Go trunk tank and meth for cooling. Also LSD

Secular_55k

Any product suggestions with the kit for the trunk tank / meth?

Ruthle55

just get a nice heat exchanger. You don't need a trunk tank or meth.

C32Mark

+1

oneslow55

Only need those upgrades if your drag racing ..Doing pulls on the street with those upgrades are not needed !If you want little more add a spit cooling setup and your good to go

Max.H

If you plan to own it, Plan on spending money to maintain and repair the car first. Forget race cams. There is no such thing. GL

gts007

Welcome. Nice pick up.

Secular_55k

Thanks all, and before i do any of those mods i will be doing all the maintenance i can think of. I plan on this car being my DD and i really would like for it to be bulletproof. So i am going to do a lot to help my cause.

I am thinking about going with the VRP stage 3 cooling kit ( link below )

http://vrpspeed.com/index.php?route=...product_id=191

Thoughts?

also, thoughts on going on coils? ( i have heard mixed reviews but one of the best things about it is not having to replace the struts and pump for the air ride) i love the air ride but could be convinced to get coils.

Plans for the car are... daily driver, just-for-fun autocrossing, and some 1/4 track time.

I just figured out these cars come with open diff so one of my first mods will be an LSD for sure.

patrick_y

This car will be awful for autocrossing.

This is definitely more of a car for highway cruising and 1/4mile track times.

Stay off the cooling kit until you've gotten acclimated to the car for a few seasons. No need to jump into modding it right away unless you find the power inadequate already.

black06c230

For a bit more the $1000 of the VRP setup you can go trunk tank and meth. I never tracked mine which is why I have never posted times. I just wanted the best setup to ensure the most power at all times.

spawn_x

12.5K for a '55 with 120K miles is a lot

You can find out with half the miles for only another couple grand more, which is what you should have done..

Secular_55k

Spawn_x, completely irrelevant. however...that is actually fairly cheap from what i looked at. most of them for 60k miles were going for 18+.. also like i said i am going to autocross the car just for ****s and giggs. I do not expect it to perform like a corvette or anything of that nature.

I would rather avoid the trunk tank, to be honest.

Right now im focused on preventative maintenance:

Rear main seal
Trans mounts
Fuel pumps
Fuel relays
Fuel filter
Spark plugs
Oil sensor( needs replaced now )
bushings check
valve cover gasket ( maybe )

and a few other little odds and ends.

Anything else im missing? Motor mounts, SC oil change, airmatic struts + pump changed, and trans flushed already within the last 25k miles.

i want to get everything like that out of the way before i start modding.

Secular_55k

Oh also, planning on going LSD within a month or two. Im thinking wavetrack because after reading up on it a little bit seems to be a bit cheaper and perform a bit better than the quaife.

spawn_x

If you want an LSD, you might want to look at doing a diff swap from an e63 - it might be cheaper, and will have better gearing for track

Rear main seal means tranny coming out, that's a job I would avoid unless its actually leaking (from what I've read, this is not very common)

Have both the rear air spring and shock been changed, or just the front air struts? If not, change the rears too.


I am with patrick though, bad car to auto-x = air suspension, too front end heavy, heavy in general, forced induction, expensive, etc. I had an e46 M3 before this, and that was the car to auto-x if you want to go german. You are going to kill it on the straights, but other than that, you'll get outrun by 3500 dollar Miata's .

I would seriously put some thought into whether you want to continue this route. You might save yourself a lot of money and headache by selling the 55 now and picking a different car. You will not have fun in the 55 on an auto-x track, it is going to be a big disappointment.. drive this as your DD instead

just trying to save your money bro

C32Mark

My E55 had the front and rear air bags done at 100K and I just did the rear airmatic shocks today. What a difference that made. 100% more solid in the rear. Mine were leaking especially the driver rear. Good luck with your build.

Secular_55k

like i said before, just autocrossing for fun.. not trying to compete but just to have fun.

but anyways.. e63 diff is LSD? would it be better than a wavetrack? i honestly dont mind spending more money for a better product. im not going to cut corners to save money on the car if im sacrificing quality.

oneslow55

E55 and cls handle like **** vs a m3 so don't try to even think it will come close .add coils,stiffer bushings and corner balance it then it will improve a lot but still it's a Benz chassis is difffent and not made to handle the best ..I got mine on star lowered and it handles good now I'm down 1.5 inches

bbirdwell

Secular_55K, PM me your email address so I can send you some info about E55s...if this is your first Mercedes you're going to want it....

spawn_x

e63 came with an optional LSD, but the advantage in your case would also be the numerically lower differential ratio of 2.82 vs 2.65. If you are paying to install the LSD then also factor in that cost that you would save, so an e63 diff with LSD you might kill four birds with one stone, and sell it later when you sell the car (since you will have the stock diff to put back in)

ghlainez

I also am considering the wavetrack and put 3.08 ring and pinion. is the E63 with LSD the way to go? is it plug and play or do some modifications need to be done?