vincentie

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Wow looks nice wondern how it sounds. I guess its just personal prefence!!!!! That looks like it would cost less too!!?

snooozie

DON"T do this in Cali.....

snooozie

Cudaized - I would do the high flow cats, then the x-pipe...that will sound better...

mrbeverlyhills

I think we all go too far sometimes in the hopes of getting noticeable HP ffrom a mod. There isn't much to be gained from any one thing but if added up you can see some real gains: Pulley, headers, X Pipe etc. but you really run the risk of going overboard and winding up with a car that loses some of its civilized nature on the street.

I wouldn't touch the cats at all ever: resale is a problem anywhere and here in CA you are dead with the smog folks, the car WILL NOT pass.

The X pipe is a nice touch in place of the resonator, the sound was a bit much for the first day or so but now I think it is just right-what the car should sound like. Still more subdued than a new CLS or E55 but a nice powerful hum in all rev ranges especially of course with your foot all the way in. Forr $200 out the door it was well worth it to me.

Instead of trying to go faster with each mod-we can spin the wheels from start already For Pete's sake- if your car has over 80,000 miles try changing the shocks and getting really good tires. It changed my car completely and is the most noticeable change I have done. A pleasure to dive, eats bumps, reduces float and now goes around corners like it is on a rail.

Tools and I are mortal enemies so getting the X pipe off of fleabay was a mistake. Just go to a performance shop and have them do the whole thing, even in Outer Mongolia it can't be over $300 and it is a great improvement to the car.

snooozie

Mrbeveryhills - I second your motion on the mods. I really think putting the highflow cats were unnecessary as far as power goes. Also, please do not cut the primary cats as this will throw the engine off. I would do the x-pipe and that's as far as I go. You are right with the resale. No one who wants to get a MB that sounded like a Camaro with straight pipes. Well, ebay is a great place to get hardware if you live in the area where there is not much and the guy at the shop will have to order thru his catalogue anyway. Youi are very fortunate to have a performance shop close by and the price is great..

mrbeverlyhills

Don't forget, MBZ and AMG do an enormous amount mof testing for the cars and don't mean to leave much HP on the table if they can help it. If they don't put something on the cars it may be for a very good reason. Exhaust has always been a blind spot for both of them so a little gain in HP and a more powerful sound-like the newer cars now- is a good thing. I personally would not want any more sound than what this mod gave me, too much of a good thing is too much.

I see some drastically lowered 55s, huge rims, spoilers and blacked out chrome and I know that is not the original target market. Those guys like to hang out with the other rice rockets and peel out at the local Burger King.

Take your car up to 100 mph and drive a few hours, see how fresh you are after a long trip in one of the safest cars ever made and that is the target market. Last time I did that I went to change the music and get a CD on and looked up to see I was doing 120 mph, you would never know, rock solid and purring like a big cat.

AMS Performance

AMS Pulley, Headers, X-pipe & high flow 2nd cats will not create any sacrifice in civility of any kind. Normal daily driving will be just as refined as stock with a smooth subtle improvement in exhaust tone. When you put your foot down & go WOT then you hear the additional improvement in exhaust sound.

Now if you delete 2nd cats and do high flow primaries and etc, then you will start making serious sacrifices.

AMS purposely designed its products to provide the same level of refinement & quality as OEM but improve on many of the cars design flaws. It is a true "sleeper" setup, its quiet when you want it, and sporty when you feel like driving more aggressively.

Hope that helps,
AMS

snooozie

Talking about dragstrip...we have the wednesday night drag racing at the mickey d's over at the northend of bridgeport...mod hondas and toyotas with high flowing cats and lowed suspensions....lol you are right mrbev...mb is not suppose to be out with the honda civics and toyota corollas

mrbeverlyhills

Hahahaha, I am not trying to put down the Fast and Furious crowd, some very quick cars come out to our local track and are IMPOSSIBLE to run down at least for me in a 1973 911. But you can't really hear anything next to them even at idle with those ham hock exhausts.

I am sure the AMS add ons are the best available and have thought about getting a pulley, Omey very kindly emailed me their package and it remains on the wishlist for after I get the wheels refinished, drip rails repainted and new headlight units.

Still, guys, these cars are very quick right out of the box. Hammer the car for 10 minutes on the twisties and for about a week the adaptive settings go to OMG and the car is just a screamer right?

snooozie

Seriously, these older civics and corollas tried to race me once on the highway....with my standard full res and all the oem cats and pipes....I still smoke them until I can't see them anymore in my rear mirror....x-pipe or not, I know I have an AMG and not just a MB. I'm a diesel guy from the very begining....in college I got my dad's '80 4 spd 240D (I had 420,000 miles before I sold it. The car had an entra 20 gallon tank in the back. The thing is like a tank...then I graduate to a '86 190D 2.5 and etc...and only recently...last year that I decided to get a gas engine....boy...did I get a gas engine benz...100mph was like a myth with the diesels but now it like a bad habit everytime I get behind the wheel

snooozie

BTW Mr Bev...I like the way you describe the pipes as ham hocks....

snooozie

Guys...I finally got around to get the x-pipe and mandrel bends installed. The sound is still not loud enough. I might be thinking of straight pipes with 2nd cat delete sooon here are some pictures of the pipe been put on. Ray told me to install it closer to the bend and have the mendrel bends coming out of the x-pipe instead of the other way. $100 for the installation....if anyone in the east coast who would like this mod and want to install it, pm me and I'll give you Ray's number. He specialized in exhaust mod.

mikene55

https://mbworld.org/forums/4603177-post7.html

delete cats and resonator

x-pipe - $30
labor - $100
cats recycle +$160

very nice mod and I made $30 doing it.

vincentie

i did mine myself and did the high flow secondary cats and when i was finished i had every mechanic that walked by and looked at it,compliment the nice welds i put on ( work at a dealer do collision work)... I took everything off from the down pipes after i tacked so i would get super nice beads all the way around!!!! I am pretty happy with it just cant wait to get headers and a tune!!!

blackhecilopter

Would like to see pics.

I would like to do the AMS headers and possibly high flow metal primaries, car already has x-pipe/resonator/!cat mod.

snooozie

Hi....haven't been on this forum for a minute....just want to give you all an update on the x-pipe I installed in May of this year. After a while...I recently can actually hear the 'Grawl' of the exhaust, especially starting the engine and pressing on the gas pedal . I can also feel the smoother pickup from the higher rpms pulling from 80 to 100 on the highway. I might replace the 2nd cats with the shorter Magnaflow high flow cats this spring

AMS Performance

Swap them out for the thunderbolt cats available off ebay. 300-cell metal core cats should give you an additional 10-12HP/TQ @ wheels. will really wake up the car. They are only ebay for about $70-80 each, worth every penny.

snooozie

Now you got me thinking...I saw some 100 cell highflows somewhere in the net and was wondering if that is even better...hmmm:>