ctC230K

I have an Announcement to Make
I have decided that i'm totally 110% happy with my 05' c230 SS and when the lease is up i'm buying it no question.
I have also decided that I am going to start a special project with the guys at ICS Performance in Stamford to tune my car and see how fast we can get it while keeping the warranty valid and keeping it a little luxurious.
This is not going to be a track/drag strip/race car, this is going to be a luxury sedan that has some serious power. I am aiming for close to C55 power with the average MPG I get now, around 21-24MPG.
I will not be doing any more exterior mods until the performance mods are complete.
Stage 1) I am planning a Pulley Kit, Chip, and Exhaust. (Already have the K&N E2011 Filter, installed this morning (6-8HP).
I estimate the Pulley might add 10 to 20 HP, the Chip 18 HP, and the Exhaust 10 HP giving me 38 HP minimum and a goal of 235 HP on the low side and 260 on the high side.
Stage 1 will be completed hopefully within the next two months.
The car dyno'd at 177.07 HP 146.93 TQ with only the K&N filter, everything else stock. The runs are exactly consistant every time.



George at ICS also gave me a ride in their 800HP e36 M3. What a crazy fast car. Spins tires in all gears. I have a video i'll post later.
Stay tuned for more crazyness to come.
ctC230K

mbny

did you happen to dyno the car before the K&N install?

nlpamg

I was about to say the same thing... I'm too lazy to search for the stock dyno to compare, but if the K&N does have an improvement, I think I'll get one, or a GreenFilter from Neal.

Thanks!

ctC230K

i wanted to but i was so busy watching my own wheels turning on the dyno, listening to the exhaust and the guys working i didn't have time. they got me on the dyno after hours because i got there a little later than i planned, we got it on the dyno at about 6pm, i hung out there till 10pm.
I also detailed the car today and got it washed.
here's the soon to be beast on the dyno (i was praying those straps are tight lol)

Saprissa

not to rain on your parade, but....

How do you know you got 6-8 hp just from a K&N filter ???

What's the use of a DYNO if you don't have baseline numbers ?

Good luck !

Check your math !

ctC230K

not to rain on your parade, but....

How do you know you got 6-8 hp just from a K&N filter ???
I know the car is faster, atleast 6HP gain, no need to question that.

What's the use of a DYNO if you don't have baseline numbers ?
Air filter wasn't worth the time to take back off and put the stock one back on, i really dont care what the stock filter's numbers were. They did 5 runs as it is which is more than usual. No time for BSing around.
Good luck !
Thank you I will need it. You think i'm kidding huh? just wait...
Check your math !
Okay, but why?????? No problem there bud.

tommy

Because no one has even come close to the numbers that you're estimating, that's why. You'll probably see 20-25hp TOTAL from everything that you're doing. The exhaust will not even yield 2 hp, for example.

Without a baseline, you have no way to claim 6hp, and once again, no one else has gotten those kinds of gains; it's been 1-2 hp at best. You may feel that you've gotten more hp, but you're probably feeling the difference in sound, and assuming gains that are not there.

Like Saprissa said, I'm not trying to rain on your parade either, but your estimates are just not supportable by the data so far; if you get them, of course, I'll be happy for you, and fully admit to being wrong.

You should also consider doing non-hp mods at the same time - what's the fun of increasing hp on the stock suspension. Also, if you doing this, would be smart to consider light wheels, which would free up some additional hp.

Good luck with your project.

ctC230K

wooowww not even 2hp??? ok for the exhaust i was estimating the number from a typical BMW off the top of my head, and exhaust for those are not more than 10hp, I believe SuperSprint makes the best gain.
You guys do know that this is ICS Performance and not just some hole in the wall shop I'm working with, if something I do doesn't produce enough power they will custom fabricate whatever is needed to make it powerful.

yes there is a diff in sound, but this is how i explain it- now it really sounds like the engine can breathe, it revs easier.
everything I could do in 1st and 2nd gear I can now do in 2nd and almost into 3rd gear, it's a lot easier to spin the tires by accident in first now.

tuscanraider

Why are you trying to make a slow car fast? Enjoy the C class as a commuter car, like I do. If you want to race go buy a 'vette, mustang, camaro, etc.

Make a fast car faster, not a slow car a little quicker.

ctC230K

it's not to race, i don't know about you but to me the stock car is very fast! i want it faster yet it will be a total sleeper! no one will expect it. that's what i want. so when the A-hole in the A4 3.0 is tailgating me i can give it some gas and pull a 1/4 mile ahead of him while he is scratching his head wondering wtf just happened.

taylor192

Depends on what you mean by exhaust. Replacing the headers right back to the tail pipe might get 20-30 HP, yet replacing from the cat-back will only get 2-3 hp. Its been done, the MB exhaust is well designed. The headers and cat rob the most HP, start there first.

I'd say with headers, pulleys (over-drive and under-drive), and chip you might get 30-40 HP increase. We're staring to see results posted of pulleys/chips for the M271 and 10-20 HP looks promising, can't wait for new header dynos.

taylor192

Don't listen to the idiots that will tell you to buy a faster car. Sure for the same cash you'll invest you could just trade in and get the 2006 C350, or invest a bit more and find a S4, M3, C32/C55 yet what fun is that? People with this mindset are lazy and unimaginative.

Anyone can buy a car with big HP, it takes dedication for someone to take a car they love and make it better.

BklynBenz

heres a video of a 730 rwhp m3 from ics

http://www.icsperformance.com/ICS%20...rmance.com.wmv

tuscanraider

Perhaps, but they ususally win the race.

Depends on what you want. You can work on a slower car that you "love" all summer adding bolt-ons and get slapped on the street or at the track. OR you can buy a quick car, make it faster and win a better % of the time.

Maybe because you are canadian this doesn't register.

respdoc

ct230K,

While I ditto Tuscanraiders comments about the car; Taylor is a diehard
believer that the C's are worth the time modding...guess each to their own...


If it was me and I wanted to seriously look into making my car fast I would start by selling my current one and looking into getting Speedwerx's...


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...ayphotohosting

ctC230K

dude guess what. that video was shot last month when the car was at 730WHP. I GOT A RIDE IN IT lastnight, they have since made adjustments and it is running 30LBS OF BOOST and George estimates it can run a 9 second quarter mile with drag slicks on.
THAT CAR IS NOW MAKING 850 WHEEL HORSEPOWER!!! Truely amazing. Fastest e36 Turbo M3 in the World! Spins tires in the first 4 gears!

All the videos on their Media page are well worth watching.
http://icsperformance.com/media.htm

Oh no you guys didn't understand me. I plan on replacing everything. Exhaust manifold, cat, pipes, muffler, etc. That is why I guessed 10hp minimum.

tommy

That would be called replacing the "exhaust system". So, yes, that would probably be good for 10 hp, but only in a vacuum. There is a law of diminishing returns with mods, so your a+b+c approach to additional hp simply does not work.

For the amount of money that you're talking, you could get a more suitable platform for building a serious car on, or even swap in the C55 engine.

It'd be sad for you to go through all of this and spend 50k total when a stock Mustang GT would keep up with you for half the cost.

tuscanraider

Buy fast car, mod car, race car on weekend. Win. Drive C230 to work during week, make money to spend on fast car.

OR

Spend lot of money on slow C-class. Car still slow. Race on weekend, lose to Neon. Look like dumb azz. Damn.

rcalcaide

ctC230k,

I see you live in Connecticut. I work at "Go Fitness" on Sunday mornings next to ICS performance. Come by this sunday and we'll go for a quick ride in my C32.

the amount of money you plan on spending could be saved towards a preowned C32 or C55 when your lease is up. I know its fun to mod, I have that bug too. Cheaper to mod a already fast car, than a slow car r

mick1

he'll be more confused when he searches the internet looking for information on a mercedes C23

BabyBenz6spd

Whats wrong with modding a c230? Its his money, leave him alone people~

We all want to make our cars faster, but that doesn't mean we go ahead and trade in our cars for higher level of cars.........maybe when someone we win the lottery or something.

Modding cars is just more fun than trading the car in for another car~

inFiniTE LooP

interesting results, i'm wondering though, how fast was the fan blowing in front of the car when they dyno'd it? (50 mph wind?) also, what is the deal with everyone saying to go buy a new car or getting smoked by a neon??? at the end of the day, that guy has to drive home in a neon, ct still gets to drive home in his benz...i know who the winner is in my eyes it just seems like ridiculous advice to me, "just go buy another car" that's rubbish, so he would have to go to a dealership or privately sell it and lose money on his car in search of a faster engine? give me a break people, that's a lot of work and he obviously loves his car, so what is your point in saying this? that you could buy a faster car for cheaper? obviously everyone knows that, but it still wouldn't be his benz, and who's to say he's doing all of these mods at once? i'm sure it will be a gradual process and in the end it WILL probably have cost him close to a C32 or C55, but that will be over a gradual amount of time, i think there's a big difference there than assuming he'll have all of this money at once to blow on mods...

k_lundquist

Its a preference. I think people say "buy a new car" because if you think about it, what's the difference between paying someone to mod your car and paying mercedes for a stock C32?

Oh wait I know - the stock C32 will be warrantied by Mercedes and be reliably built to be fast.

I believe in personalization of a car and adding your own touch, but spending thousands and thousands of dollars to modify an engine doesn't make much sense to me. Even to make a "sleeper".

If I really wanted a fast car I would have bought the Infiniti G35 6MT Coupe with 298Hp - but it didnt appeal as much as this car in terms of refinement, luxuries, or safety. Speed is nice, but unless I'm racing (and I'm not) I'll stick to the cheaper mods.

respdoc

Exactly..but can see where some of these mod ideas are coming from.

Since many used 02,03,04's c's are dropping to the prices that many young/new drivers can buy them or get their parents to buy they are thinking they can use the same logic that works for Civic's for their MB's..

Unfortunately the aftermarket scene is not there for M.B's, parts are more expensive and power gains are not as great...

ctC230K

i'm down for that. this sunday i'm actually planning on going to Edison NJ for a meet i think in the afternoon. what time do you want to meet?
btw i will be at ICS tonight and probably every weeknight this week. what an awesome place.