Weight is very important, that's why I spend every waking moment trying to lose it to no avail. I've been also trying to convince Renncpe that 5-6 lbs. off the crank pulley make a difference, he says no, dyno says yes.

Not only does MB share parts across platforms but soon they will be sharing parts with it's Chrysler division just like Ford/Jaguar or VW/Audi share parts.

 

Whahahahaha!!! Me too. I think if I lose some weight my car will go faster. Too bad I love food so much. So many yummy things to eat, so little time.

 

Hmm, a bit OT - but the development costs for the new C was not in the million dollar range, but the billion. Around 1.3 billion dollars were spent developing the W203. In my belief, you don't spend this amount of money if platform/part sharing is a primary goal. I bet MB did a huge amount of research on wich pulleys to use. Not said that they (the stock pulleys) contribute to maximum performance, but I'm sure some engineers did some serious "trade-off" thinking.

Glad you're happy with your new mod BrabusCClass! A pulley upgrade will be my next upgrade too (even though I plan just to stick to a larger crank pulley )

 

Ok. Suppose the engine has reached, let's say, 2000 RPM, and is running steadily at this speed. Now the weight of the slave pulleys is irrelevant, as there's no need to accelerate them (friction losses are not regarded for simplicity). What becomes 100% relevant, is the torque that is required to spin the shafts of power-consuming devices (alternator, water and p/s pupms). Now, the bigger the diameter of these pulleys, the less power needs to be drawn from the crankshaft. That's where the RWHP gain comes from. I'm not saying that the pulley weight doesn't come into play at all - don't read this into my words - but its effect if not as dramatic as pulleys' sizes.

 

Like I said, its not cost that limits the pulley choice, its designing a car thats reliable in ALL situations. The underdrive pulleys would not provide a safe margin in all cases so they don't use it. They know all about the benifits but are taking the minuses into consideration.

 

what mdp said!

 

You are right! BrabusCClass's car preformed very well and was able to pull on me in several occassions, damn him

we have the identical car with the exception of mine being auto.

The kit is definitely worth it especially on 240's, any HP gains is a plus for our sluggish 1st gear.

 

Mercedes, and all other manufacturer's design all parts of the car to be suited to the largest available market. If it wasn't for this, aftermarket companies would have little business. Take your suspension for instance, it was designed to be comfortable and provide a quality ride for the majority of C class owners out there. Still, many people feel the need to upgrade their suspension to one that provides a better driveability suited to their needs.

The pulleys on the C class are the same as the pulleys on almost every other '98 and on Mercedes V6 and V8 (except for a limited few 98 models). Mercedes did not spend billions or even millions over and over with the production of each new engine. Instead, they chose to take parts (water pump, power steering pump, and alternator) that were already in production, and use them on their future models. This is the case for many Mercedes parts. Take the CLK for instance, the CLK has 2 Left-rear rotors. You can verify this by looking at the veins on it. Why is this? Because they found it not necessary to change the rotor, and it saved millions due to already being in production. The same is the case with the pulleys.

With that being said, Mercedes designed their accessories and pulleys to produce a certain amount of output that they deemed safe (exceeding required amounts) in order to please all of their customers. Our UD pulleys are designed to take some of that power back to the engine, while still keeping the car reliable for most people's needs.

Thanks

Ben

 

I agree, now where the UD pulleys for the C-Coupe? Need more power!

 

I see you installed the evosport ud pulley kit a while ago. Have you noticed any problems? Also do you know of anyone that has done a ud crank pulley? I have seen some say its not safe to do the crank. Any insight would be great. I am plaing on a ECU upgrade and the ud pulleys and a full exhaust in the future. I would like to get as much as possible from my c240. I also dont use the AC much is there a pulley for that aswell?