spankdoggie

Are the benefits of a pulley kit still pretty good with the 1.8 litre engine in the 2003 C230?

I have read here that one can get about 20-30 hp with the 2.3 litre engine pulley kit, but how much more can the 1.8 engine in the 2003 C230 be hopped up? Can 20 hp be forced out of the 1.8 engine?

Or am I misinformed?

Just wondering,

Thanks.

TimmyC230boy

well your probably gonna have to wait a while for it.

Buellwinkle

That's why it will be at least a year before any tuner produces performance mods for that motor. Nobody knows until they try and trying costs time and money. Personally I would not have done what I did on my car if it had a completely newly designed motor with no history. Too much risk.

C230AMG

If you look at MBspy.com's article on this motor, its pretty much maxed out for this motor. Factory has 3 trim levels. I doubt there's gonna be a pulley upgrade on this motor.

Outland

I dunno why the 1.8 would be different... it seems that the MB motors are almost loafing, in terms of specific output relative to content...direct injection, variable valve timing and a supercharger, etc, and the best they can do is 189HP? Granted, 189HP is nothing to sneeze at, but other car companies do that kinda HP N/A on a four banger. The torque, no doubt thanks to the Supercharger, is impressive, but I wish MB would tune in some more top end excitement. Even the V6...I drove an SLK320 automatic before I got my Coupe, and the accelleration felt downright lazy...its probably faster than my C, but it sure didn't feel like it.

I'm not a fan of the bland, boring design of the RSX, or its el cheapo interior, but the 200HP from 2.0Ls of displacement is pretty cool. Hell, even GM's old Quad fours made 195HP N/A from 2.3L, without variable valve timing, or super headache inducing high RPMs.

So anyway...I wouldn't worry that the new motor is already maxxed out. It just may be a while before someone offers upgrades for it. I know that was one of the reasons I searched for a Silver C5,C7 2002, doing the pulley swap was the plan from the start

grn300m

Just how many quad fours is GM producing per day today? Also, did you know the Saturn Vue will get the 3.5 HONDA engine from the Honda Pilot and Acura MDX next year? No doubt, Honda's build a great engine. Same with Toyota. Mercedes does as well, even more bullet proof, but they reserve the race car spirt for the track and AMG MB's.

The 1.8 can and will increase HP, maybe in a year or so, once the mods come out. What sense does it make that it couldn't??? When the 2.3 came out, there were no mods for it for the first year either. Acura gets 200hp from a 2.0, just imagine what it could do with a Compressor. I am not pumping up my 1.8 engine, but anyone who things the 1.8 is tapped for HP knows nothing about engines.

edvpt

Our Audi has a 1.8L and has 225HP. People are chipping Audi's and VW's 1.8L to get well over 270HP and 290 ft/lbs.

You 2003 1.8L owners should start calling the tuners and asking for performance upgrades. They wont start building them until there is a demand.

young

note that the 2.3 liter has been around before the coupe was introduced so tuners were familiar w/ it.

the 1.8 liter is new so it has a disadvantage. having said that, w/in a year, i'd think that the major tuners would have something for it.