How Can You Lighten Your C-Class?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 461
Likes: 0
From: Northern Virginia
2006 C55 AMG, 2.8L Quattro, Softail Nostalgia 1550 (Stage III), Sporster (slammed)
How Can You Lighten Your C-Class?
Someone asked about how to lighten the C-Class recently so I thought it might make a good thread. I didn't think it was really even feasible, for a little added performance, until I had my resonator removed and decided to weigh it. The thing weighed over 10 lbs! What's in those things? And it was replaced by a pipe that barley weighed anything. So I took out the spare and replaced it with a Fix-a-Flat kit. The spare weighed 40 pounds! That's 50 pounds right there without giving up much convenience. So then I found a thread about the Optima race batteries and realized you can fit them to the Mercedes replacing a 60 pound stock battery with a 15 pounder saving another 45 pounds! Ok, that might be a little painful as those things will trickle discharge from your clock if you let them sit for a few weeks -- but still it's a big savings and right over the nose heavy engine bay. Those 3 things alone are worth 95 pounds. Another nice bennie is a performance muffler. A good street/racing straight-through style muffler can be 20 pounds lighter than a stocker (I've read, haven't weighed my SuperSprint yet). Making these changes not only gives the car a much better sound (and possibly a few extra ponies from reduced back pressure) but can also make the car 115 pounds lighter which is like adding another 10 horsepower!
Last edited by Drop-a-Daimler; Aug 14, 2007 at 08:31 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 4,278
Likes: 0
From: Fresno, CA
'09 A4 S Line
Someone asked about how to lighten the C-Class recently so I thought it might make a good thread. I didn't think it was really even feasible, for a little added performance, until I had my resonator removed and decided to weigh it. The thing weighed over 10 lbs! What's in those things? And it was replaced by a pipe that barley weighed anything. So I took out the spare and replaced it with a Fix-a-Flat kit. The spare weighed 40 pounds! That's 50 pounds right there without giving up much convenience. So then I found a thread about the Optima race batteries and realized you can replace a 60 pound stock battery with a 15 pounder saving another 45 pounds! Ok, that might be a little painful as those things will trickle discharge from your clock if you let them sit for a few weeks -- but still it's a big savings and right over the nose heavy engine bay. Those 3 things alone are worth 95 pounds. Another nice bennie is a performance muffler. A good street/racing straight-through style muffler can be 20 pounds lighter than a stocker (I've read, haven't weighed my SuperSprint yet). Making these changes not only gives the car a much better sound (and possibly a few extra ponies from reduced back pressure) but can also make the car 115 pounds lighter which is like adding another 10 horsepower!
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 461
Likes: 0
From: Northern Virginia
2006 C55 AMG, 2.8L Quattro, Softail Nostalgia 1550 (Stage III), Sporster (slammed)
Cool, let me dig out the old Torin BIGRED 2-TON engine jack.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 461
Likes: 0
From: Northern Virginia
2006 C55 AMG, 2.8L Quattro, Softail Nostalgia 1550 (Stage III), Sporster (slammed)
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 3,840
Likes: 1
From: MA
E90 M3
Trending Topics
MB World Stories
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Verdad Gallardo
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction
Verdad Gallardo
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping
Verdad Gallardo
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 461
Likes: 0
From: Northern Virginia
2006 C55 AMG, 2.8L Quattro, Softail Nostalgia 1550 (Stage III), Sporster (slammed)
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 6,665
Likes: 4
From: Boston
2004 C32 ///AMG
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 461
Likes: 0
From: Northern Virginia
2006 C55 AMG, 2.8L Quattro, Softail Nostalgia 1550 (Stage III), Sporster (slammed)
Out Of Control!!
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 10,067
Likes: 11
From: Westwood, NJ
2004 Civic Si. FWD for the Win!
Get OZ Ultraleggeras - $325 each and 18 lbs for 18x8s. Can't go wrong. If you're serious about adding performance to your Benz, AMG is the last place you should look.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 6,665
Likes: 4
From: Boston
2004 C32 ///AMG
Super Moderator Alumni
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 7,684
Likes: 12
From: West Los Angeles
Midnight Blue 2004.5 C230 Kompressor Sport Sedan. 2002 w210 E320, 2009 w211 E350 Sport
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 2,147
Likes: 2
From: Central Florida
R129, XF Sportbrake, SC400
You can find an 05 C55 between $35-$40K if you look hard enough and you know those will run the stock 335i's no problem. The way i see it is that it's just not worth putting that kind of money into the 350 when you can put that many and maybe just a tad bit more for the C55. Just my $.02.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 461
Likes: 0
From: Northern Virginia
2006 C55 AMG, 2.8L Quattro, Softail Nostalgia 1550 (Stage III), Sporster (slammed)
You can find an 05 C55 between $35-$40K if you look hard enough and you know those will run the stock 335i's no problem. The way i see it is that it's just not worth putting that kind of money into the 350 when you can put that many and maybe just a tad bit more for the C55. Just my $.02.
Last edited by Drop-a-Daimler; Aug 14, 2007 at 10:50 PM.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 461
Likes: 0
From: Northern Virginia
2006 C55 AMG, 2.8L Quattro, Softail Nostalgia 1550 (Stage III), Sporster (slammed)
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
2003 C320 Sports Coupe
I wouldn't try to lighten the car. Street racing is not my thing. It only took seeing one story on one of the local Houston stations to scare me enough. It was tragic to see some innocent person get killed by some idiot trying to beat another idiot.
Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 134
Likes: 0
From: Toronto, ON.
2003 C240 Classic
Who said he wanted to street race?
.
Super Moderator
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,365
Likes: 12
From: Orange County, CA
GMC - Miata - Trek - P-Car
Granted, less weight improves every aspect of a vehicle’s dynamic performance. With all of the comfort, convenience and safety equipment included with a C, it’s not surprising they weigh ~3600+ pounds. The Optima is a worthwhile modification.
War story to share. When I first brought my car home and discovered its TIREFIT equipment in lieu of a proper spare wheel/tire, I though that the engineers in Affalterbach had thought of everything. Not even a month later, while returning home from a party in Newport Beach with the Mrs. on the freeway, after midnight no less, the LF equalized. In the rough part of Long Beach. I limped to the next off ramp with the expectation of sealing the offending pneumatic failure, and soon being on our way. No such luck, as it was toast. Time to call a flatbed, but only after hearing; “Yo fool, doesn’t that POS have a spare?” I’m in a suit, and he’s just out on parole. Not a comfortable situation.
The next day, our local Michelin dealer fit two new front tires, and sourced an AMG spare wheel. Don’t be too quick to ditch that stock spare of yours. It’s like insurance. When you need it, you really need it.
If you are hell bent to haul ***, get an E55.
War story to share. When I first brought my car home and discovered its TIREFIT equipment in lieu of a proper spare wheel/tire, I though that the engineers in Affalterbach had thought of everything. Not even a month later, while returning home from a party in Newport Beach with the Mrs. on the freeway, after midnight no less, the LF equalized. In the rough part of Long Beach. I limped to the next off ramp with the expectation of sealing the offending pneumatic failure, and soon being on our way. No such luck, as it was toast. Time to call a flatbed, but only after hearing; “Yo fool, doesn’t that POS have a spare?” I’m in a suit, and he’s just out on parole. Not a comfortable situation.
The next day, our local Michelin dealer fit two new front tires, and sourced an AMG spare wheel. Don’t be too quick to ditch that stock spare of yours. It’s like insurance. When you need it, you really need it.
If you are hell bent to haul ***, get an E55.
