valloton

Hi guys,

I would like to do some modifications for my engine to gain more HP and torque. But what is the best thing to do first that worth the money?? I would appreciate for any ideas or opinions! I read a lot of forums about doing some modifications on c230 '05 sedan, but didn't really got some details about it.

ECU tune, pulley kit, tube headers, power chip, etc..??
which one worth the money for some HP and torque gain?
I did some research about some prices. A lot of shops sell pulley kit like $ 949, ECU tune eurocharged $ 450, and tube headers for about a thousand...

I'm in a big confusion right now..any ideas??

Thanks

Boom vang

buy a used C32

the M271 engine is pretty well maxed out in the trim we get in North America. 189hp was cutting edge back then, 105hp/L was more per liter than anything around then and more than Audi got out of their turbo 1.8 and some of the 6 cyl in the day. C240 was only 168 hp and BMW325 was about 185

The M111 engine would be able to gain hp by doing a pulley swap as they fitted an undersized pulley for the SC. SC cars don't get the gain as turbo cars have by changing a chip

the amount of money you will put toward modding the engine to gain a few more hp would be better used towards a C32 or c350

valloton

Yea that's true but I'm not planning to buy another car haha. I just wanna improve little bit of performance on my car. I saw a lot of people did just ecu tune and pulley kit and they gain for about 30-40hp..still doing some research tho.

LILBENZ230

Gain 30-40hp? In a M271?! Best bang for your buck mod on your car is the adapter wires for the cam solenoids. Search pig tails and cam sensor leak for more info.

valloton

thanks for the info! Yea, at least 30hp I read, 20 hp by ecu tuning and some more hp from pulley kit. Btw will it do anything different by changing the adapter wires for the cam solenoids? I haven't checked for the cam oil leak problem.

tommy

You have to be realistic; you're not going to see those numbers.

Your best bang for the buck mods are sway bars. It's really best for you to work on suspension, wheels, and tires than trying to get blood from a stone in the HP department.

Boom vang

what it will do is that it will give you fantastic performance to your wallet and bank account; by putting in the adapter wires you will prevent a $4000 repair down the road if you caught it early enough

LILBENZ230

But you didn't mention that the car will perform much better with the adapter wires, too. It won't throw a dozen codes, won't freak out, won't become a 3300lb paperweight needing a repair that could be 50% of its USDM value. If your cam solenoids leak oil into your wiring harness and disable the car, you have 0hp. By spending $40 and installing the wiring harness you could potentially gain 189hp! for $40!

In all seriousness, I installed the adapters at 41,000 miles with no sign of a leak. I'm at 115,600 miles now and she runs great.

valloton

That seems important. My car has been driven for 68,000 miles, I hope I dont have any leaks yet before I install the adapters. I will do that first then! And can you give the link where did you buy the adapters ?

Thanks!

mtnman82

I think I know what you are looking for, and IMHO the best bang for buck would be an ECU tune. BUT - it's not going to be a night/day difference. You will notice gains just after you get the tune, but you'll get used to it quickly. The tune I got (Powerchips) also seemed to reduce the throttle lag, which helps too. Good luck with it!

nlpamg

maintenance and restoring it.

MBfinatic

You can get some of those mods for a little bit cheaper. Just do some reasearch..

capt_paul

Honestly, I have seen impressive HP gains on my '05 C230 (M271) with the full Kleemann mods. I have the header/cat, and boost kit with a Kleemann ecu tune. I posted my dyno chart some time ago.

You will have to sped about $3500-$4000 for those gains, making it a high cost per horsepower upgrade though.

LILBENZ230

Aside from the aforementioned adapter wires, this is the best thing you can do. You should be less concerned with making it go faster (because it really is not ever going to be fast) and more concerned with making it run better for longer.

MBfinatic

What was your whp?

Boom vang

Like I said, sell your 230 and use the extra dollars slotted for a mod to put towards a used C32, C55 or C350, the outcome will always be better

ambit

I made my C230 faster by selling it and buying a CLK55.

MBfinatic

Build a C350 6spd Bi-turbo. mhhm that is my dream car.

OneOfaKindTrini

To just sell it.

LegitLifeStyle

I did the EuroCharged tune on my 05 c230 SS 6-spd and the difference was very noticeable. Much more fun to drive, more power (especially top end) and overall i'm very happy. From what i've found without going into big $$$$ for Kleeman upgrades the eurocharged tune was the best bang for the buck upgrade as no one makes a true exhaust or intake kit for these cars - and the only pulley upgrades are freaking expensive.

First i'm hearing of this cam solenoid fix - gotta do more research on that!