ralleyone

I have decided the car I am shooting for is the Ford GT. The cost is out of this world but from everything I've read on the forums and the research I've done, it is the one for me. Please don't waste mine or the forum members time on your opinions of this car. I mention it because my desire for it affects what I want to spend on the C32.

I most likely will not be able to afford a new FGT by the time they are gone as the window is quickly closing, with about 150 new ones left. The used ones are not that much less, and could be heavily abused, but it's a more realistic expectation for me. I should be able to acquire one within the next 12 months.

I love my C32 and want to be able to mod it such that it carries me along until I can afford to get the FGT, and even then I will keep it, so resale is not my concern. However, I have 77K miles on it and I do have some concern for its useful life with added power mods.

For those of you that have added serious power to your cars (say 50-150hp and a relative increase in torque), have you done so without worrying about age of the motor? I have a Starmark warranty, and have had the blower replaced, the radiator, pump, all the usuals. I am concerned that with age I might be pushing this motor too hard if I pump it up. But perhaps the driveline is more of a concern. I just don't know and hope somebody out there does.

Another large concern of mine is rear wheel traction with all the added power. It's bad enough now completely stock. The last thing I want to do is have to feather the throttle through third gear. I don't mind spinning through 1st and part of second, but I would hate to have all this power and not be able to put all of it down during low speed roll-ons. I don't track the car and just like the acceleration when the opportunity is there. I am hoping there is a suspension/tire/wheel combo that lasts more than a trip around the block and provides at least a partial solution to this problem.

Thank you all in advance.

wawy

At what point (miles) did you have to replace your supercharger?

itsmeek

the ford GT is a beautiful car and can be made extremely quick w/minor upgrades. why would anyone jump on you over it?

m444

I would look for a 2004 Porsche Carrera 4S and add an after market turbo.

http://www.gmpperformance.com/index....ID=160011&VS=1

160013 P97100TTR500 TTR Turbo-Kit 500hp for 3.8 Carrera: $21,870.00

itsmeek

he already has a faster car ..doh n/m. i thought he was the guy w/the 500whp srt-4. ur links don't work for me thou. i get coldfusion errors

those carreras have enough problems stock- imagine an upgraded one. and it will never look like a ford gt

m444

good luck getting 500HP easily out of a C32. Four wheel traction, is significantly better than a C32 traction.

amgmark

my buddy has a ford GT.. its a freaking monster..

m3_eater

Ford GT is a dream of mine too, but likely unattainable in my case. anyway, I'll try to help with your C32 questions. Don't worry about the longevity of the C32 as long as you use parts from reputable sources (RENNtech, Kleemann, Evosport, etc) and you keep your car properly maintenanced. I mean just do the obvious - no high revs while cold, always change the oil & other fluids frequently with the top stuff (Mobil1 & Redline respectively, etc), and don't abuse the car. The C32 is built to handle a great deal more than bolt-ons generally demand of it!

Oh - and about the traction. No worries - just get a Quaife LSD. It's the best mod I've ever done to any car, hands down.

ralleyone

I replaced my sc at around 60K. I am the second owner; however, and don't know how the car was treated / maintained previously.

I just know how people like to post what they think of a car and I just wanted to confine the posts to my issues so it didn't get off track.

I appreciate your response m3_eater. I hear the Quaife is great, and if I can afford to do that and still get my GT then that's what I will do. I see the potential of the C32 and can't imagine how great the car must be with power, suspension and traction issues optimized. Even now, there simply is no better car for the money (used) in my opinion.
But I must say the steering really feels like slush (I've had bushings and control arms (?) replaced and shocks inspected but I think it's just how they described it in one auto mag: "the C32 handles as well as the M3 (by the numbers) but it just feels out of control doing it" or something like that.

amgmark

My warranty just ran out at 100k miles. Time to start the engine mods!

MB_Forever

Don't worry about the high miles as long as the car is well-maintained. The 72K miles is definately not a problem. AMG built the engine like a tank. Vadim has over 120K miles with lots of mods and the car is still runing great.

As for traction, you are completely right, it is a problem. You will need to find a good "wide" wheel + tire to try and reduce traction loss. I have Quaife LSD, 18" AMG rims, Michellen Pilot Sport 2 tires, and I'm still having traction issues. Don't get me wrong, Quaife LSD helps, but the power is just too much for this car. C32 should've had a wider wheel base.

Good luck with your mods, and don't forget to post pre and post time slips and dynos if available.

Eurocharged Rick

my car was stock until 86,000miles...it now has 103,000miles with no problems to report so far...

FrankW

72,000 original miles by me. started engine mods 20,000miles ago.

Cory @ Kleemann

2000 CLK430- supercharger, headers, ECU- 450 HP, 430 TQ installed 82,000 miles ago, still going strong! Oil consumption, compression and leak-down all within MB spec. With that being said, don't worry about it!

ralleyone

Just what I was hoping to hear! Thank you everybody, I really appreciate your time.

I can't wait to see the monster take shape.
I just wish MB would give the AMGs more fender flare so we could put on a wider wheel to match traction and aesthetics to the might of the motor.

What's the estimate on the quaife and install (ballpark)?

jgsx

1750 + 900

ralleyone

That seems like a pretty good deal.
I remember reading some threads about the Quaife.

Anyone have any problems with them?