C32 AMG, C55 AMG (W203) 2001 - 2007

Performance questions for C32

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Rate Thread
 
Old 01-14-2008, 12:25 PM
  #1  
Super Member
Thread Starter
 
bud4ya's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 830
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
2003 C32 AMG, 2003 E39 M5
Performance questions for C32

I have a couple of questions. From reading some posts would it be fair to say I will get the same HP/TQ gains by just installing green filters or K&N’s on my stock set up instead of doing the SL55 set up?

2nd question is if I do the SL55 set up and do green filters or K&N’s with that set up will it give me more than my stock set up with the same after market filters?

3rd Does anyone have any dyno numbers for just doing an ECU tune and filters? I am wondering.
Old 01-15-2008, 12:04 AM
  #2  
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
jturkel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 4,856
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
02 C32 AMG
Originally Posted by bud4ya
I have a couple of questions. From reading some posts would it be fair to say I will get the same HP/TQ gains by just installing green filters or K&N’s on my stock set up instead of doing the SL55 set up?

2nd question is if I do the SL55 set up and do green filters or K&N’s with that set up will it give me more than my stock set up with the same after market filters?

3rd Does anyone have any dyno numbers for just doing an ECU tune and filters? I am wondering.
No....SL55 will see more gains than just filters. Gains with just K&N's or Greens are neglible/miniscule. You will notice an improved throttle response however. The SL55 setup will show more gains.

2nd question: Yes, you will see a gain with the SL55 setup and aftermarket filters over your stock intake setup with aftermarket filters.

3rd: Search for dyno numbers. Not sure what they are. Like i said previously, filters might give you like 1 hp and 1 tq....MAYBE....maybe 2.....maybe 0....a chip/ECU will i guesstimate give you somewhere between 10-20 hp (not wheel). you would see a bigger gain if you did a chip/ECU tune with a pulley. instead of doing an intake, what about investing in a pulley? LET or Evosport or ASP? You will see much better gains with those and a tune than a intake and a tune.
Old 01-15-2008, 03:15 AM
  #3  
Super Member
 
DarkXerox's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Oakland, California
Posts: 636
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
07 E550, 02 C32, 91 300E
Filters still are a good idea if you haven't ever changed them out.
Old 01-15-2008, 03:24 AM
  #4  
Senior Member
 
HAHA BYE's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Lower NY Area
Posts: 404
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
2003 E55 Blk/Blk
You mods should be
sl55 intake tube (not really a need for boxes yet)
Pulley (asp, let, evosport)
Ecu Tune (Evosport, power chip)
Plug Wires (magnacore)

If you start getting into modding, I know its expensive but a Quaife ATB Diff or another Differential is going to be in line because no matter how much you mod your car its never gonna mae it to the ground or at least hook up without one.
Good luck
Old 01-15-2008, 08:30 AM
  #5  
Super Member
Thread Starter
 
bud4ya's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 830
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
2003 C32 AMG, 2003 E39 M5
Thanks guys this was exactly what I was looking for. Sounds like I need to start looking at the pulleys soon before spring hits. This year I will do the tune, pulleys and filters.

Thanks
Old 01-15-2008, 09:30 AM
  #6  
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
MRAMG1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: PA
Posts: 3,341
Received 9 Likes on 9 Posts
S600, GL450, Audi A5 Cab
Originally Posted by jturkel
No....SL55 will see more gains than just filters. Gains with just K&N's or Greens are neglible/miniscule. You will notice an improved throttle response however. The SL55 setup will show more gains.

2nd question: Yes, you will see a gain with the SL55 setup and aftermarket filters over your stock intake setup with aftermarket filters.

3rd: Search for dyno numbers. Not sure what they are. Like i said previously, filters might give you like 1 hp and 1 tq....MAYBE....maybe 2.....maybe 0....a chip/ECU will i guesstimate give you somewhere between 10-20 hp (not wheel). you would see a bigger gain if you did a chip/ECU tune with a pulley. instead of doing an intake, what about investing in a pulley? LET or Evosport or ASP? You will see much better gains with those and a tune than a intake and a tune.
Beg to differ my friend:

usedC32 and me saw GOOD real world gains with filters alone, try .2-.3 seconds in the quarter mile with NO OTHER mods.

Second, MANY, and I do mean MANY people here saw NO gain with a stock motor and the SL55 set up. It does NOTHING for a stock motor.

Search this site under filters and you will see MANY GOOD/GREAT results from K/N's and greens.

See yeah

Oh yeah, I use the K/N's and LOVE them
Old 01-15-2008, 11:01 AM
  #7  
Super Member
Thread Starter
 
bud4ya's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 830
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
2003 C32 AMG, 2003 E39 M5
I did see those numbers under C32 used with the filters, impressive.

I will order up the K&N's when I find out what pulley and tune I am ging to go with.

Thanks

Originally Posted by MRAMG1
Beg to differ my friend:

usedC32 and me saw GOOD real world gains with filters alone, try .2-.3 seconds in the quarter mile with NO OTHER mods.

Second, MANY, and I do mean MANY people here saw NO gain with a stock motor and the SL55 set up. It does NOTHING for a stock motor.

Search this site under filters and you will see MANY GOOD/GREAT results from K/N's and greens.

See yeah

Oh yeah, I use the K/N's and LOVE them

Trending Topics

Old 01-15-2008, 11:20 AM
  #8  
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
MRAMG1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: PA
Posts: 3,341
Received 9 Likes on 9 Posts
S600, GL450, Audi A5 Cab
Originally Posted by bud4ya
I did see those numbers under C32 used with the filters, impressive.

I will order up the K&N's when I find out what pulley and tune I am ging to go with.

Thanks
Hey bud4ya

Go ahead and order the K/N's now, as they take a couple of weeks to get evn through Summit. Nobody, that I know, has them in stock. It will NOT affect the ECU tune AT ALL.

See yeah
Old 01-15-2008, 11:20 AM
  #9  
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
c32used's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,209
Received 8 Likes on 7 Posts
LET C32 2002
Originally Posted by MRAMG1
Beg to differ my friend:

usedC32 and me saw GOOD real world gains with filters alone, try .2-.3 seconds in the quarter mile with NO OTHER mods.

Second, MANY, and I do mean MANY people here saw NO gain with a stock motor and the SL55 set up. It does NOTHING for a stock motor.

Search this site under filters and you will see MANY GOOD/GREAT results from K/N's and greens.

See yeah

Oh yeah, I use the K/N's and LOVE them
Sorry but my times where based on filters(Greens,K&N and stock) and SL55 "Y" splitter, magnecor wires and denso IK20 plugs with this setup I had 299 rwhp and 290 rwtq and really not positive they added anything besides a better feel.

I truely feel imo that the SL55 splitter works better with afternarket filters...best with full SL55 setup. Now gains on SL55 splitter and filters well it may be like 1-2 at rearwheel maybe nothing...

Best gains for the buck at the rear wheel is buying a used set of respectible pullies(if you can find them) and tune...period!

If I started modding I would try to get that first. then add the filters and SL55 splitter then plugs and wires. LSD is great but unless you are tracking car on autocross and drag strip ALOT I feel the electronic LSD is sufficient for us average joes...now as you start to add alot more then stage 1 then LSD would almost be a requirement imo...just stage 1 the factory suspension and electronic LSD can barely take it as I feel it ever since I got in stage 1. Great sticky summer tires(not all season) will help extremely and you have to change tires anyway right? I would reccommend suspension work to get the suspension to handle what power is added every time

These should be added to help against heatsoak even as early as stage 1 or in stock form:

HEAT EXCHANGER
UPGRADED INTERCOOLER PUMP

If you get tune and pulleys only first please dyno before and after so you can see your gains ok. It don't matter if its a dyno that gives you low numbers cause it still shows gains or nothing and no matter what to see what gains you are making are best if you redyno all the times at the same place with equal weather if possible. As for dyno I have mostly read that dynojet and mustangs are best but as I said use dynos to track your personal gains per each upgrade not for high numbers.

Last edited by c32used; 01-15-2008 at 11:24 AM.
Old 01-15-2008, 11:42 AM
  #10  
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
///AMG4EVER's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,052
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
CLS55 Designo 030
Originally Posted by MRAMG1
Hey bud4ya

Go ahead and order the K/N's now, as they take a couple of weeks to get evn through Summit. Nobody, that I know, has them in stock. It will NOT affect the ECU tune AT ALL.

See yeah
Call Erick or Jerry at LET. They have the K&Ns for both the 32 and 55 boxes in stock last time I check.
Old 01-15-2008, 12:56 PM
  #11  
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
MB_Forever's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: California, USA
Posts: 9,137
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
E63 P30, CL500 Sport
Originally Posted by bud4ya
I have a couple of questions. From reading some posts would it be fair to say I will get the same HP/TQ gains by just installing green filters or K&N’s on my stock set up instead of doing the SL55 set up?
Just installing filters have shown a small gain on the dyno: 2 to 4 whp usually. I've seen these gains with green filters as well as K&N filters when I was tuning my C32 at Evosport a while back. As you can see, although the filters do provide better air flow, the gains on a stock setup is minimal.

About the "SL55 setup" question, I'd like to clarify that specific term a little bit. When most members mention the "SL55 setup", they're actually just referring to the SL55 splitter. So when you say the SL55 setup, what exactly do you mean? There are two seperate SL55 setups that've been done.

a) SL55 Y Splitter: is a very common upgrade, and I think was first introduced as part of the Evosport Performance Package.

b) SL55 Intake Boxes and tubes: not a lot of people have done this setup. I recall maybe 4 or 5 members (including myself) doing this upgrade. The reason it is more rare was because this will require some modification to be able to fit the engine cover and tubes correctly. Also, will probably need a custom ECU tune to take better advantage of the extra air (22% larger air boxes than the C32).

Unfortunately, many members refer to one of these upgrades as the "SL55" upgrade, but they're really two distinct upgrades.


Originally Posted by bud4ya
2nd question is if I do the SL55 set up and do green filters or K&N’s with that set up will it give me more than my stock set up with the same after market filters?
Again, if you're just referring to the SL55 splitter, then yes filters will likely yield more power. However, please note that if you plan to also upgrade to the SL55 air boxes down the road, then you're filters won't fit, and you might as well wait and buy the bigger filters when you do upgrade. Otherwise, definately get the filters. I don't recommend green filters just because I've personally seen more failure rates with green than K&N filters. I would go K&N or BMC.

Originally Posted by bud4ya
3rd Does anyone have any dyno numbers for just doing an ECU tune and filters? I am wondering.
RennTech used to have a dyno of just the ECU tune on their website, but since they rennovated it, they've taken a lot of the C32 stuff off. I recall their dyno showed an increase of 17 whp (about 21 hp to the crank). I highly recommend getting their pulley with the tune though if you really want to feel a noticeable difference. Also, if you contact RennTech, they maybe able to send you some of the dynos done by their authorized installers.

Good luck, you're on your way to unleashing the beast......

Last edited by MB_Forever; 01-16-2008 at 02:16 AM.
Old 01-15-2008, 01:00 PM
  #12  
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
MRAMG1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: PA
Posts: 3,341
Received 9 Likes on 9 Posts
S600, GL450, Audi A5 Cab
Originally Posted by ///AMG4EVER
Call Erick or Jerry at LET. They have the K&Ns for both the 32 and 55 boxes in stock last time I check.
Yeah, I should have known that they would have them handy

See yeah
Old 01-15-2008, 01:08 PM
  #13  
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
MRAMG1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: PA
Posts: 3,341
Received 9 Likes on 9 Posts
S600, GL450, Audi A5 Cab
[QUOTE=c32used;2599222]If I started modding I would try to get that first. then add the filters and SL55 splitter then plugs and wires. LSD is great but unless you are tracking car on autocross and drag strip ALOT I feel the electronic LSD is sufficient for us average joes...now as you start to add alot more then stage 1 then LSD would almost be a requirement imo...just stage 1 the factory suspension and electronic LSD can barely take it as I feel it ever since I got in stage 1. Great sticky summer tires(not all season) will help extremely and you have to change tires anyway right? I would reccommend suspension work to get the suspension to handle what power is added every time


Hey C32used:

Sorry for miss quoting you

I agree about the pullies, Heat exchanger, and pump, as I just did this over last weekend with a little help from Erick and Jerry over the phone and LOVED every new minute with my toy

As far as the LSD, talk with Jerry about his times. I am VERY hard pressed to but in a $2000 diff + install, when GREAT tires are only $150 a piece. He is already doing low 12's without the LSD, as you know.

On a last note, your wires, plugs, and splitter, IMHO, did not give you the gain. I am and will always be a BIG beleiver in K/N's. Way tooooo many reputable sources use them and have posted GREAT results over the last two decades.

Oh well, anuf said, see yeah

Last edited by MRAMG1; 01-15-2008 at 01:10 PM.
Old 01-15-2008, 01:26 PM
  #14  
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
c32used's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,209
Received 8 Likes on 7 Posts
LET C32 2002
[QUOTE=MRAMG1;2599414]
Originally Posted by c32used
If I started modding I would try to get that first. then add the filters and SL55 splitter then plugs and wires. LSD is great but unless you are tracking car on autocross and drag strip ALOT I feel the electronic LSD is sufficient for us average joes...now as you start to add alot more then stage 1 then LSD would almost be a requirement imo...just stage 1 the factory suspension and electronic LSD can barely take it as I feel it ever since I got in stage 1. Great sticky summer tires(not all season) will help extremely and you have to change tires anyway right? I would reccommend suspension work to get the suspension to handle what power is added every time


Hey C32used:

Sorry for miss quoting you

I agree about the pullies, Heat exchanger, and pump, as I just did this over last weekend with a little help from Erick and Jerry over the phone and LOVED every new minute with my toy

As far as the LSD, talk with Jerry about his times. I am VERY hard pressed to but in a $2000 diff + install, when GREAT tires are only $150 a piece. He is already doing low 12's without the LSD, as you know.

On a last note, your wires, plugs, and splitter, IMHO, did not give you the gain. I am and will always be a BIG beleiver in K/N's. Way tooooo many reputable sources use them and have posted GREAT results over the last two decades.

Oh well, anuf said, see yeah
Yes Jerry is in the low 12s without LSD but I feel he can do even better with the LSD and/or other suspension work....I seen him at the track and his biggest issue is massive spinning in 1st and 2nd which LSD and/or beefier suspension should help fix. I really feel his times can be even better if he had a real LSD and/or beefier suspension...without increase in rwhp/tq.
Old 01-15-2008, 01:30 PM
  #15  
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
MB_Forever's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: California, USA
Posts: 9,137
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
E63 P30, CL500 Sport
[QUOTE=c32used;2599438]
Originally Posted by MRAMG1

Yes Jerry is in the low 12s without LSD but I feel he can do even better with the LSD and/or other suspension work....I seen him at the track and his biggest issue is massive spinning in 1st and 2nd which LSD and/or beefier suspension should help fix. I really feel his times can be even better if he had a real LSD and/or beefier suspension...without increase in rwhp/tq.
LSD will definately help. I loved my Quaife LSD: it was a very high quality build and provided great traction and stability. Quaife shines even more in the "twisties"
Old 01-15-2008, 01:35 PM
  #16  
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
c32used's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,209
Received 8 Likes on 7 Posts
LET C32 2002
When I had my ASP pullies installed I noticed it more then the tune job but then again my tune is setup for better a/f and longetivity of the engine. I could have a more aggressive tune but for what...Risk.
Old 01-15-2008, 01:42 PM
  #17  
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
MRAMG1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: PA
Posts: 3,341
Received 9 Likes on 9 Posts
S600, GL450, Audi A5 Cab
[QUOTE=c32used;2599438]
Originally Posted by MRAMG1

Yes Jerry is in the low 12s without LSD but I feel he can do even better with the LSD and/or other suspension work....I seen him at the track and his biggest issue is massive spinning in 1st and 2nd which LSD and/or beefier suspension should help fix. I really feel his times can be even better if he had a real LSD and/or beefier suspension...without increase in rwhp/tq.


See yeah
Old 01-15-2008, 06:34 PM
  #18  
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
jturkel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 4,856
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
02 C32 AMG
Originally Posted by MRAMG1
On a last note, your wires, plugs, and splitter, IMHO, did not give you the gain. I am and will always be a BIG beleiver in K/N's. Way tooooo many reputable sources use them and have posted GREAT results over the last two decades.
K&Ns are better than stock filters b/c they allow for increased air flow. However, the difference in the airflow between the two filters is not as big as the difference in the air flow between the stock C32 splitter and the SL55 splitter. In fact, my first mod on my car was the K&Ns and my 1/4 mile/trap speed did not change. The only thing i noticed was improved throttle response (not nearly as much as the sprint booster and i could hear the whine of the s/c more;

The stock splitteris very restrictive....too narrow. Take it out and look at it. It is poorly designed for this car. In fact, I had my buddy run some tests on my splitter as he was going to design a much better flowing one. He found it to be very restrictive and designed an aluminium splitter that would fit in that small space with less restriction. He has access to amazing software and wind tunnels as he works at the NASA aerospace lab down at U of Arizona. His design was much better, but couldnt be implemented due to insufficient time for actually fabricating the piece.

And if you want even increased air flow, less restriction, and more s/c noise, then i would recommend taking of the silencers in the intake (i think some people on this forum refer to them as the supercharger silencers).
Old 01-15-2008, 07:11 PM
  #19  
Super Member
Thread Starter
 
bud4ya's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 830
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
2003 C32 AMG, 2003 E39 M5
Thanks I will purchase the filters from LET

Originally Posted by ///AMG4EVER
Call Erick or Jerry at LET. They have the K&Ns for both the 32 and 55 boxes in stock last time I check.
Old 01-15-2008, 07:13 PM
  #20  
Super Member
Thread Starter
 
bud4ya's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 830
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
2003 C32 AMG, 2003 E39 M5
Great info TY very much


Originally Posted by MB_Forever
Just installing filters have shown a small gain on the dyno: 2 to 4 whp usually. I've seen this with green filters as well as K&N filters when I was tuning my C32 at Evosport. As you can see, although the filters do provide better air flow, the gains on a stock setup is minimal.

About the SL55 setup, I'd like to clarify that term a little bit. When you say the SL55 setup, what exactly do you mean? There are two seperate SL55 setups that've been done.

a) SL55 Y Splitter: this one is much more common, and I think was first introduced as part of the Evosport Performance Package.

b) SL55 Intake Boxes and tubes: not a lot of people have done this setup. I recall maybe 4 or 5 members (including myself) doing this upgrade. The reason it is more rare is because this will require some modification to be able to fit the engine cover and tubes correctly. Also, will probably need an ECU tune to take better advantage of the extra air (22% larger air boxes than the C32).

Unfortunately, many members refer to one of these upgrades as the "SL55" upgrade, but they're really two distinct upgrades.




Again, if you're just referring to the SL55 splitter, then yes filters will likely yield more power. However, please note that if you plan to also upgrade to the SL55 air boxes down the road, then you're filters won't fit, and you might as well wait and buy the bigger filters when you do upgrade. Otherwise, definately get the filters. I don't recommend green filters just because I've personally seen more failure rates with green than K&N filters. I would go K&N or BMC.



RennTech used to have a dyno of just the ECU tune on their website, but since they rennovated it, they've taken a lot of the C32 stuff off. I recall their dyno showed an increase of 17 whp (about 21 hp to the crank). I highly recommend getting their pulley with the tune though if you really want to feel a noticeable difference. Also, if you contact RennTech, they maybe able to send you some of the dynos done by their authorized installers.

Good luck, you're on your way to unleashing the beast......
Old 01-16-2008, 01:15 AM
  #21  
SPONSOR
 
Eurocharged Rick's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Ohio
Posts: 2,517
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like on 1 Post
...
yes, we have the K&Ns in stock!
Old 01-16-2008, 02:41 AM
  #22  
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
TemjinX2's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Corona, CA
Posts: 5,034
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 6 Posts
03 g35 coupe...........02 c32 Sold
i installed the k & n's on my car last week. I did notice my mpg went up a little. It went from 16mpg to 18mpg.
Old 01-16-2008, 07:30 PM
  #23  
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
jturkel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 4,856
Likes: 0
Received 4 Likes on 4 Posts
02 C32 AMG
Originally Posted by TemjinX2
i installed the k & n's on my car last week. I did notice my mpg went up a little. It went from 16mpg to 18mpg.
is that gsr in your sig turbo'd? ive seen some nice turbo'd gsr integras. look nice and clean.
Old 01-16-2008, 08:52 PM
  #24  
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
c32AMG-DTM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 2,949
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
2008 A8L, 2002 996TT X50, 2009 X5
[QUOTE=c32used;2599438]
Originally Posted by MRAMG1

Yes Jerry is in the low 12s without LSD but I feel he can do even better with the LSD and/or other suspension work....I seen him at the track and his biggest issue is massive spinning in 1st and 2nd which LSD and/or beefier suspension should help fix. I really feel his times can be even better if he had a real LSD and/or beefier suspension...without increase in rwhp/tq.
Totally agree on LSD, but I don't quite get what you're referring to about "beefier suspension" improving his 1/4 mi time, given that he's already got upgraded springs and sways (I think). Is he getting wheel hop until severe accelleration or something?
Old 01-18-2008, 02:12 AM
  #25  
MBWorld Fanatic!
 
TemjinX2's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Corona, CA
Posts: 5,034
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 6 Posts
03 g35 coupe...........02 c32 Sold
Originally Posted by jturkel
is that gsr in your sig turbo'd? ive seen some nice turbo'd gsr integras. look nice and clean.


i was in the process. I already upgraded the head. I was going to sleeve the block then turbo it up to 500whp on race gas and 300-350whp on pump.

Honda's love turbo..especially with the 8200rpm redline. I thought about it and changed my mind at the last min and got the c32.

My gf said i should get a more mature car...i'm kinda out growing the integra. its a great race car, but not the best to meet clients in when you work for the bank.

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 


You have already rated this thread Rating: Thread Rating: 0 votes,  average.

Quick Reply: Performance questions for C32



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:27 PM.