JToups386

Greetings All:

As of 1 week ago today I stepped it up a notch and entered the realm of MB. It's an area I never thought I'd seek to enter, but I finally got tired of dealing w/ the woes of my '99 Z28 as a daily driver. I decided it was time for 4 doors, but it had to be something fun to drive. Then I had a revelation that led me to the C55 which solved all my prerequisites! Keep in mind I traded in a car that runs 11.50's @ 118+ on drag radials, so I was very concerned I'd miss the power and torque (441 rwhp, 448 rwtq via LS1 383 stroker). I'm pleased to say I've not missed it at all! The C55 is an absolute pleasure to drive and I went from rattles & creaks to smooth & quiet with excellent performance. It actually handles far better than my Z28 did even w/ my suspension mods. This is the first non-GM car I've ever owned and I am now addicted to MB inside of a week (for a daily driver). I still have an '87Buick Grand National for a drag car.

I spent 6 hours on your forum yesterday researching "easy/cheap" performance enhancements for the C55 and found that those two words have no affiliation with this car. I'm assuming there is very minor improvements to be had via K&N or Green panel filters, and possibly air baffle removal? I know Lee at ASP so I thought about having him make me an underdrive crank pulley/dampener, but I don't want to do anything to hurt the obvious overtaxed electrical systems on these cars. I'd be curious as to anyone's problems running UDP's on the C55 and is the gain worth the investment? I read mixed reviews thus far.

Any other thoughts or comments are certainly welcomed. I'm enjoying learning about this mechanical masterpiece, and am willing to make enhancements that would not void the 3-yr/45k extended warranty I purchased w/ the car.

I look forward to having e-conversations with you all, and hope to learn a lot along the way.

Best Regards,
J

1V8C55

Congrats on the new C55 AMG. I've never seen a C55 in Capri Blue before. I was going to order that color, but later decided to chose Iridium silver. Please post some pictures when you get the chance. The car is definitely very fun to drive.

As far as engine mods go, you can research Renntech or Kleeman. There are several members here with Renntech mods on their C55s. I'm sure they will chime in and give you their opinions. I was also worried about voiding the warranty too. That's why I've only done aesthetic mods for now.

Have fun with the AMG

JToups386

Thanks! I hope I'm correct in quoting the color code as "capri blue". It's actually a dark blue metallic but the only listings I've found say it's "capri". If anyone can validate this for me I'd appreciate the input. The car actually looks black in almost every light except for direct sunlight, when you can see the deep metallic blue.

zoink

Congrats on the purchase.... I do miss mine

Check the paint code on driver's pillar.... and you could go to paintscratch.com or just google it to get the name.

Yes, yours is most likely capri blue.

c32used

Congrats!!! Nice car!

You should post at least a picture of the GN....
Keep looking and asking questions you will find mods that can be hidden that Stealership can't find easily....at more reasonable costs. The aftermarket filters have proven to be better then stock....you might see 1-3 rwhp gain but its more noticable at the track. Plugs and wires will give even better acceleration feeling as will the Sprintbooster.

zcct04

Car looks great in that color!
What part of town are you in?

loudandheard

I started out with GM as well. I had an 87 Monte Carlo SS Aerocoupe. Then I got in to a mercedes and now this has been the brand that I've stuck with. This will be my second mercedes and I don't think I will ever be able to drive any thing, but an amg. All other cars seem so slow in comparison. Good luck with the car and welcome to the club.

tech_frog

If you take the emblem off of the hood it will go about 1/2 MPH faster on the top end.

Sorry....just had to tell you the first (non-performance) modification to do.

It is like an "Initiation".

JDC55

I believe he color is Diamond Black. Paint code 9768 diamantschwarz met.

AMGSC

Whatever you do. NEVER get an HPS supercharger. It was a nightmare experience that lasted over 2 years until I dumped the piece of crap. Not worth even half of the $6800 I paid for it. Lucky to get $3500 for it. Thank god no engine damage.

JToups386

Thanks for the emblem initiation. I'm assuming it will get removed on its own in due time, per someone wanting a new "necklace decoration" as I've seen. Of course if that happens I'll just replace it w/ a flat one.

As for the question on where I live, I'm on the west side of Houston, near Beltway 8 and Westheimer.

I found a code listed inside the door jamb "C768". If that's the paint code then maybe it is actually the Diamond Black Metallic as suggested by JDC55. I'm trying to do more searches to verify this, but it seems that MB really doesn't reveal much of their factory info online and other threads have not provided the necessary input. I may have to call a dealer to verify.

Thanks for the input!

JToups386

I found one other source for color codes, and now I'm even more confused. It still appears I could be the "capri blue" via the paint charts listed here, but we all know how accurate those can be... (not very)

I think it's gonna' require a call to a dealership to verify it. Here's the site link though which may/may not be accurate.

http://www.carsdirect.com/2005/merce.../cclass/colors

J

loudandheard

Houston is starting to accumulate a large amount of amg C-Classes. Yet, I've only seen one on the road and 1fastc32's C, which is one of the baddest c32's I've seen in person.

Quick Silver

Welcome to the forum! Awesome car!!

AMG DUDE

Ditto! Welcome to the forum!!

///AMG4EVER

Congrats & welcome!

LET should put together a track event or something!

loudandheard

Definitely agree

JToups386

Yes, a trip to Houston Raceway Park would be nice. I don't plan on running my C55 there much, because I bought it to be a reliable daily driver, hence why I got rid of a "race car" in lieu of something more sensible. However, I definitely am curious enough to need to verify the published 1/4 mile numbers on these cars and with HRP sitting at sea level, accompanied by some of the cool crisp air we've had of late, I think I'll need to do this sooner rather than later.
And of course I'd have to further document any improvements in 1/4 mile track times via any peformance upgrades I add along the way. But, it won't be too often...

Thanks for the welcoming to the site. I hope to remain in the family for a long while!

E63PWR

Welcome to the forum! The color of your car IS Diamond Black. My wife's C55 was the exact same color, but her's was faster!!

Anytime you want to run my E63 out on Westpark Tollway, just let me know!!

For those who don't know, I've know this guy for about 10 years....

04blackc32

welcome. if you want cheap and fast i got three letters N.O.S AND IT MAKES THOES C55'S FAST.

c55asleep?

HAHAHAHA

04blackc32

JToups386

And for those who are curious, "E63PWR" owns the shop that built my previous LS1 383 Stroker. He was also wise enough to convince me to sell it and get the C55 in its place. I'm not sure if it was a ploy to get rid of me as a customer or to keep me from hanging around the shop? Sorry E63PWR, neither worked. I'm like a fungus --- I grow on you and keep returning even after being removed.
Now when can we do my free dyno session on the C55?
Bring on the mods!!!

Tump43

Congratulations on your purchase! The C55 is a fantastic car. Research the various mods on this forum. Some are worthwhile, others are not. My mods (not finished yet) are designed to enhance the car as a canyon carver and highway burner. Not planning on racing or dragging the car, though I may take her to the track once or twice to see what she'll do.

Regards,