C32 AMG, C55 AMG (W203) 2001 - 2007

Difference between C55 engine and E55

Old Jun 16, 2010 | 04:17 PM
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Difference between C55 engine and E55

...and pretty much any other AMG 5.4L engine? Is it nothing more than a computer program that changes the HP or is it much more than than...heads, intake, etc?
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Old Jun 16, 2010 | 04:18 PM
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Originally Posted by clemson_tiger
...and pretty much any other AMG 5.4L engine? Is it nothing more than a computer program that changes the HP or is it much more than than...heads, intake, etc?
E55 has lower compression AND a Supercharger.
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Old Jun 16, 2010 | 05:37 PM
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Old Jun 16, 2010 | 06:03 PM
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Theres a lot thats been changed, I think the head is pretty much the same (Valves and such) (The Intake system is way different than the N/A 5.4) but the bottom end is different. Rods, Crank (I Think) and Pistons.
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Old Jun 16, 2010 | 07:11 PM
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not all e55's have superchargers...
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Old Jun 16, 2010 | 07:33 PM
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Originally Posted by Dingleberry
not all e55's have superchargers...
All good ones do..

Here are some other differences
Water pump
Oil filter housing
thermostat
Injectors

I hear that the 55NA pistons are actually stronger than 55k pistons. Might have to do with overall thickness of the higher compression piston. Dont take that statement as fact though. From my findings The 55NA bottom end can handle a good amount of boost.

From an NA stand point. It has to be up at the top of the list for NA motors that can take a bunch of boost. Where Mustang GT, 350Z, and other engines would crumble at anything over 10psi of boost the 55NA keeps going. If your tune is good.
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Old Jun 16, 2010 | 07:56 PM
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Assuming you're talking K versus non-K, they have a lot less in common than you would think. In addition to what's already been said, the 55K motors have different
  • Crank
  • Rods
  • Rod bearings
  • Pistons
  • Block
  • Heads
  • Cams
  • They use the same intake valves, different exhaust valves
  • The K motor has double valve springs
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Old Jun 17, 2010 | 09:30 AM
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Thanks guys!
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Old Jun 17, 2010 | 02:03 PM
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Old Jun 17, 2010 | 03:40 PM
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Haha, I wish. I was just curious what made the difference in HP. I'm fairly new to the AMG world.

Originally Posted by MercedesFTW
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Old Jun 17, 2010 | 06:24 PM
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The big supercharger is what makes the difference in horsepower. Everything else is just there to handle it.
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Old Jun 18, 2010 | 06:25 PM
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Originally Posted by MBH motorsports
All good ones do..

Here are some other differences
Water pump
Oil filter housing
thermostat
Injectors

I hear that the 55NA pistons are actually stronger than 55k pistons. Might have to do with overall thickness of the higher compression piston. Dont take that statement as fact though. From my findings The 55NA bottom end can handle a good amount of boost.

From an NA stand point. It has to be up at the top of the list for NA motors that can take a bunch of boost. Where Mustang GT, 350Z, and other engines would crumble at anything over 10psi of boost the 55NA keeps going. If your tune is good.
I decided to play it safe by converting to an E55 short block because 8psi fried two of my piston rings...maybe it was the tune or maybe it was the NA pistons/rings.
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Old Jul 13, 2018 | 12:41 AM
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Everyone - I have a related question that I would love some help on. What if anything is different between the C55 AMG and E55 AMG exhausts? The reason I ask is that I have recently picked up a 2005 AMG E55 from a friend of mine, who for some reason, replaced the factory exhaust with what appears to be a straight pipe with some baffling (but not much). The end result of is that the car is offensively loud. It also seriously reverberates and between about 1500 and 3500 revs it is almost unbearable. So I am going to have to go back to a factory exhaust option or something else. Another friend has the factory AMG exhaust setup from his AMG C55 which I could use. Are they the same?
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Old Jul 13, 2018 | 08:48 AM
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Originally Posted by WingNutNZL
Everyone - I have a related question that I would love some help on. What if anything is different between the C55 AMG and E55 AMG exhausts? The reason I ask is that I have recently picked up a 2005 AMG E55 from a friend of mine, who for some reason, replaced the factory exhaust with what appears to be a straight pipe with some baffling (but not much). The end result of is that the car is offensively loud. It also seriously reverberates and between about 1500 and 3500 revs it is almost unbearable. So I am going to have to go back to a factory exhaust option or something else. Another friend has the factory AMG exhaust setup from his AMG C55 which I could use. Are they the same?
You may be able to use the mufflers if they fit the e55's stock area where its mufflers were. I'd skip the resonator altogether as it just changes tone and does almost nothing for overall noise levels. I'd be extremely surprised if much exhaust tubing can be used due to different floorpans. If the mufflers will work, they should be plenty as they're known for being just quiet enough but also being fairly unrestrictive.
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