Ok, I have been reading all the stickies and searching and generally spending a ton of time on this site, and it's awesome! The reason I mention this is because I have a lot of questions and if someone tells me to "Search," I'm hoping they'll include a link to point me in the right direction. So here's a bunch of questions and any help with any of them would be much appreciated.

1. First the c32 I'm getting needs all new rotors (F+R). What are considered the standard as far as rotors go? Do most people go with OEM or are there after-market rotors for a reasonable price perform as well or better than stock?

2. It also needs a new front sway bar and control arm bushings. I am having a Euro shop take care of some of the maintenance. How hard is it to install these pieces, should I leave it to them or attempt on my own? Should I be using OEM parts for the sway and control arm bushings or is there an upgrade I can replace with? Also should I just get whole new control arms or just the bushings?

3.Can someone give me a quick rundown on options for pulleys and exactly how they work and how it produces more boost? or a link to where I can find this info? Everyone says get a pulley and tune, but if you get an Evosport kit, doesn't it come with other supporting mods, injectors and maybe a couple different pullies? Do most people just piece this together? What brand pulley is going to net the most torque (and hp)?

4. What are the tuning options for the c32? On my s4 companies like AWE just remap your ECU with tried and true maps to increase power. Then you could send it back for reprogramming with additional mods. What do the c32er's do? Tune on their own, dynos, remote tuning? Remapped ecus? I live in SE PA (West Chester, Chester county) and would love to find someone within a couple hours drive that could help tune the car, but I don't know any MB tuners.

5.What size wheels fit on the c32? When I am looking for new wheels, what bolt pattern and offset do i look or to fit our cars? I want a smaller set of rims with snows tires on them, and some 18 or 19 inch black wheels with a deep polished lip. Also whats the feeling on spacers on the c32? pretty common or is there a problem running them?

6. I want to lower the car. From reading this sight it seems most people are either running Bilstein or KW coil-overs or they are running a spring (seems mostly H&R)and strut combo. It seems people have a hard time getting a getting their ride quality/performance to their liking with the spring/strut combo. Are the coilovers generally considered the better option? Do more people not run them because they are cost prohibitive?

7. is there somewhere i can find a diagram of the intake/charge air path? I just would like to have a better idea of how the air makes its way through the intake, manifolds and supercharger. It seems that C32's do not use BOV's, like many other forced induction vehicles. Does it have any kind of let-off valve, like a diverter valve or something?

8. Last I am totally confused about the difference between the intercooler and heat exchanger (what is it?!), and how all the charge is routed through? People are always talking about isolating the intercooler? From my turbo knowledge, I only know of intercoolers being top, side or front mounted, so I'm lost.

I realize this is a ridiculous amount of questions, but I have a small window of opportunity to get this car and I want to be ready. Thanks so much for the great site, and in advance for any help.

 

I use OEM on mine personally along with Akabono break pads. (Break pads Amazon, Rotors eBay) There are quite a few members here who use all kinds of aftermarket rotors etc but OEM for me works great, I drive pretty quick but I don't hit the track. Unless you REALLY plan to track it the OEM pads and rotors work great IMO.

Will have to let some more of the experienced user comment on this. Though Ill say for the most part, if you have time, the car is fairly easy to work on once you get to know it. Don't let the benz tag scare you. The most important thing with this car, don't go hobo cheap. It's not a rice rocket. I treat mine with respect and it treats me the same.

The pulley everyone is talking about is the SC pulley. Code 3 is what many people on the forum use. Though they no longer sell their pulley due to various reasons. This is the site many members are using now it seems

http://www.eurocharged.com/index.php...id=6&Itemid=61

Stock rims are 17". I use stock so I can't comment too much on this. I do plan to purchase some new rims for the car soon but from what I can tell spacers are a must and most of the C32 rims sold on ebay. (They're almost all 18")

I'll let the rest of the members answer your other questions. I'm a plane Jane OEM guy so I don't want to dish out advice that will steer you in the wrong direction Either way the car is awesome. Welcome

 

This is not entirely correct, actually.

The code3 pulley is indeed the supercharger pulley. However, the 178, 181, and 185 are crank pulleys, and with them are included other pulleys that must be installed in conjunction with the larger crank pulley.

How it works? Code 3 SC pulley is smaller than the stock SC pulley, so it will rotate more frequently/faster and create more boost. There may be some belt slip because the belt size is the same but the pulley is a little smaller (decreased surface area)

The crank pulley kits generally make more power, though the Code3 makes similar power to the 178 kits. Larger crank pulley with the same size belt overdrives some of the components, and for that reason and fitment purposes, a different idler (with a special high speed bearing) and water pump pulley are included.

If you go with the largest crank pulley available (185), you must have (a) a tune, for safety purposes (b) and a heat exchanger, to realize anywhere near the full power, as you won't reach that without a larger heat exchanger. I would recommend getting the Needswings Pulley Saver Kit which saves the integrity of all of your pulleys essentially. I think that is absolutely a must do.

I would also recommended a step colder plugs as well as the 55 intake to increase the air going into the motor (again this is if you go with the 185 or 181). With a 181/185, your stock intake becomes a bottleneck IMO

hope that helps

 

I have 0 suspension mods so I cant contribute on that issue.

The reason people are NO longer using the Code 3 SC is that they simply stopped making them about 2.5 years ago. They didn't stop for various reasons as many of us have them and like them. You can go three ways on the pulley: 1. Code 3 SC pulley (find a used one) 2. An EC 178, 181 or 185 crank pulley (or used one from Evosport/Renntech etc) 3. Stacked pulley with a 178 or 181 crank pulley and Code 3. (Stacked meaning you're running a crank pulley and a Code 3) .

 

1. Most people stick to OEM or similar without problem. Some people upgrade the whole system to brembos or stoptech or whatever. Obviously this is mad expensive. Other people get a hold of brakes off of other AMGs to upgrade the system. I chose to do something in the middle of those two options which is to replace the front rotors with aftermarket rotors by RacingBrake. If you search for RacingBrake my install review thread should come up.

2. I've haven't replaced my own sways or control arms, but people on here do and there are a few DIY's. As far as changing out the whole are or just the bushing, I guess that's up to you or your mechanic. Either way I'd look into OEM, because I've read about a lot of people having premature issues with the ebay bushings. H+R and Eibach make beefier sways for both the front and back. I know a lot of people on here swear by them.

3 / 4. What Josh said above. Check out the C32 section of Eurocharged.com for some info on the pulleys etc. Pretty much now all the companies are doing the crank pulleys. It's hard to get the Code 3 supercharger pulleys anymore so some people have been grinding their stock pulleys down to the diameter of the code 3. Sounds to me like you want max power so you'll probably end up going the 185cm crank pulley route anyway. Eurocharged works with a lot of shops relatively near us. If you contact them they will get you hooked up with a tune through them, but done locally. They've definitely tuned more C32's than anybody else and for the money you can't beat them.

5. bolt pattern is 5x112 . Lots of people are running hub centric spacers without any problems. If you search you can find the correct offsets as well.
17 and 18's fit with no problem. Some 19's fit without incident too. The only time people run into problems is when they try to push the envelope with large tire and wheel widths. I see a lot of people that only rub with people in the backseat etc... I have read though that people who have had both 18's and 19's like the 19" look, bu the ride is better with the 18's.

6. Coilovers are definitely the best route. I would agree that more people don't go that road because of the cost. Different brands are touted for different reasons like ride quality, drop height, adjustibilty etc...

7. https://mbworld.org/forums/c32-amg-c...tructions.html

There's a diagram at the link above. Just ignore the Yellow box in the picture.

The intercooler is under the supercharger (mostly because of space issues) it cools the supercharger. The Heat exchanger is mounted under the radiator and it acts essentially as a radiator to cool the intercooler. In stock form the engine (radiator) and intercooler systems share a reservoir. Again, a space issue. We separate these systems to keep the coolant temps and subsequently the IAT's down.

 

+1 to all the above. As far as engine, if you're looking for a quick C32, a 185 Crank pulley plus a "Jerry Tune" will do you right. If you do that, you'll need a Johnson pump, isolate the IC cooling and a new HE.

About the suspension. Are you tracking the car, because if you are, then there's a ton of guys who've done mods for the car with DIY. Do a search.

 

Wow great information. Thanks for clearing all of that up

 

Wow guys thanks for all the great info so quickly. need some time to process it all.
02C32guy-we need to grab some drinks sometime soon.

 

If you want the most kick in the pants power, go with a 185. Now, a 185 might not necessarily yield you the fastest 1/4 miles times, but I'm pretty sure it will give you the most HP and you will feel it more.

There's some debates over in the Crossfire SRT-6 forum about how the 185 produces too much heat thus negating the benefits of higher boost. I believe some of the fastest SRT-6's over there use Code3 Pulley's. Whether this is true or not is still open to debate.

Personally, I've had a Code3 in the past and it's no where near as much fun as the 185 IMO. Probably depends on what your doing. For V8 torque, get the 185. You will be buying rear tires ALL the time tho....

Good luck!

 

So it seems the consensus is that Oem rotors are the most popular. What are the better/cheaper sites to order oem pMB parts? I would be interested in trying to find a higher performing rotor if the price isn't astronomical. I would want to just change the rotor though, not upgrade calipers and have to deal with everything that comes with that (especially price). Or are there any other MB rotors that are better than the c32's, that could be easily swapped?

So 178, 181, and 185 that are always talked about are crank pullies. And if possible you can put a code 3 SC pully with an upgraded crank pully. Is there anywhere to still get the code 3 SCP, other than second hand from someone on here? Also what if you stack a 185 with a code 3? Does this cause problems? Il have a comprehensive aftermarket warranty if anything blows up : )

I will definitly be doing some type of intake. Des anything make more power than SL55 splitter? Are these sold as kits, or do most people piece them together?

What do people think of this- Evosport - Phenolic Heat Spacer Kit for Mercedes-Benz C32/SLK32 AMG Kompressor?-http://www.evosport.com/product/proddetail.aspx?partnum=EVO.PER.32K.PS1
Hit or skip? Pretty cheap if it helps at all.

Who makes the best sway bars? or would have the best selection of other suspension components to compliment the new sways? H+R was the best looking ones I found. It looks like they make a proprietary front sway for the C32, but the rear is for all C-classes (hopefully including the C32). Or maybe I mixed up front and rear but it looks like one is specifically for the 32 while one end is all c-classes. This is one of the parts ill have to order in the next couple days.

So someone school me on the tunes. do most people just go with a tune from the company they get their pulley from? or who does the most aggressive tunes? Whats the "Jerrytune"? Is there someone around me that could do a custum tune on a dyno? When they do that how is it actually tunned, do they remap the ECU right then and there?

About the wheels, so when Im looking for wheels I can use any wheels with a bolt pattern of 5x112?

Also what kind of price difference are we talking between bilstein or KW coilovers vs. H+R or Renntech springs and shocks? Has anyone found any really good spring/shock combos, that firm up the feel of the car with out feeling out of wack or giving a ridiculously rough ride?

Thanks again guys, I have bunch more questions but Ill try to break it up a little bit : )

 

185 + code 3 = too much boost (MAP sensor errors), too little fuel (kaboom), way beyond s/c efficiency (there goes your s/c)....i wouldn't do that

SL55 splitter + SL55 boxes + SL55 hoses is what i run. i think it's the best bang for the buck but you put it together yourself (not that hard). Eurocharged makes a sweet looking intake as well. No experience with it but it is dyno proved for 15whp IIRC

spacers = waste. skip

tunes. aggressive isn't always better. safe is better IMO. Eurocharged ("Jerry") tune is a very popular one at a great price. i use to run that one but opted to change to my local tuner for ease of minor adjustments for the track. They do custom dyno tunes in house in chicago or can go it someother way i think with a remote kit. many just sent in their ecu and get a box tune for their mods. it's a fast turnaround for that

can't address brakes/bars/rims/etc as i don't know.

hope that helps!

 

Which would net more power if a 185 crank stacked with a code 3 is impossible: a 181 stacked with code 3 or straight 185? This seems like an important question that a lot of people would need to know.

I would like to know the particulars of the possibility of a stacked 185.

 

you would still overboost with a stacked 181 and code3.

the fastest c32 (IIRC) had a stacked 185 + code3, port matched s/c, upgraded fuel system.....along with other things like LTs, nitrous (not sure if that was ever run), larger TB and s/c snout i think, etc......

 

And unless you live next door to Eurocharged, I doubt if that's ever gonna happen again. It's not a simple bolt on process.

The general consensus was, even a 178 with a Code3 would overboost and run lean. DANGEROUS. And again, running so much boost makes much more heat, thus raising IAT's and possibly shooting yourself in the foot, unless you run other cooling mods like Meth or Nitrous.

I think your best bet is to call a tuner, like Eurocharged, tell them what end result you want, how much $$ you're willing to spend and what the best plan of action is.

 

+1, I love the 185 and ran it for awhile on loan from LET, BUT I really like my Code 3 and its been reliable for nearly three (3) years. The ONLY thing that scares me about the 185 is that it WAY overdrives all the pulleys on the engine (runs them faster) and you need a PSK. Not a single guy on the forums has had to run that kit on a Code 3 nor have any guys had that problem with bearings..If they have, NOT near the extent of crank pulleys. I guess its a balance between reliability and ultimate performance. I took the reliability.

Again, its just me. If I were looking for ultimate performance, I'd stack a custom-made 180 crank pulley with a Code 3. NO CELs tons of boost and easy to tune................

 

That's all true Josh, BUT Lenin's car without these is right behind those numbers.

 

he's in the 11s? or low 12s? my bad. damn. i know with my mods, the best i got on my crappy 91 octane and 2000 or so DA was a 12.6 at like 112-sh. i think we have similar mods, unless i'm thinking of someone else? idk. either way, it isn't easy breaking into 11s on this thing let alone hitting low 12s. lol

 

Thanks for all the help guys. Let me explain why I feel I have a pretty unique situation going on here. I had a good amount of money set aside for car shopping. Im also getting halfway decent money for my torched S4. So I found a one owner, unmodded c32 with a lot of highway miles ( I semi know the person) for a very low price. So low, I have money for a $0 deductible, 4-year, comprehensive (electronics , engine, transmission, supercharger, suspension, everything) aftermarket warranty. This is all for way less than I had budgeted for my new car. So I have some money to throw at upgrades and I have total warranty coverage if I blow something up. I am definitely trying to push the boundaries. In addition to usual mods, Id like to run a water/ Meth kit and/or a wet shot of NO2. I was goning to start a thread on exhaust dumps too.

 

So theoretically you could run a 185 stacked WITH the right supporting mods? On the more realistic side of things, what is the tried and true way to net the most power, run just a 185, find a code 3 and run that, or stack the 178 and code 3, or whatever stacked combo works, if there is one?

 

Trust me Mike, trying to stack a 185 with the code 3 will give you way more problems than you want. Forgetting about the money for a second, we don't live near anyone really experienced with these cars and you will still need to get to work everyday. The only cars to successfully do this have been shop cars (or someone with a serious relationship with a shop). Eurocharged did it and more recently Fluid Motor Union. (edit: FMU's wasn't a 185)

 

FWIK, NO ONE has ever gotten a C32 into the 11s (that I have seen a time slip for anyway ). An SRT has gotten into the 11s, yes. The best time ever is Jakes at 12.33 at 115 MPH. Lenin is 3rd at 12.42 at 112. Jake's car was a SHOP car with many many mods. Even Jake will tell you that his car was about as far as he could take it without going to a 3.7 or even a Twin Turbo set-up.

The difference in the cars running from positions 1-20 is a half second or less and about 5 MPH. In Drag Racing that can be pretty substantial, on the street not so much.

I've both driven and also raced against Jerry's car # 6 and Jakes Car # 1 and 4 on Dragtimes and at the end of Morocco strip, they were maybe a half to one car ahead, that was it. Not that my car is all that fast, BUT FWIW, I've never thrown a CEL, its a summer DD and these runs were before the pulley wrap , 93 octane, my cooling mods and ON an old Jerry tune with bald PS II tires.

 

if you want that code 3 pulley, just take your stock pulley to a machine shop and have them machine is down to 65mm. thats what i did (actually i went to 69mm to be safe from slipping.) it works, its not dyno tested but i can assure you it works because i was never able to hit 0-60 in less than 5 flat, after the pulley i was at 4.85. now im tuned (it got worse now due to traction issues . tune wise. go with the eurocharged tune. i just had mine done and i cant get off the throttle.

 

Hey, I am in the area also. I am interested in seeing your car and progress. My engine is still stock for now.

 

wouldnt say that my friend.... I ran a large shot and made some impressive numbers. I never posted anything for numerous reasons, but there are a few here in the know about it when it happened. (big nos shot and some other stuff I would never want anyone to replicate as the car won't survive) MASSIVE fuel upgrades, wet shot (never do dry on these cars) etc.

and yes, you are exactly right, my car was maxed out by far. When you reaching for 5-7whp out of mods its time to stop lol.

There is no reason to push your car like we did. We wanted to make a point, and did so. There were a ton of mods on the car, thousands of man hours in labor. Ported and polished sc/plenums/everything as well! (how else can we run stacked gentleman) I am pretty sure I have been the only one to break 400whp. And glen does bring up another point, when I "broke" the record, the C32 I was against was just barely a length behind. Thats it...

Do not run stacked pullies unless the car can support it.

Get a 185 (or c3 if you can find em) and a good dyno tune. Call it a day. Glenns car has 1/4 of the mods mine did, and runs very very strong. That should be your goal....

 

Notice that I said "saw on time slip!! I know you went into the high 11s with the C32................

Your car was amazing Jake!!! The E cinco cinco even MORE!!