C32 AMG, C55 AMG (W203) 2001 - 2007

C55 headers;

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Old Jun 6, 2011 | 08:54 PM
  #1  
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2006 C55 AMG
Question C55 headers;

Hey guys,

I'm thinking of getting some headers for my 2006 C55 AMG, the car is stock at the moment.

What do you guys recommend?

AMS headers any good? I've sent a PM to AMS asking about them etc..


Let us know your thoughts please, thanks
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Old Jun 6, 2011 | 09:04 PM
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awesome, i was about to make a thread like this. if anyone chimes in, also name headers that are less than $1,200 that'll get me 25 more rwhp with my re-flash.
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Old Jun 6, 2011 | 09:12 PM
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for longtubes, i'd go with MBH. For shorties, AMS.
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Old Jun 6, 2011 | 09:21 PM
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AMS go for 1,000.00 if you want to keep your cats, klemann if your want more power and dont mind removing your primary cat for about 1,500.00, If you want to go all out MBH has longtubes for $3,000.00. I have been debating this also, longtubes/intake/tune/installs/dyno for about $6,000.00 which hopefully can put me at 410-420 hp or sell my car for about $25,000 and buy a 2008 ISF for $32,000 or 2007 E63 for $35,000.
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Old Jun 6, 2011 | 09:38 PM
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Old Jun 6, 2011 | 09:38 PM
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I'm debating between AMS or Kleemann. Ideally I'd like to keep the cost down.

What are the power figures for the AMS headers on a C55 AMG? 23-25 rwhp?
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Old Jun 6, 2011 | 10:07 PM
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C55 headers are much less than $3000 these days. The guys at AMS are good people. I'm sure if you go that route they will take care of you. Most tunes get you about 20whp on a C55 With shorty headers you should have no problem getting 30whp or so.

With ort long tubes and a tune we get in the area of 50whp. Pending on your budget and power you want there are a bunch of options.
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Old Jun 6, 2011 | 10:21 PM
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hi mbh
is that 30 hp from headers on top of 20 hp from tune & price of your C55 headers thanks.
regards
george
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Old Jun 6, 2011 | 10:22 PM
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Originally Posted by MBH motorsports
..With our long tubes and a tune we get in the area of 50whp. Depending on your budget and power you want there are a bunch of options.
Was going to suggest to b344j07 that MBH bends some pretty pipes. Too late. :)
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Old Jun 6, 2011 | 11:44 PM
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Being a former owner of a C55 and doing this exact mod. (Shorty headers and tune) its about 30whp total. Some shorty make more some make less. Just not sure on what whats make more or less, when it comes to the shorty header style.

Our headers make about 50whp WHEN, paired with a tune. As a stand alone mod our long tube headers make about 30whp on NA 55's. However if your are from Down under. Our headers will not fit RHD. I wish they did though.
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Old Jun 7, 2011 | 12:19 AM
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So who makes headers that cost less than $1,300, allow me to keep my cats and get me over 25rwhp more?
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Old Jun 7, 2011 | 12:51 AM
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You will not get anything close to that with shorty headers. With that being said, however, your options for shorty headers that allow you to maintain your cats are Evosport, AMS and Renntech. AMS is the least expensive, followed by Evosport and then Renntech. I don't know of anyone that has had the Renntechs on a C55. There are members running the Evosport and AMS ones on the NA 5.5...
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Old Jun 7, 2011 | 01:36 AM
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thanks MBH iam from the land down under
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Old Jun 7, 2011 | 02:28 AM
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Originally Posted by wawy
You will not get anything close to that with shorty headers. With that being said, however, your options for shorty headers that allow you to maintain your cats are Evosport, AMS and Renntech. AMS is the least expensive, followed by Evosport and then Renntech. I don't know of anyone that has had the Renntechs on a C55. There are members running the Evosport and AMS ones on the NA 5.5...
i'm gonna look into AMS i think. what power gains can i expect, is it a generic brand, and what should i be paying for labor?
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Old Jun 7, 2011 | 07:04 AM
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I got lucky and picked up some used AMS shorties that I'll be installing soon. I've got all new hardware and gaskets on order since I'm scared to death one of those stupid nuts or bolts will break and I'll be screwed. I haven't ever taken manifolds on a Mercedes, so I don't know if they're prone to breaking or not.
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Old Jun 7, 2011 | 07:14 AM
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Originally Posted by michael kuzni
i'm gonna look into AMS i think. what power gains can i expect, is it a generic brand, and what should i be paying for labor?
Depends on the shop, but IIRC "book time" for one of these is 6-8 hours or thereabouts.

So for a header swap, you're typically looking at $500-800 in labor. This is one of those instances where you want to be sure that you're satisfied with your hardware choice, because doing it two or three times over makes it exponentially more expensive.

If it were me, I'd save up a little longer and get one of these the first time:

Kleemann "LTs" with Kleemann tune

or

MBH "LTs" with DC tune.

AFAIK, the Kleemann combo would cost around $2,300. Not sure about the MBH/DC combo... I'd guess around $3,500-4k.

Both, in my opinion, would be excellent choices and provide a noticeable and meaningful bump in output.

EDIT: I see you already have a Eurocharged tune. Even better - they'll do a reflash for you for free, so you don't need the Kleemann or DC tune, just the headers and tell Jake/Jerry that you need an updated flash. So Kleemann would be $1,500 or MBH at ????

Last edited by c32AMG-DTM; Jun 7, 2011 at 07:16 AM.
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Old Jun 7, 2011 | 07:26 AM
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I just wish for all that money they would be completely bolt in. I don't want to hack up my factory exhaust so I can't ever truely return it to stock one day if I needed to. Then I have to pay someone to install them because they needed to be welded instead of doing it myself. Plus, I still have to have cats to pass emissions.
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Old Jun 7, 2011 | 07:48 AM
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Originally Posted by 91RS
I just wish for all that money they would be completely bolt in. I don't want to hack up my factory exhaust so I can't ever truely return it to stock one day if I needed to. Then I have to pay someone to install them because they needed to be welded instead of doing it myself. Plus, I still have to have cats to pass emissions.
Agree that a completely-bolt-in solution is best, but disagree with your point about "truly" returning the exhaust to stock. How many countless w203 AMGs have had their resonator deleted? It's a cut-and-weld proposition to remove it, and the same to put it back later (if desired). Yes, the exhaust has some additional welds... but, unless the car's being judged at a Concours d'Elegance... who cares?

As for the last part... it varies state to state; not sure about Georgia. But, a reputable tuner can program the ECU appropriately so that the vehicle will pass an OBDii emissions test even with aftermarket headers that delete the primary cats. If you have a sniffer test, though, it may be more difficult... can't offer any opinions there.

In the end, the stock primary cats (and flange diameters) are pretty restrictive in the M112 and M113 cars, IMHO. Other than a pleasant change in tone, I don't think shortys really yield much benefit in increased output for these cars. I think it's better to spend a little more upfront for an improved cost-benefit ratio, but there's certainly a market for both products.
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Old Jun 7, 2011 | 09:54 AM
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Thanks guys, think I might go for the AMS headers, simply because they are bolt-in and easier to change back to stock if I wanted it.

How can I contact AMS? I sent AMS on this fourm a PM about 2 days ago, still waiting for a reply.
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Old Jun 7, 2011 | 12:44 PM
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Originally Posted by b344j07
Thanks guys, think I might go for the AMS headers, simply because they are bolt-in and easier to change back to stock if I wanted it.

How can I contact AMS? I sent AMS on this fourm a PM about 2 days ago, still waiting for a reply.
on the same boat as you. please PM me what they say if you get a reply. is it possible for me not to pass smog if i get headers with my resonator delete?
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Old Jun 7, 2011 | 12:52 PM
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I know of a few SLK55 AMG guys (Same engine as us) running with the AMS ones. A' La F1 has them and seems to like them. Check out his thread:
https://mbworld.org/forums/slk55-r17...ll-review.html
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Old Jun 7, 2011 | 01:04 PM
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Originally Posted by michael kuzni
on the same boat as you. please PM me what they say if you get a reply.
No worries, I will do

Do they normally take long to reply back to PM's then?
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Old Jun 7, 2011 | 01:10 PM
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Originally Posted by wawy
I know of a few SLK55 AMG guys (Same engine as us) running with the AMS ones. A' La F1 has them and seems to like them. Check out his thread:
https://mbworld.org/forums/slk55-r17...ll-review.html
very nice thread, but 12-14 rwhp....hmmm....i wouldn't spend more than $1k then.
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Old Jun 7, 2011 | 01:18 PM
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Originally Posted by michael kuzni
very nice thread, but 12-14 rwhp....hmmm....i wouldn't spend more than $1k then.

I know, but, it all adds up -- especially with a proper tune..
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Old Jun 7, 2011 | 01:55 PM
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Originally Posted by michael kuzni
is it possible for me not to pass smog if i get headers with my resonator delete?
In CA? Yes.

Can I legally replace an emissions sensitive part on my car with an aftermarket product?

In the state of California, it is not legal to replace an emissions sensitive device without the replacement part having an exemption from CARB. Although replacing a particular device might have no apparent effect on the emissions, and the car might even pass a tail pipe "smog-check", the replacement part is still not considered emissions legal. In many cases, the mandatory visual inspection of the vehicle prior to an official state required smog-check may result in immediate failure of the test if a non-exempt part is identified.

A part that has been issued a CARB exemption has been subjected to strict laboratory testing as required by CARB in order to demonstrate that the replacement part will not increase emissions. (These tests are NOT the same as the "smog check" test and often require "cold start" testing procedures in order to test the efficiency of the emissions system during the initial seconds of the start-up cycle.) A part that has successfully passed these tests will be appointed an Executive Order number and will be listed on the CARB website for reference. Every Executive Order part or modification has an assigned number that can be verified by Smog Check stations, BAR Referee stations, or by the ARB. This number should be displayed on or near the emissions sensitive part for reference by a smog check technician.


For a database listing of current exempt parts, visit:
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/aftermk...es/amquery.php
Source: http://www.racingbeat.com/mazda/perf...emissions.html

Last edited by c32AMG-DTM; Jun 7, 2011 at 01:57 PM.
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