leloz

My oldest son is going to purchase a car in the 8-10 months and was looking at the C43 (and other competitors). He really liked the C43.. but disliked the lack of a manual transmission. Is there a manual transmission available for the car? Maybe the 6 speed from the SLK320 will work? He emailed Bekkers this morning but has not heard back from them yet. Thanks for any help/suggestions. He may post under my name in the future.

ProjectC55

No ,the bell housing from that tranny will not bolt up to the MB V8 engine.Try calling Kleeman or Brabus to see if any manual tranny options are available. Many have asked about this modd including myself.

leloz

Thanks for the prompt response. I will pass the info to him. He had only manual cars up to this point and his last car was a modified 2003 VW Passat 1.8 Turbo 5 speed. He will be returning from overseas by next December so he has plenty of time to do research on the subject.

ProjectC55

maybe he should look at a 5 spd 95-99 M3,98-2001 BMW 540i 6spd or an Audi S4.There are lots of available mods for the M3.Very reliable as well

ProjectC55

maybe he should look at a 5 spd 96-99 M3 3.2L,98-2001 BMW 540i 6spd or an Audi S4.There are lots of available mods for the M3.Very reliable as well

leloz

You must have read his mind, those are on his list of potentials along with: Volvo S60R, Audi A4 3.0 6spd Sport, VW Passat W8 6spd Sport, Cadillac CTS-V, Lexus IS300 5spd, Infiniti G35 5spd, and BMW 330i sport. The C43 was one of his top choices because they are rare compared the aforementioned. It is not everyday you see a C43

040mercedes

c43...nice. Check out RENNtech. I've seen manual transmissions from them if I'm not mistaking. As for contacting Beckers, good luck with that. I've tried contacting them several times about stuff and they never get back to me. Good luck.

ProjectC55

RennTech! Really.Do you know for how much?I've never heard of or seen an AMG or modified V8 Benz with a 5 or 6spd manual shift tranny.Only the shifter buttons on the steering wheels or the triptronic floor shifter of the newer US and EURO V8 models.I've heard of folks trying to put them(manual 280,320)boxes in the C36,which is obviously a six cylinder.Anyway,I will go to their website and chk it out or give them call.

steve s

isn't there a manual version of the c43 in europe? wondering if u could get it from europe... and do a swap

ProjectC55

Nope!

040mercedes

Yeah, I know I've seen them before on their website. Contact them to see what they have available. I checked out the search engine on their website. It seems they have (or had) a 6 speed Getrag available for mercedes v8's. Only problem is $$$$$. It seems to me that to have a manual trans installed on a c43 would cost more than to buy the car itself. That's the problem I've been running into with my car. I've found that turbo kits for my c280 cost more than double for what I paid for it. That goes with other smaller mods, like a camshaft and ecu upgrade from Renntech. It almost costs half the value of the car for a simple mod like that. Let's face it, guys like me who own the older benz's are screwed when it comes to modding their cars. It makes no sense to me to spend 4 times the amount of what I paid for my c280 just to screw with the reliability of my benz. Okay, that's enough of my ranting and raving on that subject.

Oh yeah, I know that someone else in this forum is going to order a manual trans from Europe for his c36. I have not heard from him yet whether he was successful. Even though it's not the c43, the c36 is a great potential for modding and a sure shot for a manual trans swap. Check out his post.

ProjectC55

please list the link! because there is no where on Renntech's site where I see them listing a tranny for MB v8's anywhere past or present.

leloz

Thanks for all the information. Bekkers emailed him back saying they do not currently have a manual transmission availalbe for the C43. I think C43 has been scratched off the list. I wonder how the C320 6 speed performs?

Chappy

Need to brush up on the search abilities, I see (j/k) :p

<snipped from RENNTech's website>

"February 2000
RENNTech, Inc., Launches the RENNTech CLK 60 with
Six-Speed Manual Transmission for High-Performance Enthusiasts
LAKE PARK, FL -- Hartmut Feyhl, renowned Mercedes-Benz aftermarket tuner and president of RENNTech, Inc., has launched his latest achievement, the RENNTech CLK 60, a high-performance conversion with a six-speed manual transmission designed to satisfy the most discriminating sport sedan enthusiast. Modified with RENNTech's most potent mechanical upgrades, the CLK 60 is reliable and easy to maintain, yet produces performance levels matched only by the world's most temperamental exotic sportscars.

Derived from a 1999 Mercedes-Benz CLK 430 Coupe with five-speed automatic transmission, the CLK 60 has been transformed into a performance powerhouse with a 408-horsepower, 6.0-liter V-8 with a zero-to-60 time of 4.7 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 13.2 seconds at 106 mph. Stock times, as reported by Motor Trend in the May 1999 issue, were 6.5 and 14.8 seconds at 96.5 mph, respectively.

What makes the RENNTech CLK 60 so unique is that RENNTech has engineered the world's first six-speed manual transmission for the CLK. It's capable of handling up to 540 pound-feet of torque, and the first two gears are also double synchronized for faster shifting.

"We believe it is the only CLK with a six-speed manual in the world," said Feyhl, the mastermind behind the conversion. "It is painstakingly difficult and, obviously, expensive to make, but for automotive enthusiasts who prefer to shift for themselves, this car offers the ultimate in performance without compromise."

Sachs of Germany custom-made the dual mass fly wheel and clutch package to specification for RENNTech, and designed it especially for high-torque applications.

To create the CLK 60's newly found muscle, RENNTech starts with the manufacturer's 4.3-liter SOHC 24-valve aluminum V-8 engine that generates 275 horsepower for the CLK 430 and expands its capacity by increasing bore and stroke to 100 mm x 94.8 mm to result in 6.0 liters of total displacement. The cylinder heads are ported, polished and port-matched to the manifolds. The compression ratio is at 10.3 to 1.

RENNTech's engineers upgrade the engine with the company's most aggressive performance camshafts which provide 11 mm valve lift, a high-performance carbon-fiber air filter housing with high-flow filters, an external oil to water cooler and eight individual oil jets to cool the Mahle pistons. The engine management system is reprogrammed, and RENNTech installs their signature crankshaft; connecting rods; modified rocker arms, intake manifold and throttle body; larger intake and exhaust valves; a larger Air Mass meter; as well as RENNTech's rear stainless steel muffler. The CLK 60 utilizes stock emissions control devices. The cumulative result is that the CLK 60's reworked engine produces 408 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 484 pound-feet of torque at 3,300 rpm.

The suspension was lowered with special lowering springs made to RENNTech specifications and includes custom-valved, fully adjustable Koni dampers. The tires are Pirelli P Zeros on multi-piece O-Z Racing F1 Cup wheels. Up front are 18-by-8-inch wheels with 235/40ZR18 tires, and in the rear are 18-by-9-inch wheels with 265/35ZR18 tires.

The massive RENNTech/Brembo high-performance brake system consists of vented 14-inch rotors with four-piston all-aluminum RENNTech/Brembo calipers up front, 12-inch rotors with four-piston units in the rear, and stainless steel brake lines and performance brake pads.

RENNTech enhanced the interior with a custom carbon-fiber interior kit, a carbon-fiber and leather RENNTech sport steering wheel, RENNTech color-keyed sport gauge faces recalibrated to 200 mph and CLK 60 floor mats. Recaro racing-style sports seats in OEM leather were also added. Subtle exterior modifications include a custom RENNTech body kit with a front spoiler and rear apron.

The RENNTech CLK 60 is covered by a 2 Year/40,000 Mile limited warranty on all RENNTech-modified parts, and the balance is covered by the Mercedes-Benz factory warranty.

Feyhl (pronounced file), whose relentless mission for more than 20 years has been to stretch the capabilities of Mercedes to attain breathtaking new performance levels, worked for 10 years at AMG in Germany where he helped build the very first AMG Hammer and served as AMG's technical director in the U.S. for two years before starting RENNTech in 1989 in South Florida.

The first RENNTech CLK 60 with a six-speed manual transmission is owned by Chad Viso.

For more information about the RENNTech CLK 60, manual transmission conversions, or other RENNTech conversions, tuning kits, body kits, wheels or parts, please call (561)845-7888."

********

You will spend some cash if you have this mod done. Keep us up-to-date!

ProjectC55

Mmm Chappy! I'm surprised the car only ran 13's!

ProjectC55

They run pretty good.Not the same as a C43 but pretty gd none the less.I personally like the M3 but the c320 is nice. It's a wicked fast car if you mod it with a supercharger from Kleeman or HPS.Will run like if not faster than a AMG C32 with a charger from one of the above companies.

ezeneli

Check out my 1997 C36 AMG 5 speed manual w/pics I did it all for little over 2K. Or you can go to rentech and get shafted for about $4-5K no thanks!!

Click here for details

c55m8o

RENNtech quoted me $25K for the conversion a few years back ... he probably was smirking, quoted me a price so I =wouldn't= bite and they wouldn't have to deal with it. Forget'm ... I'm working on doing it myself with ingeneous local people. Bet it'll come in under $10K, maybe even $5K.

knvs

There was a CLK 60 RENNtech at one of my local dealer a couple of years ago. Had a 6sp and roll cage! It look sweet! IT was only on the showroom floor for a couple of weeks. Asking price was over 100k

fastneutron

There are 2 CLK60s listed on Renntech's website for sale. The convertible is the only available now according to the website for $65K. Not bad for a fully modified Renntech car. The only thing is its exterior color is copper.

MBCLK60

I own both those CLK60's you see on the Renntech website..the silver coupe is for sale if anyone is interested.

fastneutron

Can you post pics, price, and current mileage or just send me a PM.

Chappy

Is one of them the CLK widebody that started in the One Lap a few years ago?

MBCLK60

Yes, the silver coupe was in One Lap...I beleive the owner of Renntech entered it with himself driving. The convertible was owned by Ken griffey Jr.

MBCLK60

Here's the coupe...30k miles, asking $52,000 with Renntech Monolite Wheels.