TNH

From the Renntech site...

3.8L CONVERSION (STAGE 2) $18,950
High-performance engine rebuild including forged Kolbenschmidt pistons, performance camshafts, and ported and polished cylinder heads. Power increased 76 bhp to 291 @ 5850, and torque increased 73 lbs.-ft. to 306 @ 3600.

What????? $19k for heads, cams, pistons?

Can't you just buy cams and order pistons, have someone bore/stroke your engine, and have your stock heads ported and polished for WAYYYY less than that?
The aftermarket for Mercedes sucks. No other vehicle on earth costs this much to modify. A blower for a v6 costs $10k from Kleemann...that is ridiculous.

I want a little more kick out of my 320, and If I decide to go through with it, I am going to have someone bore it out, put aftermarket cams in it, port & polish the heads, and put an AMG supercharger from the C32 on it. Other options I am looking into are a Mosselman twin turbo kit, or a custom mounted vortech centrifugal blower. Both will get similar gains to the kleemann for half the money.

Mach430

Why would you want to put the AMG supercharger on rather than the Kleemann? Going with the AMG supercharger would require A LOT of additional work, and would end up costing much more than the Kleemann SC. The C32 is different from the 320 engine, and would yield less power with the 11 lbs boost that the AMG SC runs at. The intercooler of the Kleemann Supercharger is so advanced that it is patented. At almost 4-lbs less boost, it would yield more power. Take the SL55 for example. The SL55 runs 11 lbs boost and yields less than 500HP. On the other hand, the Kleemann 55K runs at about 7.25 lbs and pushes out 550HP.

Samir

The C32 Kompressor boosts 14.7psi (1bar), not 11 psi.

IDOITBST

if you cant afford it you shouldnt buy a benz lol .. THN ur in a different circumstance with your ride lol what you paid i dont think you would have a BENZ if you didnt get that price you got (well maybe ur parents mighta bought u one lol). YOU OWN GERMAN U HAVE TO PAY OUT THE **** FOR AFTERMARKET. its nothing new its always been this way )

TNH

I realise that when driving a high end car like this, aftermarket parts will be more expensive. I don't mind paying for the quality wheels, bodykits, and other items for benz........but the performance stuff is just ridiculous. I didn't buy the car for performance, but its always fun to have the option to make it a little more powerful. Paying $19k for heads, cams, and pistons is insulting. I don't care if I was Bill Gates....I know the value of a dollar, and 19k for those parts is just the lamest thing I have ever heard.

You can get blowers (35-50% hp increase) for almost(excluding Mercedes) any car, and that isn't limited to low priced vehicles like mustangs and hondas....affordable and effective superchargers are made for BMW, Lexus, and other high end vehicles. As a benz owner, I feel as if the Mercedes aftermarket looks at me and other MB owners as fools with money to blow.

I don't know how many times I should mention this, but $19k for 76hp!??!?!?!? hehehehheehehehe!! I feel sorry for anyone that bought that little set up. A good machinist can make a stroker kit for any engine for a few thousand dollars at most.

I am not bitter, I don't feel that I got the wrong car. If I wanted a hot rod, I would have gotten a supra or other sports car that is easy to modify. However, as I said before, I still find it insulting that any company would feel good about themselves offering a product at this ridiculous mark up (this comment is mainly directed at Renntech, although other companies are guilty of it as well).

Goldeni245

for 19,000 you should've just got a CLK430 or even a CLK55 and have a bigger downpayment/

ktm

The folks that sell these kits know that the "boy ricers" who buy them don't care how much they cost. They will work extra overtime at the KFC til they can buy all of it. While most of them drive Hondas, there are some that manage to get into MBs.

With markups like that, it's a great business.

Brian_R170

I agree that RENNtech's prices are extreme, but...

The major component of price is volume. Sorry, your M-B is not a Ford Mustang or Honda Civic. Aftermarket parts for Mercedes are expensive because development costs are spread out over a much smaller number of parts that are sold.

Mercedes-Benz sells about 17,000 CLKs every year in the USA. Compare that to 160,000 Mustangs and 300,000 Civics.

How many CLKs do you think RENNtech modifies every year to include the 3.8L conversion? I'd guess it's on the order of 100 cars.

TNH

AA BMW stroker kit for $3500
toyomoto Lexus 300 stoker kit for $5500

ESS BMW supercharger, most models ~$5000
toyomoto Lexus supercharger for 300 (GS, SC, IS) ~$6000

I would bet that these cars are also produced in substantially lower numbers than hondas and mustangs.....yet affordable performance is still available for them.

There is very little developement involved in supercharger systems from car to car....many cars can use the same exact centrifugal blower, with a different mounting bracket set up. Many aftermarket shops can mount a blower to almost any car for very little money.

Renntech is a joke....I don't care how many 3.8 conversions they do each year...I bet they do one if they are lucky. Anyone that spends that kind of money for that little hp is a moron. Any good machinist can bore and stoke any engine and get comparable hp for only a few thousand.

bmac002

Are these cheaper kits you speak of traditional blowers or a twin screw design like the AMG supercharger and Kleeman. From what I understand a traditional supercharger that you would put on a mustang or something like that will increase HP but barely increase torque. The AMG and Kleeman twin screw designs produce almost as big a gain in torque as they do HP. Although I am no expert, I could be wrong.