Traveller

What are the best performance mods in terms of HP per $ for a '99 CLK430?

How do these mods affect a Starmark warranty?

clkal

i believe the best bang for the buck would be the evosport pulley upgrades. I don't know exactly how that would affect your starmark warranty.

Ahmed

Kompressor!

clkal

true....if you have $15K to spend, you will be able to produce over 400 HP if you get the Kleeman Supercharger installed....however most people don't have that kind of money to throw around. Stay with the pulleys, software upgrade, or the upgraded cams from evosport and you will be very happy =)

Renn 208

best performance mod in terms of bang for your buck would be performance driving lessons. Probably not what you want to hear, but being able to drive at 8/10ths at will will do more for your performance than driving at 4/10ths... Best part is that your warranty will be completely intact!

After that, proper tires and suspension would be my next line of attack.

Big Terry

Do K/N filters add much HP?

CHB

Perhaps 5hp, makes a nice round number at 280hp.

Traveller

Have you taken any lessons in SoCal? Who would you recommend?

Benzo

AT the risk of sounding completely ignorant, could you explain how each of these things work and the approximate HP they would add. I have been considering the Kleeman supercharger in my nexy round of mods but am very curius about these other things you have mentioned. I don't have much experience under the hood and any help/clarification would be great. Thanks guys!

Renn 208

I haven't taken lessons in the socal area, but I did attend CEC's DE weekend, Eurotunerfest which was quite a bit of fun. Also, Evosport used to run 1:1 schools from time to time, so you might want to ask them about it.

However, up north, there's both Jim Russel Racing school out of Sears Point/Infineon Raceway, and Skip Barber out of Laguna Seca.

clkal

just e-mail me and i'll gladly explain everything to you =)

count_schemula

Werd.

I can't express how much this has added to the enjoyment of my car. Getting out there and finding the oversteer understeer limits and really getting a chance to explore the braking and explore the car under transition is like having a whole new car.

Autocross costs are $25/$50. Great people, a day in the sun. Being able to smoke the tires and it's all legal.

Track events and DE schools are usually $225 for one day and $350 for 2 days.

Dedicated track schools are $2k plus.

----

Tires like the Bridgestone S0-3 will help handling, braking and rain performance. A cheaper tire is the Kumho MX. Not as strong as the S0-3 in rain, but an awesome handling and braking tire.

Lowering the car with springs and swapping the OEM shocks will allow you to squeeze more control out of your current car.

Then you can decide what to do with motor. Smaller stuff like CAI, chips (or better yet, custom programming), exhaust, underdrive pulleys, ?fan delete? Or a more involved CAI, exhaust chips/programming and cams set-up. And of course the supercharger. If you go with the supercharger, it may be fool not to uprate the suspension and consider something like the C32 brake kit adding to the expense of that set-up.

It may be possible to shave 100 pounds with a dry cell battery and a lighter exhaust.

count_schemula

If the local MB club in your area does not have any autoscross schools or events, check the local BMW and Porsche clubs.

We always have mixed models, it's part of the draw to me.

BMWCCA autocross schools are cheap, like $25 to $50. This is the perfect introduction to getting the tires and brakes good and hot.

count_schemula

Just noticed these cars run a 2.87:1 rear end.

Maybe a rear end swap would be a way to increase performance and maintain warranty?

Are there any official MB rear end swaps available? Or, it's not really a thing that is too likely to be noticed by the $tealer.



With 295ft/lb torque, a higher rear end ratio could give the thing some good urgency down low.

SoCalCLK

Agreed. Also, once I swapped to the AMG Exhaust, the powerband really opened up on the high end (75-100mph) and on the highway as well.

Overall, Suspension, Exhaust, Fiter and Chip should make around 310 hp.

Traveller

How much did the AMG exhaust change the exhaust note at idle, highway cruise, and full throttle conditions? Is that a cat back mod?

Khena

When I bought my CLK, that was the first question I asked. Would it void my starmark if I made any upgrades to the car.

They researched it, and the answer was not what I wanted to hear:

You can make any body changes, or stereo upgrades you want, but any changes made to the engine, suspension, or exhaust will void the warranty.

That sucks, considering that I had a BMW before, and I could make as many Dinan upgrades to my car without voiding the warranty as long as the dealership did it.

That's OK, I still like my Benz better anyways