Greetings, esteemed forum members. I am considering installing an M113 Kleeman SC on my '02 CLK 430 w/ 135k miles that I've owned since 2009 (right about the time I joined here) when it had 31k miles. My questions are two-fold:

1) Am I nuts for doing it on a w208 with this number of miles? I've seen mixed feedback on this topic. Let me just say that I take VERY good care of my baby and stay on top of all required preventative maintenance so she is running GREAT and smooth as silk. I'm sure someone will say leave well enough alone, others might suggest I sell and get a CLK 55 which has the performance from factory but I know this one inside and out so at this late stage would not take a gamble on an entire car I do not know will be as reliable as mine even though it would probably cost about the same as installing the SC on my 430.

I have no car payment which I REALLY enjoy and plan to stay with her for some time to come. So, I want to push the "boundaries" a bit. I am also adding 19" custom wheels, an Eisenmann Race exhaust, Deleting the Resonator and replacing with a section of straight pip to the secondary cats and lowering the car (not slamming just an inch or so.

2) Another option being talked about is swapping in just the engine from a CLK 55. If I were to do that are there any other critical items I would need to carry over in order to not have major issues with the swap? I've seen some members mentioning the transmission and the suspension are different as an example. Should mention that I in the process of replacing the stock shocks with Koni adjustable sports and the stock springs with Vogtland Sport springs. I have "recently" (in the last 30,000 miles) replaced most of the front end suspension components with MB Original / OEM parts (Upper/Lower Control Arms, Control Arm Bushings, Ball Joints, Steering Damper, Center Link, Idler Arm, etc.)

Thanks in advance to any members who can offer an updated perspective.

 

Your not nuts for pampering your ride, just a passion we All have for it.
I'd say if you are able to get it installed then way not, and it would definitely be a convo starter for sure! GO for it
GL
2MERKS

 

It is doable, but you will somehow have to add more fuel, with boost, unless you buy a full package including modified ECU by Kleeman.

Instead of a Kleeman SC, if you could get hold of an M113 55 series SC, with engine harness, fuel injectors, Intercooler, pump, radiator and ECU, it would also be an option..
The only trouble is that the ECU is tied to your car's transmission selector, electronic ignition switch and the key. You would have to have the new ECU programmed with the cars VIN #. to make it work.

After install, you would need some mapping, to get the fuel right, as well as ignition table.. Dyno time

 

Thank You 2MERKS and SLcharge for your responses and your support!

2MERKS, I agree I am at a point where the passion and the funds to support it are in better alignment so why not GO FOR IT! After all I have the blessing from the better half which is the icing on the proverbial cake.

SL Charge, forgive the layman in the room but I believe you’re saying to take those SC parts off a CLK55 along with the other components you mentioned? If yes, any idea where I could find someone parting out those parts? If I misunderstood apologies and please do clarify. With the Kleeman system i will be having the existing ECU tuned as part of the install. I have to check if any of the parts you referenced like the intercooler and injectors are included as well. If they are sounds like either scenario would be viable.

 

You got it right, but you can take the components from any 55 motor, S-SL-E-CLK cars etc. You will defiantly need an intercooler system, regardless what system you choose. On the 55 engines the intercooler is fitted underneath the SC. The SC radiator is fitted in front of the engine radiator, and 2 hoses and a pump is feeding the intercooler cold water.

These guy's do a lot in Mercedes. ( Just an example ).

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-M1...bd1a84d3c36a16

If you get a complete package from Kleeman, it should be okay.
What do they charge you for that ?

 

SLcharge, thank you again for the valuable advice. I started to reply yesterday but got sidetracked. Brandon at Kleeman NA is VERY knowledgeable on all things SC related and he knows the w208 inside and out. I am HIGHLY optimistic and confident the result will exceed expectations and his customer service etiquette is TOP notch. He confirmed for me that they...

“...made 3 generations of SC kit. GEN1 Autorotor, GEN2 Autorotor and GEN3 Eaton. The one we will be installing is a GEN2 Autorotor. means it is an actual “lysholm” SC rotor profile, far superior to the Eaton “roots” blower in terms of efficiency. It was manufactured sometime in 2008. When we rebuild them, every single moving wear part is replaced, as are all seals (o-ring and radial). The case is dimensioned to be sure it is within spec as well, all parts out of spec are taken out of device. This SC unit will be as good a unit as a new one, if they existed. Our system incorporates a water to air SC in the manifold, with a heat exchanger mounted in the nose. All this is included with any SC kit we ever made.”

He also confirmed that they will also dyno the car before/after and perform pre-install diags (STAR scan/test).

“We need to be sure everything is up to par before we start in with the installation. We will also identify any extant issues with the car and let you know what those are. As an example: the electrical connecter on the gearbox (called a guide sleeve) is a known leak point. The leak will wick ATF into the wiring harness for the gearbox CPU and can cause issues. MAF sensors need to be prefect in they calibration etc to ensure a good result.”

He did not say this but I’m thinking I may I also need a compression test to ensure the engine is not compromised and will in fact be able to handle the additional pressure.

I am already making arrangements to get her up to Colorado Springs in the next few weeks to start the work.

 

That sounds great. Sure it is a good thing to do a compression test ( They can do that with the STAR tester, no need to unscrew the spark plugs ) and a "Leak down test" I would do as well. Something else to check is Oil pressure, cold and warm. You will need to have never DOT tires on the rear wheels and rated Y, or they might not take it to the dyno, in order to avoid a tire explosion. They will probably do the dyno testing in 4th gear, up to red line. Can be quite a number of passes before they got it right.
Be aware, that if you afterwards do go to a MB garage, do tell them explicitly NOT to refresh/update the ECU program, since that will delete all your dyno values. I had that once on my late SL55 stage 4 tuned car. Had to go back to Kleeman and let them do a new dyno run.

If you can afford it, and they have a set available, a set of headers will greatly benefit the engines power output. They do let the engine breath a lot more easy, and can give between 30 and 50 hp extra, over the stock ones. Your stock exhaust system will cope, but a decattet system will do better.

 

Again, appreciate the advice. I am at my HIGHLY skilled mechanic right now getting a compression / leak down test performed. Fingers crossed, all will go well. Kleeman states that the STAR and Dyno tests would also indicate if there is something requiring investigation based on the returned values but I like to measure twice (maybe even 3 or 4 times) and cut once. They dis confirm that my tires will be good for the dyno so good call to check vs. get there and find out they can’t run it.

In terms of long tube headers, Kleeman no longer makes them and places like Vivid Racing, eBay, etc. don’t have access to them either. Any advice / ideas from You or anyone else on the forum or anyone looking to part with a set?

 

Mid size headers work the best with S/C engines. Long tube headers, benefit high rpm output, better for N/A engines. I am not familiar with the space in your engine bay, but there are still some out there for the E55, The cylinder head exhaust flange is the same, but routing and space requirements may differ. Sometimes it only requires small modification, to actually fit the car.

I found these, in Germany, but they must be available in the US as well LHD. A matter of searching I think.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fit-RHD-Car...4AAOSwwCJdJ6XD

 

I should probably write Thank You at least five times to cover in advance the next set of responses 😂😂😂

Kleeman NA provided a similar response just a few mins ago::

“The W208 is the last car MBZ made that used a steering box, vs a rack. The left side header was way odd vs the right: it had to go over and under the steering box. The headers were 7 pieces in total. Also a bugger to build as even tiny misalignments in the jig lead to high rejection rates. They were not "long tube” by any means, but rather “shorties”.“

The hunt continues...

 

Folks, just wanted to express my thanks again for the feedback and support of my fellow forum members. I am HAPPY to report that I just brought my "lady" back from Colorado Springs after getting the M113 Kleemann SC installed. All I can say is "WOW!"...I know she is not the newest or fastest on the block but compared to where things stood before the install, it is a HUGE (and welcomed) difference. Special thanks and gratitude go out to Brandon and Cory out at Kleemann USA in Colorado Springs, CO. They are AWESOME and really know their stuff inside and out. I'm attaching some pics and my dyno before/after results for reference. The numbers are at the wheels and per Brandon contrary to what I thought (am maybe others as well) the parasitic loss between the crank and the wheels is a fixed number, not a percentage so add another 50-60 to both the HP and TQ numbers to get the crank values.

....and to SLCharge, thanks again for the advice about the compression test. The results were actually quite amazing. I also attached the results of that as well. Most of the cylinders came back between 160-179 which for a 17 year old engine is not bad at all considering as I understand it from speaking with my mechanic a new engine like mine would come in at 180-200.

 

Happy for you that it worked out as you expected.

Enjoy and have fun.