clkwork

OK all I've had the CLK for a week and I'm already thinking about future mods. What cheap (say under $1000) mods can I do to bump up the performance a bit? And please god no one say nitrous

I'm not looking for anything too extreme because that's what I have the Chevy for

Thanks,
Jeff

x-tian-230k

Purchase the sprint booster... for 250.00 its gonna be the best mod for your CLK!

clkwork

Roger, I just put in my order! I wonder how long it's going to take to ship...

ItalianStallion

www.speedtuningusa.com They sell an ECU upgrade for your car, $300.00 removes the speed limiter and gives you a bump in hp and tq. Headers are too expensive. You can get an evosport pulley, it should add 10-15hp. Green high flow air filters should help a bit in performance as well, as would an aftermarket muffler, resonator removal, and secondary cat removal. You can't really go crazy with these cars though without spending big $. Nitrous really is the only way, and obviously your not interested lol.

clkwork

Wow, those gains are decent from the chip. I spent all my pocket change for December but I'll look into getting one after Christmas. Looks like 20hp from the dyno graph here. I'll be sure to pair that up with a new air filter. Exhaust will probably come later next year, although it is nice to have a quiet car. My vette used to be very loud (no mufflers) and it got old fast.

x-tian-230k

Yeah I used to have a CLK500... not really much you can do to get more power unless you throw a blower on there or something... but thats HUGE $$$... Even the ECU will show minimal gains.. Something that is probably not noticable... From one CLK owner to another..if the s/b was available at the time that I had my CLK, i would have been a happy camper... that darn drive by wire hesitation was soo annoying!

ItalianStallion

Seems like you made quite the upgrade! The E55 is a beast, congrats. I'll be looking into a real AMG (55k or 63) once my lease is up, or I might get a Vette and a 330xi or E350 4matic. We'll see...

I have the speedtuning chip, everybody whos been in my car has felt the difference. But, it doesn't make that much of a difference compared to a f/i car. For $300, if you are really obsessed with HP and shaving that .1 sec off on a 0-60 is worth it for you, then go for it. Otherwise don't waste time/money. I like it though and am happy I got it.

x-tian-230k

Thanks stallion... Yeah it was definately an upgrade from my C class and CLK days. The E55 is truely a beast. The best of two worlds... Lux and power! Ohh the low end power! Add kleeman parts to the mix and you've got a rocket... In any case, you will regret purchasing an 55k or 63. Just keep in mind F/I engines are more mod friendly!

sdunham

Had the same question after owning my '04 CLK AMG for several weeks. I bought this car after selling my '02 Corvette Z06 which was a blast to drive but low quality in general. Talked to my local MB Dealer Parts Manager who said I can get a discount on Kleeman parts through the MB Dealer but there parts are still way $$$... $3000 for headers for a 7 - 10% HP boost..! Give me a break... I knwo they are stainless but come on, let's be real... The SC kits are like $12k too... You can get an SC kit for a Vette or a Bimmer for $6K for crying' out loud...

ItalianStallion

Yeah, I was looking into a s/c kit for my car for a while, but you can't get anything for under 15k...HPS does make a cheaper kit but there is someone on the C AMG forums that has it and he has gone through huge $ just trying to get it to run right (it still doesn't run right). I have seen the Kleeman CLK's, they are amazing but for that kind of money I'd rather get a E55 and change the pulley. I also tried looking into a turbo kit for my car, but nobody wanted to touch it, best price I got was 12k installed, but the guy said it might be much more. Thats why I went with NOS. For 2 grand it was the only performance mod that was realistic and actually gives you hp and tq gains. Plus, it is easily removable (any warranty issues, just pull the whole thing out and nobody knows) and you can easily adjust how much hp you want. Truly a great mod for the money if you got the *****. Other than N20, you gotta pay 15k for nice hp increases.

sdunham

Sounds like a business opportunity, eh...? I thought the "Corvette markup" was high for aftermarket parts but parts for MB's are astronomical...
Guess that's why you don't see many highly modified MB's on the streets...
My local MB Dealer has an SL500 on his showroom floor with several Kleeman Packages ( brakes, spoilers, SC, wheels ) and it added $32k to the sticker...!