Okay men,

It's time to man up. I guess have been working too hard so maybe a little hearder action just before Spring may be the right thing to reward all the hard labor of the winter. I live in Boston and will have KTR Motorsports just outside MA. Once that is done I will do the ECU and then the LSD. I may do a low boost blower if that is available now.

Will keep you informed...I am oozing with excitement!

L.

 

Kleemaan is out of stock in the U.S., rats! Headers will take 3 weeks to arriving..... ;-(

 

Wait til you get the whole works then you'll explode! Just read the K sig. It's worth the wait and you should get the whole works and reward yourself!

 

The only reason I have not gone with getting the kompressor first was because I thought I would feel may way up the HPs latter and see how my car handles the increases gradually. I am really wondering how the car would handle 530hps...

In any case, now you got me thinking kompressor. I will see if I can get the headers elsewhere.

Learso

 

Congrats on your decision to move forward...please keep up up to date on your experiences!

 

Learso:
I'm sure you will find that the steps in which you are taking . To Be quite satisfing. If I was to do it all again . I would go for the LSD 1st. (I wish I Had)Traction control is not great on the OEM setup to start with. If you do the ECU thing 1st. . You gain tons of bottom end & Midrange!! , but very little on top end hp. If you think the traction issue ! stock , is bad , Wait untill the ECU is installed. . Be sides . when you install the headers , the ecu has to go back , for recalibration anyway. At This point of header installation & ecu upgrade to match them. On the test drive . you are going to go HOLY C>R>A>P!!!
Have fun I did ___PTE___

 

I plan to do the headers first because I think it will give me the biggest bang for my buck after the kompressor, the LSD second because if I need traction now I will surely need it later, take a pause and maybe the kompressor...and if not, the ECU will go in last because it will need to be calibrated every time I do an upgrade if not. The real problem is lack of first hand feed back on the Kleemann kompressor here in the forum surprisingly enough. Not many people have the whole kit and I really want to know if 530+ is safely handled in the CLK55. Details, I want details. What we need is a full indepth review of this product by someone here (who is not selling them on the side).

Learso

 

Hey PTE:

Do you feel the car loses something of its grace when these mods are done...does it become more of a hotrod, loud and outspoken in public? I really don't want the car to look or sound THAT much different when I turn it on and drive normally than it does now...I want a sleeper. With the exception of a bit more sound from the headers I expect this can be done. What is your experience with this?

Learso

 

Been on the road before and can tell you the car will handle it with no problem. There used to be a guy on this board Timster who did the kompressor first and he was very satisfied with the result. Doing the s/c is really a nice gain imo above all other mods (headers, ecu, etc..) As per Kleemann the proper way to upgrade is...

1. Kompressor s/c
2. LSD
3. headers/downpipes
4. ECU

Reason why the ecu is last is because you don't want to have to keep sending it back to be recalibrated(unless you really want to do that) everytime you slap on a mod. And if your pockets allows get a set of cams too! It's not for everybody but that thing is just too sweet!

Also getting the headers as far as i know all kleemann network dealers get their stuff from CO so if they don't have it nobody would have it. Maybe unless you try ebay.

Also as far as the car being a hotrod and losing it's grace...only when you stomp on the gas. Everything else is just normal like you don't have any mods. Hope this helps.

 

Jamie,

Thanks for the info. By the way, I noticed you are in CO, same place that Kleemann USA is located. Do you affiliated with them in anyway, agent or dealer?

Learso

 

Learso,

Your welcome. You have PM.

 

Learso:
This Car The CLK. Will not lose its grace. My last run at Moroso Produced a 12.66 et & 111. Mph, With Drag Radials. Most of the Guys there liked the exhaust sounded Very subtle, until I dumped the throttle . . I hate to say it. Been there! Do a Search , Kleemann header review , Still wish I did the LSD 1st.IMHO Have fun ___PTE___

 

I have ordered the hearders and the ecu. The LSD maybe will go in at the same time, haven't decided yet. I am going to go step by step because of the cost of course but also to see how I like something like 385-390hp. Cory said that with both upgrades there should be around 45hp more. Needless to say I am sure I won't hate it...but that should keep me happy for a while until I muster up the 12K for the s/c, maybe late summer or next year.

All mods should be done by the end of this month. Anyone have opinions of the Kleemann suspension? CM20 is selling it on Ebay for less than stock and I wanted to get the opinion of someone else. I have currently the euro-spec springs.
*****
*Edited*- after reading up more on the LSD, particularly that of JLEE, I ordered it too. I will post results as soon as the car is done.

 

Learso,

Pls keep us posted of your project. Should be a nice outcome once it's finished. As far as the K suspension....do it! The ride is not too floaty or too harsh. IMO is just about right. When you say suspension are you talking about the shocks or springs or both? If your pocket allows do both to match. They have a nice handling. Good choice on the LSD as well. You won't be disappointed.

 

I too await your update with eager anticipation. All these things I want to do as well. $$$ permitting.

 

JamE55,

The suspension package this person is selling is both shocks and springs. But I am hesitant. The person selling is saying that the steering is compromised a bit with this setup because the car is lower to the ground but I don't buy that (although it may be true). I just don't see how the car being lower is going to have stiffer stearing, I don't get the physics. I have my car with euro spec amgs and the car is just like stock in the steer just lower. Of course the lower car means less roll, better handling as a result...but no steer effected. If anyone can explain this to me or confirm that this does occur I would appreciate it. I am not calling this guy a liar, just need understand how it works.

I will post before and after dyno results as well as pics when all is said and done. We just await parts from Denmark for now.

Learso

 

Learso,

Not sure about the steering part but i can tell you that i've had the K suspension for a long time now and never had any problem with steering. And yes you are correct lowered cars means less body roll that being said my car handles great when cornering.

When are you suppose to get the part in?

 

I have the BRABUS suspension and what he may be refering to is a heavier steering feel, a lowered car has a lower center of gravity, placing more weight on the wheels which increases the steering feel.

 

Thanks guys,

Lowering the center of grativy puts more weight on the wheels? Well, in that case, where was the weight before the car was lower?? On the wheels too no? What makes it difference if the car is 100 feet high or 2 inches low, the distribution of weight is still dispersed via the same support methods, the wheels, no? In any case, I would think that if it does make it heavier it should not be THAT much heavier. I have the euro-spec springs on now and the car is lower yet I do not feel a bit of difference in the steering.

If I win this ebay bidding I will try them out and see how I like them.

L.

**UPDATE***

Lost the Ebay bid, apparrantly someone paid $1725 for the setup. For about $250 I will get them new from Kleemann and with a warranty. Too much for used items without warranty. Good to know that the resale value is so high though!

 

Learso,

sent you a PM.

Owen

 

The weight was over the wheels, not on top of them like when you lower a car. Think of it this way, it is the difference between standing and squating. If you stand the weight is on your feet, and if you squat, you still weigh the same but the closer you are to the ground the more gravity you have to contend with.

I just know I could feel a difference in my steering when I lowered my car, but it felt good to me. And different springs have different spring rate and interact with each car differently. I am also using #1 pads up front.

 

Did I mention I had sway bars installed, that might increase the steering feel also.

 

Thanks Ghostrider,

Perhaps the sway bars might have more to do with it. I will be stubburn and say that I disagreed that lowering the car via new shocks alone would increase the weight/resistance of the steering wheel. This is not the function design of springs. I disagree with your analagy because squatting requires more use of other muscles not typically need to walking or run to move your body, this is what makes moving more difficult...gravity is a constant. It's got to be coming from some other reason than just from springs, or shocks for that matter.

In any case, I think I too would like a tiny bit more firmness in the steering so it would be welcomed. I hope to try out the set when I get to it.

Learso

 

Either way I look forward to your updates on how the car is going and how much the Kleeman setup compares to the one you have now.

 

Learso,

How did your install go with KTR? I'm looking for a reputable Kleeman installer in MA. Are they an authorized Kleeman installer?

Thanks