My CLS 550 Mod Progression *Pics Pics Pics*
 

Stock, just picked up the car:
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/...psb37531d0.jpg
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/...K/DSCN0282.jpg
Installed my Programa Electronic Lowering Module:
My thoughts:
>The system works great overall and having the functionality of raising / lowering the vehicle +/- 2.0 inches on-the-fly and in less than 45 seconds was well worth the money.
>I am very happy I decided to go with the lowering module option for lowering the vehicle as it makes full use of the CLS' AIRMATIC system and also integrates seamlessly into the CLS' original equipment without any error codes.
>I normally drive at -2.0 inches in the front and -1.6 inches in the rear and the car drives and handles significantly vs. before I installed the module; it feels like the car is on rails and it really is a night/day difference to the overall feel of the car.

http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN0431.jpg
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/...pse398ab04.jpg
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/...N0462-EDIT.jpg
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/...N0467-EDIT.jpghttp://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN0433.jpg
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN0501.jpg
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/...2/DSCN0512.jpg
Installed my 55tech 1-fin grill and 20x9" / 20x10.5" Concept One CS5.0s:
>I installed the grill myself; it is an easy job and only involves the removal of 3 bolts. I love the look and I think it was a great mod.
>The car is set to -2.0 inches front and -1.6 inches rear in the picture below
>I am running a 10mm hubcentric spacer in the front with extended bolts
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/..._1001-edit.jpg
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/...psc7c8fa6a.jpg
Painted my headlights and installed a carbon fiber front lip:
>I had the lights professionally painted and I have never had any fogging issues.
>The fitment of the lip is great, I purchased it from another CLS owner who had never got around to installing it on his CLS63.
>You can see the G2 silver caliper paint in one of the pictures below. I also painted the rotor hubs with high-temp Tremclad matte black paint. These small details made a big difference; I recommend that anyone buying wheels attend to these small details first, you will be happy you did!
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/...psf9c1881d.jpg
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/...ps9fedf956.jpg
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/...psf51948ed.jpg
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7795f016.jpg
Secondary cat delete and custom 3" X-pipe: [1st pic was taken from the back-end of the car, 2nd pic was taken from the front-end]
> Idle is quiet (cant tell the difference from stock) and you can only really hear the exhaust mods when you really step on it
>Top-end was definitely improved and the car revs a lot more freely
>I did not noticed any real drop-off in low-end torque (I was warned about this when I decided to go X vs. H pipe)
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/...psded3f97c.jpg



http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/...psf6b2cd1e.jpg

Feel free to ask any questions that you have! These boards were extremely helpful (via the search function :y) when it came to selecting my mods and I want to do as much as I can to contribute to our community.

My next mod: thinking of a complete muffler delete and just running a 3" straight pipe....I need more sound :zoom:

Looks great!

What did the elm run you and how difficult was install?

Correct me if I'm wrong but on the exhaust there are 2 sets of small cats and 1 large resonator. You just replaced the large single resonator with an X pipe but left the 4 cats alone? Or did you also remove 1 set of the small cats too and replace with straight pipes?

where did u get the inside of ur lights painted n if u don't mind what does that cost?

Programa site:
http://www.programainc.com/mercedes-...22210099r.html
The modules are on special for $599 right now. I got mine approx. 1.5 years ago when they were first released by Programa so I paid a bit more. The install was easy if you have some experience with electronics. The kit comes with complete installation instructions, which I followed. It took me approx. 2 hours. I have experience building custom sound systems so I'm not a stranger to wiring diagrams, however, for the normal weekend DIY-er I'd suggest a professional install, which would probably run between $100-150.

I'll take a pic of what I pulled out from the exhaust, but in response to your question:

-There are 2 secondary cats (1 on each pipe from each bank of the engine), those were both removed and 2.75" straight pipe was installed to match the OEM pipe diameter. There are no error codes from removing these cats.

-There is one large resonator that appears to have a pass-through similar to an H-pipe. It was removed replaced with the 3" X-pipe

In total, 2 secondary cats and 1 large resonator were removed. The 2 primary cats (which are the ones with the O2 sensors / other sensors) were not touched and they sit further up on the exhaust right off the headers so they are not easily accessible nor are they visible from under the car.

PM'd you.

Typically the cost is between $400-500 depending on the color scheme you want.

It is very difficult to remove the headlights as there are some bolts that are located behind the bumper, so ideally the bumper needs to be removed also.

Thank you m1rag3.

I have done a resonator delete with x pipe and honestly can't tell a difference. Next month I'm going to move the x pipe farther up in place of secondary cats and put straight pipes where the resonator was (where x pipe currently is). I've heard that the farther up the x pipe is, the more sound you'll get.

Oh yeah, my car is currently lowered via STAR but I want it lower. Do you think I'll get -2" on top of what I already have if I install the elm? Or will I have to return to stock height (via STAR) and then install elm?

Tl1000r1 - I had my headlamps painted black as well. It was done by Juno from Modders Only in so.cal. I shipped them to him (I'm in Az) and he did an amazing job.
Check out his website. He's done a few other members' cars too.

Did you delete the secondary cats also?

I think with the X further up you will get a really raspy sound, not a deep sound. If you want a deeper sound I recommend deleting the X completely and running straight pipes from the primary cats all the way back to the muffler.

Did you feel any performance improvements with the X pipe?

As promised here is the pic of the parts that were cut off from my stock exhaust. You can see the two secondary cats and the one, large resonator, which has a built-in cross over that you can see if you look into the pipe:
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/...psf1262d4e.jpg

Keep in mind that the air suspension itself only has a set amount of "travel"

You will get -2.0" front and rear from the stock ride height.

would love to see some pics!

I'll post some pics tomorrow.
Why are you contemplating a muffler delete instead of removing x pipe and replacing with straight pipes for more sound?

Any idea what that set amount of "travel" is?

Great job..can you give me a source for your 6k Fog lights and any pics if possible? Also any pics of the interior with the diff lights? did you change the ambient lighting in the center roof..thanks

-2.0 inches from stock height on the down and on the up I think its ~+1.0 inches from stock height (i.e. the vehicle raise button)

Any concerns with removing secondary cats in regards for emissions testing?

looking hot main :)

Your car looks good.. i am looking to have my headlights painted black also...
Ever think about adding a Carbon Fiber rear deck spoiler... :zoom:

Looks awesome man!

I just bought a Renntech V2 ELM w/ remote. Cant wait to install it and slam this thing :)


Would love to hear your exhaust in person.

It didn't happen without a sound and video of exhaust mods. Just saying.
:-P
bob

Here you go:
http://i1171.photobucket.com/albums/...pse185ed85.jpg

I have a lighting guy down here who sourced them for me. I believe they are Philips HIDs.

I dont have any good pics of the interior because the lights are just too bright and without flash the quality is too poor for a pic.

I changed both the front dome light and rear dome light. As for that ugly yellow "halo" of ambient lighting in the front and rear domes I didnt want to open the housing up to change those -when you remove the housings from the roof, the main lights are easy to change, but it is not possible to access the yellowish lights that run the "halos"

I like the way the car drives with the X-pipe; it revs a lot more freely and on the top end I can definitely feel it pulling harder. Scientifically the X-pipe has been proved to provide some marginal gains as exhaust gasses are cleared from both engine banks with a synergistic effect that increases as engine RPM increases. The main caveat is that the X pipe must be properly assembled (mandrel bend, no welding slag in the X etc.) and positioned in the right location along the exhaust.

I heard a CL65 without mufflers and it sounded great. Then I found this video on youtube of a CLS 500 with cut outs and it sounds absolutely MEAN:

I am not worried as the main cats are still in place and those are the ones doing the real brunt of the work.

thanks brother....I thought about a CF decklid spoiler but I really like the clean look of the trunk without the spoiler. If I had a CF diffuser, I'd definitely go for the CF spoiler though.

Thanks brother! Maybe I will see you at some puremb.org meets once this horrible winter is over!