AMGAffalterbach

Hello All,

I am considering dumping some money into a turbocharger or supercharger for a 2007 E-Class (probably a V6 is what I am looking at buying very soon)... is it worth the HP gain? If so what is a good manufacturer? I don't want a C-Class Kompressor nor pay for a V12 Bi-Turbo (I want to keep petrol as well, no BlueTec), so is this a good idea for the quid to give it the extra pickup? A supercharger is a possibility (though the ones I have seen aren't too good, but I do know the differences). I like to keep my cars stock if needed but this seems worth it to me. Ideas?

Thanks

Sportstick

I think there are two threads running here at cross purposes! There is a guy with a name just like yours on another thread expressing concern about maintenance costs.

If you took the money of a turbo/supercharger and put it aside, the concern about maintenance would be greatly reduced, not to mention the unknown effect on drivetrain components (thinking mostly auto trans) of the unknown amount of extra torque, for which it was not originally designed. Good luck!

gaazmon

i really don't think it's worth it. i mean better to opt for a V8 (500/550) instead. with the 7 speed the 500/550 can get pretty good mileage for the power they pack if you don't always get on the throttle

kleemann doesn't even make a supercharge for the 272 V6 350 engine nor the 273 V8 550 engine. also i don't think there is anymore available for even the V6 320 engines (might be some but really doubt it)

WEBSRFR

I agree with Sportstick and Gaazmon. If Mercedes could have gotten more power out of these engines without too much effort, they would have done it. If you want extra power, you are much better off putting that money towards upgrading to the next engine trim.

Also the fact that you can squeeze out maybe 40-50 HP more is moot if it means that tolerances are exceeded and your car's internals are going to fall apart.

AMGAffalterbach

@Sportstick, Who is this guy? Call the constables!!! Haha no I was not able to delete that post for whatever reason as it locked out after a certain period of time. I mean to edit it but oh well, I am not as used to vBulletin.

Anyway, for a $2000 turbocharger I don't think it will get more than 50 HP out of it, and Mercedes doesn't typically go the *cheating* way to ratchet huge amounts of bHP out of their engines as American cars do. Plus that money could be put towards maintenance, but I am not on that strict of a budget. If you have ever noticed Mercedes tends to get MORE ft-lb of torque out of their engines per unit of bHP than most other cars... so I don't think I will.

gaazmon

there are people that have taken C/SLK32 superchargers and dumped them on the 3.2 V6 NA engines. but a lot of work goes into it. again MB moved away from the kompressors because of overheating problems (my friends CLS55 if you stomped the pedal 3 times in a row the supercharger shuts down on you, he's already selling the car and it's only been like 2 years he's had it)

Sort of O/T: MB finally came out with the 300hp 350 engine in the US for the E coupe. I know it's been on the SLK350 since MY09, but it's still really long overdue especially now since V6 mustangs, camaros, and chargers come with 300hp v6s standard. I mean for MB to be this behind in the game really shows lackluster care on the lower model trims

AMGAffalterbach

Yeah very true, plus it could cause problems with dealer maintenance and warranty on such work by other mechanics of I were to pull a Kompressor out of another class - just isn't worth the time, money, and horsepower I guess... for what maybe 50HP gain?

Isn't really too off topic as far as Mercedes Engines go. While I agree that Mercedes could be more competitive in their engine specs, you also have to realize Mustangs, Camaros, and Chargers are worthless pieces of American crap (please excuse the harsh tone, but they are really mediocre for the quid you can spend) that would NEVER compete with a German vehicle. How many world figures do you see (even US CEOs) driving an American car... the president when it isn't a real Cadillac in the first place.

Mercedes is also able to ratchet greater amounts of torque per hp than American cars as it goes to waste in their overall inefficiency and tendency to cut corners where it really matters the most. Isn't torque and technological innovation what truly matters? - NOT raw, inelegant, untamed horse power. I would rather drive a base Mercedes C300 Sport than a fully tuned 2012 Camero SS with every kit imaginable.

Sportstick

Actually, that is a fairly harsh tone, but just as all countries produce vehicles ranging in quality and desirability, perhaps there are better examples to consider than US muscle cars. Please evaluate, from each of the three American companies, a Cadillac CTS-V (coupe or sedan), Ford Taurus SHO, and Chrysler 300SRT8 without preconceived notions, but based on those cars as produced today. True competitors are defined by consumers, no one else; if someone is considering a Mercedes and a Cadillac, they are, per se, competitors. I can assure you from reviewing shopping data, these cross-shopping patterns do exist. The relative role of product versus prestige in CEO buying patterns is another factor, whether they are the driver or chauffeured passenger.

http://www.roadandtrack.com/tests/co...s-benz-e63-amg

ap10046

Actually, Rotrex does make a kit for the W211 (at least for the E280..same as the 320, smaller bore) and that's advertised as pushing out a fair chunk of power..231-321 HP.
The kit was about $5000. Seems a whole lot cheaper than the Kleeman one. This is something I have wanted to do for ages..
http://www.rotrex.com/Home/Superchar...6-c83b3616084e.

I'm with gaazmon, I had actually picked up the S/C and intakes for the SLK32, but when the "missing parts" list came through..I thought it better to cut my losses and sell it off.

We do, apparently, have some forged internals even in our "lowly" models..so I'm sure they could do with a bit of a kick up the backside!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_M112_engine

gaazmon

the kleemann supercharger would push the E320 up to like 330hp if I remember correctly and almost 300 torque, but again you could just buy a 500 for that much power

regarding competition i'd like to chime in a little. by mistake back in july for my bday me and a friend got a camaro as a rental car from enterprise to go to las vegas. the car performed quite well in our opinion and with no exaggeration, we got so many looks it was unbelievable (it was yellow too). but the interior... was by far disgusting imo and the gauges and all such crap. the mustang on the other hand is a different story. the interior is quite beautiful for a car in that price range (once leather is added. my cousin has a gt and i like it very much). the 300/charger on the other hand i can't speak of the new ones. my previous car was a 2005 chrysler 300. the car was ok inside and if you opted for the 300c with the v8, it was much nicer inside (better leather, actual wood, etc.). the only real problem i had with that car was the transmission but now that transmission is phased out and replaced with the 5 speed auto with tip just as the older MBs.

our 06 yukon xl denali gave us our first problem since we bought it new... needed a new gas cap since the old one the seals wore off by far the best quality automobile we've ever owned, just flawless. just reallly really REALLY regret buying the xl as it is not as practical

in all honesty, quality wise, my car is really starting to get to me. and i mean the cost of replacement for such minor things i feel is not right. by far i regret not spending the extra money up front and getting an 07+ E or something higher end on the model lineup (or a 911).

so since ur still shopping, go for an 07+ E if you want an E, I would not recommend to anyone to buy an 03 to even an 06 at this point anymore. just the SBC alone pisses me off as is (and now my aux battery keeps throwing a cluster message). If you want more power just go with the 550. it's really smooth and if u let off on it and go easy, the gas mileage is not all that bad for a car with almost 400hp. But even the 350 is peppy enough for many people. and also you can always get an ecu tune for the 350 and kleemann even makes headers and camshafts for the 350 engines.

Oh and btw pano roof replacement... $4000+

AMGAffalterbach

@Sportstick You are completely correct - it is all subjective and not EVERY manufacturer fits the stereotype. There are still some things that auto manufacturers in some regions are doing that bother me.

Anyways, @Ap10046 I will have to look into it but honestly might just upgrade trims or models for that price. Cool idea though and I might do it eventually... certainly not right away though.

And yeah the Chrysler 300 was designed by Mercedes and uses the E-Class frame, but the driving experience in the older design was just... dull and unimaginative and lacked a LOT from a driver's standpoint as the rest was made by Chrysler and the lower quality parts then, after, Daimler AG was formed. The 03-06 brakes were bad from what I heard but were phased out in the face lift. But yeah I am looking at a 2007 E-Class right now =D have my eye on the beauty.

ap10046

I've seen clean E55's selling at very low prices, these days..

gaazmon

yes, the car had a lot of flaws. the design was "something new" in a sense so people went for it. imo the new dodge chargers are really nifty lol and not bad for the price point

ya like i said before 07+ is the way to go. good luck

jcat

i just cannot stand any of their interiors. Them, along with chevy, have some really cheapo plasticky interiors. Hell even my 2004 mustang GT was nicer than some loaded chargers/300s I saw. The hemi was really nice though, and I do like the challengers.

As for the 03-06 brakes being bad...my 06 E500 honestly feels almost as good brakewise as my dad's old 2001 CLK55. I wish I would have gone 07+ (almost did, what a heartbreak. Wasted my time at another dealership, by the time I got to the one that my friend sells for, the e550 i was looking at was sold. had been on the lot for 6mo at 25k, said he could have gotten me into it for under 20) mainly just for the e550 as I wasn't interested in a 6cyl but needed the awd. But, I've owned my 06 e500 4matic for a few weeks now, and I absolutely love it. The 550 would have been tit for the extra 90hp and a little fuel economy, but with that much power available i'd probably have my foot in it constantly so i'm sure it'd be a wash lol

WEBSRFR

For what it's worth, you have a great car and plenty of power. Enjoy your ride and be glad you got it at a great deal and don't look back. Great that you got the 4Matic. I've driven the 500 4Matic and It is a great car and is still extremely fast.

The 550 is nice and I enjoyed the extra power the first couple of weeks but 90-95% of the time I drive the car very gently with the extra power on reserve for when I really need it for a little bit of grin inducing acceleration. If I push the 550 I run of out of road very quickly and plus with all the cops around here it's better to not go nuts with it anyway. In most driving situations I think you'd do equally well on the 500 or the 550.

jcat

yeah I know the 500 is good, I do love the car. The 550 was just so nice, it was an 07 550 4matic, black on black, 61k miles and mint. I've had some fast cars, driven some others such as my dad's CLK55 and knowing the e550 has the same(ish) engine plus another 40ish hp and AWD was super attractive. Just as well though. Less horsepower means less trouble I can get into lol

gaazmon

ya the interior was really crappy in mine for what you would expect (the v8 variants had a little better interior). the camaro interior was garbage from what i remember, i mean really bad. but the new 300/charger has a little better interior from what i've seen so should be more appropriate. the new mustang is realllllyyyyy nice. great car imo, especially the 5.0

i think what he meant by "bad brakes" is the SBC system and not the brakes itself. i mean SBC works great when it's supposed to, but if it fails God forbid oh and i hate the buildup noise

but yes imo the 500 has loads of power. i mean my cl500 is great the way it is so i can imagine in an E which is quite lighter than the cl how much more you would feel it.

chairman

The biggest enemy to either forced induction system is heat. If you look under the hood of one of the factory cars there is plenty of aluminum to deflect the heat. Then there is the issue of air, either for cooling or a fresh charge of air (the cooler the better) for the engine itself. So you can spend $5,000 on a nice system, but if those issues are not sorted out first, you can burn out the bearings and blow all that hard earned money.

I did not mention that on a turbocharged system the exhaust has to be fabricated to fit and work properly. You could just plop a super charger on a car without those mods, but the ECU is not programmed for the additional fuel/air mixture and will most likely throw codes all day long, or worse, put the car in limp mode.

"Back in the Day" I knew people who did put superchargers on cars and had zero problems, except for fried clutches and tires, ah those were they days...

Recently, I ran into a guy who supercharged his Monte Carlo, what a beautiful installation and the hood closed, of course those cars had enough room under the hood for two engines.

AMGAffalterbach

@Chairman, yeah I did not even think of the cost involved in that - don't know if it is worth it but I *might* as a project in the future.

As far as the brakes go, they changed the braking system in the 2007 redesign, before there were complaints of the electronic control system on the 2003-2006 that was replaced in the redesign. I heard it had some problems, and after driving the two in comparison for a little while I can say there is a slight difference and the face-lifted car feels and drives better. The issues were mostly with failures that were quite horrible to have to deal with.

jcat

honestly, bang for the buck you may be better off finding a wrecked E55 amg model and swapping engine, trans, harness and ecu. The instruments in the car should be compatible to that ECU and that will get you your FI fix. Not cheap, but I can't imagine it's that much more expensive than boosting a 6cyl or non 8cyl.

I'd like to see someone pull off a 55K swap in a 4matic car...and then I will proceed to copy it