I absolutely love where my car is right now as far as it's look, once I finish replacing the sidemarkers, installing DDM Tuning HIDs, lowering, aluminum pedals, and door pins I'll be pretty much done for the summer for aesthetic changes. Not to say I don't want to continue in the future with an E63 body kit but I am very satisfied with my W211 and it definitely looks better than when I got it.

My question though is this: I know there's a huge list of mods for E55s especially since they are supercharged to get more power out of them. The E550's power is really great but I'm wondering what are some more entry level performance mods I feel I'm ready to get into. Although I feel grateful for what I have, I think the M273 at 5.5L is capable of much more than 382-hp. I'm sure that takes $$ but I'm wondering if there are any mods I don't know about as I am still researching. Being naturally aspirated, the only performance upgrades I've seen that are a reasonable price are ECU Tuning (Eurocharged for instance) and on the more expensive side the Kleeman tuning route (ECU Tune, headers, cats, sport cam shafts) but that is quite costly. Is there really much you can do to this engine or any simple performance upgrades that will give me more noticeable power without breaking the bank? It's a German car I know but just curious

Thanks

 

K&N, smaller s/c pulley, larger Throttle body, fuel rails, injectors. But ECU and TCU tune will give you the largest gain..then its onto the Kleemann parts. Just looking at them will cost you $$$.

 

No sure how a smaller S/C pully will work on a non-supercharged car but thanks for the other ideas. Doesn't the facelift W211 have an 82mm throttle body already? Can I go larger?

 

Yes I was under the impression u had a 55 not a 550 until I actually READ your profile.

The 550 motor: You can upgrade parts with aftermarket items.
Headers, exhaust, cat delete, Y or J pipe rework, Throttle body upgrade, Airbox upgrade, Fuel rail, TB unit, ECU tune...but remember that when you add power to move the vehicle you need to add power to STOP it as well. Big brake kit, lines etc...Also Kleemann and other companies offer the supercharger for the M273 as well ..Kleemann boosts the power up to 475hp..not sure of the other companies.

 

Haha don't worry about it Kompression just giving you a hard time. Thanks for the ideas!

 

I'm not into modding cars but as an engineer if you want real gains make it a 550 Kompressor!

BTW if you do I'll throw in the badge

 

Yup I'd say for the MOST power go for the Kompressor. I did and I cant tell you the difference on the 500 motor. Its amazing..and its torquey all the way thru the gears..the major difference between the AMG blower and the Kleemann blower..no cycling clutch pulley and no lag.

It will cost you but damn if it isnt fun.

 

You recommend the Kleemann blower over the AMG?

 

I do indeed. The AMG is clutch/pulley driven..if the ECU decides you need Kompression then it cycles the clutch. The Kleemann is full time all the time.

Even in comfort mode my car has so much low end torque that its hard NOT to break the rear wheels loose. It really messes with the esp confusing the crap out of it until the rear end settles down.

Another bonus for Kleemann is their staff. I have spoken to Cory and Brandon many times and they truly know their ****.

Last month my tps was going haywire and the car wouldn't run. Brandon walked me thru the diagnostics and we found the issue, reset the connectors and BAM! Car is back on the road. Yes I recommend Kleemann.

Now thats not to say AMG isnt top shelf..but I'd be hard pressed to call the MB dealer and have a tech help me for hours over the phone. MB told me to flatbed the car to the dealer and they'd fix it for me. 300 for the tow, 200 to have the diag, and 200 for them to reset the connectors. Let's see <80 for me to get a scanner and call KLeemann, or over 700 to take it to MB to do the same thing? You decide.

 

Absolutely, makes sense. I will save up for this modification down the road as it really does seem worth it, I can imagine on 4-Matic how fun that would be to have that much torque and horsepower overall. So just to be clear they have a supercharger for the M273? I know they do for the E500 but this also carries over to the newer iteration?

EDIT: I decided to spend 15 seconds to Google it. That's awesome =D

 

From an older post: World premiere - New KLEEMANN Kompressor for V8 (M273)
New KLEEMANN Kompressor for Mercedes-Benz V8 (M273)
KLEEMANN introduces a new Kompressor system developed for the M273 V8 engine range fitted in the current 500/550 model ranges.

Like the Kompressor system for the outgoing V8 engine range (M113) the new design integrates the inlet manifold, intercooler and Kompressor in one integral unit. A compact design that ensures factory-like fit looks and quality.

KLEEMANN introduces the EMS (KLEEMANN Engine Management System)

Cutting edge engine management technology – Sporty engine characteristics
The anti-clockwise rotating Roots type Kompressor is characterized by its unique ability to develop plenty of power at low boost pressure and this type of supercharger has proved its reliability and efficiency for many years. The new electronically controlled fuel injection and management system KLEEMANN EMS is on the other hand a technological break through.
The fuel injection and management system allows boost pressure to vary from 0,3 bar to 0,70 bar as the engine rotates up the rev scale. The varying boost pressure ensures progressive and sporty engine characteristics known from naturally aspirated high performance engines. Increase in rpm results increase in increased power output all the way to up to the rev limiter. Furthermore the system ensures an effect curve without any bumps or valleys.
The EMS reduces boost pressure thus power output a fraction of a second before gearshifts to ensure smooth and gentle shifts.

Punch from idle - Flat torque curve remains intact
Like the earlier generations of KLEEMANN Kompressor solutions the new system still ensures plenty of torque from low revs thus a car fitted with the new system will have plenty of punch from rev levels just above idle. 90% of torque is present at 2000 rpm.

Safe, durable, reliable
The low boost pressure of just 0,30 – 0,70 bar makes the system safe and provides long-term durability for the engine. To further improve the safety aspect the EMS features a safety mode constantly monitoring the fuel - boost pressure ratio ensuring that the engine cannot run lean thus suffer damage to the engine. In other words the boost pressure and amount of fuel injected to the engine will always comply.
Even if the car is driven in an area of high altitude (less oxygen, low pressure) and down to sea level boost pressure and fuel supply adjusts automatically to protect the engine from running lean.

Technical specifications

Kompressor:
Type: Roots type
Boost pressure: 0,30-0,70 bar @ max 12.000 rpm, electronically controlled bypass.
Capacity: 2,0 ltr (122 cubic inches) pr. Rev.
Intercooler: 1 internal and 1 external aluminium air to water intercooler.

Output (500/550 engine)
Effect: 475 Hp
Torque: 625 Nm

Output (500/550 engine) with KLEEMANN Headers and Exhaust:
Effect: 505 Hp
Torque: 660 Nm

 

AMG if i where you, and i NEEDED more power, I would save the money you would drop on a supercharger, sell your car, and buy a nice used 2006 e55. And the hot part is, you would prob still have money to convert the exterior body to the e63 body. Those puppies as you know are a lot more responsive to mods, only sad part is you will lose the AwD. But your 4.9 sprints to 60 aren't exactly sluggish in the e550 right now. lol I gave up the thought of tuning my car as you can tell.

1) Sell e550 for 20k on a bad day
2) Save 8k on the supercharger not counting install*
3) http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mercedes-Benz-E-Class-E-55-AMG-ROO-WE-FINANCE-2006-MERCEDES-BENZ-E55-AMG-KOMPRESSOR-AUTO-ROOF-NAV-/350817566039?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item51ae5b3d57&vxp=mtr4)??????
5)profit

*very rough estimate

 

Modding the e55- as opposed to an e55:
AMG- If im correct you are looking to make your car unique and quick.
Buying a used e55 will solve one issue..but after you buy the e55 you'll find out that you are not so unique. Ive seen old ladies here in vegas with e55's (no BS).
I saw an old lady with an e63 down the road from me, not to say their hubbies didnt choose them. My point is stay unique. I have the only 2006 supercharged e500 in North America. It's not the fanciest or the fastest car..but its the ONLY one. And its MINE!

 

I definitely agree with you Kompression I think the point is to stay unique and I am not a big fan of several known issues with the pre-facelift W211. When I graduated senior year I was thinking about trading my car in or selling and getting an E63 but there are a few things preventing me from doing that: this is my first car and I am completely in love with it, and I lucked out with a German car that has no major mechanical issues and has been reliable over a year of use. It is very healthy mechanically and I am thankful for that.

I agree though Fila I don't think 4.9 second 0-60 is sluggish at all, it IS slower at elevation as I am sure Kompression knows having lived in Littleton, but it is just the interest in improving my car whenever I can =) I want to keep this car long term - as long as I can - so I haven't yet given up on improving it from a performance perspective. But at the hefty price of any Kleemann mod it probably won't happen soon as it is so expensive. Maybe another company will come out with a similar unit soon, or I can pick up a used one in the future

 

Yessir: The Kleemann parts are fairly expensive ..but you get what you pay for.
Top quality parts and a top-notch staff.

You can most certainly find used Kleemann parts. If you do find a used kompressor send it to Cory or Brandon at Kleemann and let them overhaul it. Thats about 350 for a rebuild on the supercharger. As far as headers and exhaust. I have Kleemann headers and RennTech exhaust. Kleemann couldn't get me the exhaust in my earmarked build time so I went with RennTech cuz they were available at the time. Do your research and you can come up with a suitable combination of parts to realize your goal. Without killing your checkbook.

 

You're a wealth of information on this topic, thank you so much man!

 

when did Kleemann make supercharger for 550 n/a engine? i cant find it on their site.

 

It's not on their site but if you Google M273 Supercharger Kleeman has one according to that press release quoted above. The best way to get pricing on it I am sure would be just to e-mail them, they have an office here in Colorado Springs so I'm sure they'd be willing to answer any questions.

 

Yeah... got an email from Cory, nothing of that sort is available. only thing they offer for M273 is ECU tune and Cams

 

Damn im sorry I was mis-informed.
ECU tune can be major gain in HP..cams will give you broader power range..then exhaust and maybe TB..without going thru internals.

 

Yeah but for the price of the cams i am going to try and do one off build, perhaps twin turbo. its going ot be tight, but i think it can be done.

Just wnat to know what would be a safe PSI on this motor. Would love to run 12PSI or so

 

ECU tune will give you modest power gains, when you tune a car and it has all of the same engine components you won't see a huge benefit. Cams I can see helping with the power band, but yeah I am not surprised I believed that article to but I guess it's not true.

^Kudos to you if you have the time and money to turbocharge this engine, it will be a BEAST when it's done. It definitely won't be easy though and I'm sure engine management will be hard to come by, not to mention massively expensive. Good luck though!

 

Kompression- I have a ton of ?’s for you. For ex., what M273 car did you do this to? Do you still own? And I know it’s an older post but tell me more if you can. Top to bottom. Done? Costs? Reliability? Tunes done? I want to know actual HP TQ gains if you have any for proof Eg., dynoed? What else tell me more! I am considering this on my ML 08, and found someone who put a s/c on this engine. Do tell....!

 

Where did you get your SC? I have a 2007 S550 (M273) and I can’t find one. I see Kleemann tried to make one but never got it fine tuned for sales.

 

Where is everybody finding super chargers ? I haven’t been able to find any great power mods for the platform which is a shame because I know this engine can do at least 500whp comfortably on stock internals