Beatz

What if...

You love your e320 and just want a more ballsy sounding car??? Are there any headers available without breaking your bank?

I have a 2003 I want to drop with some lowering springs because I have been told they feel better then coilovers. Is that true?

I was wanting to do headers with a catback but I was told I could get codes thrown. Is that true?

Should I pull the headers and wrap them or coat them in heat resistant?

I need some realistic ideas and suggestions without dishing out thousands of dollars...

and don't say it can't be done and you need to buy another car...

Will there is a will there is a way... I have seen ppl turn cars into beasts without breaking the bank... using stock rims from other models, coating intake, plastidip... ect...

Is there any parts that work off other cars?

I'm not talking about cosmetics either... I'm looking for performance.

What are the best intake setups? I saw a few custom built ones with heat resistant wrap. How do you replace the MAF?

I'm open to ideas... I've had a 95 Subaru GC8, 99 Audi A4 and this is my next project...

Thanks!

Strigoi

Your money would be better spent by selling the E320 and getting an E55 or E63 if you want better performance.

dappersclass

There is performance upgrades on the market. My younger brother has an E320 and he has a stage 1 software upgrade. Here is the link for reference:

http://shop.amrperformance.com/produ...e-ship-in-ecu/

Obviously power increases are not immense, however, I drove the car and it is very smooth and peppy. I highly recommend

Beatz

So I guess what I'm saying is how can I make it more fun to drive and attractive while I have it... lol...

Beatz

bookmarked... ty...

can you get some more info on upgrades from him? I was trying to find a place to get custom headers and price them to the performance one i found... and i do mean 1...

cetialpha5

If you don't want to spend thousands, you should save your money for things like SBC. Hope your radiator is ok and doesn't toast your transmission. The 2003 year was the worst and people have spent several thousand just on repairs.

Strigoi

Very much this.

Which do you want? In your OP you said you want performance and didn't want cosmetics. Now you're saying "fun to drive and attractive". I'm taking fun to drive meaning a bit better handling.

Coil overs are going to run you $1000-$2000 plus installation. You also don't say if your car has standard springs or Airmatic. Wheels and tires even if going cheap will probably be $1500+. You want to do an E63 bumper conversion? Another $1000+ easy. Front lip? Several hundred, same for a rear diffuser providing you can find one that fits your bumper. Nothing is cheap for these cars.

Performance mods on an E320. Don't waste your money. Like I said, you'd be better off getting an AMG. You could find a beat E55 for probably $5000-$7000 more than you could sell your car for. For that money you couldn't even come close to getting the same power out of your E320 that the E55 came with stock. One thing to remember, a cheap E55 will be the most expensive car you ever own. Same goes for the E63.

In my opinion you should just drive the car and enjoy it. Don't spend money modding it since you'll most likely need it for repairs in the future.

NewShockerGuy

Yep I agree completely with what is said. If you want to hear your car or make it perform better and it's a e320/e350... you bought the wrong car...lol Better off buying an AMG.

I did a couple things to our e350. Mainly for looks honestly but the most expensive thing was an e55 brake upgrade. I hated the huge gap that the stock calipers had in the nice 18" amg wheels. This was a mod that yes it brakes great, but the stock brakes didn't do a bad job stopping the car... this was purely for my satisfaction. If I ever sell the car no one will car at all that it has 8 piston fronts/4 piston rears. If anything I probably just hurt it because now the brake jobs are more expensive compared to the sport brakes..lol

Enjoy the car for what it is. It's a nice looking car that drives nice and is smooth. You are going to drop several thousands into the car that honestly isn't worth it and you'd be better of just buying an AMG. If you are doing it just to do it and you have money burning a hole in your pocket (I know/been there) then go nuts, but don't expect performance levels anywhere near an AMG.

-Nigel

Roop94

to add on to that...lol I've also looked thru performance chips that gurantee gains but won't tell you how much gain you'll get, if any at all lol Does E320 comes with turbo? If does, it would give u better gains than a natural asp. engine but you are most likely to run into repairs sooner or later. My cousin had his head gasket blown lol so i say stay away from ECU tunes and chips to get power cuz some engines don't work well with the power that new ECU map unveils.

but i found this one chip that says power gain or if conservative enough...it can increase mileage of max to +4. It's for $100. I talked with them and he said it doesn't override ECU at all, it goes into the OBD and plug-in. I'm not here for hp gain but that mileage gain is something i can use with these heavy 20' wheels lol on avg, im getting abt 22-23mpg. It has 60 days money back...still a little skeptical buying it but also want to try it lol suggestions?

bernard farquar

I think at this late date, the problems have been shaken out. I have a 2003 with 160K and have a new SBC under the extended warranty, but other than that pretty much oil, plugs, and filters. The first year's problems that really were an issue have already killed the cars that were affected, I think.

That said, yeah, if you want a performance car, trade the E320 in on at least an e500...

bernard farquar

Doesn't get much truer than this.

LemonSqueezy

There really isn't a whole lot you can do without spending money to make it go faster, but spending that amount of money can easily put you into an e500/e55. If you want louder try a muffler delete w/ a j-pipe. Wouldn't really recommend headers either, It's going to smell and you're going to need an ECU tune to get rid of the check engine light. Even then with a tune and headers, you're on a N/A v6, so you're probably only going to gain like +20-30hp?

Kamisama

If the car isn't running right, get that done. Not running "good," but running right. There's a lot that can be wrong that can affect the performance. Don't do performance mods on an E320. Best thing you can do to improve things is probably wheels and tires. Go with AMG rims if you can find a good set, but if not go with something from Tirerack. If no OEM AMG available, I'd go aftermarket, as you can get decent 1 piece low pressure cast wheels for under 200 bucks each (not for O.Z. or BBS, but for cheaper brands) per wheel. Your car can fit 20s, but I'd probably go with 19s. Then again, you want performance, so maybe 20s, but fewer options for tires on 20s.. Stagger a set of wheels with Continental Extremecontact DWS or better, and at least you will be riding fine and cornering well. At least you can get a new wheel delivered in the mail if you break one that way... Make sure camber/caster and bushings and arms are right (older 211s sometimes need to be bent back into shape to do this) and you will be riding on rails until you mess it up, but at least you'll know what it should feel like.

That's my best $2499 performance upgrade advice.

I'd keep the air. Not sure on that model, but you may be able to lower via SD.

dappersclass

The tune is the only modification he did. The E320 is not a popular modified platform as you are aware. The tune made it more enjoyable and smoother to drive overall, which is why he did it. Plus, the upgrade was cheap, so why not lol. He has no intentions to fabricate bolt ons or dive deep into this car. He has 4 other cars to play with, so he is not concerned with that one

2MERKS

E320 +1000s of $$$$, = AMG 55 !
Just move up in life, don't be scared! By the time you decided to take the PJ it'll be winter. Just doing a bit of research to purchase the E55 would have been easier.
2MERKS

Sleeper Benz

Lots of AMGs in the Philly area Craig's List...must stop looking, don't search "Mercedes AMG"... put down the mouse...turn off the computer...must resist...some below $10K...bank account draining...

Beatz

Well what I want is obviously a moot point if I can't get it from this car. According to everyone who has replied its sell it and get another car... Therefore I commented saying then what can I do to make fun to drive and attractive to other buyers so I can get rid of it fast.

I'm not going to spend thousands for upgrades for little return. I just want to make appealing changes so I can get this flipped faster.

Beatz

The car runs good but... the break defective light comes on every so often and was told it was the front passenger caliper so that will be fixed this weekend. Also when I unlock the car walking up to it I hear a sound coming from the front like something is tightening up. It only happens when unlocking the car. Almost like the front suspension is tightening because you can hear movement. It only happens for a few secs but I thought it was weird. Any ideas on what it could be?

Also I found some Brabus rims for sale by me for $375 (2 need tires) so I will add those for the sale. I might just give it to my wife and get a WRX and call it a day...

Thanks for all the info guys...

LemonSqueezy

If the goal is to just flip the car, then just give it a nice set of wheels and new tires and a full detail.

The sounds you're hearing may actually be normal. I used to hear all kinds of strange noises when unlocking/locking my w211. Reasoning came out either airmatic letting out air after parked, or components like the fan are disengaging/reengaging.

Beatz

Sorry I guess I never answered that. It's standard suspension. No airmatic. I didn't want to flip it but I like a more aggressive sounding car personally. Plus if I just give it to my wife I can still play with it.

LemonSqueezy

Then go with electronic cutouts. Open for when you drive, closed for when the wife drives. An even cheaper option is muffler delete w/ j-pipe. Anything else would just be a waste of money imo

cetialpha5

If you want to just flip it, bone stock is best. Everyone wants a car that was driven to church on Sunday by a little old lady who had it maintained at the dealer. Not a car that had mods and was run hard by a kid. That creates negative equity, not only do you not recoup any money spent on upgrades, it lowers the value of the car. I'd skip the rims, just put new tires on.

Beatz

This car was owned by a little old lady but I advertise at car shows so I need an appealing car that catches the eye... it has new tires with stock rims... I might do the muffler delete w/ j pipe if I hand it off... otherwise I think the rims will bring back what I put into them... Picked the car up for $2700 so I should be able to get my $$$ back if I put them rims on and clean her up a bit... No rust, dent or major issues so should sell good...

Strigoi

That car will sound like complete **** with a cut out on it or a muffler delete.

Beatz

What about with a resonator delete and flowmaster type muffler?

I know as a kid we used to take the cat off to knock out all the element when it got congested to unclog it and put it back on as a rigged straight pipe...