My son has WRX and got a performance chip that did a nice job for improving 0=60, is there somethings this forum good recommend for my 2004 E500??

 

Handling: Wheels, Tires, Suspension (19" wheels are usually one of the first mods people undertake, and some even go 20")

Engine Improvements: Pulley, Chip, Air Filters, etc.

Known tuners, such as RENNtech, Kleemann, Brabus, Lorinser, etc. usually do these kinds of mods.

 

chips help on WRXs because it is turbocharged, your E500 is not. All you can do and not break the bank is put on a cold air intake and maybe a good exaust system.

nothing performance wise like a chip though unless you spend big $$$$ on like a supercharger. anychips for your E500 will not do very much, they just increase the fuel being sent into the cylinders, you will not even notice it.

 

The WRX is a turbocharged car, and performance chips work effectively by raising the boost. Performance chips for naturally aspirated cars such as your E500 accomplish very little, and can actually degrade some aspects of performance such as fuel economy, low-end torque and exhaust emissions.

What performance chips CAN accomplish in a naturally-aspirated car is to raise the factory engine rev limiter cut-in speed. This can be disastrous. As a driving instructor, I've personally been present at the demise of three Porsches that had performance chips which raised the engine speed limit beyond the design limit of the engine's bottom end. In one case, the blowup was so comprehensive that we picked a piston pin up from the track surface.

You won't find a performance chip in any of my cars, including my track car.

 

Your car is under warranty; proceed at your own risk. You may want to do a quick search here for another poster who chipped his car and his problems.

 

Their mod remaps the ECU and gives about 10-12% gain in horsepower and torque. Any comments from anyone pro or con are appreciated.

 

what does a cold air intake cost? what kind of performance can be expected? is this something any local shop can install?

 

Check w/Kleemann USA. Like others have stated, for you see big gains you will need to add SC. Your car will rock and have E55 performace levels, but this will cost $$$$$. Kleemann now offers bumper to bumper warranty like a MB warranty on all mods via a 3rd party insurance company.

 

I used Renntech (very reputable ex-AMG guys) to add 10-12% power to my CDI and if anything (never has in any Renntech tune jobs yet) goes wrong with your engine, they will cover what ever MB will not. BTW, MB must cover the car unless the problem arises specifically from the tuning.. hard to prove.
I give RennTech a

 

renntech has the ECU upgrade for $1,795. it only boosts hp by 10. is that even noticeable?

 

not sure about that value, this is probably due to the car being naturally aspirated. On my CDI for $1295. I got 10-12% (torque/hp). We dyno tested the results. and YES.. it was very noticeable.