coolal

Hey everyone, my very first post. My 18th birthday is coming around on June 2, and instead of having some big celebration I decided I wanted to fix up the car that my dad gave me when he bought his 01' S500. I currently have 153k miles on it and its smoke silver, with visible wear on the leather of the driver’s seat. I live in West Los Angeles. First, I wanted to repaint the car, and this it seems will be the most expensive project. I think I want either silver of jet black. Next, I want to re-upholster the inside with black leather. Finally tinting the windows, and adding a CD changer to the trunk. Now obviously I’m a little spoiled, but not enough that my dad will say "sure Alex lets do whatever you want" . Now the thing that really concerns me most is engine performance. I have spent countless days trying to find sites that allow me to enhance the engine in some way, yet to no avail. I found a great local mechanic who fixed my cable tensioner, and soon to fix my leaking engine coolant lines. I want to establish a relationship so that I can get good information on what I can really do to help this car performance wise. I am stuck in a world of friends getting 330ci's with another 10 grand of performance gear, yet I am driving my 2-ton tank around wishing to get some better performance. I understand that it is allot to ask, but I have seen how powerful this car is, and was wondering what I can pull out of it. My budget is not huge, as I will most likely be painting the car, and probably getting the CD player in the trunk. Tinting and upholstery will be my bit after a summer job. As long as the car is in the shop anything, I can ask the person to do will make it easier to convince my dad, rather than have a working car in the driveway in a week, and then asking the favors. I keep hearing about airflow, oil's, and additives. It is southern California so I am not worried about cold temperatures, and the engine has been kept up very nicely, with 90% highway miles, until I got it. I know I’m a newbie, and forgive the grammatical mistakes, I’m used to getting the point across without having to think about grammar, (well at least online, my English teachers would have a conniption if I talked the way I did online, in my essays ) I drop the car off at the mechanic Monday night, and I am going to have a nice chat with him about all the little things that are not working correctly in the car. Nothing big, but I am just so comfortable driving in the car, that I start noticing things. Therefore, whatever you can recommend I would be greatly appreciative, and if anyone of you know any good shops to take care of the things I have mentioned, list them too. I am also interested in ROUGH estimates that I can give to my dad for what I want to do. Thanks again.

ychachad

I went with a Wetterauer chip (Valpo, IN), K&N filters (Performance products), Bosch +4 plugs (Autozone), and a modified air intake (homemade ) to see noticeable gains in power and fuel economy. Total cost about $500. Also consider changing stock tires to a HP tyre, or if you have money, new wheels.

wmak8

Hey ychachad,

I just put in the Bosch Platinum +4's too and didn't notice any performance gains. In fact, I think the engine is less responsive than when I had regular Bosch Super plugs in it. Did you notice any difference when you changed your plugs?? Thanks.

coolal

I honestly didn't think that changing the air filters would make much of a difference, but today i replaced the old air filters, with OEM new ones... and i could already see a huge difference, i was shocked... Is it really worth going to the K&N filters? plus what does the chip do and how can i buy it? I guess my main concern for the immediate future is performence. I wana do as much as i can to this car, for the least price. Eventually i'll get some HP tires, but thats for later. Thanks for the responses you guys, and keep them coming!

ychachad

To make a long story short:
Yes K&N work, but you get the maximum effect when you have a new chip that makes use of the extra air. $50x2=100
Chip modifies the fuel/ air ratio, optimizes HP when needed, and optimizes fuel economy when cruising. $350
Bosch +4 plugs = $6x8 = 50 bucks.

Now here's how I know this combination works. Before I made any changes, I noted my 0-60 times, and my gas mileage, and watch closely how the fuel economy guage works when accelarating hard, when cruising. Then with all the above mentioned mods, my fuel economy went from 24 to 26, and that is also confirmed by the needle hovering closer to 30 mpg on the scale most of the time. Also when I step on it, before mods, the needle was never pegged to zero mpg. Now it is. This suggests it is indeed using more gas when needed to make more power. Somebody may wish to argue, these are my perceptions. Look at my thread a few days ago to see my stats. Cheers.
Y. Chachad.

coolal

ok... that is for sure in the realm of what i wana spend personally. Where can i purchase the chip, as the K&N filter and the Bosch 4+ spark plugs are easy enough to find. Thanks again for your input.

ychachad

German manufacturer / tuner in Valpo, IN, USA called Wetterauer. www.wetterauer.com

coolal

thanks for all the info. check out a recent pic of my car.
http://www.geocities.com/coolalhuf/benz2.jpg

barry S320V

Coolal:

Cool, don't paint that car, it is in perfect condition and looks great!

Remember it is a Mercedes, don't make it look like a rice- rocket.

If you want to restore the interior, great, but be subtle on the outside.

A new set of 19" wheels with upgraded tires can be a great improvement in the appearance. A new set of upgraded brake rotors cross drilled also look good. And stop is way more important than go!


enjoy

Barry

Bernanke

which chip manufacturer is the best? I've seen Jet Chip, Speedtuningusa.com, and watterhauer. I've heard bad things about watterhaeur plus they are $$$. Speedtuningusa.com chips are only $250 and they make good power. does anybody have experience with them?