SL55 USMC

Well first let me say that you guys have an awesome forum here. I have been reading for a while and it seems there are a lot of very informative people on here.

Well on to the question...

I recently sold my 2003 Mustang Cobra and got an '03 SL55 AMG. I have to say that the comfort level of the SL is FAR above the Cobra. I am a little dissapointed however of the power potential these cars have. Essentially the '03-'04 Cobra's and the Kompressors have the same logic behind a V8 supercharged power plant. The ford's is a little more simple though. Here are my questions:

#1. I see a lot of crank pulley swap kits,....but no supercharger pulley. If you can get +3 pounds of boost jump from the crank pulley you could also get an even bigger jump in power from swapping the supercharger pulley for a smaller one. This is usually one of the first mods on the Cobra's.

#2. The Kompressor uses the engine coolant to cool the intake air through the intercooler. This is just not smart in a power adder vehicle. I see that some companies such as EVOsport and VRP have made a kit to change this. Kudos to them,.. but it is still a bit pricey and could definetly be improved.

#3. A huge jump in power on the Cobra's comes from porting the supercharger. I have not done too much research into this to find out if its being done in this community, but is it? It makes for HUGE gains, plus a serious drop in IAT's (Inlet Air Temps).

I suppose coming from a domestic community and changing teams always stirs up some sticker shock, especially dealing with these vehicles. And I know there is some learning to be had on my part. Hopefully you guys will help me with this.

Also, I see some of you are in the low 11's on street tires. Would any of you mind if I asked what your combos are?? Maybe just PM me so everyone doesn't see your secrets. lol

I am looking to get into low 11's possibly high 10's without the use of laughing gas. I know this is VERY possible with my old Cobra, but how possible with these cars?

I really hope no one takes any offense to anything I have said. I am only trying to learn, and I know I have come to the right place for that.

Thank you all for your help ahead of time, and god bless you all.

Semper Fi
-SL55 USMC-

jmf003

Hi, Matt, and welcome to the forum! You'll find that most folks here tend to be very open with sharing information. The attitude is more AMG-versus-the-world than AMG-versus-AMG.

Also, be sure to check out the E55 forum in addition to this one. For whatever reason there are quite a few more modders over there then over here. In particular, all three of your questions have been kicked around in the E55 forum in the recent past.

As far as my wheel/tire setup goes, it's nothing special: Conti Sport Contact 3 tires in OEM sizes (255/40R18 and 285/35R18) on AMG Style V wheels.

Have fun!

Marcus Frost

The blower on these cars has a pulley that is part of an elaborate clutch mechanism that allows for the engagement and disengagement of the supercharger as the ECU sees fit (usually as a result of throttle input). We change the crank pulley because there have not been any good replacement kits made available to replace the supercharger pulley clutch pack.

I disagree with you (I retained the coolant going through both systems in my E55), however yes, options are somewhat limited and expensive. However you can now purchase cores seperately and the CM30 pump used is also not hard to come by.

The unit in the 55s is much more efficient than the one in the Cobra and there have been people who've done significant porting, but there are not as much to be gained as there is with the Cobra. Porting the blower is something you would want to consider down the line after you do the easier mods, simply because the gain/$ is not that significant.

You really need to stop comparing the two cars - They share some similarities but are designed, priced, and built very differently. It is possible to get into the mid/low 11s with bolt ons and a real sticky tire. Bolt ons would include cooling, intake, crank pulley, ecu, and headers - and a set of drag radials.

The prices for mods for these cars will be higher than the Cobra and the complexity of these cars is truly scary at times. Be prepared when going down the mod path that as much as we all hope bolt-ons are truly bolt-ons, it is rarely the case and usually involves some level of trouble-shooting and a lot patience.

The search function is also your friend. Typically I'd just resort to having you search instead of responding but I always feel compelled to lend a hand to those in the armed forces.

Good luck,

-m