red99slk

Hi All- I have some questions about my car. I have a stock 99 SLK 230 and want to increase the HP. What would be the best way to make ~ 240-250 hp?

I was thinking about exhaust first(header and cat-back). That should free up some power, right. What brand should I go with?

Is it true the stock computer won't let the supercharger make more than 8psi?

Is there any aftermarket chips out that can better tune the car?

I don't want to break the bank, just some good basic mods.

Thanks for the help,

Eric

notoa1

If you check out Beckers they can get you an aftermarket exhaust. There is a company that makes a differnt pulley for the kompressor along with a chip that should give you 40 hp.

Brian_R170

The best performance boost will be from a chip/pulley mod. This includes a larger crankshaft pulley (turns supercharger faster), and a reprogrammed engine computer. Depending on which company you buy it from, the kit might also include removal of the supercharger clutch, relocation of the mass air flow sensor, new fuel pressure regulator, free-flow air filter, or even a larger intercooler. Pretty much all of these kits will boost engine output to about 225hp and 240ft-lb. However, some have side effects. The most common being the 3000rpm "hole" in which power drops drastically around 3000rpm for a brief period because the supercharger clutch engages just before that and the engine can't compensate fast enough. Prices range between about $1200 and $3500, depending on where you buy.

Forget about the exhaust until you've done a chip/pulley upgrade. Cat-back exhausts for the SLK230 run between $500 and $1200 and you'll be lucky to get 5hp from any of them.

As far as I know, the only company that makes headers (in quantity) for the SLK230 is Supersprint. I have no idea about power/torqe gains, but the price is around $650.

None of the prices I've mentioned include installation.