CarLAB

Vrus,

Will the intake be made in full carbon fiber or it will be a fiberglass base with carbon fiber laminates ??. Looking back at the picture that the manufacture sent to you, I recognized most of the products and they are fiberglass base.

Regards


Darwin W

Ashkan's C43

wow this is a great project going on, kudos to vrus and everyone, very nice indeed, and a great read too

cantdriveonly55

Best of luck with that. I'd love to share my S55er for R and D but we are about 4000 miles apart.. If they are the same, that would be great, I'd like that. Also dont the S and SL make 493 because of a "less restrictive exhaust"? I still think the E55 sounds better than the S, from the inside. From outside the S sounds a lot more musclecar V8. So who knows? Any other explaination for why the S and SL make, or at least are said to make, 24 more ponies than the E?

Choson1

hey VRUS: did you think of a name for your new airbox? maybe you should call it the VRUS Airbox and market it! sooner or later, everyone will have "VRUS Airbox" on their mod list

SleeperX

Considering that I already own the Renntech C/F airbox, can I get in on the C/F air intake tubes. Unfortunately, I didn't dyno my car before putting on the airbox.

Also VRUS, have you considered buillding larger intercoolers for the E55, which sit on top of the engine similiar to the SLR. I believe Renntech has developed one but it is extremely expensive. However, I think it is probably the best mod (based on HP) that we can put on our cars.

blackbenzz

I must be spending too much time at the track but I think a nice big menacing front mount intercooler would look SICK!

SleeperX

http://www.renntechmercedes.com/Imag...5.5K/55K_6.jpg

http://www.renntechmercedes.com/Imag...5.5K/55K_5.jpg

Renntech claims 536.67 rwhp for their package 6. Package 5 puts down 485.1rwhp, implying approximatley 52rwhp gain from the larger intercoolers. We all know that heat is a problem. Notice that the hp curve continues to climb past 6K rpms....What a mod this must be...

Apple '55

Just logged in after a long absence from the forum. I'm interested as well in the CF airbox. Please let me know how to proceed.

Kev04C320

Here you go

vrus

Hi Darwin,

All of my discussions have been about 100% CF. No fiberglass base that I know of.. The sample airbox I was holding in my hand was pure CF and I was told was the exact same weave and material used on the Koenigsegg.

As we progress through this I'll have more info.. Right now we are working out the details on the intake tubes and engine cover to go along with the airbox..


It's the VRP airbox! heheh.. Should I have them engrave VRP into the top of it?

You are welcome to join in.. The $200 that you would submit could be used towards a different component if you dont want the airbox.. BUT.. Once you see what we are building, you may want to sell what you have and keep the new one instead.

Since you already have the Renntech box.. Can you answer a question for me that everyone I ask keeps dodging?? When you installed the airbox are the BOTTOM pieces of the airbox just the stock airboxes with that fancy CF cover over top?

I will lose my mind if I find out that they are going to ship me a $5100 CF airbox assembly and it has stock airboxes underneath it. Can you do ME and EVERYONE else a big favour and lift up the top CF cover and take a picture so we can see what the airboxes look like underneath. PLEASE.

As for intercoolers... That project is a very involved one and requires taking the top half of the motor out, all of the cooling components out, and re-creating quite a lot of parts. It's something that we might tackle with the spare engine that we acquired.

I'll know more where this sits on the TODO list once I've had a chance to test the water/meth injection and see what the results are.

Welcome back! Like Kev said, follow those instructions and I'll add your name to the R&D Group list.

2MANYCARS

Do you have a picture of it? Would like to see it before I jump on the boat.

vrus

Guys.. I need the group's input on something...

Here is the issue: In order to make any real power with this box we need to make sure the volume of the boxes is increased. GruppeM accomplished this by slightly raising the height and increasing the length of the box. Because of the length increase you can no longer use the factory engine cover with the GruppeM airboxes.

Here is the dilema:

1) Do you want me to follow this path and increase the length of the boxes and remove the possibility of anyone being able to keep and use their stock engine cover and air intake tubes? This will either force everyone to purchase the CF Engine cover to go with the airbox, or to run "naked" without one. BUT, you will HAVE to purchase the CF air intake tubes as part of the air box because the new air box would no longer work with the stock air intake tubes.

OR

2) Keep the stock length and mounting locations of the airboxes so that those people who want this new airbox have the option of keeping their stock engine cover & air intake tubes?

Let's hear your opinions on this. I need to make a decision on the design, and this is a vital point.

vrus

A picture of what ? The CF air box? If so... No. We are designing and building at the same time. The CF air box doesn't exist yet..

But, I promise you it will look mighty PURDY!

MACHC5

Vic,

I'm wondering if... a larger air box will work with the upgraded intercoolers...

MachC5

FlyByNight

#1 would be my choice. None of the people here are lowest common denominator types... if you're going to go through all this trouble, by all means full monty the sucker. I think the "naked" cf look sans cover will be very attractive if some extra hp is extracted.



Loren

GTA23109a

I vote for #1. If you're going to engineer something from scratch, do it to maximize the HP. Just please engineer a front cover that fits to it looks somewhat "correct" on the car.

CarLAB

Thanks Vrus, good luck with the project.

I like the idea of raising the height on the airbox. it will defenitely makes a different as there will be more volume of air available.

Regards

Darwin W

blackbenzz

I dont know about the E55 airbox but I know for the clk it the AMG bottom half and tubes and the only difference is that the c/f piece goes on top and its bigger than stock (more air volume).

Rock

Vic, I would guess that most of us are looking for the most hp for the buck. If altering the length of the air box is needed to really affect HP, then you have no choice but to go with option one, especially if the new engine cover does not add big $$$ to the cost of the product. My vote is that you should ultimately make most of these "executive decisions" based on the goals stated at the beginning of this project (An airbox for ~$1,500 that will deliver 10-20HP).

Please clarify the intake tube issue. I thought that those were part of the design regardless of the configuration of the airboxes.

Kev04C320

Vote for Option #1. I'll part my current CF Airbox if shuff comes to push.

OzE55

Why would increasing the volume of air in the box help performance?

My very rough calculations suggest that at 6000rpm over 300 litres per second of air is sucked into the engine. An increase in the size of the box of a few litres seems insignificant.

Am I on the wrong track?

Grumpy666

It's similar to porting heads. Increasing the cross-sectional area will allow for more airflow per unit of time, as long as velocity is maintained. If the current airbox can't supply enough air to the S/C at upper RPMs, boost is decreased, which results in less HP.

The actual airflow at 6000 RPM should be a little over 500 liters/sec. How did you do your calculation?

catalystkid

Option 1, why go through all of this trouble to just recreate what we have in CF? When do you think you will know what the entire package (CF airbox, CF front cover, CF intake tubes) will run?

2MANYCARS

I would go with bigger in size like the Gruppe-M model, option 1, but at the same time, the front cover in carbon fiber could be intergrated with the new boxes.

dragonAMG

Vote for option 1 -- still on the fence with this ... I'm about 95% that I'm going to participate.

Rock -- to answer your question (vic correct me if I'm wrong but this is what I gathered from your PM's).

CF Airbox and TB connecting tubes -- included in the target price of $1,500
CF larger intake tubes -- not included, will be at an extra cost
CF front engine cover -- not included, will be at an extra cost