LX33

Hey guys, I am coming to you as a distant cousin to some of the Mercedes vehicles. I have one of the newer Dodge Chargers. As some of you may or may not know, we share a number of common part numbers between the LX-platform and the Mercedes vehicles.... the NAG1 transmission being one of them.

In our world, there are pretty much only two vendors who make upgraded transmissions for us. They both kinda have the market cornered, so I suppose I am here to explore other options if there are any out there. I dont have anything against their products exactly, but if I can bring a new setup to the table I would certainly love to explore it.

We do have solenoids and valve bodies that we can buy to help our transmissions last longer, but only two companies produce actual transmission replacements with upgraded internal parts. Is there anyone out there with an E55 and a completely upgraded transmission? If so, what kind of power can it stand up to? And of course, what is the cost of it? I udnerstand that things like an upgraded TCU/TCM will not cross over to our vehicles, but i dont see why upgraded internal parts in a transmission could not work in ours also.


Please, if this thread is listed in the wrong section, by all means move it to the appropriate section (i.e. performance, etc.). I posted it here because I know the E55 is a vehicle that comes with the same NAG1 transmission that we have. if anyone can help, or can point me in the right direction for who I should talk to, then I thank you in advance!

LX Guy

blackbenzz

I went with Eddie at Southern Hot Rod. But you probably already heard of them

LX33

Yes I have heard of them. They are on of the two vendors I was referencing. Right now, it is only them and Paramount Performance (Bill Schurr) offering transmission replacements.

Thanks for chiming in though.... guess I was just curious to see if you guys had any other options available to you. Looks like you guys are already fishing in our parts bin! Lol.

hooleyboy

i did the Renntech trans upgrade after I smoked my clutch packs. for $2500 its a good buy considering the other options. When I reinstalled my trans, it was nothing short of ballistic.

What you get for $2500: Machining of the inside of the trans, New SL65 style (I think) clutch packs, Beefed up to handle big power.

I know my sig says RENNtech dealer, but I bought this trans upgrade because I'm a mod junkie. Its totally changed my car, Hammering though the gears with no slip/delay at all.

I would contact Renntech they can take care of you. Its well worth the money. There are other options out there though, but how much do you want to spend? So yeah $2500 worked for me and my budget.

blackbenzz

You sure about this? I heard its just clutch packs

hooleyboy

I believe they machine it to fit more clutch packs. Generally it is just clutch packs, but more of them I think.

LX33

Thanks for the information. That is an option that I was previously unaware of. I will try to give them a call soon and see if they think they can do anything with the transmission in our cars. I like the sound of your impressions of the mod though.

How much do I want to spend? Well.... let's put it this way. The one from SHR is about $3800 or so. The one from Paramount is about $4850.... So, ummm yeah.... you can see what kind of prices we are dealing with here. Compared to that, $2500 sounds like a steal, ha!

Yacht Master

Search around, somebody here has a torque converter mod, I just can't recall who.
At least 3 members are running it, and there is some "Speed Shift" software from Renn Tech that , like you say probably won't work.
Same trans for V12TTs they hold up pretty good, a few cars here are 600+ rwhp and not many problems. Pretty tough when you consider a stock Kompressor (E55) has 400 ftlbs @ 1900 RPM

hooleyboy

I strongly considered the SH guys and Paramount for my trans options. In the end I went with Renntech for price reasons. Before I totaled my car, I was very happy with the trans

Also Blackbenz has a super duper trans so his advise is golden. He on the list of guys who have tied the stock trans in a knot.

LX33

I already have a Precision Industries 2800 torque converter in my car. I am also aware that the NAG1's can take quite a beating. I have seen some stock ones take quite the beating from some high-hp builds and it is truly remarkable.

Similarly, Ive also seen and heard them fail just as much as they succeed. I have read that 600rwhp is about the max limitation for them. Given the powerplant I will be running, I will have 600rwhp at the very least. Needless to say, you can see why I am trying to plan ahead for this. I plan to run the stock trans for as long as I can, and when it starts to go--or officially does fall apart on me, I want to have Plan B ready to go. And if I can bring someone new to the table, Im certainly up for trying it.

MB_Forever

Yes they do.

LX33

Is that Renn Tech's official location listed in your signature? Or do they have any other locations around the country? I definitely would like to get in touch with them to see what they are capable of doing with a trans to work in our cars. Anyone in particular I should ask for?

And do they have cores on hand to do the work to and I can send my stock one back or do I have to send mine out and wait? Any idea?

Again, thanks for all the replies, fellas.

MB_Forever

The main RennTech office is in Florida, but they do have a couple of dealers in the west coast. I believe DynoComp is the biggest one in the west coast. RennTech's website is www.renntechmercedes.com and DynoComp's website is www.dyno-comp.com

blackbenzz

You seem like you are building something with alot of power. The simple question is this... How many people are making the power you want with a Renntech upgraded trans? Now how many are running the power you make with the other brands. Simple decision if you ask me. It looks like all Renntech does is use clutch packs form a different benz I'm sure you know Bill used to work with Eddie and they went different ways. Bill was supposed to make me axles but never did

LX33

I understand what you are saying.

You have to understand where I am coming from though. I wanted to approach this forum to see if there were other alternatives out there that work for you Mercedes guys that maybe just maybe are less expensive than what we have available. And if they are not less expensive, then I would still consider them just to try out something new.

I hate being cornered in between two companies who have essentially monopolized a market. Yes, I know ALL about the drama between Bill and Eddie. I do not want to bring my opinion of either of them to this board because it really is not necessary, and I would rather not get in to that (im not sure we've got enough time to hash that story out lol).

I suppose I am only considering this RennTech trans because no one in my car world has tried it yet (to my knowledge). And if it works, then that would be great....... We have a new player in the field then. I wish I could hear from some more people that have it to get a better opinion about it because I dont know if I can justify the purchase based on one person's account.

Yes, the SHR and Paramount transmissions have great reputations. But it's that whole "feeling cornered" issue that has really got to me.... not to mention that I think they are both rather expensive, regardless of the fact that one is cheaper than the other. SHR just started offering a warranty which is nice (previous had NO warranty), but that costs additional money now, bringing it closer to the cost of a Paramount.

Im in a rock and a hard place!!!

blackbenzz

Trust me, I know the feeling! I bought my trans a while ago and was one of the first benzes to get the work done (when Bill and Eddie were workin together). Imagine how I felt! lol I actually piad more than what the cost is now I did some business with a shop called IPT (Import Performance Trans) and was going to do their full build but was turned away by the horrible customer service I received after my initial purchase and some horror stories I read online. Level Ten also will build a trans for you but I have yet to hear of them doing a benz and have heard horror stories about them too (although my friend had his Audi RS6 trans built by them and it works great!). All those options are expensive. Renntech is not a "cheap" tuner so when they offer something for $2500 it makes me think they really aren't doing much. Just replacing clutch packs for OEM ones for $2500 sounds about right for their pricing. Keep in mind SHR uses double sided kevlar clutch packs, not like the OEM paper ones. As well as valve body mods and many other things to beef up the trans. I am no trans expert, so do your research before you pull the trigger. One mans build isn't the same as the next. Good luck

GAMAMG

from a function and fail standpoint. Paramount has a lot more experience honoring their warranty. SHR, i don't hink you can fill a finger on a hand for the number of fails they've had, inclusive of hhp apps in the mopar community. and they're still considerably cheaper. Doesn't seem like much of a comparison. Paramount's products are filling up the forums with fail stories of products and 3/4 shift problems and flexplates letting loose and killing tturbo builds. Fact, not shilling. truth starting to hurt. been lurking here for years. Hate on me for dropping by, hate on a guy for being better and cheaper, but the fails and warranties are starting to pile up. Folks being quiet about it do no service to automotive enthusiasts by keeping quiet about it because people throw money at them or "make it good" in the end. First time every time, anything less is a pain in the butt.

220S

No hating here, but be specific instead of only hinting about it.

When people come on saying things like XXCompany has way too many fails, people need to know the stats otherwise it means very little. One needs to know number of units sold per number failed. If XXCompany has sold 100,000 units with 100 fails then we hear about those 100 fails as being a lot of issues, but it only really means a certain failure rate. Plus what are the circumstances of those reported failures? If YYCompany sells 100 units and has 20 failures then that's obvious worse than XXCompany.

What's the success/failure ration between the two companies? What are the details of the events? Is it the same component that fails each time? Etc....

m4xm1l10n

BUMP !!!!!!!!!!

I have the AMG Kit in my JEEP and it consists of .
722.6 / W5A580 / NAG1 Performance Transmission Rebuild Kit.
# All Mercedes AMG clutches and steels from 05-06 SL65 & S65
# Mercedes gasket and seal kit.
# Mercedes oil filter.

AgSilver

You might want to talk to these folks:
http://www.importperformancetrans.com/

jamusa

I spoke with Pat Barrett of Level 10 a few years ago,and he said he has been doing a lot of tranny work for some customers with E55 in Dubai and they have seen as much as .50 second off 1/4 mile times.
I have used Level 10 in the past and while their work and service is top notch,their price is way up there.I guess you get what you pay for.

chiromikey

dubai is either where magical things happen to cars or a mythical place that tuners use to say they do their best work.

either way, it seems that the good people of dubai don't have the internet or contact with the outside world because with exception to a tuner's bragging, actual proof about all this incredible work rarely ever escapes this place.

blackbenzz

With just a trans build??? The old trans must have been taking over a tenth of a second to shift each gear to see those gains. If that includes modified stall converter then it is more believable but still pushing it in these cars. They make so much torque down low

Ali_E55

lol

some cars in Dubai are insane really SLK with SLR engine, ML63 with 800hp. Gallardo 1200hp.

but i don't recall anything about E55 except for changing the ratio for a better accellration. and well modded with SLR coolers.

chiromikey

yep...we ussually see proof of the real stuff in dubai.