jayhawkblk

I am new to the E55 scene. I have been a long time BMW guy and this is my first Benz. It is a 2004 E55 with 23k on the clock.

My question is what are the essential engine mods that should be done to this car. Know keep in mind this is a daily driver and I am not looking for it to be freakishly faster than it already is but would love to have the wheel HP be equal to what it is at the crank know as well as the torque. If I can have more power and still keep it driveable that would be great as well.

So any input that you guys can provide would be great. I have searched and I see the pully and tune then saw others talking about headers and cams. But I see there are different size pullies and a few companies to choose from. I just need some direction.

Mikesamg

Emoving would you like to chime in? Hint hint?

What color is the beast? FYI all the fast ones are black haha so if it's not black I'd paint it asap!

MB_Forever

When the E55 first came out, everyone was sticking to the 168 mm pulley upgrade.... but over the years, pullies kept getting larger and larger: 172 mm, 175 mm, 178 mm, 180 mm, and now 185 mm and 190 mm. In the middle east, they event went to 210 mm. Anyways, the formula that seem to work best and produce consistent results is:

180 mm Pulley
82 mm Throttle Body
Long Tube Headers or High-Flow Exhaust Manifolds
Cooling Upgrades: additional heat exchanger + upgraded IC pump + optional trunk reservoir
Custom Dyno Tune ECU Upgrade.

This will put you comfortably above 500 rwhp and in the low 11s if not high 10s (provided you have a good drag wheel/tire setup). If you don't want that much power, you can always reduce the pulley size down to 172 mm or smaller.

RennTech is an excellent company and always make top notch products, I've had excellent experience using them in the past. They are more pricey than others, but do provide excellent product/service. Other companies include Evosport, Kleemann, Brabus, and what used to be VRP (went out of business a couple of years back).

www.renntechmercedes.com
www.evosport.com
www.kleemann.dk

jayhawkblk

It is silver.

jangy

Larger pulley = more boost = more friction = more heat
Larger pulley = more mass = more sluggish transition

It depends on the purpose of your build. For a 1/4 mile track, you want it to give max boost with heat handled for about 30 seconds. On the road, you want smoother transitions and better heat recovery AFTER the blast.

I think somewhere between 168 to 175 is ideal for street

jayhawkblk

Not looking to track the car. I would like to have more power but dont want a sluggish transition. How much does the heat exchanger help?

dkallencat1

Keep it stock, less problems to deal with in the future.

shardul

iTrader: (1)

+1 on what jangy said 168 to 175 for street use.

MB_Forever

I was under the impression, the 180 mm was still okay for street use

tgoss

I'd say my car is kinda what you're looking for. Kleemann 168 pulley, kleemann filters, vrp carbon airbox and python tubes and a kleemann tune. It throws down good dyno numbers if that's what you care about since you aren't planning on tracking it. But you're azz will definitely know the upgrades from stock.

I still run a updated factory ic pump and the sc doesn't cut out even with consistant pulls back to back. That said a heat exchanger and pump upgrade will only help you out substantially.

If you want some more umph then that's what I'd recommend without going crazy. Stick with the brands that have been around for a while and I'd think you'll be a very happy 55k owner. Renntech, kleemann, evosport and eurocharged/let.

jayhawkblk

Tgoss, is that the stage 1 on your car? That set up sounds like a good idea. I just want more go donet want crazy and dont want to trash the already sketchy reliability of this car at least from what I am reading. This thing is sounding as if it will be as bad as my 750 was.

BenJ

My first aftermarket purchase for my E55 was a warranty. With these cars it is a must.

jayhawkblk

I have a warrenty

tgoss

Yep that's what Kleemann calls stage 1 (or K1) and I just picked up the airbox and tubes yesterday. Every one of those companies has a package that is of the equivalent they will just use different sized pulleys. I use Kleemann because their hq is an hour away and Cory is incredibly knowledgeable and extremely helpful. It's the tune that you want to be extra cautious of, do some research, there's a bunch of good info on the companies that are well versed and successful at tuning these cars.

And just give your car some love and some maintenance, it will be just fine especially considering you have a warranty.

jayhawkblk

tgoss I see you are in Denver and Kleeman is is only an Hour from you. Did they do the work for you there? That is not a horrible car ride for me to come to Denver. I am just one state to the East of you.