I'm in a dilemma on whether to go with a 168 or 172 or 180 pulley setup.

I am not a track guy and I don't drag race.

This is my daily driver and I want to get all the torque I can - obvious answer would be to get the biggest pulley, but this is my daily and driveability and reliability are also important.

I use my car strictly for commuting to work (which is short, ~5 miles each way, 10/day) the occasional spritied run on an empty road once a week or so, and weekends cruises...

I am planning on having EC H/E, Johnson CM30, EC longtubes, 82mm tb, and one of the above pulley/custom dyno tune setup at the end...

Argue me one way for pulley size with the above setup... or no pulley at all?

 

i would do a 172 on a DD. from the reading i've done, a 180 pulley makes the car jerky when the S/C kicks in... plus the extra heat produced might not be worth it... instead of the t/b i would do a larger h/e and pump, better cooling never hurts

 

I have a 172, EC longtubes, H/E, pump, and tune and my car is very drivable.

 

Sorry, I have the EC H/E and Johnson CM30 pump to be installed...so I've addressed cooling - I am thinking to do a split cooling and possibly look into a thermostat as well..

 

are you putting down 500WHP with that setup?

 

I bought the car with all the stuff already it in and don't have any printouts, but the shop said it was making 470. At some point, I am going to add intake mods are retune and see if I can get 500 out of it. The car as it stands now is using paper filters too.

 

172 sounds nice and safe to me. Nice power bump and you should be a happy camper with the other mods.

That being said, I have run 180+ for years and years without a hitch.

Honestly after these mods you are about to do, the cost compared to the HP you get is off the charts $$$$$. Like 2500$ cams that bring the big 15-20hp.

Go with your EC setup like listed above and enjoy I say. You'll be BLOWN AWAY at the difference in the car with those mods. Take it from a modding old guy. The butt dyno stops working after those. You get in after cams are like, "Ummmmm, I think I feel um"

 

So are you saying just to do the mods I'm planning on doing and not even change the pulley and leave the stock pulley? Or go with the 172 and be happy?

 

EC H/E, Johnson CM30, EC longtubes, 82mm tb + 172

You mentioned some spirited driving now and then so I think you would be fine without splitting the system. Now if you really hammer the poor thing from key on to key off, you might think about splitting the system to help out with IATs.

Otherwise, she will pull timing just a tick on hotter days but you won't have to worry about trunk coolers etc. Keep it connected I say...dont split it for now.

 

My vote would be for the 172, since your not into the track

 

I'd do the updated Bosch pump first and then see.

https://mbworld.org/forums/cl55-amg-...ml#post4824869

I need an A service soon so I'll have my guy put the -10 series Bosch pump in and report back. I realize this goes contrary to the conventional tuner party line but call me dysfunctional.

 

I have a 180 pulley, LT's, 82MM TB, exhaust, and cooling. It drives fine. Also my DD. Going to go with a more exhaust set up but absolutely NO problems driving the car daily with that set up.

In your case, I would probably opt for the 172. It'll be a nice bump in power but won't kill your car with heat. Although cooling would be my first recommendation before anything.

 

i say 172 or 175 --- 168 has been awesome for me --

 

I have the original 178mm ASP pulley, no issues.

with OEM pump replacement, you should be fine. Just don't try to take on M5 in 90F degree weather in the middle of summer.

E55 love night time pulls and air temps under 80F.

 

Thanks for the replies, guys.

I think I'm going to go with EC's 172mm pulley kit - I think that size and power bump is ideal for what I'm looking for with the car... again, I won't be running her hard as hell and beating the crap out of her daily and on the track on the weekends...just the rare hard runs here and there.

Again, my car is strictly a DD...I do not track the car ever (and never will) and I only rarely find enough room/without traffic to give her a WOT here and there - which happens a couple times a week if I'm lucky.


My other question is, do you guys think the EC H/E and Johnson CM30 combo is sufficient for what I'm looking to do with the car? (Jakpro, looks like you sort of answered this already - just looking to see what others think)

Thanks again guys!

 

Great post, thanks! I will keep it connected...sounds like you think the EC H/E and Johnson CM30 is good enough for cooling as far as my goals go.

 

Sure thing. You did mention that drag times are not that big a deal to you correct? Just making sure. She WILL flat fly...no worries. Best part is you can always separate at another time.

Just my 2 cents. Skratcher (Skratch77) swears by his all in one system and he DOES care about track times.

 

haha yup!!!

but Im going back to stock boost lol or maybe a 168mm

so my mods are

kleemann tune
kleemann headers
first catts deleted
renntech air box,python runners.ttm scoops
AMG 80mm tb part number 275 bla bla bla
Eurocharged HE with updated oem pump hardiwired with a switch to run on or off

160 d t stat to keep the whole cooling system under 175 degrees with water wetter in the system.

 

Not liking the 180mm pulley?

 

I lost 4-5 mph at the 1/4 mile going from a 175 to a 180,I dont know how people drive around with 185+ pullies

the 180 is a beast if its under 70 out but over 75-80 the top end feels like stock

 

Yeah, this is what I have experienced. I haven't had a different sized modded pulley other than the 180 but have been thinking about going to something smaller unless I get meth injection. I can definitely feel the car pull good until about maybe 100mph and then it falls on its face and when it was low 70s not to long ago compared to being around 90 you could definitely tell a difference. I have only been to the track once and it was on crappy street tires so the 60fts were 2.2 range. It was right around 80 and the best I could trap was 114mph and then ran 112 and 113 especially if I tried to go again quickly without letting the car cool off a lot. I just don't understand how others talk about the 180 or even bigger being so great unless they only drive the car hard or at the track when it is cold out.

I had been really hoping that these top mount intercoolers coming out could be a big help but just have a feeling they are gonna try and bend everyone over and hit them with no lube for a set.

What temps was the track when you went with the 180 and was the temp comparable to going with your other smaller pulley or warmer? It sucks where I live it is almost always hot so it probably would be better to run a smaller pulley if I didn't do the meth or intercoolers.

 

The temps were 86-87 out and I trapped 117 and then after a cool down 118 and then 115 and I gave up.

With my 175 setup I ran 3 back to back to back runs and ran under 11.6 on all 3 passes in 70 degree weather last year.

Im keeping the 180 on just a tad bit longer and will hit the track on a 50 degree day and see what she does with that and the bigger tb.After than Im going either 168,72 or maybe even stock depending how much power I can pick up with the TB.

The sad part was I thought I was going to run a 10 second pass last time I went since I was 97mph in the 1/8 and it fell on its face hard in 3rd gear and only trapped like 115.

I was trapping 114 100% bone stock with the spare in the trunk and all.

 

Yeah I didn't take the spare or anything out when I went, I am sure I could have trapped a little better with some good tires to where I wasn't on and off the throttle so much trying to take off but the traps sucked for having 180 pulley, headers, straight exhaust with x pipe and 80mm throttle body with cooling mods as well. It won't be cold where I live until like November so I still have to wait a while. It is crazy how much different the car runs though going from 85* down to 70* must less something colder.

I know mine runs quick when it is cool out, I ran a c5 z06 bored 10 over with ported trickflow heads and a cam not to long ago with temps around 70. He said he dynoed 430whp and those things are only 3100lbs so I know the car runs because we were extremely close up to around 150 starting at like 50, but it is kinda depressing when it is warm out with how much performance is lost in my car at least. I just don't understand because I have a EC heat exchanger, CM 30 that runs all the time and a separated system with a custom resevoir maybe a hair bigger than those BMW ones people use, but the car suffers so bad from high intake air temps.

 

I might even go 168.

But who sells a 168? Does Evosport still sell the 168?

I know Renntech does, but you gotta get their tune along with it, right?



I need just the pulley set. EC has just the 172 and 180 according to their site. And depending on what size I want to get, it might be either the 168 or 172.

 

This is the other thing I've contemplated. Keeping the pulley stock and just upgrading other parts of the motor i.e. LTs and 82mm tb, and a dyno tune.


I bet on stock boost and a solid tune with the above upgrades, this car will run better traps than some folks with upgraded pulleys(e.g. 180).

Thoughts?