Kleeman Supercharger

[Steve A]

Has anyone on here got a supercharger conversion on there C55.

I love this car. It was only meant as an interim car before my Nissan GTR arrives in September 2009, but it has really got under my skin, so im now starting to think that a Kleeman supercharger conversion might be a different solution to my need for speed , or any other supercharger conversion for that matter. Also it'll be a fair bit cheaper than the 58k the Nissan will cost.

I have a £3.5k dippa down on the GTR but have until the end of MAY to cancel, after that i have to take the car or loose the money, which clearly wont happen.

So ive got about 4 weeks to investigate the matter and make a decision.

If anyone can help point me in the right direction it would be really appreciated.

Many Thanks

Steve

Ps i cant belive how swear free my posts have been so far, i must be on good behavior

 

[mb240]

I don't have one, but I would say it depends on the current mileage on your C55. A Kleeman C55 would be quite a rare car, and probably something you can cook up for around €10k.

The GTR in 2009 will probably not have as much of a waiting list anyway by then ~ 18 months after launch. If you want it this time next year, I would be surprised if it was more than 6 months anyway.

DO IT!

 

[peppernick]

I am researching into a supercharger for my CLK350 (I have done too much work to the car to make me want to change for a V8, even if it's a more straightforward and cheaper solution).

Kleemann and Carlsson are mainstream tuners for all Mercedes; as such, their products carry hefty premium. The strong Euro is not helping matters either.

Hence, I've turned my attention towards Stateside, taking advantage of the weak $. Renntech www.renntechmercedes.com has some on offer, but ECU tweaks might be required to adapt the kit to EU spec cars. Ideally, I want a Roots or Lysholm type S/C that sits between the Vee-cylinder banks. They look a lot neater.

The other option is the Vortech www.vortechsuperchargers.com but they use a TurboMex type blower which makes the set up look more aftermarket, but just as effective.

I am also speaking to Simpson Motorsport www.simpsonmotorsport.com for their recommendation in which route to take, including feasability of a bespoke custom set up.

 

[DansSlk]

To be honest with you how much power are you looking for? The S/C unit's that the tuner's sell produce roughly the same power with the Renntech unit having the advantage of sitting neatly between the V and allows the use of more stock parts.

They won't give you power similar to the OEM setup used on the blown AMG's because of the NA's compression ratio, mid 400's is what most of these S/C'd car's put out.

What about starting with thing's like the headers, they are quite possibly the most restrictive component in the whole setup.

 

[Steve A]

I don't have one, but I would say it depends on the current mileage on your C55. A Kleeman C55 would be quite a rare car, and probably something you can cook up for around €10k.

The GTR in 2009 will probably not have as much of a waiting list anyway by then ~ 18 months after launch. If you want it this time next year, I would be surprised if it was more than 6 months anyway.

DO IT!

September 2009 is the earliest delivery date for cars with SATNAV and bluetooth, i will be one of the first in the UK to have the car. Cars without SATNAV are being delivered from April 09 onwards.

I am researching into a supercharger for my CLK350 (I have done too much work to the car to make me want to change for a V8, even if it's a more straightforward and cheaper solution).

Kleemann and Carlsson are mainstream tuners for all Mercedes; as such, their products carry hefty premium. The strong Euro is not helping matters either.

Hence, I've turned my attention towards Stateside, taking advantage of the weak $. Renntech www.renntechmercedes.com has some on offer, but ECU tweaks might be required to adapt the kit to EU spec cars. Ideally, I want a Roots or Lysholm type S/C that sits between the Vee-cylinder banks. They look a lot neater.

The other option is the Vortech www.vortechsuperchargers.com but they use a TurboMex type blower which makes the set up look more aftermarket, but just as effective.

I am also speaking to Simpson Motorsport www.simpsonmotorsport.com for their recommendation in which route to take, including feasability of a bespoke custom set up.

Thanks Nick ill have a look at the above links for more info. I know the cheapest way of getting what i want would be swappiong for an E55 but i decided on the C55 because i prefered the driving experience the E was a bit grandaddy for me.

To be honest with you how much power are you looking for? The S/C unit's that the tuner's sell produce roughly the same power with the Renntech unit having the advantage of sitting neatly between the V and allows the use of more stock parts.

They won't give you power similar to the OEM setup used on the blown AMG's because of the NA's compression ratio, mid 400's is what most of these S/C'd car's put out.

What about starting with thing's like the headers, they are quite possibly the most restrictive component in the whole setup.

Kleeman give 560bhp as a post modification figure, and they can get 600bhp when you change all the other additional parts.

I think i might do the header though, any recommendations of outfits that can do the work???

 

[tudu]

September 2009 is the earliest delivery date for cars with SATNAV and bluetooth, i will be one of the first in the UK to have the car. Cars without SATNAV are being delivered from April 09 onwards.



Thanks Nick ill have a look at the above links for more info. I know the cheapest way of getting what i want would be swappiong for an E55 but i decided on the C55 because i prefered the driving experience the E was a bit grandaddy for me.



Kleeman give 560bhp as a post modification figure, and they can get 600bhp when you change all the other additional parts.

I think i might do the header though, any recommendations of outfits that can do the work???

I have the Kleemann header and cat on my C200k, and looking to fit the performance kit. I have so far been impressed with Kleemann products, and given that they made (make) MB Kompressors for over 20 years i would want to go with a company that has a reputation for quality products and not just on price. If i had purchased the C55 i recently looked at, i would have, without hesitation gone to Kleemann to discuss improving the already excellent 5.4 V8. I have the latest Kleemann brochure so will scan and post some info for you on different stages of tuning available for C55. Its expensive but at the end of the day there are very few C55's that have gone this route, and i would imagine that you would be the first in the UK as i was with the header and cat.

 

[A210AMG]

Hello


Just found this from an old thread as a cheap..ish route (DMS) I know a lot of guys on the BM forum used these.

DMS Automotive
W211 E55 and W203 C55.
For the N/A Engine they quote increased engine outputs of 399bhp and 398 lb/ft torque.
The E55 Kompressor engined AMG has 2 stages:
Stage 1 gives 518bhp & 537 lb/ft
Stage 2 gives 585bhp & 590 lb/ft


I also noticed they can get my bus to 272bhp


but then when can I use the power, we have a track car for that

 

[DansSlk]

Kleeman give 560bhp as a post modification figure, and they can get 600bhp when you change all the other additional parts.

I think i might do the header though, any recommendations of outfits that can do the work???

And your engine life will be halved unfortunately, if you check the compression ratio's for a blown AMG V8 and an NA block you will see what i mean.

I would go with Kleemann for the header's, got some myself and the quality is superb.

 

[tudu]

Here is the info from Kleemann brochure. Sorry scanner not working so had to photograph instead quality not as good. Click on to enlarge.

 

[Steve A]

And your engine life will be halved unfortunately, if you check the compression ratio's for a blown AMG V8 and an NA block you will see what i mean.

I would go with Kleemann for the header's, got some myself and the quality is superb.

how much of an improvement did the header give you? The slk has the same engine as mine.

on the literature above it states between 7-10% increase so my maths thats between 26 and 36 bhp and similar torque gains from the headers alone??? is that correct.

What type of cost are the kleeman headers? as long as you dont mind me asking?

 

[DansSlk]

how much of an improvement did the header give you? The slk has the same engine as mine.

on the literature above it states between 7-10% increase so my maths thats between 26 and 36 bhp and similar torque gains from the headers alone??? is that correct.

What type of cost are the kleeman headers? as long as you dont mind me asking?

I couldn't tell you the exact improvement from the headers alone because i fitted them at the same time as a lot of other stuff but a mate has just had them fitted on another SLK and i know he is planning on getting it dyno'd that being said the 20-30 range sound's about right to me, i know it sounds quite a bit from some glorified tube's but since the stock system is a basic manifold even some headers nailed together by a drunk monkey would give you a performance improvement and the Kleemann's are well built.

A figure of about 2k ish comes to mind price wise mate.

Just to let you know the downsides, they require some cutting of the stock exhaust to fit in some custom downpipes so you won't be able to return the car to stock very easy without removing all of that at the same time and it's 50/50 on them triggering a CEL but if you do you can either have the O2 sensor's moved or Kleemann have a software release for the ECU to shut it up.

 

[mb240]

Has anyone on here got a supercharger conversion on there C55.

I love this car. It was only meant as an interim car before my Nissan GTR arrives in September 2009....

I've copied this from an Irish forum about the GTR for potential buyers - I'll put it here because I am sure there are others like you as well looking at cars in that price range, so maybe someone will find it useful. The running costs seem staggering TBH. Incredible car though!

“At last year’s testing, we were frustrated by the conditions at the Nurburgring, always believing that the GT-R could go under seven minutes 30 seconds.” said Kazutoshi Mizuno, Chief Vehicle Engineer for GT-R. “Below seven minutes 30 seconds, the GT-R proves it is among the fastest mass-production cars in the world. We set out to build a multi-performance supercar accessible to anyone, anytime and anywhere - I believe the GT-R has delivered that promise.”

You’ve likely already read the various rumors flying around the Internet about the GT-R’s steep ownership costs; that it has a speed limiter unless you’re at a Nissan-approved track; and that tires can only be replaced four at a time. We heard these things, too, courtesy of a tire supplier to GT-R, so we called up Nissan and got to the bottom of it. Most of the gloom-and-doom hype is unfounded. See below for our questions and Nissan’s responses.
Rumor 1: Nissan’s GPS will only allow full-speed operation in the U.S. at Nissan-approved tracks.
There is no speed limiter on the U.S. spec GT-R unless you count the rev limiter.
Rumor 2: Once a vehicle has been run an approved track, it must be subjected to a post-track safety inspection at a Nissan dealer (brake fluid, suspension, tires, drivetrain, other checks), at an estimated cost of $1,000. Otherwise the warranty is voided.
It is a very good idea to inspect a car of the GT-R’s potential after spending time on a track to verify that everything is still within specifications and not worn. We are investigating offering this type of post-track inspection service to GT-R owners in the U.S. in order to provide the type of customer service some GT-R owners will want.
Rumor 3: The vehicle is set up from the factory with suspension settings for track use, with very high negative camber in the front and substantial toe-in at the rear. If the car is driven on the street with the factory settings the tires will only last 3000–5000 miles, and inner tire wear in the front will be substantial within 1000 miles. The settings may be changed from factory settings for street use prior to delivery, however.
The normal front camber setting is 1 degree 36 minutes negative. This can range plus or minus 10 minutes so if a customer wants to maximize tire wear they can request less negative camber. The rear toe setting is 1.7 mm total toe-in. While these settings are more aggressive than most cars, they are not extreme. The car provides amazing performance and you wouldn’t expect it to behave like a typical car. Based on our testing we anticipate tire life to range from 12,000–15,000 miles in typical street driving. Of course, track usage will definitely diminish tire life.
Rumor 4: The brakes are some type of ceramic composite, and a brake job will cost upwards of $3000.
The GT-R brakes use conventional materials. The brakes have full-floating two-piece rotors. The outer rotor is cast iron and the hub or hat is aluminum. The pads are also conventional materials. They are large Brembos—15-inch rotors front and rear, six-piston calipers front and four-piston rear—so they won’t be inexpensive, but they provide phenomenal stopping performance. We don’t expect a 500-hp engine to cost the same as a 300-hp engine, so we wouldn’t expect 500–hp brakes to cost the same as 300-hp brakes. We don’t have final pricing on the parts yet so we can’t say for certain how much they’ll cost.
Rumor 5: The OE run-flat, vehicle-specific Bridgestone tires, once dismounted, must be discarded. We have not heard if the same requirement applies to the OE Dunlop tires, but that is a reasonable assumption. One of the explanations for this that we’ve heard is that the rims have raised bumps in them at the beads to keep the tire from turning on the rim under acceleration.
Our recommendation is that the GT-R tires not be remounted regardless of brand. The knurled beads do help keep the tires from rotating on the wheels under hard acceleration, but the knurling is primarily there as part of the run-flat system to help keep the tire on the rim in the event of a flat. Remounting the tires is not recommended because of the stretching and flexing necessary to remount the run flat tires on the wheels.
Rumor 6: If any tire on the all-wheel-drive GT-R needs to be replaced, such as for a road hazard, Nissan requires that all four tires be replaced; otherwise the drivetrain warranty is voided.
Because the GT-R is all-wheel drive, matching tire circumference is critical to the performance of the system. We will be providing guidelines to help determine if only one tire can be replaced or if the entire set should be replaced. If the undamaged tires are showing limited wear, it may be possible to replace only the damaged tire. These guidelines have not been finalized yet.
Rumor 7: Estimated annual service costs for the GT-R are $10,000–$15,000.
Service costs for the GT-R will vary greatly depending on usage so we do not have an estimate of annual service costs. But these estimates seem very high, however. There are a series of Performance Optimization Services (POS) required for the GT-R. The Performance Optimization Services (POS) are inspections and adjustments (if needed) of three major vehicle performance systems: Engine settings, transmission settings, and wheel alignment. These services are required to keep the car functioning at optimal performance and are done free of charge for the first 36 months. These services are necessary to keep the warranty in full effect for these systems.
The first Performance Optimization Service is performed at 1000 miles. The subsequent services are performed at 12, 24, and 36 months. Additionally, it is recommended these services be continued annually beyond the first three years, but they will be at customer expense.
While this is not a free maintenance program since it doesn’t include oil changes or other maintenance, it should make keep the ownership costs pretty reasonable for such a high-performance car.
Rumor 8: Nissan is struggling with finalizing the full-disclosure form that customers are required to read and sign prior to taking delivery.
We are still finalizing the delivery materials but I wouldn’t characterize it as struggling. The GT-R is unique in offering incredible performance to a very broad range of customers so we want to make sure we provide as much information as possible to the customer at delivery to make sure they have a great ownership experience.
Rumor 9: Only the dealer principal is allowed to sell this vehicle. Salespeople are not allowed to sell it, related to the risk that the salesperson may not properly inform the customer about the details of the full-disclosure documentation.
This is a customer-service issue not a disclosure issue. When choosing to become Certified GT-R dealer, the dealers agreed to designate the dealer principal, executive manager, or general manager as the dedicated GT-R sales representative. Since the GT-R will attract a unique customer, Nissan decided a dealership executive would be best positioned to present the vehicle and facilitate the transaction most effectively with potential customers. The ownership experience will be critical to the success of the GT-R, and this requirement involves a dealership executive in a face-to-face relationship with the customer. This should be a positive step for customer satisfaction.

 

[Steve A]

I couldn't tell you the exact improvement from the headers alone because i fitted them at the same time as a lot of other stuff but a mate has just had them fitted on another SLK and i know he is planning on getting it dyno'd that being said the 20-30 range sound's about right to me, i know it sounds quite a bit from some glorified tube's but since the stock system is a basic manifold even some headers nailed together by a drunk monkey would give you a performance improvement and the Kleemann's are well built.

A figure of about 2k ish comes to mind price wise mate.

Just to let you know the downsides, they require some cutting of the stock exhaust to fit in some custom downpipes so you won't be able to return the car to stock very easy without removing all of that at the same time and it's 50/50 on them triggering a CEL but if you do you can either have the O2 sensor's moved or Kleemann have a software release for the ECU to shut it up.

tried to speak to someone at KleemanUK today......still waiting for a return call................

 

[DansSlk]

tried to speak to someone at KleemanUK today......still waiting for a return call................

haha, Good luck.

Try the people in the US.

 

[peppernick]

You might also want to contact these people www.evosport.com

Or if you don't mind burning more money, try www.mkb-power.de MKB tuning parts are very bespoke and in a different league. How they price their products make Kleemann and Carlsson look cheap!

Kleemann UK is absolutely useless. The only time they emailed me back with regards to my supercharging enquiries is when they have those special offer wheels to flog off. Never gave me any specific information on what I asked.

Remember RHD header are different to LHD versions (due to clearance of the steeering column). So before importing a set (99% are made for LHD cars), double check

You should also consider an LSD. The ESP on the C55 is already working overtime to harness the available power of the stock motor, pump up the gain and you'll not be going anywhere. Unfortunately, Mercedes ESP cannot be fully switched off.

 

[sunman]

if you have any questions regarding the kleemann system let me know. I have done several systems in the states and am an authorized reseller.

 

[DansSlk]

Unfortunately, Mercedes ESP cannot be fully switched off.

Dyno Mode

 

[Steve A]

if you have any questions regarding the kleemann system let me know. I have done several systems in the states and am an authorized reseller.

does this mean you are in the States????

if not then im interested in talking some more

 

[andy_cyp]

does this mean you are in the States????

if not then im interested in talking some more

Yep Sunman is in the states, and very well respected at mbworld.org