Tuning a high mileage C32AMG

[Northerner]

My C32AMG with 99,000 miles has recently been given a clean bill of health by the local Merc dealer.

As I got this car for a cracking price, I'm thinking about purchasing the evosport power pack 2. Has anyone had any experiance of evosport products and am I mad to tune a high mileage car?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Best bet is try searching the US forums.

There are lots more C32s out there, there are more high mileage C32s out there, tuning is cheaper out there, and so there are more tuned C32s out there, and so you should get a good view of most products.

There was a lot of excitement was around a couple of C32-specialists that evolved out of the forums - much cheaper than the big names like Evosport, Kleemann, Renntech, etc - but I think low prices and short development windows started to catch one or two out.

Code3Performance and LETMotorsports are two that spring to mind, and IIRC they seem to have slipped off the radar of late.

 

[Gridlock]

I'm coming up on 145K but I can't stop pricing up superchargers...

I guess on a 32 the standard route is similar to other Kompressors, ie smaller pulley, remap, etc?

 

[230K]

High Mileage

230k

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I guess on a 32 the standard route is similar to other Kompressors, ie smaller pulley, remap, etc?

Sure is, and that's expensive when shopping with the big brands.

Starts getting seriously expensive after that though: exhaust manifold, exhaust, sports cats, camshaft, bigger coolers, etc are all available but don't give much of a boost relative to their price.

 

[Gridlock]

It's the little bits that elevate it though - my Golf has the supercharger etc but it's the cams, the porting and polishing, the uprated pistons and con rods etc that make it revvy and a bit mental. Anyone can bolt a charger onto a VR6 and get from 177 to around 225bhp, but then another 30 horses on top costs you twice as much

I'd love to see/hear/drive a proper mental 'charged V8 merc

 

[BenzedUP]

It's the little bits that elevate it though - my Golf has the supercharger etc but it's the cams, the porting and polishing, the uprated pistons and con rods etc that make it revvy and a bit mental. Anyone can bolt a charger onto a VR6 and get from 177 to around 225bhp, but then another 30 horses on top costs you twice as much

I'd love to see/hear/drive a proper mental 'charged V8 merc

No point puting that much power in a front wheel drive car, It will just spin till it gets traction...

My friend has a 99model Vdub MK3 VR6 highline which has been charged and now has 262bhp, I use to leave that standing off the lights in my old c32.

It's how it puts the power down, unless you have converted yours into 4wd then all the power you have is useless at stand still, rolling starts are different but still was no match for a c32 amg!

 

[BTB 500]

Anyone can bolt a charger onto a VR6 and get from 177 to around 225bhp

The later 24V version was 204 bhp stock, so one of those plus a s/charger should be a nice easy upgrade?

 

[BTB 500]

No point puting that much power in a front wheel drive car, It will just spin till it gets traction...

Don't the modern FWD hot hatches have 240-ish bhp?

Edit - after a quick Google, the Focus RS has 300 bhp and is FWD!

 

[Gridlock]

Get this all the time - the other is usually "isn't it too heavy at the front?" - and it's simply not true that it's too much power.

It's 258bhp at the top end, but superchargers don't kick like turbos and the torque (233lbft) is right there very early on, so it just goes. Yes you can sit there destroying your tyres if you want, but I have no problem launching.

To be honest "speed off the lights" is probably the most, umm, vulgar expression of a car anyway, I enjoy having 258hp much more when I'm coming out of a corner, on my favourite back road or after I've let someone beat me off the lights and then I get it into 2nd

Plus, a Mk2 is *not* a Mk3

The Focus has a very trick diff - I'm not running one yet but I have a spare box that's going to get a Quaife in it some time this year...

 

[BenzedUP]

Don't the modern FWD hot hatches have 240-ish bhp?

Edit - after a quick Google, the Focus RS has 300 bhp and is FWD!

Yes they do and they are modern.. better diff, better road grip, the mk2 golf gti spins it's front wheels as it is and with a supercharger it will keep spining.... while the car next to you goes a mile away

I know going off the lights isnt really good but woudnt you rather have the option if you needed to?

 

[Gridlock]

That ^^^ would be your opinion, whereas I have a good bank of experimental data that says you're wrong

The Mk2 spins its wheels anyway?! Not really something I found in my 16v, but if it helps my current one has Mk3 subframes, wishbones, etc anyway...

I've had plenty of M3s, 350z, s2000, Type R, all sorts off the lights and yes, I might have to short shift into 2nd if the road's not dry but as Jezzer said about the F40, it's almost better to give them the hope before you come flying past on boost

Can't wait to get both mine side-by-side at Santa Pod; care to wager on which wins, to 60ft and over the 1/4?