2005 w203 220CDI Automatic Tunning - is it worth it ?

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sorgo

New Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2021
Messages
3
Location
St Albans
Car
W203 C220CDI Automatic
Dear forum,

I might be asking some silly questions but here it is
I own an old 2005 w203, 220 CDI Automatic, It drives beautifully though, no mechanical issues. But I always fantasized about doing some tunning to my cars, but never got to actually do it as I was worried not to ruin them.
This one however is so old and basically costs nothing now, that I think I could risk it. If it works out - great, if not - well not big deal.
So basically I'm looking for advise on what is worth doing and what is not. Here is a list of what I'm thinking to do. I'm mostly interested about the mechanisl performance upgrades than the exterior visual mods, if it is worth doing them at all or not?
1. A better air filer, such as some K&N. This seems like a simple job even for myself. But I probably need to chenage the intake pipe as well, one of those stainless steel?
2. A bigger turbo, nothing to big though. Are there any companies that can take my old turbo and completly change the internals so that it could be fit back without other modifications? Obviously new membranes, seals etc. If not, how do i even approach sourcing a turbo for it. Would one from a 270CDI fit ?
3. Cleanup the catalyst, so that the exhaust is as free flow as it can be. It is not cloged and does not register any faults, so might be a stupid idea, don't know. Is it worth it ?
4. Once the above is done, perform an ECU remap. My car has a Comfort mode and a Sports mode (sport at 150HP, hillarious, always make me laugh when people talk abot sport in cars ). So wonder if the ECU can be remapped such that under Comfort mode it would provide better MPG, while the Sports mode could be tunned for more power?
5. Assuming some of the above can be done and I gain some 50hp and some torque, do I need to change any other stock mechanics so that it can cope with the added power? Flywheel? Anything else?

There are a few external mods, I'm thinking as well:
1. Xenon but better still LED headlights. There are a lot of projector headlights on ebay, not original obviously as LED was not a thing back nin 2005, but it is really hard to say if they are good quality or not. Is it possible to fit LED into a projetor headlight? Anyone has done this before safely and with no errors registering on the board computer? Or will i need some computer adjusmtments for LEDs ?
2. Bigger Callipers, I'm thinking AMG from a C32.
3. Coil overs.
4. Different grill and flat badge.


Looking at the list myself, I think this can easily cost £3-5k for which I could probably get a w204, but then I will be back to my always wanting to modify a car and not have done it:)

Thanks all and please be merciful :)
 
Hi Sorgo and welcome . Any car can be modified to suit the owner and at the end of the day it is you car and your money. You probably realise that any of the modifications you have listed will not add value to you car and could possibly even take value away and many of the modifications will need to be reported to your insurer.

How many miles are on this car and have you had the rear subframe properly inspected for integrally fatal corrosion which is common in W/S 203 C class cars ?
 
1. A better air filer, such as some K&N. This seems like a simple job even for myself. But I probably need to chenage the intake pipe as well, one of those stainless steel?
2. A bigger turbo, nothing to big though. Are there any companies that can take my old turbo and completly change the internals so that it could be fit back without other modifications? Obviously new membranes, seals etc. If not, how do i even approach sourcing a turbo for it. Would one from a 270CDI fit ?
3. Cleanup the catalyst, so that the exhaust is as free flow as it can be. It is not cloged and does not register any faults, so might be a stupid idea, don't know. Is it worth it ?
4. Once the above is done, perform an ECU remap. My car has a Comfort mode and a Sports mode (sport at 150HP, hillarious, always make me laugh when people talk abot sport in cars ). So wonder if the ECU can be remapped such that under Comfort mode it would provide better MPG, while the Sports mode could be tunned for more power?
1. Leave air box, just fit k&n panel filter and from turbo boost side start working with with piping and intercooler all the way to last pipe that fits to inlet manifold. Also get rid of swirl flaps or get a repair kit. They will leak sooner or later.
2. Turbo from 270cdi has different actuator to om646 that you most likely have as its 2005. Less messing about will be sending your turbo to get it modified to spec.
3. Straight piping with a high flow silencer, there will be significant difference with turbo's reaction on lower rpm.
4. I dont think that its possible with the gear box button its two different ecu's. Just dont boost it as much. :D
Propper way to get it remapped is by a tuner with a rolling road to get most out of mods.
Biggest restriction for you will be gear box as its limited or capable of 380nm.
the box you need is 722.689 (W5A580) that can take 580nm.

I tried it all on my CLK 270cdi and got it to 235bhp 546nm.
With all the mods i have suggested apart, turbo which was out of a 320cdi, swirl flaps removed and egr blanked and wiped from map. The luck was i didt worry about gear box

My opinion, the gearbox ruins your project or think about adapting manual.
 
Re headlamps.... Osram Nightbreaker / Philips eXtreme etc are pretty much the only option that's both legal and practical.



Not the only .

Screenshot_20210228-210737_Chrome.jpg

Screenshot_20210228-210714_Chrome.jpg


Still all a horrible warm white colour .



For anything else whiter behind the thick projector lense....


Screenshot_20210319-183045_Gallery.jpg


Pass or fail ?




Oh it's a K&Noooooo from me .
 
Not the only...

See below:

Re headlamps.... Osram Nightbreaker / Philips eXtreme etc are pretty much the only option that's both legal and practical.

I was referring to the family of products that fall under the category of high-performance Halogen bulbs.

Personally, I opted for Osram Nightbreaker Silver, because they represent a good compromise between increased light output and longevity - the Plus and Unlimited I tried before sadly didn't last very long - ~6 months on average - the Silver have been going strong for 3 years now.
 
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I think you've a good base to start with and like you said, now is the opportunity before changing to something that you want to leave alone or is more valuable.

Here's my opinions on what you listed:

1. Air filter - wouldn't bother it makes very little if any difference, does alter the intake sound very slightly.
2. A GT22v from a 270 is good for under 200bhp, a GT23v from a 320 will be good for just over 200bhp. They're are interchangeable, no big modifications and you can swap the vacuum to electronic actuator.
3. People remove the CAT for extra power and sound, you shouldn't by MOT/Law standards.
4. I've seen this done where comfort/sport and changed to sport/manual modes so it can be done
5. Intercooler may need changing for something bigger but depends what power you want.

Do people fit H&R springs with spax shockers on w203 models for a lowered height but retaining a good ride quality?
 
Hi Sorgo and welcome . Any car can be modified to suit the owner and at the end of the day it is you car and your money. You probably realise that any of the modifications you have listed will not add value to you car and could possibly even take value away and many of the modifications will need to be reported to your insurer.

How many miles are on this car and have you had the rear subframe properly inspected for integrally fatal corrosion which is common in W/S 203 C class cars ?
Hi Pete,

The car has 95K miles on it. The subframe has been mentioned to me at some point as being a littler rusty, but as the mechanic mentioned, it is expected in a car this age and he did not made me believe there is a serious issue with it. And yes, I realise it is not going to add value to it. I'd probably never buy a modified car myself. But this is not about the resale value, rather about the fun of modifying it.
 
1. Leave air box, just fit k&n panel filter and from turbo boost side start working with with piping and intercooler all the way to last pipe that fits to inlet manifold. Also get rid of swirl flaps or get a repair kit. They will leak sooner or later.
2. Turbo from 270cdi has different actuator to om646 that you most likely have as its 2005. Less messing about will be sending your turbo to get it modified to spec.
3. Straight piping with a high flow silencer, there will be significant difference with turbo's reaction on lower rpm.
4. I dont think that its possible with the gear box button its two different ecu's. Just dont boost it as much. :D
Propper way to get it remapped is by a tuner with a rolling road to get most out of mods.
Biggest restriction for you will be gear box as its limited or capable of 380nm.
the box you need is 722.689 (W5A580) that can take 580nm.

I tried it all on my CLK 270cdi and got it to 235bhp 546nm.
With all the mods i have suggested apart, turbo which was out of a 320cdi, swirl flaps removed and egr blanked and wiped from map. The luck was i didt worry about gear box

My opinion, the gearbox ruins your project or think about adapting manual.
Hi Damian,

Thank you for your input. Indeed, the gearbox was not something I was planing on changing and that may be a no go for me by looking at the prices for one 722.689 (W5A580).
I might just end up with a light ECU remap and some exterior modifications, although from what I can find, if this engine produces close to 340NM of torque it may not even allow for a safe remap if the gearbox is rated to only 380NM. It would be a very small margin which will probably lead to gearbox problems fairly soon.

Probably it would be a better idea to by a newer, more powerful car to start with, that will allow for some performance upgrades in the future, should I still crave for it :D
 

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