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Mods I am considering, suggestions, criticism?

4K views 8 replies 3 participants last post by  Sweet04 
#1 ·
I am considering the NeedsWings dual CAI intake. Along with this would be a Eurocharged 65mm sc pulley and ECU tune. I am told to expect between 40 and 50 HP, possibly at the crank. I would hope these mods would put the 2002 SLK32 AMG into the 13's. I hag not been able to find what you guys who have changed the t-stats have gone with for make or rating for a Florida car. It only has 72k miles on it so it should be strong enough for the mods. They said they tune for an 11.3-11.5 AFR which must be leaner than stock, I imagine stock is above 12:1. One thing I can't figure is the amount of boost the pulley would add. It will be spinning the SC about 20 percent more rpm's, well within the considered limit. Anyone have any experience with these mods or have a comment. I can get a good price. I was told about SL55 intake but am not familiar with these motors, is that a bolt on mod? Another suggestions? Thanks, Mark
PS: I was going to try a DIY CAI but a major silicone/aluminum tubing manufacturer said I would be better off with thenneedswingsnunit.
 
#2 ·
I highly recommend dual intakes.

You can go with NeedsWings, DIY it or use an SL55 intake, but since the real restriction seems to be up front you might want to consider adding your own scoops if you go the SL55 or DIY route. I added scoops to mine up front, and they seem to help.

PS: I was going to try a DIY CAI but a major silicone/aluminum tubing manufacturer said I would be better off with thenneedswingsnunit.
Why? It's a pretty simple build, and it's several hundred bucks cheaper (< 400 for a full 3" dual setup). Obviously DIY or kit both work fine, so if you want to save some time you can pay for a NeedsWings or Fabtech kit.

Anyways, regarding other mods:

1) 11.3-11.5 is a *richer* AFR than 12, not leaner. Remember it's air/fuel, not fuel/air, so the lower the AFR the less air per unit of fuel.

2) I like the idea of a smaller SC pulley. I'm running a larger crank pulley, which works out to about the same increase for the SC, and it definitely makes a difference.

3) Plan on upgrading your cooling next (see 4-5). When you start running more boost you can expect to see your IATs rise. You're in Florida, so 90F ambient isn't totally unheard of. ;) I decided to upgrade mine after seeing what my IATs looked like back when it was 95-100F this summer...

4) I'd recommend isolating your IC system from your main cooling system. It's super easy to do -- about 20 bucks worth of parts and maybe 15 minutes in your garage. You can get the necessary brass fittings at just about any home improvement store, and silicone heater hose is equally-easy to find online.

5) If you're planning on running even more boost later on down the line, and since you live in a hot climate, you might want to consider running a bigger heat exchanger. You can get a suitably-sized one for about 150 bucks, plus figure 30 bucks for hose and brass couplers. You'll also want to take that opportunity to upgrade your IC pump to something that won't commit suicide, specifically a CM30 or CM90 (the latter is only a good idea if you're running a bigger intercooler and/or reservoir.) The CM30 is about 100 for an open-box one via eBay, or more -- maybe 150 -- for a new one via a ton of various sites. It should last the lifetime of the car.

That plus a good tune should get you around 330 to the wheels. (At least it did for me...)
 
#3 ·
I went with the wings intake, filters in front of the radiator. Also got a new heat pump, they even threw in an oil filter insert.
I am getting a 65mm SC pulley, should add 3psi, so ECU/TCU Tunes also. I have had 4 back surgeries , asking for number 5 on Friday.
What else can be done discretely? I don't want a ride like in."Roadhouse".
I am going with. 275/4🐯5-17 and 245/40-17 in front. Mark
 
#4 ·
As I said above, next I'd go with isolating your IC system. It's dead simple and will 1) help prevent intercooler leaks 2) help keep IATs low.

After that, I'd go with a bigger heat exchanger.

I'd also consider upgrading your brakes at this point. Power is no good if you can't control it...

For brakes the best route (IMHO) is to leave the stock calipers but replace the pads (EBC RedStuff) and discs (EBC dimpled + slotted rotors). You'll also want to do stainless steel brake lines and -- since you'll lose brake fluid anyways -- flush the brake fluid while you're at it. Until you start tracking the car (and even then...) those three things should give you plenty of stopping power, especially compared to stock.
 
#5 ·
Yes, those are good choices and your estimated HP gain is about right. That will put you well into the 12s in the 1/4 mile. You should be running low to mid 13s stock.

As was already said, the 65mm will add about 3 psi. The 65mm pulley overdrives the supercharger 15%. a 62mm pulley will overdrive it 20%. A fuel pump upgrade is required to run the 61/62mm pulley.

I'd also consider upgrading your brakes at this point. Power is no good if you can't control it...

For brakes the best route (IMHO) is to leave the stock calipers but replace the pads (EBC RedStuff) and discs (EBC dimpled + slotted rotors). You'll also want to do stainless steel brake lines and -- since you'll lose brake fluid anyways -- flush the brake fluid while you're at it. Until you start tracking the car (and even then...) those three things should give you plenty of stopping power, especially compared to stock.
I can second your recommendation. I have the EBC redstuff pads and love them as well as stainless lines and high-temp fluid. I stuck with solid rotors though.
 
#6 ·
I can second your recommendation. I have the EBC redstuff pads and love them as well as stainless lines and high-temp fluid. I stuck with solid rotors though.
Yeah, the solid rotors are 1) quieter and 2) probably good enough unless you track/drive hard a *lot*. I do like slotted ones since they help even out the pad wear though.

Oh, and if you do want to track, don't bother with Yellowstuff pads. They're decent, but holy hell do they wear very, very quickly.
 
#7 ·
Updating and looking forward

I got Rob 's DCAI and am glad I did, the quality is awesome, worth the high price. perfEct fiT? some thought went into that set-up.
The pulley was next and I was impressed that 3psi, a 15 percent increase did so much. I am familiar with forced induction motors, mostly turbo's pushing he air, as much as 25 psi on 112 leaded. I have to admit I drove from SArasota to Punta GORda from 80 to 100mph, the latter after passing and letting 3rd gear go to it's limit and shift into 4thgear. The tune led to no boost for a month and some datalogs showed at wot it had 58percent throttle. A phone call to Jerry corrected that quick.
Now I would like a bit more, maybe lwill try a 178mm crank pulley. Anyone who has followed me knows I go slow after a lot of research. I thought about Robs sheet metal intakes but they did not work out and Rob said inMotion tuning was the place to use for those intakes.
I am going with a 25" x 6.5" x 3" he at exchanger that should fit where the stock one sits but increase cooling by 60 percent, isolated of course. The IC pump is the stock bOsch as I was told the heat exchanger under the SC is not strong and can spring a leak if pushed with too much pressure. Just thoughts at this point. The research has begun. Thanks as always.
 
#8 ·
The IC pump is the stock bOsch as I was told the heat exchanger under the SC is not strong and can spring a leak if pushed with too much pressure. Just thoughts at this point. The research has begun. Thanks as always.
It's not the heat exchanger you need to worry about, it's the intercooler.

And the IC pump isn't what kills it: the going theory is that it's the pressure spike on startup when you have the IC system looped into the main cooling system. The IC pump doesn't have enough strength to put much pressure (IIRC it's something stupid low like 1 psi, but don't quote me) on the system. The same cannot be said of the water pump. Even upgraded IC pumps don't do much in the way of pressurization, it's mostly just slightly improved flow and -- more importantly -- reliability that make them a good upgrade. The Bosch pumps have a fun way of committing hari kari...

As far as the heat exchanger goes: you can either go with a fatter one in the stock location, or you can go with a 1" thick one and go up (in front of the radiator), ala Supercooler. You'll have to do a bit of fabrication and move the horn and -- if memory serves -- the PS cooler, but that's another option. Either way is a reasonable approach.
 
#9 ·
I'm going with a better cooler in place of the stock one. It should fit quite well from the dimensions I have. The new one is about 24" wide, 6.5" tall and 3.5" deep. That should be it for a while, have me ready for summer. Just things like an oil change, plugs and wires, the heat exchanger isolation kit and the oil catch can, all parts i have to get me through the summer. Thanks, mark
 
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