Bigger Balls on my 260E??.....

[Cr260e88]

Hey I just upgraded to a 260E from a 240D (which most people know a 5 year old on a tricycle can beat this car in a 1/8 mile race). I was wondering if there was anything to give my car an extra boost with avoiding nitrous. I'm looking for either a cold air intake, chip, or possibly a turbo. All of my closet friends run american F-body cars pushing way over 300 hp. I'm looking to be less embarrased when I drive with them. Obviously getting the 260e over the 240d was a step in the right direction but still not all the power that I want. Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to put 400+ horsepower in a car that's 16 years old to show up my friends, I just want a little extra kick in my car for those warm summer days and long curving roads. Any input on what I can do without totally killing the bank account would be great. Also I'm about to have this system installed. If anyone has any comments good or bad about the set up please let me know before I spend the money and end up sorry that I did.

http://www.cardomain.com/sku/BOSRIP896
http://www.cardomain.com/sku/PIODEHP6700MP
http://www.cardomain.com/sku/PIOTSA1057
http://www.cardomain.com/sku/PIOTSA6991R
http://www.cardomain.com/sku/ROCPL1112

Thanks for all who can help me out!

The main problem is that the engine is not tuned for performance at all. If you can work on cars then you might want to think about putting a 320 engine into it or better yet get an el cheapo 190E and tap the experience of those that have done the 190E to 3.2 conversion. http://www.car-part.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?userSearch=exact&userPID=1000&userLocation=All+States&userIMS=&userInterchange=%5B%7C%7Br&userSide=&userDate=1993&userDate2=1998&dbModel=49.13&userModel=Mercedes%20320&dbPart=300.1&userPart=Engine&sessionID=882&userPreference=price&userUID=0&userBroker=&iKey=&userPage=3

The 2.6 is a SOHC and just too detuned. Nitrous is definitely the best bang for your buck if you want to keep this engine but it will still only get you up to maybe a 320 level. I dunno how much you have to spend but if you know how to work on cars I imagine getting a 3.2L engine or rigging up a turbo system for it would be the best way. The problem with turbo installs is that they usually take a ton of time to do and the costs get out of hand quickly.

[speedy300Dturbo]

Originally Posted by laurencekarl

The problem with turbo installs is that they usually take a ton of time to do and the costs get out of hand quickly.

Exactly. By the time that's done and all the issues are sorted out, you'll be at the realization that starting with a 400E/E420 was a much better option.

[oxymoron]

[QUOTE=Cr260e88] All of my closet friends



don't ask
don't tell

[Hatterasguy]

Sell the 260E

Buy a 400E/E420

or if you really want to move 500E

Faster yet E60

[Snibble]

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

Sell the 260E

Buy a 400E/E420

or if you really want to move 500E

Faster yet E60

Have you taken cost into consideration?

[300EVIL]

Two things to consider.
One, a V8 W124 may have more power but, it does not handle nearly as well as our I6 motored 124's. How do I know this? Well, I own both. Besides the 500E is supposed to have a sporty suspension and the stock E320 still out corners it. I'm not even going to mention my 300E, it's almost Formula 1!!

Secondly, What's the fun of just buying performance. I think it's much more fun building performance. When I finish my 300E I fully plan on tearing apart the 500E and modding the hell out of it too.

Just my 2 cents!
Adam

[Hatterasguy]

Originally Posted by Snibble

Have you taken cost into consideration?

MB are not cheap cars to modify.

Personaly I would buy the fastest stock car made then modify from their. I'd rather start with a 275hp V8 then a 170ish I6. Both are probably going to cost a small fortune to tune for a large increase in power.

At least with the 500E you have a better suspension that can already handle the power.

He didn't mention handleing and a stock W124 with a better set of tires can probably give his friends F bodies a run for their money. I would be surprised if its stock brakes were not also better.

I honestly do not know of anything other than NOS that you can do to a computer controlled MB engine without having to hack the computers and replace a bunch of junk. I keep thinking that there must be something because the engines are really good and have a ton of potential because they are not tuned for performance at all. If MB would open up their computers like Honda does there really wouldn't be much competition on the street. These engines are over engineered and most of the items that everyone replaces when building a fast Honda or Chevy etc. are already there. As far as I can remember the 3.0L was 177 and the 2.6 was 150-160.

I think cost and also hassle is the main reason to just buy the best you can get stock. As I am finding out anytime someone makes a Mercedes sedan into a race car it surprisingly does start acting like a race car. The first week I had my car I blew off the intake hose, a couple of vacumn hoses, and a fuel line. This means having to fix stuff all the time, not letting someone drive it because if they don't know what gauges/warnings to watch etc. they are very likely going to blow something up, and having to adjust things that are normally automatically adjusted via a computer with built in safety margins and sensors that know when to shut things down before something bad happens. To not have these issues is to either spend a fortune on updated components and computer systems + enormous amounts of time or to do moderate modifications. Good gauges alone for a turbo install will run ~$1K. I think NOS has got to be the cheapest and easiest system for stock MBs. I personally don't want it because A. I don't need it and B. I prefer having power on tap all the time but it is definitely worth considering IMO if you are trying to get the best bang for your buck and still maintain the character of your car.

Not only is a 400E going to be much more powerful than a 260E, it is going to be quieter, silky smooth, and have a more comfortable and luxurious interior. As to handling it isn't boaty but having a sporty suspension and a stressless long distance road car currently seem to be mutually exclusive. I have never really considered the cornering ability on a 400E due to the small tires worth assessing from a performance standpoint. When I put low profile wider tires on my 400E I must say that body roll etc. was greatly decreased and I wouldn't be afraid to take on some sports cars with it like that. Also braking was excellent. I have never done 1/4 mile times but 1/8th mile trap speeds were comparable to a Mustang GT and times were not too much slower i.e. 9.7-9.9 seconds. As I reached the end of the track I would always start pulling on them pretty hard and between 80 - 130 the 400E really takes off.

[300EVIL]

Originally Posted by Hatterasguy

MB are not cheap cars to modify.

Personaly I would buy the fastest stock car made then modify from their. I'd rather start with a 275hp V8 then a 170ish I6. Both are probably going to cost a small fortune to tune for a large increase in power.

Yeah, If I could afford a Ferrari F-50 I would hack and mod that up too.

You have to understand, not everyone can afford paying $15K plus and then throw $5 - $10K into mods. I know I can't.

Adam