First of all i would like to send my thxs for all the help i have received from Mercedesshop forum.

I would like to know what types of modification i can make to improve performance. I have around $8,000 to play with so i would like to get some general responses, such as engine, suspension, etc.

Thxs in Advance

You are better off modifying a 1998 E430. Please send the cash and I am sure you will be happy with the mods to my E430. (laugh)

Your money will not last long at RennTech ( www.renntechmercedes.com ). A full exhaust system for a E420 is $12,600 and don't even mention the 6.o liter conversion, whew! it starts at $30,450. The Stage One Tuning Kit for the E430 is $10,300. RennTech charges $10,300 for the E430 Stage One and only $9,800 for the CLK430 Stage One. What's up with the $500 discount on the CLK430?

If you like a mild exhaust note get the AMG, if you want more deeper tone, go for Lorinser or perhaps Remus. Also upgrade the Suspension to E55 specs. Have you already done a plus-one upgrade on the Wheels/Tires? K&N has finally made a filter which is reported to boost HP and give a deeper engine growl, I think, but you have to wash and recondition it every couple thousand miles or so. Good Luck.

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• 1998 MERCEDES-BENZ E430
  
• OBSIDIAN BLACK METALLIC/BLACK LEATHER
  
• XENON H.I.D. LOW BEAMS
  
• DEBADGED (E430 REAR)
  
• AMG CHROMED TIP DUAL EXHAUST
  
• CARLSSON 1/6 CHROME (PLUS 1) WHEELS
  
• SLK "WREATH" WHEEL CENTER CAPS
  
• ALPINE CHM-S611 CD CHANGER
  

Honestly, you are better off selling the car and starting off with a E430. I would recommend selling your E320 or trade it in and get a 2000 E430.
If you want to make a good deal, start off selling the E320 on your own, then purchasing 98+ E430. MBs last forever, all you got to so is maintain um, so just get the car checked out by your local MB dealer.

The problem with trying to modify an E320 is that you will spend more then you would believe and end up being on par with an E430 for more. Also, as soon as you do any mods, your factory warranty is gone.

An E430 is the way to go, and sport if you can find it.

1999 Sport E430 stock
1998 Kawasaki ZX-9R stock (404 lbs.; 127 hp at the rear wheel; 0-60 in 2.8sec; 172 top speed if you got the B@11$)

If you want luxury, power and speed get both! I could easily spend twice what I paid for my Sport E430 and it could never match the performance of my sport bike. My point being that one vehicle can’t do it all; it depends on what you want out of it. Both vehicles are great for their intended purposes; one you drive the other you fly. Personally, I have no desire to prematurely wear out my luxury sedan…but hey, do what ever floats your boat or car in this case. My 2 cents.

With an $8K budget you will not be able to get an E320 up to E430 performance levels. The only way you could get CLOSE would be as follows: A) install a NOS kit that would get you the power...approx $1000 B) bolt on the E430 Sport wheels/tires...$2000 C) do a sport suspension conversion...$2000 D) switch out the brakes to the tune of $2000 more. Then spend the remaining $1000 on aftermarket interior upgrades that would be standard on an E430. You would then have a car that could get close to the E430's stock abilities but would have damaged resale value, reduced or no warranty, etc. For repeatable raw power the $8K is still shy of even a supercharger kit (installed) and that would only match power. (to say nothing of suspension, brakes, interior option upgrades, etc)

If you are already at the top of the MB food chain then mods are worth thinking about. Until you are there, 90% of the time its best to try and trade up. You could even look for a 97 E420 as well. To get the most bang for your buck, you will have to sell your car yourself. You can take it to a couple dealerships and whatnot but don't be suprised if they offer you much less than you'd like or think you can get. Then look in the local papers, national listings, etc at what cars similar to yours are going for. Then try and sell your car yourself. Once you have cash in hand (so to speak) you are in a much better position to get an E430. "trading up" for an E430 or even E420 is a much better option in the long run. Heck, even the time you spend mod-ing the E320 out will easily take as long as selling then buying and E430.

Hope this helps...Lee

I don't know if this is possible, but you might be able to locate an engine/tranny out of a wrecked/salvaged E430 in your area. Then, just swap out the engine. You should have enought left to upgrade the exhaust and be on your way. This will provide you with the power you are looking for...
Gary

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00 AMG E55
96 DCM Impala SS
94 ZR-1
81 Corvette Cpe

Thxs for the replies. Currently in the process of purchasing a new S500 class MB. Going to keep the E320 because this is the first Benz I ever purchased. I quess this car isnt quite a good modification vehicle. I suppose i will spend the money on aerodynamics kits or someting to that nature.

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I would change the whole exhaust system to the one that the tuners are offering. I have heard that it should give you about 10 to 15 HPs.

The problem with that is that the tuner exhaust will likely eat up your entire 8K budget in one sitting. To get any big gains off exhaust you have to do more than just a muffler. The engine management and other variables are different on the twin-plug 3-valve E430 than on the DOHC 6-cyl. Were it a V6, the swap would be easier. Still, by the time you purchased a E430 motor you are probably way over 8K right there, to say nothing of install and post install troubleshooting. Plus, then the resale of the hybrid would be lower and harder to sell period.

Hope this helps...Lee

Have you looked at Kleemann Supercharger for mercedes V6 model? I heard that it just out, don't know the exact price, but i think it's around $4000 or so.


---WILL

Hey if you want a E420 Sport. .I can get you in touch with someone who just got it redone by MB, see he got into an accident and didnt want to have a shoddy job done so he sent it out to one of MB's Body Repair places.. it took a total of about 3wks but, from what he tells me it was fixed back to exact MB specs with the help of some laser measuring tools.. I dont think the accident was that bad.. he said the car slid upon changing lanes and hit the guardrail..

anyway.. he just took order of a new M5 so the E420 sport is for sale.. i think he is asking around $40k its either a 96 or 97 not sure.. silver w/ 2 tone leather int. grey and black.. he said he paid extra for.. i recently borrowed the car this past weekend and the car was fine.. it felt solid and strong//

as for his story on how he got it fixed.. i dont know ... but the car looks and drives like new .. it has 22kmiles


It has the AMG rims and body pkg. and a nav system.. dont know if he got it done aftermarket or from factory.. DVD, 3 monitors a nice sound system.