Air filter for 2003 C230 Kompressor sedan?
 

Does anyone know what type of K&N filter goes in my 2003 C230 Kompressor? K&N says they have not made one yet. If anyone has bought an air filter please tell me.

Thanks

mig888

Just get an OEM filter. They're cheap, work well, and are easy to replace. It's highly unlikely that you'll see a single HP from the K&N on that engine (pressurized engines breathe "artificially").

Huhhhhhhh ?????

You still have to suck air into the engine, before you can compress it.
If anything, the amount of air required for a supercharged or turbocharged engine is even greater than on a naturally aspirated engine. Hence any method of reducing air intake restrictions would be of benefit. ;)

I Did Some Testing of Air Filters on My Wifes C Coupe.
I Tested the ITG and The K/N.. The ITG Lost Horsepower:confused: .. And The K/N Gained 3hp (Dyno Proven)The Number Should Be greater with the car at speeds...
Also The K/N Will Pay for Itself over time as It will last Longer!
You Wont feel the gain..But all Small Gains Add Up!

This is true, but why would MB strangle a pressurized engine? Isn't the point of the supe to develop more HP? I have yet to see a modern engine that makes big, even noticable, gains with the replacement of the air filter.

On the 189HP engine, increasing it to a whopping 192hp won't be felt.

Think about it this way:

Suppose the C230 Coupe weighs 3200lbs for the sake of math. The power:weight ratio of the 189hp car is 16.931 Pounds per HP. Now take that same car at 192 ponies (engines don't make more power when "moving" as opposed to on a dyno, 3HP is 3HP) and your power:weight ratio is 16.667 pounds per hp.

Suppose the driver weighs 200lbs. Your power weight ratios are:
Stock: 17.99
K&N: 17.71

Suppose instead of buying a K&N, our 200lb driver loses 40lbs.
Stock with skinny driver: 17.77.

Not only will the car be every bit as quick as the K&N equipped car, the driver will be healthier!!

Now, the K&N is a washable element, so it has that advantage. It that's the thing you want, go for it. But, too many people buy the filter on the claims of drastic performance improvements. 99.99% of the time, it just ain't so.

Well, I have been running K&N's for about 20 years for the following reasons:

1. It has as good or better filtering capabilities as an OEM paper filter.

2. I don't mind servicing it.

3. Having spent many years dynamometer testing vehicles, I have clearly seen the benefits of this filter over OEM's many times ( though not in every case ).

When OEM's "package" the engine compartment, sacrificing a few horsepower for more convenient packaging means very little to them.
Point in case, many OEM exhaust systems can also be improved with aftermarket, well designed exhaust systems.

To each his own.;)

I installed a K & N filter in my wifes C230 kompressor engine after we bought it and didn't notice any differences. Several weeks passed and I reinstalled the oem filter to see if I could feel a decrease in hp (of which I think is easier to do than a slight increase) and I immediately noticed a part throttle decrease in power. The mid range or part throttle response seemed softer with the oem filter, so I reinstalled the K & N and immediately the engine felt more responsive in the mid range again.

One thing I can't tell the difference between the 2 filters is full throttle power. It would make sense that the K & N would breathe better at high RPM but my calculated ass can't tell any difference. I love the K & N's for their longevity and the mid range power increase in her car.

Dale

question
 

I have a K&N filter on my C230 kompressor and i want to ask does opening the air box loss power or gain power or does it make no difference?

Running the airbox open in the manner shown, will result in a powerloss.
Because you're sucking hot, underhood air into the engine.
Rough formula: For every 10 degrees increase of the intake air temperature, you will loose approximately 1% horsepower. ;)