I just got an '06 C230 Sport. I love the car, but feel like it could use a little more oomph. What do folks around here do for torque/power on the normally-aspirated sixes? Exhausts? Air filters? ECUs?

 

Maybe you should have bought the one with the bigger engine?

-Eric

 

Oh wow, that's so incredibly helpful! Thanks *so* much!!!

 

Nekobus,
If an AIRFILTER would increase horsepower noticeably I think manufacturers would likely use THAT airfilter standard.

Mercedes Benz make two versions of this car with MORE power than the one you selected. If you want more power it is a little late!

The C230 sport has a pretty nice exhaust system from the factory that will probably last 20 years. It would be silly to spend $1k on an aftermarket solution that likely will not last as long or look as good searching for 10 hp?

The C230 already is tuned to run on 91 octane only so not likely some sort of chip will help either AND it will void your warranty.

Sorry for my sarcastic reply but you just dropped over $30k on a 200 hp MBZ that has two higher output siblings. You chose the wrong one if you need more power.

 

Even if you had C32 AMG, you'd still want more power with pulley, exhaust, header, ECU and other upgrades. All enthusiasts are interested in modifying their vehicles. Mercedes discussion forums won't be around if everyone kept their cars bone stock, no?

 

Indeed. Also, sadly, some of us have other things we must spend our money on, as well as our cars.

Further, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that manufacturers are always going to choose a set of attributes for their vehicles to appeal to the broadest market they can, whereas certain drivers are willing to trade comfort for better cornering, or quietness for better acceleration. On my old Saab turbo, the cheapest tweak I did was to pull out the turbo silencer. The car's a little whinier now, but that change made it noticeably quicker. It's absurd to think that Mercedes somehow makes their cars to optimally suit the peculiarities of every driver in the world. As we all want different things from our cars, that's where tuners come in, I'd have thought.

(One of the other mods I did on the Saab was a K&N air filter, which also gave me a slightly more responsive throttle, for a ludicrously low cost. I find it hard to believe that there's nothing similar for the Benz.)

So, anyone with useful suggestions?

 

I added a CAI and a custom fabricated free flow exhaust system with a magnaflow muffler. I had the engine dyno'd and and got from a baseline of 200H at the flywheel to 215HP at the rear wheels. I have a 99 C280 which has the V6 engine. Total cost of $689. $189 for the CAI and $500 for the stainless steel exhaust. The exhaust is a cat back and uses larger pipes to the muffler. Nice growl from muffler now. Single chrome pipe at the tip. versus the twin stock tips. Local custom muffler shop did the job for me. Excellent price compared to pre-made systems.

Believe me the extra 15 HP made a big difference as my car's torque kicks in around 3K to redline.

 

What's the CAI you refer to?

That does seem like a great price. Thanks for the info.

 

​​​​​​Hey ****stick....maybe you should have had a mother who doesn't **** fist tranny's in abandoned buildings for crack money...your a douchebag Eric...how bout that for a reply smartass.