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2006 C230 Performance Modifications

11K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  GermanCarShow 
#1 ·
Hello. I just got my 2006 C230 6-speed sport sedan in November 2007. It is my daily driver. I've started racing it this year, and by racing I mean autocross and HPDE (High Performance Drivers Education) track days. I'm keeping the car stock this year as I learn how it behaves at speed. My only change is a seperate set of wheels/tires for race day, and they are not even R compound.

Looking forward, what modifications should I make for better performance? Here's a list I've accumulated, please comment on them and add your ideas or experiences.

Brakes
- Complete kit, upgrading to C55 brakes or a Brembo kit or something.
- Component upgrades (pads, 2-piece rotors, SS braided brake lines, racing fluid, etc.)
- Air ducting to the front brakes.

Wheels/Tires
- Upgrade from 17" to 18" wheels to allow for larger brake rotors/calipers.
- Get super light weight wheels.
- R compound. If I have the cash: one set for autocross and one set for track.

Suspension/Alignment
- I don't know much about this area, please enlighten me!

Weight
- There must be some way to make this pig weigh less. I have the fold-down rear seats. Are they difficult to remove? What can I easily remove on Friday for a race on Saturday, then put right back in on Sunday?

Intake/Exhaust
- Are there really any significant power gains here?

Miscellaneous
- What else helps?


Thanks for your input. I hope to get significanly faster as I get more experience and spend more money!
 
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#2 ·
Seems like you know quite a bit already. I'd make sure your rims will be able to fit your upgraded brakes. As far as suspension you could go with springs (H&R, Eibach, AMG) or coilovers, which would allow you to adjust the car to your liking. I think that'd be better for racing but much more expensive in price. You could also reflash your ecu for better timing and hp gains and you might be able to upgrade your fuel system as well but i'm not too sure of the details on that.
 
#7 ·
These are things I would like to change over time. I could not afford to buy an AMG. Beyond that, I needed a car without a sunroof for headroom reasons and 99.9% of AMG models have a sunroof. It's also nice to have a manual transmission. The last time I was at the track, a guy in a C32 AMG who was tracking it for the first time was annoyed that the transmission would upshift in a corner because he was at/near redline.

First upgrades are low cost: brake pads/fluid, figure how how to remove folding rear seats to reduce weight, stuff like that.

Next two or three years I'll upgrade to adjustable coil-overs, light weight wheels and light weight floating rotors, and other stuff. There is a lot more discussion on this over at mbworld.

2006 C230 Performance Modifications - MBWorld.org Forums
 
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