Today I am starting a journey of a thousand miles with a single step. My goal is to get a 320 N/A engine to stock 32 AMG/SRT-6 levels which is 265-275RWHP for under $3,000 without NOS. I have mentioned this several times and gotten many responses from some very smart people, the majority of which believe that it cannot be done. However, over the next 6-12 months, I will try everything out there, using my car as the test subject. This comes down to obtaining 80-90 RWHP for under 3 grand. This is likely impossible, but I am going to try. Those of you who are optimistic may read and follow suit if by some miracle I am successful.

My current list is:
NW: DCAI (800) 15 HP
Mag. Comp. Plug Wires (130) 3 HP
NGK Irrid. Spark Plugs (80) 3 Hp
Bosch Updated Fuel Filt. Reg. (55) 2 HP

In the near future I will add:
74mm TB NW; bigger air filters for DCAI and removal of grille (200) 5 to 10 HP
Underpulley Kit (600) 12 HP
NW: SRT cut-out exhaust (800) 20 to 30 HP
ECU Tune (300) (20 HP) when all is said and done plus dyno for measurement (dyno not included in budget.
Some numbers are rounded up to the nearest hundred for simplicity and room for unforeseen expenses.

Total is $2,965 and 80 to 95 HP Plus Stock (175 to 185 RWHP) is 255 to 280 RWHP.
Mind you all that those numbers are theoretical and are the ideal outcome.
I am going to see what actually happens and let you all know. So this marks the start of this attempt. Wish me luck.

 

This list is a bit like Communism, in that it looks great on paper but the implementation of this for the said dollar amount is a bit... optimistic.

While I think the RWHP numbers are attainable, I highly doubt you'll do it for $3K.

By the time you factor in the tools, time, connectors, misc pieces that need to be replaced... I think you'll be closer to $5K.

And that's assuming you don't take a high-flow route of a Needswings dual mated to a P&P intake manifold.

You might be money/time ahead to simply wait on Web3.0 to complete his kit...

 

6 hp from plugs and wires?!? I'm off to the autopart store!!

 

Well I'll be watching. Good luck and keep us posted.

 

subscribing.

Please do a base line dyno before you do anything so you can have an OEM benchmark, also I think you will be surprised with the results.

Why not ask another member, like Franc or Paul, who have put all or most of those parts on their cars what sort of numbers they are getting? I only say this because I do not want to you spend $3,000 and have buyers remorse. Yes, it will make the car faster, but will it make it feel $3,000 faster??

Edit: Good Luck!!!!

 

Thanks Uncle Al. BTW I have plenty of tools and nothing but time. As for the plugs and wires, the wires are twice as thick as stock and the plugs are a heat range colder, plus both are race spec and made with better materials. I think 3 from each is realistic. We also have to remember that those numbers are from each mod by itself. Mods actually increase you're power by a percentage, opposed to a set HP. For example, a car with 100 HP could get 10 HP from a part and the same car modded to 150 HP might get 15HP from the same part. Mods compliment each-other. As for tools and time, I think that most people who would do this are enthusiasts, and are thus likely to be do it yourselfers who have been doing similar things for a while and have a vast collection of tools. Either way, so far I've only needed a wrench, socket set, and a pair of side cutters. You can likely get half way there with just those things. How-ever unlikely, I don't think anybody on here can say its 100% unfeasible, and if not this will get very close. The best part is that most or all of this can transfer easily to an SRT or V8 engine down the road as well. I will do a dyno at the end of it all and will keep you all posted with pics, prices, and parts as much as I can.

EDIT: Thanks for the support and subscription Boiler Up. As for a baseline, its too late now for a baseline dyno as I have already began and im already under an inch of snow, so the XF wont be leaving my garage until all of the parts are on. I do know that Stock is from 170 to 185 RWHP for an N/A and the SRT's 330 minus 15 to 20% is 265-280RWHP. If I can even get to 250RWHP for under 3K, I think that's something special as SRT engines alone all cost 3K+ and the cost of the swap, not to mention what V8's cost. the best part is that all of this can go on a more powerful engine later if desired. I will also do a "free" weight reduction by removing what I can. I will update on everything as often as possible.

 

Perhaps you should modify your goal. I think your goal should be to get similar quarter mile times to that of the SRT (stock). I think that challenge would be slightly easier and equally rewarding. What this does is open the door for weight reduction which will help you TONS! (No pun intended)

More importantly weight reduction can be done on the cheap (or expensive depending on your taste).

 

Good luck with your project. I tend to agree that a few 1/4 mile heads-up runs without removing weight from either car and switching drivers would be the best way to gauge improvements. That is unless you can dyno both cars on the same equipment within minutes of one another.

 

The 1/4 mile time will be plan B. I still want all those mods, nobody said it was easy or likely, but I,m willing to try. That means I spend and risk. So all of you get to see a free test. With all that and a good weight reduction, I intend to go 12's.

 

As someone else mentioned, don't forget the ported and polished NW intake manifold. I'm not sure how much power that'll add to the equation but it certainly won't hurt!

 

I believe that item sacrifices top end performance, which I don't want to do. Plus it would blow the 3K budget.

 

No, if anything it would improve top-end.

 

+1, but John I would not waste your breath, I sincerely wish him the best, but to think 3K is going to get you to the 12s when others have spent 3-4 times that much and were only able to attain the 12s with spray is VERY wishful thinking. To simply add up all these inflared numbers for these mods is riduclous to think you will get these gains.

God I hope I will be eating my words, but I have seen it too many times before, and this thread will eventually fade away with no dyno charts ever being produced - lets be real, without a baseline, how do you even know what you have gained?

 

My goal is to get to a certain level, I don't care where I came from. And Boiler up, as much as I like your hopes, it will likely be me eating everything, but I'm going to try. I started my "fun-fund" a couple years ago adding odd amounts of money. If I got $328.76 for something, 28.76 went in my fund. You get the Idea. Because of my awkward social graces and reserved personality, I never really did anything fun and so my fund just kept growing, so I decided the car made me happy and there was nothing else to spend the fund on since I saved what I didn't put in the fund for later in life due to my lack of living expenses. Therefor, despite any facts or opinions, I'm attempting this for everybody out there with an N/A who for whatever reason can't "just get an SRT-6" and is tired of being confined in the 200 hp range. The goal is to get it done for 3K or less, but I swear I am going to get this 320 engine to stock 32 levels if its the last thing I do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

For those of you still watching this thread, over the holidays I recieved and installed my NW DCAI. Looks and feels great. The most notable difference is acceleration in speeds over 90 mph. As for P&P manifolds, I have no intention of doing anything that i cant transfer to any MB V6 or V8. Next on my list is a full NW exhaust, under-pulley kit, and ECU Tune. I hope to be around 250 RWHP at that point.

 

Tech, maybe I missed it, but what tranny do you have?
I've read nearly all your posts, and it seems like it's the one thing that you left out.

 

5G Tronic Semi-automatic.

 

If i can help somehow, and i assume i can not i'm here

 

I swear my K&N air filter window sticker adds 1 hp. If I put one on the other window, will I be up 2.1 hp? Seriously, man, good luck with your project. I found the easiest approach was to just buy one of each.

 

"As for the plugs and wires, the wires are twice as thick as stock and the plugs are a heat range colder, plus both are race spec and made with better materials."

Why are you running colder plugs and why do you think they will give you more power? Nothing in your list of mods warrants a colder plug and depending on the type of driving you do on a daily basis may lead to following of your colder plugs.

What part of the plug wire is twice as thick as stock? The insulator, the conductor, or both? What are the ohm ratings of the stock wires and what are the ratings of the new wires? Are the stock wires really limiting the amount of voltage making it from the coil to the plug?

Honestly the only way you are going to get 6hp out of the plugs and wires is if your stock pieces are old an in need of replacement. I bet if you compare fresh OEM plugs & wires vs. the aftermarket stuff you are looking at you would see no difference on the dyno.

Good luck on your goal but your planned mods are going to leave you a considerable distance away from it.