Mine will be here in about a week. I'm looking forward to seeing how it will hold up in a straight line (on a closed course) against NA 996s, C5's, M3s, pre 03 E55s, old RT/10 Vipers, etc. These engines are hand built and can vary in output from 275 RWHP to about 310. I plan a dyno session not too long after I get it to see where she stands.

Kevin

 

Its no wonder that I can hear nothing but the chirping of crickets in this thread, I just found out how rare this bird really is....

Some friends of mine who own an older C series were checking out my car today and mentioned how they'd never even heard of the C32 model before and how it must be rare. That got me thinking and I pulled up national searches for 2002 model year cars on autotrader and found what I thought were some interesting numbers:

2002 Car / Quantity Advertised For Sale Nationally
BMW Z8 13
C32 37
Dodge Viper 58
BMW M5 80
BMW M3 276
Lexus SC430 401

As expected the Z8 is more 'rare'. Even though I saw one today its super rare around here and its only about the 3rd or 4th time I've seen one in the flesh. The Viper being less 'rare' (using this informal gauge) really struck me as I only see Vipers about once per week and they've had a decade long model run. Same with the M5 but they probably pass by unnoticed more often than Vipers. The M3 numbers feel about right since I see one of the newer style M3s in traffic around me almost every day. The SC430 figure really stunned me because I feel like I see them only about as often as the new M3s.

A really wacky figure is that C32 owners can quote to friends is that our cars are nearly 8X rarer than Dodge Vipers. When all model year C32s and Vipers ads are compared there are only 59 C32s and 464 Vipers!

I'm not sure how this extremely un-scientific measurement compares to actual production numbers but I'd bet its fairly similar ratios.

Kevin

 

Hi Kevin,

Hope you enjoy your car. I have a 2002 C32. It is Silver with charcoal/blue interior. The C32 is a great road car. However, it requires a suspension upgrade if you enjoy spirited driving on twisty roads. I installed the Kleemann Speed Sensitive Suspension and the Kleemann 19'' TS-6 Wheels. There is a very noticable improvement in handling.

Regards
Franco

 

Franco,

Glad to hear from you. I'm enjoying the car a great deal thus far. I appreciate the tips on the suspension. How is the ride on your car now? I will have clients in the car often so I can't get too harsh with the set up.

Kevin

 

Hi Kevin,

The ride in the car is great. It is stiffer than stock at low speeds and gets progressively stiffer at higher speeds. I do not find it uncomfortable but then again comfort is a subjective notion.

Also, if you are going to be driving clients around I would not upgrade to 19'' wheels. With 19'' wheels you need full concentation on the road ahead to avoid wheel damaging pot holes.

Regards
Franco

 

Yeah I bought my mom a 2002 C32 Black/Black last year she loves it. Nice all around car although now she wants more room and to go back to an SUV so I am thinking about having her check out a G500. The C32 has power all over the rpm range. I even topped the car out on a stretch of road I think it was around 150 the car just wouldn't go anymore. I know that it had more in it though I wasn't at redline at that speed I am pretty sure the limiter kicked in. Anyway have fun with it. Do you guys know exactly how many were made?

 

I have an '02 c32 with a Renntech ECU upgrade, ODPS, and Green Filters as well as H&R coilovers and sway bars. The car moves smartly

 

With the H&R's

 

Hello,

I'm brand new to this board. Took awhile to get activated, but I've had my C32 since February of '02. Hopefully by posting, we can revive this thread a bit and see what everyone thinks about their cars.

Good to be aboard.

 

Jason,

Are you satisfied with the Renntech upgrades and how would you compare them in terms of outright performance and value to the Kleemann ecu/pulley upgrade.

Sorry for all the questions, but it seems as though you might have some of the answers.

TIA,

 

I'm very happy with the Renntech upgrades... Hartmut is right down the street from me so that played a big part in my decision. You can get the same performance for less through Evosport, but as far as I know they do not have the rep Renntech does when it comes to warranty. Many mercedes dealers will not void the warranty with Renntech.

As far as Kleeman there are no real outlets for them around here that I am aware of, they have a great reputation as well.

To be honest, the coilovers made a more dramatic difference as far as driving pleasure. The car is way to compromised stock, especially over 120 or so...with the HR's the car maintains its composure through 170 (on a closed test track with professional driver of course )

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

Ah, yes. I see now that you live in Florida. I'm just down the road a piece from the tuner of my Supra, so I know how convenient that can be.

The warranty issue is quite important. I'm having continuing discussions with Kleemann about its ecu upgrade and the ability of dealers to identify any tinkering. According to Kleemann, this cannot happen, but I don't know anyone that has installed its ecu/pulley upgrade here in SoCali. As was noted earlier, our cars seem to be quite rare, the same for the SLK 32s it would seem. There is a dealer whose name I can't recall that's listed by Renntech as a Renntech-approved installer so, obviously, that says a lot.

The Kleemann rep has been quite straightforward with my Cali/emissions/dealer/regulatory questions and seems willing to place me in contact with some of its other customers who reside here in the Golden State. In any event, I've got some figuring to do, including whether I'm going to keep the car for awhile, before I decide what approach I'm going to take.

With respect to your H & R coilovers, can you expand a bit on this? I have H & R sport lowering springs (with stock shocks) and Brabus Monoblock VIs with the center cap that came with the stock AMG wheels. This seemed to be fine at first but, now that I've put some miles on the car, the ride quality seems to be diminishing noticeably. Any thoughts you have on this subject will be appreciated.

 

Living in Cali...you have alot more to consider with your mods, I'd go with whomever will guarantee no warranty or smog issues.

The culprit to your suspension degradation could be twofold, oversized rims andusing the stock shocks with mismatched springs.

Regarding the 1st point...if you went to 18's that can be problematic due to the increased rotational mass. This have been written about extensively on the German AMG board and the stock rims specs are recomended. They go so far as to say that the braking can be seriously handicaped with larger rims.

The second issue is common and is the use of lowering springs with the stock shocks, this is never recomended. Over time the stock shocks will degrade because the stiffer, shorter springs you installed are more than the stockers can handle.

You can either get a set of shocks mached to those springs or get some coilovers. As for the rims, I would stick to the stock specs...maybe even some lightweight SSR's (less weight = better acceleration & handling)

 

02 black/black c32 here.

stock except for H&R coilovers (uninstalled). much more stuff is on order. later on, i will probably do the Evosport Stage I upgrade - as to why i am choosing Evosport instead of RENNtech, is because of the location primarily. in addition, Evosport includes a intercooler resovoir upgrade in their kit, which overall is slightly cheaper than RENNtech, yet i think lower IC temps can't hurt at all.

 

You should check a really great c32 site::

www.c32life.com

Ryan