Friday, January 4, 2008

Mercedes Performance Parts Gambit Pays

Since mass-produced cars like those of the German automaker Mercedes Benz roll out of the production shop setup for standard drive applications and average driver expectations, it is not very often that one sees a Mercedes Benz perform flat out. Backed by a successful campaign in the Formula Circuit, Mercedes Benz is known for race cars. But, as the technology on marquee Mercedes Benz models are earmarked only for a niche market, for most Mercedes Benz, the technology is under the hood but the specifications are unfortunately, not.

Depending on which side of the fence one stands, mass-produced Mercedes Benz models are best in class, but the thought of available Mercedes Benz technology not included in regular models is almost regrettable. Production cost, one should think, is a major consideration. As the way things are, Mercedes Benz owners just have to take it as a good thing. At the flipside of the standard issue cars is the thriving hot rod industry. The hot rod industry approximates the envelope-pushing technology of major car manufacturers. It deals with car modifications, basically the car technology that should have gone in the car. As it is a car modification facility, parts of engine performance that Mercedes Benz owners are looking to focus on can be kept apart from the other according to importance.

Fitments available in the hot rod industry are often called performance parts, ranging from performance brake pads to performance exhaust system. On the whole, performance parts are specialized car parts that tweak the car setup toward performance, making car modification a lucrative gambit. In most cases, they are replacement parts. Mercedes Benz maintenance items like those in the friction brake system, which are chronically exposed to high-heat operating condition and are prone to wear out, have performance parts equivalents.

In the case of the Mercedes Benz brake system, while the stock fitted Mercedes Benz brake rotor sports a contact disc surface, the performance brake rotor is designed with a heat vent system. Performance parts come in cross-drilled, finned, and slotted brake rotors. These hollowed out portions on the contact surface of the Mercedes-Benz rotors allow an exhaust for heat. When heat does not build up in the Mercedes-Benz brake system, the rotor does not get deformed all too easily and therefore reduce the braking power of the car. Additionally, the hollowed out surface of the PERFORMANCE rotors makes the brake pads cleave to the disc more tightly, resulting in greater speed retardation.

On the engine side, performance parts can be fitted on the cold air intake system, aimed at drawing in greater amount of cold air that goes into the combustion chambers and mixes with the fuel to form the cars burn material. The Mercedes Benz manifold also has Mercedes performance parts equivalent. Since manifold stockpiles the exhaust for emission, a manifold that is not up to specs can result in backpressure buildup. When the engine burns the air and the fuel mixture, exhaust materials become the byproducts. These fumes are ushered out of the system through the manifolds. The performance manifold, called the header, has bigger passageways compared to stock issue, allowing a freer flow of exhaust. Because fumes do not stay long in the exhaust system and backpressure is prevented to build up, no horsepower from the engine is needed to help the exhaust system push out the gases.

By: Dwyane Thomas

No comments: