Mercedes is known for setting rigid standards in car production, and its models have always been a showcase of precision engineering. However, there are instances when concessions have to be made in the production of certain auto parts. One of the reasons for this is the use of material-saving strategies, when a company decides that a car part has to be produced in the most cost effective way possible while meeting design requirements. These strategies are often employed in the manufacture of what appears, at first, to be trivial car components. More often than not, these components would prove critical to the operation of the vehicle. Then later on, due to their design limitations, vehicle performance is affected.
Compromise in the fabrication of some auto parts has led several vendors to make and sell . These parts are intended to replace the original equipment that comes with your Mercedes purchase in order to improve vehicle performance or to replace a damaged stock item at a lower price. While many aftermarket vendors operate independently from the original car manufacturer, some are licensed to create replacement parts. Auto parts that are made by the car manufacturer or by its licensees are called Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts. Since OEM parts are built according to the original specifications, they are sure to integrate seamlessly to the vehicle. If you want performance however, you can turn to vendors selling Mercedes aftermarket parts.
One of the most overlooked items in your Mercedes inventory is the exhaust manifold. With its collection of tubes, the exhaust manifold looks plain, doing a seemingly mundane function of channeling the exhaust gases from the engine to the exhaust system. Investigate further and you will be surprised to know about its role in engine life and performance. When the exhaust gases are not flowed out to the exhaust system properly, they collect on the passages of the exhaust manifold and create backpressure. This buildup of emissions forces the engine to exert more energy in getting rid of the exhaust gases that are still inside its chambers, resulting in power loss and internal wear. This could be prevented if only the exhaust manifold is made wider and longer to accommodate more exhaust. To solve this, vendors have created a Mercedes aftermarket part called header as replacement for the factory-installed exhaust manifold. Headers reduce backpressure by providing each cylinder with its own exhaust pipe, ensuring a smooth flow of exhaust.
Another Mercedes aftermarket part that has become popular with many car enthusiasts is the cold air intake system. If your Mercedes doesn't have one, you are letting go of an extra 5-10 horsepower you can squeeze out of your engine. Stock air intake tubes have bends to fit inside the engine compartment that reduce noise when sucking air. As a result of this design compromise, oxygen is supplied poorly to the engine, causing poor fuel combustion. In order to preserve cold air intake performance, the cold air intake must be replaced with a wider one that has fewer bends to increase the volume of oxygen supply. Combined with a cooler air source, the system will allow the engine to breathe easier, creating more power, boosting throttle response, and improving fuel economy.
Headers and cold air intakes are just examples of the various Mercedes aftermarket parts you can buy when upgrading your vehicle. They help you increase the performance levels of your Mercedes, levels that you will not be able to reach with just stock auto parts.
