RENNtech Mercedes S65 AMG Coupe Makes Big Power on Dyno
RENNtech-tuned Mercedes goes straight from auction lot to dyno and lays down some stump pulling torque numbers.
There are many ways to build/own a high power Mercedes. You can pick up a car on the cheap, then do the work yourself and save some major cash. Or, you can drop, say, a quarter-million dollars and score something like a RENNtech Mercedes S65 AMG. Recently, YouTuber Alex Palmeri of Legit Street Cars had the chance to do both. Well, sort of. His pals at Mancuso Motor Sports found a RENNtech-tuned S65 at auction, which gave him the perfect excuse to pit it against his cheap, D.I.Y. E55 AMG on the dyno.
“We’re going to be putting this on the dyno to see how close RENNtech gets to their claims of 700 horsepower and 900 lb-ft of torque,” Palmeri says. And he also points out that this power jump doesn’t come cheaply. “On the RENNtech site we have their tuned ECU for the S65. It’s $3,500 and they claim 670 horsepower and 840 lb-ft of torque.” Additional options on this particular car include a carbon fiber decklid and upgraded air filters and exhaust. Thus, power is estimated to be a tad higher than the base ratings.
Once Palmeri arrives at the dyno, his E55 AMG is already strapped up. Things don’t go terribly well with that car, but it still manages to put down 522 hp and 570 lb-ft. But it’s getting later in the day, so the team needs to get the RENNtech Mercedes on the dyno and get to work. Unfortunately, that comes with its own set of problems. The car is making so much torque that it’s spinning on the rollers. “Guys, this thing is jumping off the dyno,” Palmeri says. “It’s completely insane the way the torque comes in.”
After some playing around, they manage to coax a conservative 519 hp and 700 lb-ft out of the car. After letting it cool off, the car then lays down 540 hp and 730 lb-ft. Which, when you factor in parasitic drivetrain loss, gets it pretty close to RENNtech’s original estimates. And there’s obviously much more to be gained with some tuning, too. So if you’re looking to make some stump pulling torque, it’s pretty clear that an S65 with a RENNtech ECU is a quick and dirty way to do it.
Join the MB World forums now!
