accce

Has anyone had Renntech upgrade their ECU. I am thinking of sending my ECU down to them and wanted to know if the gains were worth the price. If you have any info on this process I would be thankful.

Igor1080

Not worth the price.

slktyperice

I'd estimate +20hp or so with the ~$2500 ECU? Can't you get a supercharger for ~$4000-6000 and add ~120hp? That's $125/hp vs ~$50/hp. If there was a cheap (<$500) ECU upgrade for the 3.5L engine then I'd say it's worth it.

Igor1080

No turbo = no cheap upgrades.

RENNtech AMG

Hello- My name is Mark from RENNtech-

Just to clarify things- the ECU upgrade from RENNtech for a C350 is $1295.00 which is listed on our website: here is the link for the C350 ecu-
http://www.renntechmercedes.com/www/node/204

At last check, I am unaware of anyone currently offering a supercharger upgrade for this engine or any supercharger upgrade in the $4-6k range.

I only wish to point these facts out in an effort to shed some light on the initial negativity directed toward our ECU tune. The purpose of the forums is to help one another out with accurate/or at least semi accurate information. Our pricing is public, on the web and pretty easy to find.

I only mention this as it seems as though we were quickly overlooked and a grossly inaccurate price quoted with no basis on actual information in order to sway a legitimate question from a forum member.

Our ECU upgrades and performance upgrades are certainly not always the cheapest on the market, but we have been a dominate force in the Mercedes tuning market for more than two decades and offer more than just product to our customers.

It is our service, rock solid reliabilty and commitment to our customers which allows us continued success and separates us from our competitors. We take pride in the multitude of repeat customers we continue to service and offer you the chance to see why so many Mercedes owners continue to make RENNtech their tuning choice.

Accce- Fell free to give myself or any of our staff members here at RENNtech a call-
my direct line is 561-845-7888 x23.
I can also be reached via email
mhatfield@renntechmercedes.com

should you have any further questions or require additional information in order to help make an educated decision on which tune is best suited for you vehicle.

Regards,
Mark @ RENNtech

slktyperice

Thanks Mark for clarifying. From my experience with the R171 SLK350 ECU tuning, ECU tunes wouldn't get me more than 15-20hp out of the 3.5L NA engine. No knock on RENNtech or any other name-brand tuner, but echoing previous comments, it's almost prohibitively expensive to upgrade non-turbo cars in terms of a bang-for-the-buck standpoint.

I understand that a lot of testing and tuning goes into ECU upgrades for each new MB engine and that's factored into the cost, hence the price tag.

Kleemann made a S/C kit for the old 268hp 3.5L engine that took it to around 400hp for $8000, so maybe I'm a bit low on my range, but still less than $80/hp.

I guess for people who can't wait and need something to tickle their fancy, that's a fair price.

accce

Mark,

That link you posted it for the older 3.5 engine. What are the #'s for the 2012 3.5L engine? It starts out with 302 HP and 374 T

RENNtech AMG

Good points everyone and I appreciate the feedback. Yes, normally aspirated motors unfortunately don't generate the kind of off the bat, tune only numbers you find in anything turbo charged, but performance is still there to be had.

Accce- At the moment we have yet to have a new 350 in house for a test and tune. We certainly have the capabilities but I cannot as of yet speculate as to gains on these new motors.

We would certainly be interested in getting your 350 tuned and seeing what we can do to maximize your bang for the buck!
-Mark @ RENNtech

MBfinatic

Were does kleemann have listed for a m272.960 kompressor?! I think im going to turbo it instead but im still interested..

Igor1080

Not to be an instigator but we've been waiting to hear about the numbers on the C250 sedan your company is tuning for over 3 months now. So it's not as if we have much to go by as far as benchmark performance. I couldn't justify getting a car tuned for over $1,000 without having so much as a dyno test; or even being listed on your website for that matter.

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...tech-c250.html

MBfinatic

Plz find this spuercharger system you speak of!

jctevere

I really doubt that a supercharger is going to fit under the hood of a c350 unless you get some crazy big aftermarket hood... Even if you did, you're better off trading in for a c63 for the price difference - and would still be at better performance.

In fact, you could even go the other way, get a C250, throw on twin turbos, inter cooler, tune and possibly some modified air intakes (cold air) and be at a much better cost/benefit standpoint than a C350 - and have the power gains you are looking for (probably near the 400hp mark)!

MBfinatic

Two turbos to run off a 4 cylinder isnt going to go well..I want to boost mine because I have a manny and cant get that in the 63 . FI>N/A.
I could see a pro charger fitting under the stock hood.

jctevere

What makes you think that? There are plans for an ///AMG variant based on a 4-cylinder engine that has twin turbos (or possibly bi-turbos - don't recall specifically right now) which easily provides power ratings that meet or surpass the c350. Not to mention, that there is ample room in the c250's engine bay to afford two turbos.

Just because it is commonly misconstrued that twin turbos = bi-turbos. Generally the term twin turbo is used to describe a setup with two turbos that are of the same spec/size. Bi-turbo is used to describe a setup of two turbos with different specs/sizes. (And I use the term GENERALLY because this is not always the case, there are some exceptions - but it is GENERALLY the case).

The idea behind a bi-turbo is to use a small turbo to help reduce the effect of turbo lag from having one (or two) large turbos, so that it will spin faster, creating more boost at lower rpm's. But then have a second larger turbo to still provide boost after the first smaller turbo hits it's bottleneck mid-rpm range.

I think that there are two designs floating around for an ///AMG 4-cylidner variant. The 1.8 engine (c250) with bi-turbo setup, or a 2.0 engine with a twin turbo setup. I am not quite sure which one will be used or picked for the introduction into the upcoming A25 ///AMG model yet...

MBfinatic

If its like that in a sequential setup that might work. I think thats exactly how the 335i is setup. The high rpm turbo can only be but so big if running off two cylinders.. Just saying.

_Bondo_

Bumping for RENNtech update.

sdhlaw

Any updates on the ECU upgrade for the 2012 C350 coupe engine?

accce

They can't confirm that they are working on one.

accce

How long does it take for R&D?

accce

Bump

AV1

^^^ You've resurrected an old thread

Have to agree with posts above in that with N/A engines it's not worth the spend for the little gain to be had - different story with forced inducted engines where similar tunes result in very noticeable gains.

Also just my own opinion I wouldn't bother with forced induction kits either (unless you turn it into an off road track car) because regardless of the result and whether or not the spend is worth it or not you have the issue of ending up with a vehicle which cannot be insured due to such modifications and is illegal in terms of vehicle law compliance (at least in some Countries anyway) which means if you have an accident regardless of fault, your on your own.

AV1

Interesting you've just described what the C250-CDI and all other MB models using the bi turbo OM651 engine is all about

It's an old thread but we all know now what the then speculated new AMG IL4 is all about too