Today is the day I received my upgraded ECU from Kleemann (the car has no other mod). Not as easy as it looks to get through customs, first from Canada to the US, and then get it back. A matter of a week for Canadians and not 3 days as it is for you guys in the US.

After re-installing the newly arrived ECU, I start the engine and surprise, the sound of my engine has changed. The sound appears to be slightly louder and has something like a mad dog growling in it.

I then get the car on the road. At first, the acceleration appears to not be as smooth as before...plus the growling noise. I decide to follow Cory’s advice: “Drive it as hard as you can for the first gas tank”. Here we go. I accelerate, compress, accelerate again, keep changing gear and so on for half an hour or so. In addition to the gas pedal that has become more sensitive than before, I start noticing more differences:

1st gear: much better than it used to be. I mean not as short.
2nd and 3rd gear: no real change or am I too distracted by the new sound of my engine?
4th gear: clearly better; it now pulls like the 3rd used to pull
5th gear: can’t really find enough space on the highway to get above 4000 RPM

Oh, did I mention that I got caught by a cop? Ouch! That was the end of my first drive. About 50 km.

A few hours later after work, I decide to go back on the road. The sound is a little less mad but still loud and different. But interestingly, the car’s acceleration is already smoother although not as much as before. I’m still playing with acceleration at different gears and this time, I’m watching for the cops. After another 30 km, I notice that the behaviour of the engine is different than before when I shift gears. It’s as if the gear ratios were slightly modified but I know it can’t be as only the ECU was upgraded. The speed to shift gears has not changed. I start to see more differences:

1st gear: smoother than ever
2nd gear: it was fast before but my god, it feels like a jet now
3rd gear: feels like the 2nd gear before the upgrade but above 4000 rpm, it feels even more powerful, the car just wants to take off
4th gear: no more dead zone and above 4000 RPM, it pulls the car to 150km/h in a snap
5th gear: still frustrated, I need to get to 4000 rpm to feel the difference but I can’t; I’m going way too fast now

It’s amazing how quickly the car is changing over such a short period of time. I can’t wait until tomorrow to keep driving it until the adaptive period is over (about 300-400 km). The power is already blowing me away. I just hope that the extra km will continue to get the car smoother.

I have to say, I thought you guys were a little too optimistic about the K1 upgrade. The extra power shown on the various charts is only available if you drive at crazy speed. The reason I did it is because, in my male brain, I could not get over the fact that MB blocked me access to something that is there under my hood. But I was wrong. It is not about the Dyno at crazy speed. It’s about the feeling. My car has just turned into a mad machine at any speed, at any gear, as long as I’m above the magic number: 4000 rpm.

 

I REALLY want K1 now! Thanks for the write-up.

 

Great write-up. Please give us updates! My big concern is the engine runs rough after the tune and acceleration is not as smooth, so I am interested in what you experience...

 

Thanks for the detailed write up, its the best one to date on the the K1, I do have to ask about the smoothness that you mentioned before, where do you notice it? Idling, crusing, upshift, downshift, any more explanation would be wonderful....and the gear ratio you mentioned as well, how do you feel that it has been altered, longer gears? Thanks again, you are somewhat of a deciding factor for lots of us here, so detailed info is priceless, thanks Happy!

 

Again it's not vehicle speed that hits the power band but rpm's. The newfound power is very evident at reasonable speeds while accelerating through the lower gears. Congrats on waking up the beast you are gonna love it!

 

Congrats on your new beast... I have had mine for exactly 1 year now, and love it. Going for the Kleeman K2 kit here in a few months.. Enjoy the ride and look forward to hearing how you like it after its done "adjusting"

Thanks

 

I drove another 70 km in 3 trials today. Yesterday, I was concerned about how rough it was. Today, my concerns are disappearing as the car is getting much smoother. Adding up to the 80 km of yesterday, it won’t be a surprise for you to know that with the stop and go driving, my full tank of gas used for the initial break-in is now empty. I’m told that although most of the adaptive process has been completed, it will keep going for another 300 km or so. I’m still amazed how the car is evolving over such a short period of time. Here are my notes for the 2nd day of my K1 upgrade:

Sound:
Still louder than before (I think it's gonna stay this way) but the mad dog growling is almost gone. Sill a bit guttural though but I really like it the way it is now. It does not cough (you know those mini explosions in the tail pipes) as much as yesterday, only a couple of times per trial on 1st or 2nd gear, when the car is below its cruising temperature.

Transmission:
It's as if the transmission was trying to adapt to the new power level. Does a TCU adapt like an ECU? Perhaps. The gear shifting has become significantly softer since yesterday. It is now as smooth as it was before the upgrade except in full acceleration when the gear shift is still a little harsh between the 3rd and the 4th (but perhaps it was like that before and I have never noticed). I still feel that the ratios have changed a bit. The gears are not really longer but the first 4 gears have somewhat redistributed themselves between 0 to 150 km/h. Again, I can't say much about the 5th gear which seems to get alive at excessive speed above 150 km/h (about 4000 rpm). Since the speed of gear shifting has not changed but the acceleration did, I need to anticipate the gear shifts even more than before i.e. I click at 5000 rpm and the gear gets actually shifted above 6000 rpm. Now that I have relearned what to expect at each gear, I'm quite happy with the way it turned out.

Performance:
The acceleration is definitely smoother than yesterday but this gas pedal is sensitive man. I hit a couple of spots of wavy pavement in full swing which made my foot move involuntarily on the gas pedal...definitely not recommended. Although the acceleration is still slightly rougher than what it was before the upgrade, I'm getting close to the smooth acceleration I used to enjoy. The power is getting less harsh and more refined. The jet effect of the 2nd and 3rd gears is now much more continuous and the pressure on my chest is just huge to the point that the front of the vehicle starts to feel too light. I can now appreciate why the super performance cars have all kinds of body parts aimed at keeping the car front down. The direction is still tight and precise so no concern there, I can keep the car under control. The 4th gear is now contributing much more than yesterday between 3000 and 4000 rpm (is it due to the transmission adaptation?), bringing the car nicely in the sweet spot above 4000 rpm at which point the car gets propelled. I have gears 5 to 7 left and I don’t know what to do with them. One day, if I end up trying my car on a track, I’ll figure out how I can use these three gears for something else than overdrive.

Hope my notes are useful for those of you who are considering an ECU upgrade. I’ll be overseas for a week and then on vacation for a road trip (of course!). I expect that the long highways at constant speed will polish the few edges left. I’ll share my observations again in a couple of weeks.

 

It was harsh when I was pressing the gas pedal at any gear and also when I was upshifting. Downshifts were ok but not as smooth as before. All of this is much smoother now (see my new post). I also made a comment on the transmission. Hope it helps.

 

Very nice review overall and congratulations. It has been about a month and a half since my tune and i to me the car just keeps getting better and better IDK if its just me or this tune just makes the car faster with every mile i drive!

 

LOL.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. Very helpful and consistent with what I have read from others with Kleemann.

 

+1. Thank you, OP for your detailed review and sharing your experiences with your Kleemann K1 tune...it's what a lot of ppl were interested to hear.

 

After a couple of weeks of driving on K1, mostly on long distance stretches (I’m on a road trip), the car has now fully recovered from the ECU modification.

The edges are all polished. The engine sound is now round but still louder than before. The transmission is fully adapted. Shifting upward or downward is as smooth as it was before. There is no more knocking in between gear changes. I just wish I could change gear faster but the shifting speed has remained the same as before.

From a performance standpoint, all the acceleration smoothness that I used to enjoy before the upgrade is back, at every gear. Gears 2 and 3 have kept the same magic as they had on Day 2 of the upgrade. The 4th gear has continued to improve since Day 2 and is now more powerful than ever. The aggressive driving of the last few weeks has eaten up some engine oil and a message just popped up warning me to check oil next time I fill up.

On highways at constant speed, the average fuel consumption is actually lower than what it was before the upgrade but I think it may be due to the fact that I broke the 5000 km and not because of the upgrade per se. But the fun is not on highways. It is in driving on smaller curvy/hilly back country roads, which of course involves “some” over taking...it’s just unfair to all the other cars. The difference in acceleration with other cars cannot be more obvious than between 80 and 140 km/h. When I over take a car, I lose it in the dust and just want to scream through the sunroof “Eat my shorts!”.

Under safe conditions, I also had a chance to properly test gear 5 above 4000 rpm (i.e. above 160 km/h). I notice that compared to the powerful acceleration on 4th gear, the 5th gear feels a little lazy. Although the 5th gear pulls the car nicely to 200 km/h, the amount of pressure I feel on my chest is significantly less than the first four gears. But hey, if I ever need more power above 160 km/h on legal streets, I’ll shop around for a helicopter.

My next step is to dyno the car, just to make sure the extra power I feel on gears 2 to 4 is supported by hard data. I’m expecting something between 415 hp and 425 hp at the wheel (500 hp to 510 hp at the crank).

 

Sounds great!!! Thanks for the detailed update. I will most likely get the Kleemann K1, but it may be a few months until I really begin to yearn for "more power."

 

Awesome write up man....thanks!!

 

that is what we called a proper review! Good one Mr. Happy! i guess u are really happy after the tune

 

Thank you for the very good review, much appreciated.... best one yet

 

>My next step is to dyno the car, just to make sure the extra power I feel on gears 2 to 4 is supported by hard data. I’m expecting something between 415 hp and 425 hp at the wheel (500 hp to 510 hp at the crank).

I got the K1 Kleeman tune and after about 300 miles put it on the dyno.

Max Power = 412.0 HP
Max Torque = 379.2 ft-lbs
CF:SAE Smoothing:5
5th Gear to fuel cut off
91 Octane (CA USA)

There were some runs that I got to 415HP at the wheel but I did not get to 425HP (SAE). Perhaps on 93+ octance but we do not have that in CA.

My experience has been similar to yours. There is no doubt that tuning the C63 has a lot of potential in the hands of a reputable tuner. At this time Kleeman seems to have the price advantage.

MB left plenty on the table with our C63. I only wish the OEM header had a larger diameter (as in correct to begin with). My bet is they change this out on MY2011 to provide 500+HP stock.

 

Does the K1 remove the top speed limiter? Iḿ about to order the K1 tune..

 

yes raises it

 

Yes it does. Look forward to reading about your own observations once you get your tune. You'll be happier for sure.

 

Yesterday I received my ECU from Kleeman and the car just wants to take off. Definitely a big difference in acceleration. This car is just friggin mean, period. It's actually kind of scary as a matter of fact. Not that the excitement of owning a C63 has ever worn off but I feel like it's a different car now. It gives you that smile that says "wow, that was fun and I can't believe I am still alive".

I have grown closer to my car and feel we have taken our relationship to the next level. LOL. Long live AMG and Kleeman. I am planning on going to the highway late at night where there are no cars around. Can't wait to break this baby in a little more.

 

Unfortunately my C63 will never be castrated, much like myself. :o Hopefully I can resist the urge to mod this car.

 

I wonder... if powerchip is better or K1

 

She's mean now and probably loud and bold. She just wants to tell you who she really is. But wait until you get to know each other for a couple hundred miles and she'll then become much smoother and predictable in serving her master. Congrats!