Has anyone ever used or know anyone that has used the jet computer chip upgrade? From what I have read they send you a box and you have to remove the chip yourself,send it to them for reprograming according to your specific setup and mods,and then send it back. What kind of increase can one expect? Is this a viable solution for these cars and will this set off a CEL? Inquiring minds want to know. Oh and BTW I saw this on CARID.COM

 

I would also like to know about experiences with performance chips (I know there are other threads on this subject). I have been looking at the Powerchip product that is sold on the Bekker web site. It says it increases power from 275 hp up to 299hp. That is a great bump!

It requires you to remove the ECU and send it out for re-programing. So you do not have a functional car for up to a week.

I put a JET chip in a Ford Explorer once and it did not do anything noticeable.

 

A chip on its own is not a huge bump. Even 24 advertised HP gain is going to vary car to car and since they're advertising crank HP numbers, it's an estimate (I highly doubt they pull the motor and put it on an engine dyno for their testing).

ECU tuning is usually something you want to do after you've done all your other performance upgrades, and even then, you want to have someone actually tune your car throughout the driving range instead of a canned one-size-fits-all "tune" that is probably just a wide open throttle tune.

You'll get more noticeable power with a 55 airbox for less $$ than a canned tune chip. Either way, do a before and after dyno test with whatever you end up doing so you know what you actually paid for.

 

I agree, tuning the ECU does sound a great option, however it seldom give untroubled better performance as the car can become off kilter and not to how it was deisgned. Far better to gain performance with air filters, plugs, exhausts, pulley wheels, etc....

 

OK all good points. Some exhaust work, AMG air box and underdrive pulley were on my list. I tried to buy pulleys from Bekkers and they were no longer carried by the manufacturer. So do others know where to get under-drive pulleys for a 430 engine? They should be good for 12-13 hp to the rear wheels, which is great.

 

FWIW: I had my ECU tuned by INMotionusa a few years ago and the "one-size-fits-all" comment on one of the previous posts applies. Based on the homework I did back then, basically the manufacturer sets your computer to accept a wide range of fuel octane ratings and so if you happen to be driving you benz in Nirobi Kenya and all you can get is 82 octane kersoene your car will still run but also when you are in the US and can get 93 octaine primo that will work too. With a one size fits all tune basically the tune shops narrow all the settings like spark advance etc. that pertain specially to a higher rated octane fuel. What that means is your car will run better on 91 or if you chose 93 octane gas but poorly on lower octane gas. I had mine set for 91 and I could tell that the car performed better. I checked the mpg before and after and found that at 65mph on the highway driving with a light foot I got 32mpg on my 320/v6. And, my butt dyno could feel a bit more torque when I punched it. I didn't care at the time what the exact increase in hp and torque was and I still don't. The car will do 140mph and for a v6 it gets there within about a mile(I think). Thats as fast as I want to go to the grocery store. Was it worth it? Absolutely. However, with that said if you are going to do some mods like an AMG airbox or a custom exhaust to make it breath better(you can lose low end torque but gain high end accerlation and performance(still being debated)) you could opt for a customer tune in which case you would have to take it to a shop that does that so they use their dyno and make the exact adjustments to the ECU to allow for the mods. Williams007 did in Japan so, I don't know where to point you if you want to go in that direction. If you want a generic tune the company I've heard most about since I did mine is http://www.eurocharged.com/products/mercedes-tuning You won't see a CLK430 on their website but if you call them I know they will do it cuz they said the would do a 320. Good luck.

 

On the exhaust upgrade I am going to have to agree. The low end suffered only a little. But the top end gained alot of umph. I t definitly accelerates better at speed and sounds *****in to boot. I went with a straight through design with a baffled dual tip. Keeps some restriction but also opens her up. She rumbles at low throttle and screams like the DTM race car at WOT. Thosde that come up on my at freeway speeds think twice before issuing any challanges now. lol. Does anyone know where I can get my hands on a 55 airbox? And how much do they usually run?

 

Do a search in the for sale forum. So, you eliminated the secondary cats and resonator and added a diff muff?
And, guess what?
Eurocharged Performance
221 Baker Road
Building E1 Houston TX 77094
(281) 398-9700
Once you get your AMG box you could march right over there and have them do a custom tune. Might be pricy but it might be worth every penny. Let us know how it turns out.

 

wait, eurocharged has an office here in houston. Thats effin awesome. And I thought we only had muscle and Jap import shops silly me. Thanks burns for the info, plus 1! How did you know about this place and what else do they do, I have a growing list and savings account just for her.

 

I don't know where I heard about them. Just ran across and ad one day. Sent them an email asking if they could tune a MB320ECU and they said yes so why not a 430. Like I said, you could take the ECU out of your car and walk it in for a flat charge or drive in and get a custom tune which would probably cost a lot more. You have to ask them. I only asked for the cost of a mail in tune and I don't even remember what they quoted me. I think it was under $400. Go to there website. You can get all your questions answered there or send them an email.