TheSinfulDonut

I was thinking about getting my '09 E-350 eurocharged sometime this year. Just wondering if anyone has done it before and if its worth it or not? Is the difference in speed noticeable? Appreciate the feedback

AMGAffalterbach

It depends on a few factors, I have never done a tune on my car as a result of living at elevation where I lose tons of power anyway. If you live at sea level it might create more of a noticeable difference. Many people say you need a 15-20% increase in horsepower to result in a noticeable difference in the car's acceleration. Not sure if this is true or not, you will definitely increase the output of your engine, but if it is worth the cost is kind of up to you. Look at their claimed horsepower numbers and realize you'll probably come in a little under that. However I wouldn't recommend doing tons of mods to an NA V6, money is better spent upgrading to an E-Class with a different engine.

TheSinfulDonut

Appreciate the feedback. I live in Orlando, so perhaps the boost in power will feel noticeable. If I were to do the tune, it looks like I'll be getting an extra 25 MPH (Give or take) but for around $600 which is pretty steep. Rather buy a set of E-Class/S-Class rims with that money. Thanks AMGAffalterbach

cetialpha5

Not sure what you mean by 25 mph. Does it increase the top speed by 25 mph or did you mean hp? 25 hp might not be really noticeable, that might be the difference between driving in the summer and winter. In the summer, the air is hotter and the car generates less hp, in the winter the colder denser air allows you to burn more fuel so you make a little more hp as the car runs on a fixed air/fuel mixture. Hp numbers are usually stated at a specific temperature and pressure.

TheSinfulDonut

My mistake, yeah I believe it was an extra 25 HP which would have the E-350 near the 300 HP mark. Stock you're looking at about 268 HP.

AMGAffalterbach

I guess it comes down to if you really race the car against other people or not. If you do then 25hp will be a noticeable improvement as you have the benchmark of other vehicles you run against on the street but if you're just driving spirited around town you won't notice a huge difference.

Interesting you mention rims, to be honest lighter weight rims will actually help when it comes to performance more than you would imagine. Smaller rotating mass will make the car feel more brisk and will help with acceleration decently. Obviously, you'd have to go down in weight a bit and would be looking at more expensive wheels but still. I wouldn't say ~$600 is worth it for ~25hp but that is your call.

LemonSqueezy

Email Eurocharged directly instead of going to an authorized shop. It will be cheaper. I had a eurocharged tune on my 550 for $400 plus cost of shipping out the ecu. It's more worth it this way if you're okay without the car running for a couple days. Good luck.

TheSinfulDonut

I'm not much of a racer I just enjoy feeling the power behind the engine. If I can get the tune for around $400 like LemonSqueezy mentioned, then I MIGHT go for it just because I'll be keeping the E-350 for 3-4 years and just wanna have some fun with it. But I have taken into consideration what you said about mods for V6

In terms of rims, I'm shooting for more of the AMG look since my car has the sports package on it. I think I'd look sweet with some E-Class / S-Class AMG replica rims. Not really looking to reduce weight as of right now though.

cetialpha5

Look into the doing the ECU reset. Makes it somewhat snappy, after a while the gas pedal seems kinda dead unless you really lay into it.

AMGAffalterbach

As long as you don't go UP in wheel weight then you will be fine. Good information lemon. TCU reset? Easy to do in your garage if that's what you're referring to.

boardboy330

I had some S65 reps on mine from Sonic Tuning (they no longer carry them) and when I was driving in NJ...hit an improperly graded spot in the road and broke the wheel completely. They were lighter than stock and I could feel a difference in acceleration. Not sure how they will hold up...but I would like to find a set of 20lb wheels for daily driving.

AMGAffalterbach

Absolutely a concern too is build quality. My EuroSport MB-8 reps have been fine, perhaps a little soft when it's come to put holes as I had bent one at one point, but all wheels can be bent. Just find a trusted rep that is known for being light weight and strong.

MJ50

u'll notice the gain on day 1 for sure...
on day 10, u won't notice a thing cuz u already got used to it...

boardboy330

I should be clear...ANY wheel...regardless of cost or build quality would have suffered the same fate as mine in that particular spot on 287. I was running 18s and the broken spot on the wheel looks like I hit a curb head on at speed. My wife bent two of the four wheels a few weeks in to getting them...pothole in MD. AMG is right...go for build quality...because you will surely buy another set at some point.

It's also helpful to buy 6 wheels...not 4. Sonic stopped carrying those wheels...I bought they last one they had in stock..and still had another bent wheel to replace.

Not sure if I will go back to 18s.