Originally Posted by dirtyguido

My next questions. I know the car is now tuned to run at LEAST 91 oct gas - here in the northeast we have 93 but i'd rather have the 2 octane points as a safeguard. BUT what happens when some jackass gas jockey (NJ is full serve only) messes up and drops a tank of 87 octane into it. Will the ECU still retard the timing to the point where the motor will feel substantially weaker but protect it? I know it will in stock form, but with new maps / parameters I dunno.

Second the "torque management" removal / modification scares me a bit with the e550 bc as you said it's been put in partly to safeguard components. I guess launching one of these cars hard on a regular basis with the torque management removed probably still wont be that good and idea right? With an e350 I wouldn't sweat it bc you would have to bolt on a supercharger to get to e550 power and they share a transmission. Do you know if the E63's run the SAME trans, or is it beefed up when it goes into an //AMG car?

Lastly - I expected as much that you would only have to add fuel at the top of the curve, - the ecu would add it at part throttle conditions based on its own calculations - you just had to extend the curve at the limit.

Take care,

George

Originally Posted by albertb

I'm going to have to take my name back off the list. My money is probably better spent on a radar detector upgrade which is at the opposite end of the spectrum from this purchase.

Originally Posted by dirtyguido

I posted this in another thread where people were discussing sprint booster v/s OE tuning.

I'll put this out in the open here too bc it seems to mirror ss396's concerns and questions, AND leave it to the OE tuning guys to comment:

From what I understand OE Tuning does substantially more to the car than the sprint booster does.

All the sprint booster does is literally fool the car into thinking you have pressed the accelerator further than you actually have. You can achieve the same effect by kicking through the first 1/2" of pedal travel yourself.

Now as far as I know, the OE tune completely changes the driving dynamics of the car.

Besides a 5-10% gain in peak hp / torque which really only matters at the extremes and for dyno / e-racers who are obsessed with stats and theoretical track times etc.

The biggest difference is the modification of the torque management in the software. Sure the NA 550 makes 392hp and 400 something ft / lbs but in factory tune Mercedes decides when you can have it.

This is for two reasons - (maybe three).

First driving characteristics / refinement.

Mercedes doesn't want the car to launch violently or bang gears or get stupid sideways (even though I have a 4matic so I dunno if 4 wheel powerslides are theoretically possible)

So they dial out the torque at low rpms and in lower gears.

This allows your wife / grandmother etc to drive the car in a perfectly smooth refined manner regardless of the power and potential that is there. It also contributes to that feeling that at least I have of that you have to drive the car like you are mad at it to get the the performance you expect. Compared to a e60 bmw 550 which I had for a while the MB is tuned so conservatively that it's not even funny.

Second reason for this:

FUEL ECONOMY

Not that anyone buys an N/A e550 expecting stellar gas mileage - but making the car lethargic around town and hunt for 7th gear all the time allows it to get to the 17/18 mpg average rating. If the car came out of the hole like a raped ape and held gears etc you would prob avg something more around 12/15 mpg. Now honestly I don't care. If I was worried about my carbon footprint and fuel consumption I would have never purchased a mid size car with a 5.5l v8 in it.

But you know who does care? The government for one both in meeting CAFE standards and in dodging gas guzzler taxes. Apparently the whole v8 package wasn't that appealing to consumers to begin with - less than a 5% buy rate in the w212. So mb dropped it for 2015 entirely.

So so far we have two factors that encourage me to get the tune. - changing the cars characteristics from luxury car that can hold it's own on the autobahn to a much more performance oriented car at real world useable speeds.

Now we come to our third factor that is a maybe.

And that is to protect the drivetrain / transmission from all the violent launches and harsh shifts etc that I described before... It's not that the tune will hurt the car, but rather that the tune will enable the driver to abuse and stress the rest of the drivetrain in ways that were verboten in the MB factory tune.

I'm still on the fence about adding the tune to mine. I've got a few things I would like to do first but I would certainly consider it. Especially if I was inclined to order a sprint booster.

Take care,

George

Originally Posted by SoCalCLK

Well said, George, well said. This explains it all in a nutshell.

I'm interested in the ECU Tune as I'm not sure what the 4 Map Pack and Flashloader is all about. OET, feel free to send PM.

Originally Posted by Jaab

I have to reply to this, not only because I just finished the flash from OE, but because for some reason you all think flashing this car is suddenly going to turn it into a fire breathing AMG eater. It isn't. But...... what it does do, and pleasingly well, I might add, is fatten up the torque in a brilliantly smooth, seamless fashion.

When I first did this I half expected tire shredding hard shifts and squeals from my (fourmatic!) E550. Nadda. Nothing... What I got instead was an improvement all over I didn't expect. Is it faster...? yes. Is it noticeable having driven a few hundred miles? No,,,not so much, it is addictive...yet it is almost imperceptible in a GOOD way. The car essentially acts as it always did, but is much more "alert"...its ready to go far quicker than before...almost like it is perceiving your input on the pedal. The car is soooooo much smoother. good lord, I can't even begin to expand on that...it is just so much more effortless to get up and go, regardless of your input procedure...hit it, its there. Roll it in gently...its there.
I am a bit of a ***** when it comes to these mods and cannot even admit to having done done of this "high tech" fashion. I am always worried that such a big company like MB must have brilliant reasons as to why they keep the car subdued....well, I gotta tell yah, MB screwed up. There is NOTHING but improvements EVERYWHERE.
Oh, tire shredding? not likely....great pull, nothing more (cough*fourmatic*cough).
Driveline abuse? not even noticeable under the hardest launch, tc on, or off.
Fuel mileage decrease? Nope. I get the exact same in the city (pounding the hell out of the poor old girl), and AN INCREASE of 2-3mpg sitting on the highway at 80mph.

so. why did I not do this before? I dunno.

I want to thank the guys at OE Tuning for putting up with my moronic emails and helping me through this crazy easy procedure!!

I am getting my buddy to do his Audis next!

Anyone have any doubts, pm me! I am soooo sold on this.

Originally Posted by Jaab

I have to reply to this, not only because I just finished the flash from OE, but because for some reason you all think flashing this car is suddenly going to turn it into a fire breathing AMG eater. It isn't. But...... what it does do, and pleasingly well, I might add, is fatten up the torque in a brilliantly smooth, seamless fashion.

When I first did this I half expected tire shredding hard shifts and squeals from my (fourmatic!) E550. Nadda. Nothing... What I got instead was an improvement all over I didn't expect. Is it faster...? yes. Is it noticeable having driven a few hundred miles? No,,,not so much, it is addictive...yet it is almost imperceptible in a GOOD way. The car essentially acts as it always did, but is much more "alert"...its ready to go far quicker than before...almost like it is perceiving your input on the pedal. The car is soooooo much smoother. good lord, I can't even begin to expand on that...it is just so much more effortless to get up and go, regardless of your input procedure...hit it, its there. Roll it in gently...its there.
I am a bit of a ***** when it comes to these mods and cannot even admit to having done done of this "high tech" fashion. I am always worried that such a big company like MB must have brilliant reasons as to why they keep the car subdued....well, I gotta tell yah, MB screwed up. There is NOTHING but improvements EVERYWHERE.
Oh, tire shredding? not likely....great pull, nothing more (cough*fourmatic*cough).
Driveline abuse? not even noticeable under the hardest launch, tc on, or off.
Fuel mileage decrease? Nope. I get the exact same in the city (pounding the hell out of the poor old girl), and AN INCREASE of 2-3mpg sitting on the highway at 80mph.

so. why did I not do this before? I dunno.

I want to thank the guys at OE Tuning for putting up with my moronic emails and helping me through this crazy easy procedure!!

I am getting my buddy to do his Audis next!

Anyone have any doubts, pm me! I am soooo sold on this.

Originally Posted by C230Brit

Nice to hear the (positive) feedback from Jaab. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Question for Jeremy - is it possible to replace the pre-defined "valet" tune with a tune that allows for lower power and torque? An "under-tune" if you will. Seems like an odd request perhaps, but I am thinking of New England winters and the ability for the tune to make the car shift earlier, keeping the car in low revs all the time in order to maintain tire traction...

Just a thought..(thanks)

Originally Posted by Jaab

I have to reply to this, not only because I just finished the flash from OE, but because for some reason you all think flashing this car is suddenly going to turn it into a fire breathing AMG eater. It isn't. But...... what it does do, and pleasingly well, I might add, is fatten up the torque in a brilliantly smooth, seamless fashion.

When I first did this I half expected tire shredding hard shifts and squeals from my (fourmatic!) E550. Nadda. Nothing... What I got instead was an improvement all over I didn't expect. Is it faster...? yes. Is it noticeable having driven a few hundred miles? No,,,not so much, it is addictive...yet it is almost imperceptible in a GOOD way. The car essentially acts as it always did, but is much more "alert"...its ready to go far quicker than before...almost like it is perceiving your input on the pedal. The car is soooooo much smoother. good lord, I can't even begin to expand on that...it is just so much more effortless to get up and go, regardless of your input procedure...hit it, its there. Roll it in gently...its there.
I am a bit of a ***** when it comes to these mods and cannot even admit to having done done of this "high tech" fashion. I am always worried that such a big company like MB must have brilliant reasons as to why they keep the car subdued....well, I gotta tell yah, MB screwed up. There is NOTHING but improvements EVERYWHERE.
Oh, tire shredding? not likely....great pull, nothing more (cough*fourmatic*cough).
Driveline abuse? not even noticeable under the hardest launch, tc on, or off.
Fuel mileage decrease? Nope. I get the exact same in the city (pounding the hell out of the poor old girl), and AN INCREASE of 2-3mpg sitting on the highway at 80mph.

so. why did I not do this before? I dunno.

I want to thank the guys at OE Tuning for putting up with my moronic emails and helping me through this crazy easy procedure!!

I am getting my buddy to do his Audis next!

Anyone have any doubts, pm me! I am soooo sold on this.

Originally Posted by Grego3031

Just ordered my tune for my 11' 550.

For everyone that ordered over the last few months how are you still liking it?

Any pros/cons you've seen after extended driving and *** in seat miles?

Originally Posted by gutterdog

with the extra power/ torque at any given rpm, will the engine block/ cylinders/ seals, etc wear out quicker under general day to day motoring around?

Originally Posted by SoCalCLK

Highly unlikely. A 5-7% gain in hp/tq isn't going to make that much of a difference. It's not like we're adding forced induction on a N/A car. I think MBZ builds these things with some flex room. The 5.4L V8s are pretty bulletproof.

Originally Posted by SALES@OETUNING

We don't actually offer anything like this. Especially if untested. The maps that come with the flash loader are not transferable for any other tunes unfortunately. All extra tunes to suit special applications or new modifications are $100 each time.

Originally Posted by Ed99

I am interested and how would this work when I am located in Vancouver Canada? Do I get a performance shop to simply flash the ecu with the program you are selling? Sorry for this nube question since I never flash my ECU before.