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Mild M157 Tune?

Old Apr 17, 2020 | 03:56 PM
  #1  
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Mild M157 Tune?

I see a lot of folks looking for who makes the most power or is best tuner or has the best reputation, etc. Have any of you just thought about bumping the power up to maybe S class levels? Since the S class is heavier yet has the same transmission, if you had your lighter E with the same power as an S, you should have good transmission longevity (figure that is the weak point) and a bit more oomph...

Hypothetical question, looking for anyone who has looked into it or done it (and was it worth it)...
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Old Apr 17, 2020 | 04:18 PM
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Eurocharged Performance ML63 and TT lambo
Good question and we do it all the time. We customize every tune for the car for the mods, elevation, and fueling. If the customer wants a more mild tune that is not an issue at all.

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Old Apr 17, 2020 | 09:32 PM
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Thank you! Am hoping to get some Owners responses as well...
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Old Apr 17, 2020 | 10:05 PM
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Eurocharged Performance ML63 and TT lambo
Originally Posted by diesel_dan
Thank you! Am hoping to get some Owners responses as well...

completely understand, you should also try the fb groups as the forums are pretty dead lately
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Old Apr 18, 2020 | 09:02 PM
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2014 E550 4MATIC TUNED - Turbo Upgraded Stage 3
Originally Posted by diesel_dan
I see a lot of folks looking for who makes the most power or is best tuner or has the best reputation, etc. Have any of you just thought about bumping the power up to maybe S class levels? Since the S class is heavier yet has the same transmission, if you had your lighter E with the same power as an S, you should have good transmission longevity (figure that is the weak point) and a bit more oomph...

Hypothetical question, looking for anyone who has looked into it or done it (and was it worth it)...
you have a 2013 E550, its M278
what power are you looking to make ?
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Old Apr 19, 2020 | 01:12 PM
  #6  
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Originally Posted by cocobeex
you have a 2013 E550, its M278
what power are you looking to make ?
Thanks for the catch! Yeah we were looking at E63s for awhile so my mind slipped to that engine

Was thinking of looking at some real world numbers for dyno'd S Class M278s and shooting for that or maybe a touch more. I'd like to stick close to the 7Gs Torque limit would be willing to go 10% or so above its published spec, and use that as my upper guide for how much power to add in (560-575 Lb Ft Tq?). I'm thinking that would land the HP number in the mid to upper 400s (475 say?)

Appreciate your input and any other considerations I should have...
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Old Apr 19, 2020 | 02:15 PM
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well, I hate to be the bearer of "bad" news, but you already make the same power as an S550, the E class numbers are just derated a little so not to eat into the S class sales.
I have a Eurocharged Tune and that puts the car about 550hp/650tq(@ the crank) (~450/550 to the wheels). Stock the car ran a 12.8. With just a tune and a muffler delete, I ran a 12.4, and with MBH 3" catless downpipes and straight open exhaust with dumps, I ran a 12.1. cocobeex (as far as I know) is the only E550 faster than me, but he has M157 turbos along with bridgepipes and downpipes from Weistech, allowing him to run an 11.7. There is plenty of power to be had, but you'll be doing yourself a disservice to get a weak tune, if you could even find someone to do such a thing... The E550 drivetrain is solid, no reason to fear anything below 850lb/ft for sure.

Welcome, and good luck!
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Old Apr 19, 2020 | 02:33 PM
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Originally Posted by nota_amg
well, I hate to be the bearer of "bad" news, but you already make the same power as an S550, the E class numbers are just derated a little so not to eat into the S class sales.
I have a Eurocharged Tune and that puts the car about 550hp/650tq(@ the crank) (~450/550 to the wheels). Stock the car ran a 12.8. With just a tune and a muffler delete, I ran a 12.4, and with MBH 3" catless downpipes and straight open exhaust with dumps, I ran a 12.1. cocobeex (as far as I know) is the only E550 faster than me, but he has M157 turbos along with bridgepipes and downpipes from Weistech, allowing him to run an 11.7. There is plenty of power to be had, but you'll be doing yourself a disservice to get a weak tune, if you could even find someone to do such a thing... The E550 drivetrain is solid, no reason to fear anything below 850lb/ft for sure.

Welcome, and good luck!
Thanks and you make some great points - I always thought it might have been the reason they only put the motor in the E for 3 years... I guess I'll leave it stock for now and maybe start looking again for an E63S in the '14 - '16 range. Our E has options I haven't seen on others, so while we've found some 63's out there, it feels like we'd be stepping down by losing options. The E550 with M278 is a sleeper as it is - I can't even imagine what your guy's cars are like!
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Old Apr 19, 2020 | 04:25 PM
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I recently installed an OE Tuning tune in my 2014 E550. I didn't do any dyno testing, before or after, so my opinions are strictly seat of the pants. Definitely more power but it's not like I'm melting the tires like any of the big block 4-speed cars I've owned (probably, in part, due to the 550s AWD). What I really like is that shift point seem to be higher, especially in sport mode which is what I usually drive in. Makes the car much more driveable as it's generally on the power band. Just a light squeeze on the throttle is enough to easily get aground slower traffic.

I've found tuning an M278 to be the best upgrade I've ever done, not just the bang for the buck but also the ease of install and the ability to detune on the fly (the tune is installed via the OBD port). The cherry on top was OE Tuning had offered a discount right on this forum. Jerry at OE was easy to deal with and responsive to emails. I can't comment on any other tuners, good or bad, more or less hp, better or worse service, but I'm very pleased with my experience with OE thus far.
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Old Apr 19, 2020 | 04:33 PM
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Originally Posted by John H
I recently installed an OE Tuning tune in my 2014 E550. I didn't do any dyno testing, before or after, so my opinions are strictly seat of the pants. Definitely more power but it's not like I'm melting the tires like any of the big block 4-speed cars I've owned (probably, in part, due to the 550s AWD). What I really like is that shift point seem to be higher, especially in sport mode which is what I usually drive in. Makes the car much more driveable as it's generally on the power band. Just a light squeeze on the throttle is enough to easily get aground slower traffic.

I've found tuning an M278 to be the best upgrade I've ever done, not just the bang for the buck but also the ease of install and the ability to detune on the fly (the tune is installed via the OBD port). The cherry on top was OE Tuning had offered a discount right on this forum. Jerry at OE was easy to deal with and responsive to emails. I can't comment on any other tuners, good or bad, more or less hp, better or worse service, but I'm very pleased with my experience with OE thus far.
Thanks for your honest feedback, I take it you are running their Stage 1 tune? It's good to get some feedback on who you went with as well...
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Old Apr 20, 2020 | 12:30 AM
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14 E550, 07 E550, 69 Mach I, 65 Hipo, 66 Fairlane GTA Conv, 66 Fairlane GT
I let the tuner know there were no mods and that I wasn’t planning any. This is my daily driver (3k mi/mo) so reliability is essential. Safe to say it’s stage 1.
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Old Apr 20, 2020 | 12:40 AM
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03 G55 - 13' CLS550 - 90' 560SEC
I have a 13 CLS550, the same M278 tuned by OE. No dyno numbers but definitely a noticeable "pants" feeling increase in power, particularly in the low end. Get it with the pops/crackles option, makes it a lot more fun to drive.
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