GEMINIDAN

I am thinking of going to RENNTECH in Florida, to have the Computer upgraded...they claim minimum 28 to30 Hp increase and torque up ar5ound 15...They say not to worry about warranty because since it is only a program up-grade they have never had any problems with it and they warranty their work..I spoke to a customer that had it done and he said the shifting and performance is so much better and crisper???feedback please???

Also I like to full around shifting the car manualy, 1st gear will shift auto to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd and then you are on your own,,it is fun every once in awhile..feedback??

Oil...2700 miles and oil was down mybe a 1/4 of a quart I left it alobne.. I will do first oil change at 5000 miles and rotate tires..I feel any sludge from breaking in should be removed,, comments please..thank you

cr1t1icalm4ss

would be great to get 30hp, but my fear is the price as with all aftermarket companies..they really rape you. How much?

Sathinas

Renn is way overpriced. Yes, I know, "But they have good stuff". Good stuff does not mean you have to charge stupid high prices.

Hell, I have a guy who has (among others), the Renny files and charges around 2 grand for a dyno tune specific to your car. Not some off the shelf generic tune.

GEMINIDAN

Charge for the computer upgrade with 3 free flashes if program ever gets erased is $ 1080.00

Vapor40

does it void the warranty?

Vapor40

wow they are local for me I will check them out

GEMINIDAN

Mercedes in Delray says if there is a problem computer related they will not cover..Mercedes Palm Beach says no proble,,Renn tech will stand be hind the computer program..

RedRover

Where are these numbers coming from?
What I see is not 30HP, but 22.
What I see is not $1080 but $1295.

http://www.renntechmercedes.com/glk.php

GEMINIDAN

when I spoke to them they said 22hp was on the low side,reality was closerf to 30,,, I was entitiled to a special discount!

NYCGLK

My 2 cents:
1) Save your money for a faster car if you care about 30hp bump on 4200 pound SUV
2) As far as manual shifting, I think it's fun on winding roads to keep rpm's high, other than that, tranny is so slow in manual mode. (I wish I had manual or one of those DPK/DSG)

mr.mbenz

well said NYCGLK...
30 or 22 extra does not justify for this extra weight GLK.
Start with minimizing weight, and you can get a few extra HP with a K&N filter system... my 2 cents

Donutboy

I really dont see the point to add some horsepower in the glk, i mean you can do whatever you want, but personally i dont know if i would do if for 30 more hp.
Why do you say you are entitled to a discount?

MBRedux

Go ahead... waste your money! You only live once.

Vapor40

Just took the tour of Renntech and was impressed. They do almost all the work there. Got to see the Pikes Peak GLK it was awesome. They had brand new 150 thousand dollar cars getting 100 thousand dollar upgrades so I assume they must do thing right. Very nice people.

Donutboy

Vapor40, who took u on a tour?

GLK4MATIC

If it does give an extra 30 hp you will definently feel it, hp does'nt care whether or not you are driving a GLK. People in C350's are tuning their rides all the time with positive results and we share the same chassis. I got the same response when I first started making parts for MB's, everyone said "Why make parts for them, they are the best they can be. MB engineers know better than anyone how the vehicles should be" etc... I know for a fact that all the vehicles that added a strut tower brace, camber arms or toe-links all performed better than the factory setup. My GLK has the front and rear braces and I can easily keep up with my friends in their C's on twisty roads.

As far as lightening up your ride goes. I weighed the spare tire, cargo tray and folding basket and found them to weigh 41 lbs. I have'nt weighed the tools or the woofer, but I can tell there is a lot of weight in those parts as well.

RedRover

Looking at most MB drivers on the road, THEY could lose 41 pounds and increase the performance of their cars.


Actually there are other things in life besides HP. (And TQ, which is more important in acceleration)

I would expect that what Renntech is doing is resetting the fuel map and the timing.
I would bet that the GLK, which currently can run just fine on 89 octane, won't after the tuning.
So, one thing that "should" be a byproduct of the HP/TQ gains, is a more responsive throttle which make it SEEM faster.

Vapor40

Wow, so GLK drivers are fat? WTF?

The explanation I got from Renntech is this, our MB's are setup to operate at around 65% what RennTech and others do is squeeze out another 15 or 20 % so you car is running at say 85% of its engineered specifications. They claim to do this without putting any strain on your vehicle as it is still running below it's capacity. I spoke to Thomas and took the tour. I can tell you there are cars there worth 5 times my GLK having 100 thousand dollars worth of upgrades. The have a rapid prototype machine, CNC machine shop and all the knowhow to get the job done. The owner got his start at AMG before going out on his own. I will probably not get the ECU upgrade though I am very tempted. If you get the upgrade they will show you the torque and acceleration curve so you can see where it is faster.

NYCGLK

RennTech is very reputable, go on AMG forums, many people are running rentech ECU's and other upgrades. I'm sure it would be fine on GLK, it's just pointless... If they made a bolt on supercharger adding another 70-100hp for 5k-7k that would be something to consider.

GEMINIDAN

I was at Renntech today for about 3 1/2 hours, they did my "ECU" upgrade..they claim I now have about 290 HP and my torque was showing close to 272ft lbs..They put the car on a Dyno for three runs before the program and three runs after the program, I was told to use better gas and like Chevron and to stay away from Cotco gas. They measure true HP at the rear wheels noit at the Flywheel..They said most 350 engines usually are around 217 HP to the rear mine was 222.Torque at the rear went from 197 to 217 ft lbs. We went for a test drive and I felt it was a little more beefy but nothing to make me happy about the $1166.00 plus tax I paid for it. The limiter was removed and the car they said can do about 178 if I had enough room and time to do it ..According to Renntech i have to drive it around 150 miles for the changes to take full effect..I drove home on the Florida turnpike, 80 mph and it said 24.6 MPG,so he was right this went up,,I have to keep driving it to notice all the difference ,for the meantime it does feel a little stronger..PS they said I should get rid of the K&N's because the oil on the filters could clog up the electronics, or just take the oil off!!

Blazeitup123

Alot of money, but it will be nice to hear the improvements over the next while.

Keep us updated!

Vapor40

Very interested in your future reports

GEMINIDAN

Ok so here is my breport about my Renntech investment...
1-Shifting is much more crisper and sportier
2-Acceleration is much nicer because the engine has much better torque.
3-Highway MPG is around 22.5-25.1 at b80 MPH
4- Playing in the streets hard MPG= 16-18 mpg
All around I like the differnt feel of the car..much more sportier, and with the AMG wheels and Body I like the whole package much b etter then before..My friend even commented that he felt the car was much more responsive.

RedRover

How come your Shifting is much more crisper and sportier?
The ECU has nothing to do with that.
Are you suggesting they modified some settings in the TCU, all for the same price? And this is normal practice for Renntech when you buy an ECU Tune?

GEMINIDAN

I was told by Renntech that since the gas and air mixture has been changed, and the HP and Torque are up, that when I would drive harder I would feel a difference in the shifting and I do!!so I am not unhappy about this change..