lwalling

I just picked up an 03 S600 w/9k original miles on it off Ebay, waiting for it to arrive now - looking at tomorrow or Tuesday.

What type of simple bolt on modifications are available for this car to improve performance? I am mainly interested in the easy stuff for this car given its complexity: exhaust, ecu modifications, etc.

The car has very little warranty left on it as well, is it worth looking at a Starmark extended warranty assuming I can pick one up for it? The 12 looks expensive to fix if it breaks, and this one is really not even broken in yet.

whoover

Renntech is the only way to go. Their ECU/TCU reflash and airbox adds 147 HP and 185 ft-lbs. That's 640/775 when they're done!

It's not cheap, almost $12K, but you can get the ECU/TCU reflash alone for about half that and still get 132 HP and 155 ft-lbs.

A warranty is very advisable, if you can find one. Starmark isn't an option for any car not purchased from and certified by a Mercedes dealer. I'd look for a good third-party warranty ASAP.

tkracing

My buddy had Art over at Kronen tuning install the Renntech stage 2 and the car has incredible torque. What a beast!

Enjoy the new ride and mods.

AdamG@NorCal

Renntech mods are so far the best for the 600/65 engines.

There are two stages:
Renntech Stage 1 - ECU/TCU upgrade

Renntech Stage 2- ECU/TCU upgrade with the carbon fiber V12 airbox

Renntech IC pump - Renntech intercooler pump for the V12 600/65

Please pm me if you are interested in these mods.

blk350

you will LOVE YOUR CAR,i got my 2003 S600 about 1 month ago

lwalling

Those are pretty tremendous numbers.

What kinds of risks are involved in these changes? Does the engine and drive-train stand up well to these boosted numbers?

whoover

Of course you'd be lowering the margin of safety somewhat, but any mods will do that. The S600 uses the same transmission as the S65, which is certified for 738 ft-lbs. Stage 1 is about that so you should be pretty safe. It's true that the S65 engine is strengthened to handle the torque as well, but you don't hear of Renntech engines blowing up, so I guess they know what they're doing. They have a lot of history with them.

I haven't modded my S65 because even Renntech Stage 1 for the S65 is 670 HP/840 ft-lbs. I'm concerned that's asking for trouble because it essentially undoes the torque limitation that AMG programmed to protect the transmission. But Stage 1 for the S600 just gets you to S65-like torque. You can't mod without risk, but it's a lot less of a risk. You should talk to them about any concerns you have. I would.

AdamG@NorCal

So far, there has been zero problems with Renntech upgrades for the V12 Biturbo engines. Treynor and RogerV have these upgrades over 2 years now and yet to experience any mechanical breakdown.

BlownV8 and Andrew Ny both purchased the RT upgrades and are very satisfied. Also, BlownV8 has his dyno chart posted in the CL 600 section. His gain was close to being 125hp on the rear wheels.

RogerV's Renntech is the fastest S65 in the world, nearing breaking into the 10s with 11.02 in the 1/4 mile time. Both Treynor's and Roger's dyno chart is also available on the Sl65 and S65 respectively.

lwalling

I received the car today, it looks decent, the interior is actually like new with 9000 miles on the car.

I am dissatisfied with the tires that are on the car and have ordered a set of Potenza RE01R's already, a little aggressive for a full size luxury car, but I think it will work out well. The car feels a little ponderous to begin with though.

The output is tremendous, once moving the car picks up with extreme authority. I own a couple of other cars with decent output and this BIG car is not far off (99 Lotus Esprit Sport 350, and a 06 6spd GTO) or may even be faster in some cases.

My first modifications will probably be exhaust and ecm, exhaust mostly for the sake of improving the sound of that tremendous powerplant.

whoover

Congrats. You might want to consider wheels and lower profile tires.

Don't expect too much exhaust note change. The turbochargers are efficient mufflers and you don't want to remove them .

lwalling

I have a couple of turbo charged vehicles that sound great !

dexter5

Call Art at Kronen Tuning at Fremont. He knows about the upgrades. I think his own SL55 is renntech upgraded. He knows his stuff. I think he post here too.

StealthAuto

I suggest Powerchip software which provides the same gains as other tuners (often better) for half the price. They've been tuning European vehicles for 15+ years and offer a 14-day money back guarantee on all of their software.