General consensus on current C300 W205 tunes?
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 21
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From: Utah
2015 C300 4MATIC
General consensus on current C300 W205 tunes?
Hi everyone,
New to the forums. Was planning to get a 2014 W204 C300, but after seeing the W205, I can't help myself. Planning to buy the car tomorrow. That said, I'll be opting in for the C300 2.0L Turbo. Drove the car today and it had decent pep (at least, on par with the 328i); however, I'm interested in the tunes on the market.
I've read a fair bit about the BMS plug-and-play tuner ($379) and people seem to be relatively happy with dynos showing 20-30HP increase with 91 octane fuel—nothing crazy—but a nice improvement for a couple hundred bucks. Some are even getting into the high-290s/low-300s with E85 fuel, but I'm mostly concerned about day-to-day practical tunes.
OE Tuning has been offering a ECU flash that is significantly more than the BMS ($795) and throws out the "Tuned Peak HP" at 306HP. I've seen OE talk about the tune on MBWorld, but I've yet to come across someone that has actually claimed to have done the tune (let alone post dynos). I know a lot of people rave about OE Tuning but the fact that Kleemann nor Renntech have done tunes for the C300 W205 makes me skeptical that OE Tuning has got any advantage over BMS.
To those that have tuned or considered tuning the C300: What tune did you go for? Was it worth it? What practical day-to-day performance benfits have you noticed? What issues have arisen since the tune?
Would love to centralize people's thoughts in a less outdated, less convoluted thread.
New to the forums. Was planning to get a 2014 W204 C300, but after seeing the W205, I can't help myself. Planning to buy the car tomorrow. That said, I'll be opting in for the C300 2.0L Turbo. Drove the car today and it had decent pep (at least, on par with the 328i); however, I'm interested in the tunes on the market.
I've read a fair bit about the BMS plug-and-play tuner ($379) and people seem to be relatively happy with dynos showing 20-30HP increase with 91 octane fuel—nothing crazy—but a nice improvement for a couple hundred bucks. Some are even getting into the high-290s/low-300s with E85 fuel, but I'm mostly concerned about day-to-day practical tunes.
OE Tuning has been offering a ECU flash that is significantly more than the BMS ($795) and throws out the "Tuned Peak HP" at 306HP. I've seen OE talk about the tune on MBWorld, but I've yet to come across someone that has actually claimed to have done the tune (let alone post dynos). I know a lot of people rave about OE Tuning but the fact that Kleemann nor Renntech have done tunes for the C300 W205 makes me skeptical that OE Tuning has got any advantage over BMS.
To those that have tuned or considered tuning the C300: What tune did you go for? Was it worth it? What practical day-to-day performance benfits have you noticed? What issues have arisen since the tune?
Would love to centralize people's thoughts in a less outdated, less convoluted thread.
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 37
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2016 Mercedes C300 4MATIC
Been driving my new 2016 C300 4MATIC for a week now after turning in a 2014 E350 4MATIC – a night and day driving experience. Wife is driving a 2014 c300 4MATIC with the detuned M276 so I have a couple recent reference points. In absolute terms the 4cyl isn’t as smooth or sounds as refined as the V6s, but not enough for me to care - the 2016 is an amazing car. Also, we live in Denver where these V6 engines are robbed of their power more notably than the turbo charged engines. So the lighter W205 is very comparable power wise even before any mods.
All week I’ve been researching available ECU tunes for the M274. Kleemann does offers a K-Box with 40HP gain for $1495 (odd that the car has been out for two years, but Kleemann can’t find the time to update their website with the C300 spec or dyno stats). Then there’s the OE Tuning ECU software map with 65HP gain for $795 and the promise the same day reprogramming and return shipping. That’s just over $12 per 1HP as compared to over $37 per 1HP gained with Kleemann.
And then it happened; I received an email this afternoon from Rocco at OE Tuning telling me about their 20% Memorial Day weekend sale! Same 306HP tune for $636 (below $10 per 1HP) – I pulled the trigger. I’m traveling in a week so then will be the perfect time to ship the ECU. I'm happy to provide an update once the ECU is back in the car.
All week I’ve been researching available ECU tunes for the M274. Kleemann does offers a K-Box with 40HP gain for $1495 (odd that the car has been out for two years, but Kleemann can’t find the time to update their website with the C300 spec or dyno stats). Then there’s the OE Tuning ECU software map with 65HP gain for $795 and the promise the same day reprogramming and return shipping. That’s just over $12 per 1HP as compared to over $37 per 1HP gained with Kleemann.
And then it happened; I received an email this afternoon from Rocco at OE Tuning telling me about their 20% Memorial Day weekend sale! Same 306HP tune for $636 (below $10 per 1HP) – I pulled the trigger. I’m traveling in a week so then will be the perfect time to ship the ECU. I'm happy to provide an update once the ECU is back in the car.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 21
Likes: 2
From: Utah
2015 C300 4MATIC
Keep us updated! Looking to pull the trigger on the BMS, but if you notice some serious improvements with the OE, I will do that. It's weird Kleemann hasn't updated their site yet. You'd think they'd get more prospecting buyers if the engine were listed.
Who? Ken Garff?
Who? Ken Garff?
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 37
Likes: 13
2016 Mercedes C300 4MATIC
From everything I’ve read, piggyback tuners won't improve the horsepower and torque gains across the full engine range as much as a custom ECU map. Both BMS and Kleemann appear to intercept signals from sensors before those get to the factory ECU and modify the signals by that “tricking” the ECU to compensate for a perceived condition (lean mixture, rich air, etc.) Seems like the piggyback is continuously fighting the factory ECU.
As to the warranty, it comes down to individual priorities; I would take the extra 25HP over the ease of knowing the warranty is unaffected. My rationale - the ECU flash is undetectable unless a Mercedes decides to do a “forensic” search of the ECU map as compared to the factory copy. In Practice the only time the dealership would put the ECU on diagnostic computer is to update the ECU for a recall or installation of an upgraded part, which requires an ECU update. In my mind, the bigger risk is the dealer reflashing the ECU back to factory settings as part of a recall or update campaign. In that case, back to the tuner I go (who promises to restore the tune I purchased).
As to the warranty, it comes down to individual priorities; I would take the extra 25HP over the ease of knowing the warranty is unaffected. My rationale - the ECU flash is undetectable unless a Mercedes decides to do a “forensic” search of the ECU map as compared to the factory copy. In Practice the only time the dealership would put the ECU on diagnostic computer is to update the ECU for a recall or installation of an upgraded part, which requires an ECU update. In my mind, the bigger risk is the dealer reflashing the ECU back to factory settings as part of a recall or update campaign. In that case, back to the tuner I go (who promises to restore the tune I purchased).
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2016 Mercedes C300 4MATIC
I will. However on paper OE Tuning looks to have approx 48 more HP over BMS. I'm not sure how I would quantify "serious improvements". The w205 is already faster then the wife's w204 off the line to 60mph (in Denver). The only other objective measure would be a dyno. I'll search for one around town, but it will need to accommodate the 4MATIC.
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Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 21
Likes: 2
From: Utah
2015 C300 4MATIC
Im in high altitude too (upper benches in Salt Lake City) so I'm a fan of the turbocharger. I'd love to see dyno results. The theoretical HP on the BMS is in the 300s, but practically, I think it's lower due to the relatively low octane fuel here in the U.S. My suspicion is that the OE is likely similar; however, I would be thrilled to see improvements over the BMS. Perhaps you're right about ECU flashes being more successful than piggyback stuff.
Junior Member
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 68
Likes: 5
From: Utah
C400
Who? Ken Garff?[/QUOTE]
I live in Draper but purchase the car in Lindon. They haven't given me any
trouble with any of my mods. They offered to do the Renntech for me but I wasn't interested in the markup. Have you ever driven a C400 stock? If so I would be happy to let drive mine to see what PP Performance tune did for it.
I live in Draper but purchase the car in Lindon. They haven't given me any
trouble with any of my mods. They offered to do the Renntech for me but I wasn't interested in the markup. Have you ever driven a C400 stock? If so I would be happy to let drive mine to see what PP Performance tune did for it.
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 37
Likes: 13
2016 Mercedes C300 4MATIC
Im in high altitude too (upper benches in Salt Lake City) so I'm a fan of the turbocharger. I'd love to see dyno results. The theoretical HP on the BMS is in the 300s, but practically, I think it's lower due to the relatively low octane fuel here in the U.S. My suspicion is that the OE is likely similar; however, I would be thrilled to see improvements over the BMS. Perhaps you're right about ECU flashes being more successful than piggyback stuff.
I also read that BMS tune delivers around 300bhp, but the math doesn’t add up when reading the dyno results on their website.
Mercedes claims that a stock C300 4MATIC delivers a peak 241bhp. The “rule of thumb” is all wheel drive cars loose 20-25% of their quoted bhp figures as measured at the wheels due to friction etc. Using 25% loss, a stock C300 4MATIC should produce approximately 180.75whp on a dyno.
The BMS chart above confirms approx 25% loss, showing the stock c300 max power at 179.81whp. This is consistent with the fact that BMS apparently developed their tune using a 2015 C300 4MATIC (http://www.n54tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28003)
Here’s where the math doesn’t add up. Using the 25% loss rule, a 300bhp engine (~60bhp tune) should produce approx 225whp on the dyno. However the dyno chart shows the BMS Stage1 C300 max power at 196.33whp, which translates to approximately 262bhp (~21bhp tune).
I don’t do any of this for a living so please let me know what I’m doing wrong.
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 37
Likes: 13
2016 Mercedes C300 4MATIC
I live in Draper but purchase the car in Lindon. They haven't given me any
trouble with any of my mods. They offered to do the Renntech for me but I wasn't interested in the markup. Have you ever driven a C400 stock? If so I would be happy to let drive mine to see what PP Performance tune did for it.
trouble with any of my mods. They offered to do the Renntech for me but I wasn't interested in the markup. Have you ever driven a C400 stock? If so I would be happy to let drive mine to see what PP Performance tune did for it.
In the end I'm just trying to get as much power increase as possible. Off to find a 4 wheel dyno for the "before" measurements...
Last edited by Tartan43; May 28, 2016 at 04:09 PM. Reason: fix quoting feature
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 37
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2016 Mercedes C300 4MATIC
A quick update; I found a performance parts shop with a four wheel "Dynojet" dynamometer - MAC Autosport. I'm trying to get the next available appointment, which at this rate is looking more like Monday. Once the stock ECU is baselined they will store the measurements for comparison to the ECU tune. Using the same dyno within a couple of days I'll try and keep as many variables as possible the same.
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 37
Likes: 13
2016 Mercedes C300 4MATIC
I live in Draper but purchase the car in Lindon. They haven't given me any
trouble with any of my mods. They offered to do the Renntech for me but I wasn't interested in the markup. Have you ever driven a C400 stock? If so I would be happy to let drive mine to see what PP Performance tune did for it.
trouble with any of my mods. They offered to do the Renntech for me but I wasn't interested in the markup. Have you ever driven a C400 stock? If so I would be happy to let drive mine to see what PP Performance tune did for it.
Junior Member
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 68
Likes: 5
From: Utah
C400
Did you loose any of the DYNAMIC SELECT features after the PP Performance tune? My understanding is the ECU tune changes not only throttle response and limiter, but also the shift points. So do "Sport+", "Sport" and "Comfort" modes feel different from each other or is it all just one map now?
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 37
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2016 Mercedes C300 4MATIC
Thanks, very nice! Hoping for a similar result...
Junior Member
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 37
Likes: 13
2016 Mercedes C300 4MATIC
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 337
Likes: 7
From: North San Diego, CA
2015 C300
BMS tune did wonders for my car. Especially when connecting the 4th plug (the one that's quite annoying to get to), torque was pretty insane compared to stock. It really would throw you back in your seat during low-mid rpm pulls in any gear
Top end was about the same, butt dyno didnt notice much of a difference. But alas, I had to remove it to get some engine warranty work done to the car, so now it's just sitting in my garage
. Too lazy to install it again
Top end was about the same, butt dyno didnt notice much of a difference. But alas, I had to remove it to get some engine warranty work done to the car, so now it's just sitting in my garage
. Too lazy to install it again
Member
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 77
Likes: 9
From: South Dakota
2015 C300 Sport 4Matic, 2014 C300 Sport 4Matic
Originally Posted by LateC300
BMS tune did wonders for my car. Especially when connecting the 4th plug (the one that's quite annoying to get to), torque was pretty insane compared to stock. It really would throw you back in your seat during low-mid rpm pulls in any gear
Top end was about the same, butt dyno didnt notice much of a difference. But alas, I had to remove it to get some engine warranty work done to the car, so now it's just sitting in my garage. Too lazy to install it again
Top end was about the same, butt dyno didnt notice much of a difference. But alas, I had to remove it to get some engine warranty work done to the car, so now it's just sitting in my garage
. Too lazy to install it again
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 337
Likes: 7
From: North San Diego, CA
2015 C300
That is my concern, I will get it love the changes it makes to how the car drives and have to take it off for service then not want to mess with putting it back on. My car is a lease but has the wrist pin issue at cold temp so I'm debating if I should get that squared away first or say f-it since it's a lease.
I found a way of getting my hand and wrist angled perfectly to get that 4th plug in there when i was taking it off, so really it's just about the time it would take to get everything cleanly installed ("all-black" on this forum did a bang up job installing it for me and made it practically invisible), i dont think i could get it exactly the way he got it for me.
That being said, I'm really missing the power, boy was the car a hoot to drive. im so conflicted!
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 21
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From: Utah
2015 C300 4MATIC
LateC300, glad to hear that you noticed a difference. I'm not disappointed in the C300 stock, but it certainly isn't a "hoot" as you say. 
I know there is a little more power I can squeeze out of it and I'm willing to pay for it. I'm partial to the ECU tunes (albeit more expensive) because I won't have to remove it when I go in to service it, but mailing my ECU makes me uneasy and I don't want have to do it multiple times in the future if the dealership flashes over the top of it when servicing. I'll probably opt in for the BMS. You say that you noticed a difference between using the brown (4th) tricky-to-access plug vs the standard 3 plugs using 91 octane fuel?
I know there is a little more power I can squeeze out of it and I'm willing to pay for it. I'm partial to the ECU tunes (albeit more expensive) because I won't have to remove it when I go in to service it, but mailing my ECU makes me uneasy and I don't want have to do it multiple times in the future if the dealership flashes over the top of it when servicing. I'll probably opt in for the BMS. You say that you noticed a difference between using the brown (4th) tricky-to-access plug vs the standard 3 plugs using 91 octane fuel?
