SL-Class (R230) 2003 -- 2012: Discussion on the SL500, SL550, SL600

SL/R230: R230 upgrades

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Old Jan 15, 2017 | 01:48 PM
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R230 upgrades

Hello MBWorld, I just bought a 2008 SL600. I wanted to tune the Ecu can anyone give me more info on which tune I should do. I looked at a few but I don't know which one to get. I know renntech is good but I don't want to send 20K to add 150Hp. I also looked at eurocharged and VR Tuned.

I have another question I have a cracked radiator I wanted to know if I can loose power because of it. I have it in the shop but I haven't ordered a new one yet. I was thinking I might as well upgrade to a performance radiator. But I can find one on the web.
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Old Jan 17, 2017 | 06:16 PM
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the factory cooling for the engine is more than sufficient and you are unlikely to find any upgrade for it. the heat exchanger, which cools the intake charge, can be better and you will find upgrades to that.

many tunes for the 600 aren't that much different. speak with a couple tuners and go with the one you are most comfortable with. Essentially all they are doing is increasing the boost, timing, and fuel amounts. Some offer tunes that are more conservative and some more aggressive. Eurocharged seems to be the best bang for your buck at the moment when they run a sale.
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Old Jan 17, 2017 | 08:03 PM
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Thanks carguyshu

I talked with both eurocharged and renntech today about their tunes. Eurocharged gave me a great price of $1200 for Ecu and Tcu tune(+95Hp and +105Tq) And renntechs price was steep but gave more Hp. Renntech was $4500 but included the Ecu and Tcu tune plus the intercooler upgrade and air filter(+130Hp and +170Tq).

I'm going to take the car in for a dyno on Monday. After the dyno I will send in the Ecu and Tcu to get it tuned I will update before and after the tune.
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Old Jan 17, 2017 | 08:08 PM
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the probability of you noticing the difference between the renntech tune and eurocharged tune power wise is next to 0.
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Old Jan 17, 2017 | 08:17 PM
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So I should go with the Eurocharged and save $3300.
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Old Jan 18, 2017 | 11:44 AM
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that's what I would personally do and keep that $3300 to pay for replacing those motor mounts in the not too distant future, which are going to have an increased likelihood of failure with the additional torque you're gonna be making
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Old Jan 18, 2017 | 01:08 PM
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Seems steep but I loved my Renntech tune. They are conservative. Mine picked up over 125 rwhp with just a Renntech ECU/TCU tune..
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Old Jan 18, 2017 | 10:34 PM
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There is also the OE Tuning folks who hang around here and ran a special last year for $700. Looks like the normal price is more but still a good deal. With the DimSport programmer I can chose between a 93 octane, 100 octane, and a valet tune. I have only played with pump gas on the 93 octane. I did not do any before and after dyno tests. That really is only good for bragging rights and doesn't mean that much to me. What does make a difference to me is how it drives and there is no doubt in my mind that it is much stronger and more responsive.

There is really only so much that can be done with only an ECU tune. Raise the boost, get the ignition timing just right, keep the Fuel / Air ratio spot on and raise the rev limiter a bit. All the same things that any tuner will work with. Clearly a tune that is setup for different fuel with more energy will make a difference. We have available 100+ octane oxygenate fuel which has more energy and will really rock and roll if you want to go to a track or get dyno bragging rights. I'm not privy to exactly what OE Tunning (or any other) does but it works and the SL600 responds well.

Down shift to 2nd at about 45 or 50 MPH and floor it and it will spin the wheels with fresh PS3's mounted and the ESP off. I'm just saying it's lots of smiles.

It would be interesting to see what the difference is between the various tunes but to be honest, I'd bet they are all good. The folks at OE Tuning have been quick to respond to any questions and I am very happy with the results.
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Old Jan 19, 2017 | 11:49 AM
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Thanks for the info I'll check them out. I was looking at Kleemann tune which says the Hp boosts up to 690 for only $2800. Not a bad price to get 180Hp more. But I'm still debating on which one to go with.

On the SL all I've done is cat back and some wheels right now but with traction on I floored it at 60 and the wheels were spinning out. This beast already has a lot of power I can't imagine what it'll do after a Ecu Tcu tune.

I've raced a couple of Vetts one was a Z06 with a lot of upgrades and I can see him in my rear view mirror at 100+. I just want to know what I'm running to the rwhp. I don't know maybe the previous owner had a tune on it already.
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