SLChris

Hi all, just bought a 2002 SL500 and have been reading a lot of reviews and opinions about tuning.

What are peoples thoughts about an ECU Remap vs a throttle response box?

I understand the throttle box won't give me more HP but just wondering if it would be a better option?

Here's what I'm looking at:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154109706958

Any advice would be appreciated

A1EK

Hi there

I have both and YES they absoluteness make a difference!

Starting with the throttle response box, there are many people on-line that critique people who have this and I can see perhaps why they do as they usually are spectivly criticizing as they do not have the unit installed on their car and refuse to believe they make a difference but the absolutely do! So to explain, it is not hard to understand, it is not about increased fuel or some form of secret boost, but it works be removing the latency that the cars a pre-programmed to evaluate when you plant your foot on the throttle. Dependent on the cars speed, gears and behaviour that the ECU has learned which is dependant on the driving style of the driver, all this is taken into consideration then this adaptation is applied to the position of the accelerator pedal, the throttle boost control removes all the 'thinking' time and provides instant kick to the the throttle. Therefore in short, when you press the throttle, the response is rapid, if you were to have two identical cars on the line with one with the boost controller and one not, hands down you will accelerate or move off the line faster, albeit a split second, you can also change the settings to make the car go slower on the pedal, which is great in snowy icy conditions.

As for the ECU map, yes this will also make a significant difference, and is dependant on your engine. Normally aspirated engines tend to not be as higher performance gains as turbo engines. With that said the difference is still anywhere from 12% upwards and in engine terms this is well worth a few bucks. Also you will find that again, your throttle response is more rapid too and your MPG may even improve slightly. You have to remember that all cars have been programmed to compensate for good / bad drivers and be able to drive in the extremes of Russia to the heat of the Middle East. Ergo if you feel that you are not going to drive in the high altitude of Tibet any time soon, then get your car mapped to the climate you live in and reap the benefits, your car will thank you for it !

I would suggest getting the ECU map done first, then you will feel the difference in the throttle.

Good luck !