SL/R231: Performance upgrades
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Newbie
Joined: Mar 2013
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2013 sl550: 2011M3; 2011 Audi q5
Performance upgrades
Any good ideas for mild power upgrades? I would expect the boost could be increased with some form of chipping but I don't have a desire to *******ize a solid engine set up. Any good performance exhaust recommendations would also be appreciated. If there's any advise where I could also keep a warranty that would be a bonus. Love the car but a little more juice is never a bad thing. Thanks
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Joined: May 2002
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From: Land of 10,000 lakes
AMG GTC Roadster, E63s Ed.1, M8 Comp. Coupe
Any good ideas for mild power upgrades? I would expect the boost could be increased with some form of chipping but I don't have a desire to *******ize a solid engine set up. Any good performance exhaust recommendations would also be appreciated. If there's any advise where I could also keep a warranty that would be a bonus. Love the car but a little more juice is never a bad thing. Thanks
It appears that these engines are highly tunable
Here is some info from them.
SL 550 (R231) Stock Performance:
429 HP @ 5,250 RPM; 516 LB-FT @ 1,800-3,500 rpm
Note: Mercedes M278 engine performance when measured obtains higher numbers that rated from factory.
Modified Performance:
530 HP @ 4900 RPM; 606 LB-FT @ 4100 RPM
Price: $2,740
Super Moderator
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 10,557
Likes: 3,680
From: Land of 10,000 lakes
AMG GTC Roadster, E63s Ed.1, M8 Comp. Coupe
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2013
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From: Irvine, California
2022 AMG SL63
Please report back on renntech. I also have been eyeballing their upgrade.. Is it reversible? I have a leased car and I wonder if it take it in for service with a renntech upgrade will they freak out.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2013
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2013 sl550: 2011M3; 2011 Audi q5
Visited my MB dealer today. Asked for some feed back from their service manager. He's looking into it regarding installation and warranty etc. No renntech dealer within 1000 miles so I need MB dealer onside.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2013
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From: Irvine, California
2022 AMG SL63
Thanks, please keep us informed. Good that he's looking into it. do you know if it involves swapping out one of the factory CPUs - or is it reprogramming a CPU? or what?
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Member
Joined: Jul 2013
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From: Central Texas
2022 AMG SL63
I would like to know as well. I am planning to add this in late October when I have a wedding to go to near two (2) of their dealers. It would be good to have some information from an actual user prior to having it changed.
Super Member
Joined: Apr 2013
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From: Scottsdale, AZ
2018 S 650, 2014 SL 550, 2017 911 TTS Cab, '13 F458 Spider
I've looked into this for my CLS63. In short, don't count on your MB warranty if you have a problem after a ECU tune.
Yes, it's true that some MB dealers "support" Renntech ECU upgrades but in the event there is a problem, if its interpreted by MB to be related to the ECU upgrade your warranty will not cover it. That interpretation is up to MB and not the dealer, so even though your dealer may be supportive, the final decision is up to MB. These engines are not cheap, about 40k.
That's not a risk I am willing to take. Renntech told me they are working on getting MB to stand behind their tunes, but until then I'll stay stock.
Yes, it's true that some MB dealers "support" Renntech ECU upgrades but in the event there is a problem, if its interpreted by MB to be related to the ECU upgrade your warranty will not cover it. That interpretation is up to MB and not the dealer, so even though your dealer may be supportive, the final decision is up to MB. These engines are not cheap, about 40k.
That's not a risk I am willing to take. Renntech told me they are working on getting MB to stand behind their tunes, but until then I'll stay stock.
Member
Joined: Jul 2013
Posts: 192
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From: Central Texas
2022 AMG SL63
I contacted a "dealer" near me to inquire about the time to make the upgrade. They said 3-4 days, so they are obviously sending it off to have it flashed. I can do that so I am not really sure what the "dealer" designation does except to say they can sell it.
Super Member
Joined: Apr 2013
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From: Scottsdale, AZ
2018 S 650, 2014 SL 550, 2017 911 TTS Cab, '13 F458 Spider
The dealer would send the ECU to Renntech to have it flashed, the same as anyone outside of Renntech. However there may be some benefit when dealing with a warranty issue if a MB dealer installed the tune.
