I recently purchased another SL 550. In the past, I have owned the SL 55 and the SL 63. This certainly lacks the power of those others.
Anyone have a POSITIVE AND GOOD OUTCOME of using an OBD Port Chip?
Many on sites claim up to an additional 100HP and better gas mileage. However, many also claim these promises to be false.
I am looking for someone who HAS installed an OBD Chip and can attest to more power, speed and better fuel economy.

If so, can you also tell me if you had to have the ECU and other warning devices reset as a result of installing this Chip/

AFTER MUCH RESEARCH, I WENT WITH THE "OE TUNING" OBD2 TUNE. I am not sure on others, however, I can state that the difference is INCREDIBLE. If any of you have the desire for more power, torque and speed, a tune is for you. Also, as odd as this sounds and believe me it sounds odd saying this, I am getting better fuel mileage. Here in Michigan we use 93 octane. I know in other states, they limit the octane percentage.

Joe

 

I have the set up from Renntech on my ‘19 SL 550 that plugs into the OBDII port, changes the settings in less than a minute, then you remove. Have never had the car dyno’d but seat of the pants shows noticeable power increase. Mileage LOL! The mileage goes down 3-4 miles per gallon.

 

Thank you. If you remove the chip after installation, can you reuse it?

 

Renntech OBD tune is coded to a given VIN and can not be used in an other vehicle.

 

Yes you can use it in that particular car over and over in case you want to go back to the standard settings when you take your MB in to the dealership for service. Also unlike other set ups you don’t have to take the ECU out of your car and mail it to someplace to flash it for you.

 

The concept of more power and less fuel does seem unlikely.

I know nothing about tuning but from everything I've read, the way to go is to put the car on a dyno and get a remap. However, the thought of being able to "put things back as they were" is also appealing.

 

What is it I said you're contesting? Obviously you can "reuse" it (for the purpose you stated) in the same car over since it is, as I stated, coded to car's VIN that it was initially purchased for. What I said is it can not be reused in an other vehicle, which is what I think OP was asking.

 

Contesting or clarifying?

 

Do not think he needs a spokesperson. My initial post was as clear as daylight, in my view, needing no clarification.

 

Don't get your panties in a bunch over nothing!

 

I use the Renntech tune for local spirited driving especially on drives on twisty country back roads. For extended freeway driving between Houston, Austin, San Antonio and Dallas I de-tune for a bit better gas mileage.

 

Thank you all for your input. Did not intend to wreak havoc just asking one simple question of the validity of a plug in power enhancer for my MB SL 550. As many of you know, the internet is filled with false promises. In this particular case, you may be purchasing a "placebo effect". Not sure many would really go the distance to take the car to get it Dyno'd before, then after.

Unlikely I would.

Thanks!

JD

 

Perhaps I wasn't clear....I wasn't suggesting to get a car dyno tuned and then de tune it.

1) AFAIK a dyno tune is better all round for the right performance / economy balance (depending on what you want)
2) The chip that Utopia mentioned sounds like a good idea as you can tune or de-tune your car as required but is probably not as good a tune as getting it done on a dyno..

 

Thank you, no I did not think you were suggesting a Dyno prior, then after an installation. What I was suggesting is, the misconception that some sellers may sell what you believe is a "power chip" and get nothing more than a 10-20 HP boost.
I did look into the RenTek Chip, rather costly without exactly knowing what you can expect for your purchase. I will look into AFIK as well as the Utopia.

Thanks!

 

Joseph,

I recently looked into a lot of these options. I have no experience with tuning. And with 5+ years of warranty left on my 2017 SL450 I didn't want to jeopardize it.

Renntech is definitely the most popular. But I was really interested in the Weistec. There are many tuning options with various claims of HP and Torque increase. And also Stage 1 v Stage 2. But that's all software.

Weistech offered upgrade turbo blades - To me that's a physical change and would definitely be a guaranteed increase of hp. But the reviews on Weistec all over the internet had too many similar stories that included customer service nightmares. I live about 45 mins from Weistec. And in the past 4 months my emails and calls to get some info and come down for an education have gone unanswered.

Finally last week I started to get some real information. I was talking with a tuner here in Los Angeles. The Stage 1 tuning numbers of 100hp+ boost is based on 100hp from the engine (not at the wheels) and running on 93 Octane fuel.

When you put the car on the Dyno the before and after numbers are not even near 100hp+. And in Calif where 91 is the max Octane gas what started out as a 112hp+ listed gain is really about 60hp.

A Stage 2 - Which is a big jump up in power over Stage 1 for just a little bit of money - is changing the engine's downpipes and removing the CATs.

But when speaking with a reliable tuner, he told me that doing a Stage 2 in a convertible - we won't be happy. Changing the downpipes makes the car extremely loud. He said driving top down with a Stage 2 is not an enjoyable experience, and coming home late at night - all you neighbors will know you're coming.

I have the SL450 and there are no real reviews with real numbers for any of the tuning options. However, the C43 is the same driveline and there are some real world reviews. Apparently most of the buyers of SL's are not really into messing with their cars. But if you look for other cars using the same engine as yours - Whether an E, S, or G - You will find a lot more information regarding aftermarket tuning.

The SL450 with the M276 engine the Turbos are supposedly extremely well designed - and 2 different tuners said that at this time they don't think the aftermarket turbo upgrades are a good idea.

Interesting almost all the tuning companies that offer a Stage 2 tune - they sell the Weistec downpipes.

I bought the DME handheld tuner - It's arriving this weekend.

I will definitely be posting a review once I get a chance to play with it.

Dave B

 

I have been using the oetuning tune on my 14 sl550 for about 4 months now with zero issues.

deciding factor for me was their price and the reviews here on the forum, also the ease of tune upload.

Took me about 5 minutes with their handheld tuner.

as for feedback, its really hard to tell for me as i am not heavy footed , i light up the tires faster with this tune, thats for sure.
i have a custom exhaust on the car, it also is louder, i think reason is the tune also has a better throttle response compared to stock. in the stock setup there is a little gap from when you start to step on pedal and start getting a response from the pedal.with the tune throttle response is quicker and car feels definately jumpier.

bottomline, its good get it.

good luck!

 

I also have the OE Tune on my 2016 SL550 and am extremely happy. The hp and torque claims are legit as I previously had a 2018 C63AMG S and my SL now pulls harder than my AMG ever did. I also put on a Meisterschaft exhaust and my SL sounds so much better than my AMG.

 

Achieving both is not impossible...it's just that most tuners are only concerned with increasing hp, which is achieved under w.o.t./high load conditions. If they were to venture into the other 95% of the mapping, they could indeed improve fuel economy...though it could possibly come at the expense of increased emissions. A guy on YouTube (LegitStreetCars) who normally specializes in rescuing MBs and AMGs recently did a series on a C5 Corvette that he had come across. He had it dyno-tuned for both hp and part-throttle fuel economy...with amazing results. Of course it gained in hp, but it ended up getting better than 40 mpg while cruising on the highway.

 

Anyone have any experience with RaceChip?

 

Spinalator, I installed the "OE TUNE" and as I updated my original post above, I could not be more satisfied.

 

I went with AMR Tuning and their Comport system for my 17 SL550. For the price I get the stage 1 and stage 2 ready in case I choose to do downpipes. Stage 1 for right now is a beast, I am currently upgrading the tire situation, but overall it is incredible the difference. Highly recommend after doing your due diligence. Was going with renntech but AMR offered a better package. Technically 6 tunes in one touch screen.

 

Hi bringing back and old thread here. I also owned an Sl55 in the past and I’m curious as to how the sl550 feels with the OR chip vs the Sl55? Is it as fast/faster?

 

i think on paper r231 sl550 is already faster than sl55, no?

 

I went with the OE Tuning as well. Love it!!!