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SL55/63/65/R230 AMG: SL55 remap and Pulley

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Old Mar 28, 2009 | 06:52 PM
  #1  
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SL55 remap and Pulley

Hi guys,

I know this has probably been asked a 100 times but what HP and Torque figures should I expect to see from a remap and pulley ugrade? (flywheel HP that is)
Using the butt dyno is there a big noticable difference from stock?

I have narrowed it down to DMS or Paramount performance as i'm in the UK. Has anyone exprienced either of these?

My car is a Dec03 car so I assume it is around 500HP stock.

Thanks
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Old Mar 28, 2009 | 10:13 PM
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In search of a sl55
but would like to know myself... await replies.
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 12:25 AM
  #3  
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Renntech claims 538 HP @ 5900 RPM; 566 LB-FT @ 2650-4500 RPM for their package 1, which consists of a pulley + ECU tune.

Kleemann claims 550 HP and 555 lb-ft tq for their K1 package, which consists of a pulley + ECU tune package.

Evosport claims 550 HP, 613 ft-lbs tq for their Evolution 1 power package, which consists of a pulley + ECU tune.

VRP claims 465rwhp and 512rwtq for their VR550, which consists of a pulley + ECU tune. If an 18% drivetrain loss that would equate to 567 hp and 624 ft lbs tq.

Veloce claims 585hp/620 lb ft. for their pulley + ECU tune.

I have the VRP VR600 package with some other mods and the car is much, much faster than stock.

Hope that helps.

Last edited by jmf003; Mar 30, 2009 at 09:15 AM. Reason: Added Veloce
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 06:28 AM
  #4  
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Thanks for the reply,

Without wanting to get into a debate - DMS in the UK claim approx 90hp increase and so do a few other tuners, are these figures realistic? Given 500hp as a benchmark this would be in the 590hp mark?

Thanks
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 09:36 AM
  #5  
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Originally Posted by saulyk
Thanks for the reply,

Without wanting to get into a debate - DMS in the UK claim approx 90hp increase and so do a few other tuners, are these figures realistic? Given 500hp as a benchmark this would be in the 590hp mark?

Thanks
+90 is probably a bit optimistic for a horsepower increase but some tuners (Evosport, VRP) seem to be producing +100 ft lbs of torque with their tunes. Horsepower = (Torque * RPMs) / 5,252.
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 03:05 PM
  #6  
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JMF003,

Thanks for the replies.

DMS qoute 95lb/ft for the conversion.

I know it's not all about horsepower so maybe you can help with my question.

If you had two different tuners and both could tune the car to the same torque figures but one was say 50hp higher than the other, would you notice the hp difference or is it all down to the torque increase for example in a V8 like the 55 S/C engines.

Oh and would my engine be 493BHP from standard?

TIA

Last edited by saulyk; Mar 29, 2009 at 03:06 PM. Reason: adding to text
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 04:51 PM
  #7  
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Originally Posted by saulyk
JMF003,

Thanks for the replies.

DMS qoute 95lb/ft for the conversion.

I know it's not all about horsepower so maybe you can help with my question.

If you had two different tuners and both could tune the car to the same torque figures but one was say 50hp higher than the other, would you notice the hp difference or is it all down to the torque increase for example in a V8 like the 55 S/C engines.

Oh and would my engine be 493BHP from standard?

TIA
I believe your and my '03s both have a nominal 493 bhp.

As far as horsepower and torque go, the peak increase is less important than having a large increase across the usable power band. E.g. https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...soup-vr550.jpg shows a good increase across the power band.

If Tuner A has the best peak values but Tuner B has a larger increase in area under the power band, then your car will be faster with Tuner B.

Suggest you ask both tuners provide you with before-and-after dyno graphs for their tunes and see what they look like. If they don't have that information then it will be an exercise in decision making under uncertainty. The good news is, any halfway decent ECU tune plus a pulley will make your car noticeable faster than stock.

Good luck! Would be interested in hearing a report on your results.
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 04:55 PM
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Thanks for the info, i'll keep you posted on the upgrade.
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 05:42 PM
  #9  
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Originally Posted by jmf003
Renntech claims 538 HP @ 5900 RPM; 566 LB-FT @ 2650-4500 RPM for their package 1, which consists of a pulley + ECU tune.

Kleemann claims 550 HP and 555 lb-ft tq for their K1 package, which consists of a pulley + ECU tune package.

Evosport claims 550 HP, 613 ft-lbs tq for their Evolution 1 power package, which consists of a pulley + ECU tune.

VRP claims 465rwhp and 512rwtq for their VR550, which consists of a pulley + ECU tune. If an 18% drivetrain loss that would equate to 567 hp and 624 ft lbs tq.

I have the VRP VR600 package with some other mods and the car is much, much faster than stock.

Hope that helps.
can somebody tell me the prices of these packages
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Old Mar 29, 2009 | 06:29 PM
  #10  
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I am looking into the same upgrade also in the UK. Performance car magazine run a long termer with DMS stage 2 ie + 90/90 and they appear to be happy. DMS seem to have a good rep in the UK but I find £2800 quite a bit for a remap and pulleys... I called Paramount but they told me that they only do stage 1 remaps ATM for sl55's but do do pulley wheels for Jags etc....
I also called Ray West at west tuning who does quite a bit more for their stage 2 ie, remap, pulleys sl65 throttle body and "modifications to the supercharger" and claim around an 80bhp/90lbft increase for around £3400. So like you I am not sure which way to go. DMS seem to have the reputation but are asking alot for not alot of work I guess the quality of the map is probably the most important thing.
I would really like to try a stage 2 sl55 from one of these tuners but none seem to have a demo car.
If any UK guys with a stage 2 sl55 would like to meet up I would be very interested to see how well your car goes....
Failing that please let me know how you get on, very interested to hear your results.
Having read around the UK forums it appears that a simple stage 1 remap is probably not worth it although others may disagree, I think the boost increase that the pulleys bring is where the power is coming from.
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Old Mar 30, 2009 | 02:30 AM
  #11  
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Depending on pulley size, we tune the ECU's to be compatible with those specific applications. You do have to be careful, because the larger the pulley, the greater the heat. The greater the heat, the more you have to do to improve cooling, or your SC will just shut off.

Additionally, the more tq that you get from the larger pulleys, make it a good idea to add a TCU tune. This will allow the engine's tq to be fully transmitted to the gearbox. Without it, you woun't be able to take full advantage of all the work.

Anyway...... Our ECU/TCU/168mm pulley produces 585hp/620 lb ft. Since we do all our pulleys custom made, we do go larger, and tune for them.

It's also not just about the raw numbers. We broaden the power band and make available more power down low and through the mid range. This, in addition to sharpening the throttle response makes the car more fun to drive... and getting rid of that silly 155 speed limiter!

I hope that clears some things up for you guys.

Last edited by IngenereAMG; Mar 30, 2009 at 02:34 AM.
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Old Mar 30, 2009 | 04:14 AM
  #12  
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VP,

How much do you charge for the conversion?
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Old Mar 30, 2009 | 09:14 AM
  #13  
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Originally Posted by IngenereAMG
Depending on pulley size, we tune the ECU's to be compatible with those specific applications. You do have to be careful, because the larger the pulley, the greater the heat. The greater the heat, the more you have to do to improve cooling, or your SC will just shut off.

Additionally, the more tq that you get from the larger pulleys, make it a good idea to add a TCU tune. This will allow the engine's tq to be fully transmitted to the gearbox. Without it, you woun't be able to take full advantage of all the work.

Anyway...... Our ECU/TCU/168mm pulley produces 585hp/620 lb ft. Since we do all our pulleys custom made, we do go larger, and tune for them.

It's also not just about the raw numbers. We broaden the power band and make available more power down low and through the mid range. This, in addition to sharpening the throttle response makes the car more fun to drive... and getting rid of that silly 155 speed limiter!

I hope that clears some things up for you guys.

Sorry to have left you off my quickie list, Dino...didn't realize that Veloce offered pulleys in addition to ECU tunes!
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Old Mar 30, 2009 | 01:09 PM
  #14  
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Originally Posted by saulyk
VP,

How much do you charge for the conversion?
For which set up would you like pricing for?

ECU only
ECU/pulley
ECU/pulley/TCU

Last edited by IngenereAMG; Mar 30, 2009 at 01:16 PM.
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Old Mar 30, 2009 | 02:18 PM
  #15  
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Hi mate,

All 3 if you don't mind. I'm in the UK, have you got a shop here too?
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Old Mar 30, 2009 | 02:23 PM
  #16  
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Originally Posted by Enigma AMG
I am looking into the same upgrade also in the UK. Performance car magazine run a long termer with DMS stage 2 ie + 90/90 and they appear to be happy. DMS seem to have a good rep in the UK but I find £2800 quite a bit for a remap and pulleys... I called Paramount but they told me that they only do stage 1 remaps ATM for sl55's but do do pulley wheels for Jags etc....
I also called Ray West at west tuning who does quite a bit more for their stage 2 ie, remap, pulleys sl65 throttle body and "modifications to the supercharger" and claim around an 80bhp/90lbft increase for around £3400. So like you I am not sure which way to go. DMS seem to have the reputation but are asking alot for not alot of work I guess the quality of the map is probably the most important thing.
I would really like to try a stage 2 sl55 from one of these tuners but none seem to have a demo car.
If any UK guys with a stage 2 sl55 would like to meet up I would be very interested to see how well your car goes....
Failing that please let me know how you get on, very interested to hear your results.
Having read around the UK forums it appears that a simple stage 1 remap is probably not worth it although others may disagree, I think the boost increase that the pulleys bring is where the power is coming from.
I spoke to Paramount and the guy said that they are awaiting pricing for the SL55 pulleys and they will be available soon. They list the upgrade on their website under 'Power Conversions' but no pricing - states up to 100BHP increase.....

Likewise if there is any Stage2 SL55 owners in the UK i'd appreciate a demo too.

thanks

Last edited by saulyk; Mar 30, 2009 at 02:24 PM. Reason: forgot text
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Old Mar 30, 2009 | 03:41 PM
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Originally Posted by saulyk
Hi mate,

All 3 if you don't mind. I'm in the UK, have you got a shop here too?
ECU only..... $2200 USD
ECU/pulley....$4200 USD
ECU/Pulley/TCU... $6200 USD

Our 55K tuning options are part of our March Madness event that ends 3/31. The prices until then are:

ECU only.... $1870
ECU/Pulley..$3570
ECU/pulley/TCU... $5270

The exchange rate as I write this is 1GBP=1.42USD, so we are a better value than DMS... and I think our guys do amazing work!

Also, as part of our March Madness event, we are including US domestic Fedx Ground shipping. For International orders the shipping prices vary.

To answer your questions about a UK distributor, we currently don't have one, but we service clients all over the world so we can help you too!

Last edited by IngenereAMG; Mar 30, 2009 at 03:49 PM.
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Old Mar 30, 2009 | 04:48 PM
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hi

this is my setup

Brabus Full Pulley Setup
Cats all removed and middle box ( Custom System)
DMS Tuned
K&n Filters

Current Power

Torque - 600 RWHP
BHP - 470 RWPH

Engine Bhp - 570 bhp

i still want more power!! lol

Any ideas are welcome!!!

DMS are good i know they are not cheap but we never have has any probs with them we much have had about 20 cars remapped from them, Speak to ROB as he is the owner and the brains on all the remaps.

But i will get more power out of my car and am looking for any ideas of anyone apart of using Nitrous, looking to achive 550 Bhp to the wheels.

thanks

Last edited by BRABUS786; Mar 30, 2009 at 04:56 PM. Reason: forgot
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Old Mar 31, 2009 | 04:42 AM
  #19  
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ı think you will need a new intercooler and a new pump before you can get more power from your car.heat will kill your power.
ı believe your next step is throttle body and headers and then if you really need more you need cams
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Old Mar 31, 2009 | 09:19 AM
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Originally Posted by dietpepsi
ı think you will need a new intercooler and a new pump before you can get more power from your car.heat will kill your power.
ı believe your next step is throttle body and headers and then if you really need more you need cams
Better cooling is good but the stock heat exchanger on an SL55 is larger than the HEs on many of the other 55K-engined cars. My car with the stock heat exchanger and a replacement Bosch pump was able to hot lap 11.4 second 1/4 mile passes at MIR without heat soaking.

+1 on the suggestion to add a TB, headers, and cams to develop maximum power.
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Old Apr 2, 2009 | 12:58 AM
  #21  
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Originally Posted by jmf003
My car with the stock heat exchanger and a replacement Bosch pump was able to hot lap 11.4 second 1/4 mile passes at MIR without heat soaking.
11,4 sec with a stock sl55 amg is unbelievable.

how did u manage that?

ı never tested my sl55 on a drag strip yet but ı always believed ıt would be over 12's.

ı ordered new pulleys,new intercooler,new pump,spacer, headers and a remap from evosport and ı am expecting around 600hp+ with those modifications and after that ı think ı can come down to 11.4's
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Old Apr 2, 2009 | 02:18 AM
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He is a long way from stock! And he is one of the masters at modding. My guess is that you are at about 670 horse, maybe more. Am I correct, John?
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Old Apr 2, 2009 | 09:20 AM
  #23  
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Originally Posted by dietpepsi
11,4 sec with a stock sl55 amg is unbelievable.

how did u manage that?

ı never tested my sl55 on a drag strip yet but ı always believed ıt would be over 12's.

ı ordered new pulleys,new intercooler,new pump,spacer, headers and a remap from evosport and ı am expecting around 600hp+ with those modifications and after that ı think ı can come down to 11.4's
As BMS wrote, my car is far from stock. It's more-or-less the VRP VR600 package with some extra bits. The best time I've ever read for a stock SL55 is 12.4, so my setup is full second faster than stock.

I'd expect your mods to get you into the mid 11s as you hope but air density and track prep are also key variables, of course. The track prep and air density were terrific on my 11.4 runs; I was able to get 1.69 60' times on both runs.

Good luck! Have fun!

Originally Posted by BMS
He is a long way from stock! And he is one of the masters at modding. My guess is that you are at about 670 horse, maybe more. Am I correct, John?
You are too kind, Mike. I just pay attention when I see smart people talking or writing.

670? I don't know. Your setup is hotter than mine, so you might be closer to 670 than I am.

Milan opens this weekend and the weather forecast looks excellent. I'm going. How about you?
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Old Apr 15, 2009 | 10:03 PM
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What does this do to the warranty if it is a daimler/chrysler extended, does it invalidate the warranty? about to get the 5 year warranty and would hate to spend the money and then lose it after a little modding.
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Old Apr 16, 2009 | 10:41 PM
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Originally Posted by lawdawg
What does this do to the warranty if it is a daimler/chrysler extended, does it invalidate the warranty? about to get the 5 year warranty and would hate to spend the money and then lose it after a little modding.

If you just did our ECU work, your warranty would be fine as the work is invisible.
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