Bearded Bandit

Has anyone had Renntech ECU and pulley upgrade? What is your recommendation.

IanSL55

I've been looking into the EVO/Powerchip, Renntech, and Kleemann ECU's / pulleys. I've only heard good things about Powerchip and Renntech ECU upgrades. It doesn't seem like many people have any experience w/ Kleemann. Personally, my major concern centers around the MBUSA warranty on my '05 SL55.

I contacted all three yesterday and while I have not gotten a reply from EVO or Kleemann, Renntech responded saying that "like any modification it will void the original warranty", but added, "we have not had any problems yet". What worries me in this case is that something goes wrong unrelated to the ECU upgrade and MBUSA still refuses to honor the warranty.

We all spent upwards of $140K on our sleds so I'd think that most of us are cautious 'changing anything'. Any input here would be appreciated...

~ Ian

ekazaz

That's one of the problems I'm having also. I'm thinking that just doing the ECU is the safest. I, too, would like to hear from other SL55 owners.

Mach430

Doing the pulley without an ECU upgrade is quite dangerous, however with an ECU upgrade designed for the new boost using the appropriate octane is quite safe. More HP will increase stress levels for any part of the car involved, however these should not come close to their tolerances.

From what I've seen, upgrading the ECU only will make the car drive more smoother and feel faster by increasing the throttle response, but usually does not lead to high hp gains.

04E55 AMG

If you are looking for just ECU, look up SpeedTuningUSA.com and ask for Oliver. He has done several E55's & SL55's

He is located in MD, and only charges $349 to flash your ECU which also removes your limiter in additon to the better throttle response and extra HP and torque.

IngenereAMG

I did the Speedtuning with Oliver and it is brilliant!! The car was down dor about 2 days while I shipped him the ECU.

The car drives great, has noticibly more punch and the limiter is gone!!! Well worth $349. Those other guys who charge thousands for the same thing are crooks and should be ashamed of themselves.....but I guess if they have customers willing to fork out the dough......

04E55 AMG

IngenereAMG,

I agree with you 100%. Why pay $2K-$3K more for just a ECU if that is all you are looking for. Since I live in MD, my down time would be the 20 minute drive to see Oliver and the 30 minutes for him to flash my ECU. Seems like a no brainer to me for the cost.

IanSL55

Is this a UNDETECTABLE or REVERSABLE mod? Does Oliver extend any type of warranty coverage?

Personally, the cost is my third concern behind WARRANTY and QUALITY. Warranty being paramount by a wide margin.

~ Ian

theboogers

i was one if the first to use oliver for a sl55. this has been fine for over a year. save the money and use oliver at speedtuning. your car is under warranty and the dealer cannot detect the changes.

dinko

I just spoke to Oliver on the phone (Dino, thanks!) and I can't wait to make upgrades to my SL55 and SLK55.

I was told that the SL55 chip puts out another 30 hp and 30 tq + no limiter!

However, I will only be making upgrades to the SLK55 first.

IngenereAMG

You will love the the work from Oliver. How much increase is he claiming for the SLK?

RRevolution

Wouldn't it be great, if the companies sent you the software and you can automatically download by yourselves with having to go through the trouble of sending the ECU & having to wait to return it.

I'm just saying this, because my wholesaler for BMW performance parts, AA tuning, just does this. It save a lot of time & money. When you order a supercharger kit from them, you don't have to send them your DME, they will give you the software transfer system so you can do it yourself. Quite impressive.

OzSL55

I've said this in other ECU posts and I'll add it again. Recognised chiptuners I've dealt with do not acknowledge ECU flashing to give the same result as actual chip replacement. The whole reason chip replacement still exists is because of the increased tuning parameters it offers. I'm sure if anyone where to actually speak to Renntech or any other tuner who works with chips and ask them why they don't just use ECU reflashing to do the job they will explain it in detail to you. I'm sure the tuner that does all my chips here would be happy to handle enquiries on this subject as I have mentioned these forum discussions to him on chip vs. ECU flash on several occasions. Go to www.qsz.com.au and drop them a line by email.

dinko

I believe he stated a 20 - 30 hp increase.

04E55 AMG

Speedtuning dyno charts are very similiar to all other tuners for just having the ECU mod. For $349 I would take a ECU flash anytime and have the same results. You have to be nuts to pay $2K-$3K more if you are looking for just a minor ECU tuning.

IanSL55

As I mentioned before, I think the many people considering a ECU upgrade factor their warranty into the equation (along w/ price and performance)...

I would assume if something went wrong with the car that Mercedes could test the flashed ECU, discover it was altered, and void the warranty. Now if you buy a chipset, you could swap back the old ECU and avoid this possibility altogether no?

After paying 130-140K for our AMG to start with, I would assume that saving $2-3K and voiding the warranty wouldn't be saving much in the long run... Just my 2 cents.

~ Ian

IngenereAMG

I have been told that the mods are undetectable. My dealer went through my ECU and could find nothing. However, I know it's quicker and it does over 200 flat out!

Bilal

I know its not worth it, but if any of you are ever interested in the Brabus K8 kit then this is what is entailed, expensive at 13K but this is what they give you....

The Brabus K8 kit includes additional coolers as well. When you change the pullies and ECU, the pulley belt life is largely governed by heat stress. Therefore Brabus add additional coolers and new pulleys on every single component to make sure all relative gearing is correct. Extreme heat causes the pulley material to deteriorate, so they use a new longer eight-ribbed belt, and as the belt transfers its heat to the pulleys, which act as a heat sink, they use special ventilated pulleys with greater surface radiating area to keep the whole belt and pulley system as cool as possible.

The factory IHI supercharger is running at 0.8 bar of boost, and at peak revs consumes 91bhp. The Brabus conversion runs 1.1 bar boost and the system consumes 106bhp, but gives back 50hp and 80NM more.

Brabus also use a special radiator with 50% bigger capcaity. As the AMG intercooler is a water/air type under the supercharger, it is vital to cool the liquid as fast as possible. They use an additional intercooler and a second electric pump to increase the flow around the whole system. They also have an additional oil cooler in the front, the resultant modifications let Brabus use the 1.1 bar boost with no problems. The power increase is well within the parameters of the standard fuel injectors, so they are untouched, but the ECU is modified to look after the different fuelling, ignition and boost requirements....

Not as simple as a pulley and chip mod is it? Agreed, its not worth it, but they sure do the R&D for their work and with a three year warranty, it looks tempting...for the newbie buyer.

OzSL55

I'll tell you, I didn't pay $2-3K more for mine, no siree! More like a few hundred packaged with the pulley upgrade. I'm not going to go on debating it, but there's more to than just comparing dyno charts. If ECU flashing was so superior there would no reason for chip based tuners to stay with that method on flashable models. Also not all ECU flashes are $349, the last one I checked out was nearly $2k.

BenzoAMGpower

20-30hp increase on a normally aspirated 5.4L M113 V8 with ECU tuning alone.. I HIGHLY doubt it!!

IngenereAMG

All this talk about massive hp/torque increases are mainly good for arguing over a beer with your mates. My primary pupose for ECU flashing was to remove the speed limiter so that I could fully enjoy the car. Frankly the extra power wasn't my goal. These cars have more than enough power straight away.

If you guys want to go faster....you would be far better off 'investing' the $2-3K in a high performance driver's school. You will find the results far more rewarding that the power gains and then you will find exploiting the power that you have available (which is HUGE) unbelievably rewarding.

I have outrun some seriously fast cars at the track and on mountain roads with a pretty stock SL55. I'm not trying to say that I'm something special....but there is nothing to replace great education and lots of practice!

dinko

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/speedt...roducts/mb.htm

BenzoAMGpower

i would love to see a car on the dyno in person get that many gains on a ECU upgrade alone. I mean will the company gaurantee that if you put u do a before and after dyno on ur car and it doesnt put out the claimed gains tehn they will return ur money?

IanSL55

I absolutely agree. I took a day class up at Infineon Raceway a few years back and it UNLOCKED a lot of HIDDEN performance in me...

- TheInsider

dinko

This may sound funny, but I believe that Oliver/Speedtuning are a easy to work with company. And if you kindly tell them you're not happy with what they've done, they will refund your money. For $350 I take this is a no-brainer when comparing to Renntech/Powerchip who charge well over $1k - $3k.

I can't wait until April to put the chip in; I'll be sure to let you know how the car runs.

And BenzoAMGpower, I would really like to see your car in person. The CF hood and all other mods you've done look awesome! Keep up the great work!