Benz-O-Rama

Yes, another damn tuner thread. I know, sorry. Crack a beer, kick your feet up, put the laptop on your lap and enjoy. Well, don't get the laptop too close to your man marbles, because it promotes sperm deterioration. Well, unless you're named Bukasa or Roupin. Those guys just shouldn't procreate.


I've recently found out that there's a bit of misinformation 'out there', about my feeling of current and past tunes/tuners.

Here's my story, straight from the horse's(***) mouth....err....fingers.


First tune was performed by Wayne, formally of Eurocharged, at a dyno day here in DC. It wasn't a custom dyno tune, but rather a box tune, while strapped to a dyno, a Dyno Dynamics. Gains were 50HP/80TQ at the wheels, in very hot weather. I left happy, with my new found power.

Fast forward a couple of weeks. I started having a few hiccups in my tune, where the car would stutter at partial, but aggressive throttle. It was diagnosed as torque limiters in the transmission. Made sense to me. Jerry sent me a remote tuning kit, modified my file to a slightly detuned flavor of their box tune, with lower torque, uploaded it to my ECU and all was well.

Track day came and my best run was an 11.55@120 in decent D/A. Never had any problems, and took it to various tracks, with various levels of prep. Sometimes we had great D/A sometimes horrible D/A and the car always ran 11.50's - 11.60's in good/decent D/A and normally ran 11.7x once we started reaching +1500ft or so.

At another MIR track day in March '10 I was able to run a bunch of 11.4x's with my best being an 11.40@120, good enough for #2 quickest, and my current PB. Had great D/A that day, if memory serves.

A few months back I made the decision to take the next step in my mod progression. I decided that I wanted a TCU tune. I wanted this for two reasons. I wanted the torque limiters raised, so the car stopped neutering itself, and the added benefit of a manual mode. Between the time that I originally got my Eurocharged ECU tune, and the time that I decided to get my TCU tune, there were various stories of unhappy E/C customers, blown engines, lots of drama and finger pointing. There's always 3 sids to those stories:

1. What the tuning company says happened
2. What the customer says happened
3. What really happened.

I never had any problems with my Eurocharged ECU tune but I won't lie, at times I did feel uneasy about my tune, and briefly thought about flashing back to stock. Not sure about you guys, but I don't have 30K of disposable income laying around, in this economy, for a blown V12TT. Not saying that my engine was going to blow, but whenever you see horror story threads, you almost always put yourself in that position and wonder 'what would I do'. Kind of like watching ****, ya know?

So, back to a few months ago. I wanted a TCU tune, but I also didn't want to mix and match ECU/TCU vendors. At the time, Eurocharged didn't offer a TCU tune for the V12TT, but I had heard great things about Speedriven's TCU tunes. I knew that Bruce from TT Motorsports was a vendor for Speedriven, so he was the first call I made.

I don't have a well enough command of the English language, to use the proper adjectives, and describe the way Bruce treated me. I have never given Bruce, or TTM one dime. Not one. But he stopped whatever he was doing, took my calls, gave his advice about what I should and shouldn't expect out of a Speedriven TCU tune, and answered every question I threw at him. I'm not talking about one phone call, guys. I'm talking about me harassing him. I explained my concerns about running an ECU tune and TCU tune from different vendors. He mentioned that Speedriven had teamed up with Aleks and Elite Performance and that Elite Performance had a V12TT ECU tune to work specifically with Speedriven's TCU. He even made the calls to them, on my behalf, to confirm that they indeed have such a product, and that I was interested. He put me in contact with Aleks, and left me in good hands.

Now, about Aleks and Elite Performance. Again, just like TTM, and Jerry, Aleks couldn't have been any better with his customer service. I talked to him many, many, many times before I decided to pull the trigger on the tunes. He not only answered all of my questions, but explained to me exactly what he was going to do, not gonna do, what to expect, what not to expect, and so on. After I felt comfortable with what was going to be done, I removed my ECU and attempted to remove my TCU, but was having trouble. He called me, no less than 5 times, many texts, and emailed WIS documents, during my steel cage match with this TCU. I even called Thericker to help me, as my TCU decided it wanted to stay put. After a bit of 'negotiating' with my TCU, it believed that it was in it's best interest to just come out of the car. I mailed them to Aleks, and received them back, lickety split. I installed the ECU and the TCU, the car came to life and away I went.

I immediately noticed a difference in power delivery. The car felt less strong down low, but on full boost it was much stronger. Shifts were crisper, and as any V12TT owner will tell you, there's a hesitation after the car shifts, until boost comes back online. Not anymore, it's gone. Feels like the car never loses boost. Again, I was very much satisfied with my new tune.

Fast forward again to the September MIR rental. My personal best was only .15 off the quickest SL600 on record. I was hoping with my new ECU/TCU, I'd be able to take home the title. As luck would have it, weather did not cooperate and we were stuck with a D/A of close to +2000ft. The car ran consistent 11.7@117 over and over and over again. Bruce texted me a few times to find out how I was doing and I gave him the news. It wasn't that I was upset, but I was certainly disappointed in my results. Especially because my butt dyno, told me the car was faster. After (7) 11.7x@117 runs, I gave up.

But then I heard that Jeremy of OE Tuning was at MIR and was tuning cars. I had heard nothing but GREAT things about Jeremy, so I decided to introduce myself to him, and pick his brain about what he thought my issue was. Guys, Jeremy is awesome. I explained to him my car's history, and what was currently happening to it. He made some suggestions at what he thought the issues could be then said "You wanna try my tune?" I wasn't sure. But after thinking about it, I had a great opportunity staring me in the face. This was a perfect time to see if there was a problem with my tune, my car, or the if it was just the weather. I agreed to the tune and Jeremy went to work on her like a skilled surgeon. 30 minutes later, I was in the staging lanes again. First pass: 11.60@119.8, second pass: 11.60@119.6. Great times for the horrible +2000ft D/A. I thanked Jeremy for a job well done, and again, I left satisfied.

I contacted Aleks and notified him of my results, and informed him that I had gone a different way for an ECU tune. He was understanding, great about the whole thing, and even sent me a very informative email about his tuning philosophy, and why he believes my results were what they were. I felt satisfied with his response, and I whole heartedly endorse his tunes for someone that wants safe gains. He prefers to tune on the safer side, rather than push the limits. Can't really argue with that philosophy.

Fast forward once again to the October MIR rental. Alright, here we go fellas. Strong ECU, strong TCU....the record is mine, right? Wrong. With my new ECU tune, mated with my Speedriven TCU tune, the track couldn't hold the car. We had absolutely AMAZING D/A, as records and personal bests were falling like my 401k last year. Problem is, I was spinning like a stripper on the pole at The Spearmint Rhino.

So, here we are today. We have the November MIR rental coming up. I've ditched the 20" bling, and with the help of TMC_M5 and oldgixxer, I have a set of 18" wheels and Mickey Thompsons to keep me glued down. Hopefully the weather cooperates and I'll set a new PB.

So, I know this was a very long winded post, and somewhat redundant to a post I made a few months back. The reason is because there's a rumor that I'm not happy with my Jeremy- O.E. Tuning, ECU tune. That's just not the case, fellas. I couldn't be happier. I also couldn't be happier about my Speedriven TCU tune. It appears that I have a strong combo with this setup, even though I was initially concerned about mixing and matching vendors. I'm learning as I go along, just like the rest of you.


Anyway, I have no idea who said that I was not happy with my OE Tuning ECU, nor do I really care. I've met many people from this forum, and I challenge anyone on here to contact any of them, and ask them what they think about me, my character, or my word. I don't lie, and have no reason to. Hopefully, it was just a mistake, and not someone purposely spreading falsities.

The only thing that I can think of, is that when most people change tuners, they end up bashing them. I have no reason to bash E/C, Elite Performance nor will I. Jerry was always great with me, and my car ran well with his tune. Aleks was equally awesome and I would recommend his tune as well. But I feel like my current setup is the strongest to date. Hopefully, I have better results at MIR in a few weeks.

See you guys there.


--Clayton

jimmyp

Nice post Clayton, see you the 20th!

Roupin

Thanks for editting the part about my laptop on my man marbles after I read the whole damn thing.

Benz-O-Rama

Without a doubt. Love to see your cars run. Whatcha bringing this time?

Ha! Edited again, just for you.

Roupin

I'll be right over

lowprofile

Very well written including qualitative and quantitative data. Lot's of luck taking that #1 spot!
I had a very similar experience, and also switched from Jerry to Jeremy. I have nothing negative to say about my prior tune. However, I will point out that my current tune made more power under the curve, and my only track experience so far resulted in a 11.14 @ 124.5
I hope to make it down to MIR with you!

bassn_07

Very nicely written Clayton! It's about time someone respectively summarizes their experience with various vendors. I look forward to seeing the 2 fastest SL's right now battling for the #1 spot...BOR vs Thericker. It will be up to you 2 guys to set the bar even higher on your platform. Without friendly competition we would probably still be in the 12's...lol.

Good luck Clayton at I hope you kick some a$$ at MIR.

motorkas

Not exactly the "shout out" I'm use to but. . .sure beats condoms (for the record MacBooks are the most "green" laptops)

While I'm personally suspicious of anybody who employs a full time nanny. . .and buys them a MB. . .and lists these particular facts in their forum sig . . . Clayton is nothing but a stand-up guy. . .period. During the whole "blown engine" mayhem, I spoke with him and many other members about EC and the their tunes (which I had on my car at the time). He has never "taken sides" throughout the whole affair, just simply stated his opinion and the facts that pertained to HIS experiences with EC and how HIS cars performed with their tunes (his numbers speak for themselves - which are also listed in his sig crediting the appropriate tuners). In speaking with him privately (off line) his statements that were written above are EXACTLY what he has said. . .in the past. . .before the "tuner wars" started up again- NO DEVIATION. I do not know if someone is spreading rumors, and if so why, but Clayton is giving it to you from the horses mouth and I for one believe every word he wrote.

MBH motorsports

that place kicked my wallet's butt! Nothing like the fee limo ride to and from

Benz-O-Rama

You people and your damn low 11's. I hate you all.

Thanks Alan, or is it Alain. Everyone spells your name different.

Sean's car is faster, I'm pretty sure. After his Misha build, he'll get it out to the track. I can only hope for 100* days and horrible D/A every time he runs.

And I can only hope that Soulsearcher and Outcast never post a timeslip. Those are some scootin' 600's. I'm pretty much a 'tune only' car. I'll do some cooling mods and have have Jeremy custom dyno tune her in the Spring. Bruce doesn't know it yet, but he'll be turning the wrenches. The least I can do is give the man, actual money.

Now, if you only knew how to golf. Complete aside here...and probably better taken offline. But my wife really enjoyed the company of yours the other day. Wants to do dinner/drinks and then end the night with hookers and blow. Sound good?

I also need to update my Sig. The C240 is all hers, for keeps. Good thing, I feel for anyone who has one of these things.

That efffing place, I swear. I'm usually not one to drop a bunch of coin at those types of establishments, but I fell in love like 14 times that night. I think there's over 60 girls working at one time, on a Saturday night. Each one hotter than the next.

02cl55amg

i had brand x tune(unknown-bought used) in the car when i bought my cl65. car ran strong. i then 6 mos later took advantage of a eurocharged dyno day in vegas. car made alot more power,but i had the same hicups and hesitations as you desribed. with all the neg publicity ec was getting at the time, i sent my ecu to speedriven where they re-worked it made sure it was safe and i never looked back. car ran a 11.1@125 in +3500 da and 75* temps. i have full exhaust,k&n filters and ice res in the trunk. im pretty sure in better da and with some kind of aftermarket cold air kit i could go 10's. instead, i have the speedriven tcu,intake, intercoolers & 100 octane tune here next week and track day on nov 10th to test here in vegas

pearlpower

Someone get this man a woman STAT! LOL j/k

Perhaps one of the better post in recent times, thanks for sharing.

Speedriven1

Go get that no. 1 ... let me know if you want some SD stickers, too.

Quadcammer

thought you sold the car?

MBH motorsports

I agree 100% I hit for $1500 on a slot minutes before I hopped int he limo to go to the SR. By the time I walked out of there I had just enough cash on me to tip the driver.

BTW: thats a very good read. However I was out of beer last night so i didn't get to have a beer while reading it.

Benz-O-Rama

HA! Been with the same amazing woman for what must be 12 or 13 years now. Why she stays with me, is a complete mystery. My man marbles must be doing the trick.

Gonna try my best, Marcin (Actually, Marcin's SN is DSMED, right?). Finally gonna outfit her with a set of DRs. 11.23 is an awful tall order for my mods, but maybe we get lucky with a -2000ft D/A day, and I can squeak it out. Do me a favor and sabotage Ricker's, Outcasts, and Soulsearcher's car.

Nope. We were getting ready to, but in the 11th hour, my wife reached a deal that kept our live-in daycare in place. Because of that, I was able to keep the 2-seater.

I don't think I dropped $1500.00, but it was every bit of $600-700. All I left with, was a set of blue *****, and a complete and utter disability to stand and walk.

Speedriven1

Marcin is DSMED or something, ya. This is Jo. I'm shorter, fatter, but otherwise pretty much the same product as MK. Good to meet you.

E55Bullet

Sorry to be a butt-head, but it's hard to compare different tunes in the 1/4 with different DA and wheel/tire set-up!

Good luck on breaking the record!

-Chad

motorkas

I know it's not meant that way; his father and brother are/were both professional racers. I think its fair to assume he gets a little leeway with comparing different tire/wheel set-ups/ DA due to being surrounded by the sport all his life and while not exactly accurate - he's usually pretty close to the real number.

E55Bullet

Oh I know, Im not disrespecting him, I was just saying that from a non-professional racing background it just kinda sounded that way. I'm not against any tuner, and love how they all push each other to the next level, It just seems that Jerry's tune was the fastest in the 1/4 due to the times he ran..If only we had a "predator" type device for our cars where we could have different tunes and tuner's loaded on them... Now that would be cool and push the tunning bar a little higher...

-Chad

Dsmed

We do have a flasher similar to the predator. Only issue is tuners don't like to had their files over to others to put on a flashing device because of IP theft issues. We encrypt the files so that only that flasher will upload that file but it still has to come to us to encrypt and vin lock to that car.

E55Bullet

Are these devices able to hold multiple tunes for different purposes? 1/4, 40 roll, mile etc?

Dsmed

The flasher holds 2 files. But you can upload any 2 files of your choice via USB on it. The files can be whatever you choose, it can be from various tuners or race gas vs. pump, etc.

TMC M5

Excellent post! I was getting worried there for a minute reading through post.

I am glad that Rob was able to hook you up. Funny how things work out!

Tom

Benz-O-Rama

Thanks BT.

But actually, the man has a valid point.

E55Bullet,

You may have missed it, since my post was like the Gettysburg Address, but I was actually able to test two tunes, head-to-head, at the same track, same car, 30 minutes apart. The OE Tuning tune outperformed the Elite Performance tune by nearly .20 and close to 2mph.

However, I was not able to run a Jerry vs. Jeremy showdown.

You're also correct in stating that, to date, my quickest ET was with Jerry's tune. That run was an 11.40@120, with a silly 1.70 60' on street tires. I don't expect to better the 1.70, but rather get consistant 1.7x 60's with the new rubber. So, I'm hoping to be able to call the 60's a wash, in November, and look at the MPH. That will tell me more about my WHP, than anything else. I still have the timeslip from my 11.40 run, so I can use a D/A calculator w/ correction, against my new tune.

Also, for the record, my father was in fact a pro drag racer. He paid the bills with it. My brother is more of a weekend warrior. Although he does participate in the NHRA points races, he holds down a full time job. I can distinctly remember turning wrenches on Tod Mack's funny car (Big Mac Attack) as a very young boy. So yeah, I breathed more tire smoke and VHT than oxygen as a child, which explains a lot. Tod used to own MIR waaaaaay back in the day, and eventually sold it to Royce Miller. My father was friends with Tod, so that afforded me the opportunity to be around some very cool chit as a kid. But I digress...

http://www.draglist.com/stories/SOD%...SOD-081900.htm

Marcin, I never got a chance to thank you personally for my TCU tune. I'm taking the opportunity now. Thanks man, I'm diggin' it.

Tom, Rob was Johnny on the spot with those DRs. He's bringing down to MIR for me too! How about that! You gonna be there?