jambee888

I apologize for these questions, but my other half just acquired a 04 E55 (black/black). I am considering the ECU/Pulley upgrade listed by RENNTech for $5k.

Can those who have done it on their E55 give their honest feedback with the following in mind?

1) Performance - was it really different? How?

2) Price - would you do it again for $5k? Was that a fair price for what you got?

3) Installer - which dealer would you recommend? How would you rate and what's your experience with Autowerks in San Diego???

4) Other Pros and Cons?

I have two options here... get it done via the MBSD dealer or go straight to Autowerks since I am in San Diego. I know however that Autowerks will probably end up doing it for MBSD, and I can take advantage of the FREE ACCELEROMETER offer through them.

Input please???

t-bone

1) I don't really remember what the car used to be like, but I do know that the car REALLY wants to roar now. I can't help but accelerate very quickly when going from a red light. I can't drive it very slow anymore. Hopefully I'll get some time slips to see how fast it is now.

2) I would definately do it again. No hesitation. I feel it was a fair price because I have the peace of mind of a good tuner that developed it and the back up of their warranty. The warranty is what convinced me along with the people who were doing it.

3) I had my upgrade done by Autowerks. They were really good. I highly recommend them. Their customer service was great. And I know that if I ever had a problem, they will try to resolve it immediately. This peace of mind is very important to me. I surely would not have done it if it was offered from some shop I was not familiar with. The guys there gave me confidence in my upgrade.

I suggest you just go directly to Autowerks. It's much easier that way. And like you said, you'll get the free accelerometer.

jambee888

Thanks t-bone. I am 85% convinced but a bit concerned about reliability and warranty prior to your response. With that, I would probably bite the bullet and get it done.

I also wanted to get the steering wheel and rear spoiler like yours. I have a specific budget to spend on the car since its not really mine to drive.

I also saw the CF shift gate cover at the LA Auto Show when the RENNTech E500k with the "Autowerks Express" decals up there.

Do you know by chance if Autowerks Direct and Autowerks Express are two different companies?

awiner

Same company. When Autowerkes sells off their interent site they are known as Autowerks Direct. Their brick and motar store is known as Autowerks Express.

t-bone

Autowerks Direct and Autowerks Express are the same people.

What is your budget? If you are not driving it, may I ask who will be enjoying the beast?

I too am thinking about getting that CF shift gate. However, there are some other things I'd like to get done first.

heh heh....

vlix

do any of u guys have pix of the CF shift gate? i wonder how it looks like. i went to autowerks website but couldnt find it. thx

EDWARD CONROY

I can't drive my car very slow anymore. Good one, T-bone. Can't wait to tell my wife that one. With testimonials like that I won't even have to talk my speed demon of a wife into a performance upgrade.

kaneman

I'd do it again in a heartbeat. The car was fast before but is AMAZING now... the top-end especially... it's mindblowing to nail the throttle at 110-120 and get pushed into the seat as the car surges ahead. What it does from 80 is simply mindblowing. It also makes for devastatingly quick passing... no worries about someone purposely cutting you off or closing a hole in traffic before you can get through... they won't have time! My favorite are soccer-mom Excursion/Suburban drivers that think it's their mission in life to keep traffic speeds down. I will slow down; if they are trying to stay in my way they will slow down with me which opens a hole in front of them. I simply wait until there's enough room and ZOOM. You know you've successfully accomplished your mission when you see them furiously blinking their brights at you in the rearview mirror.

theboogers

you guys with upgrades. can you measure the main dampner (harmonic balancer) pulley and water pump pulley (if it was changed) so others on the board can know what the diameters of the upgraded pulleys are. this would be interesting to compare to other tuners pulley sizes.

Eddie Knopp

I have a question (pardon my ignorance), what exactly does the pulley upgrade do and how does it increase performance ?

Thanks

saber

I just order the Renntech kit (pulley and ECU). I am installing the pulley myself on Saterday and will give an unbiased view on results next week.

Regards

theboogers

saber- are you putting the pulley on a V8 supercharged sl55 style engine?

saber

theboogers,
I am putting the kit on a 2003 e55 that I have modified with the s500 airtube, heat tape on the intakes and high flow filters. Should all be done by Sat

Regards

theboogers

saber- if you would post the pulley sizes that are changed it might help others with comparison. thanks

Pbglas

What is the CF shift gate cover?

stephens

FWIW, from the research i have done, the Renntech kit does not really produce great results, compared to what can be achieved.
My suggestion is to wait and see what Evosport comes up with, if you are looking for a local supplier. My car, for example, has seen double the gains of Renntech cars.

jkrutch

This is my educated guess....
The s/c works off of the same belt system as the pulley that is attached to the crankshaft. The larger the diameter of the pully, the more RPMs the s/c turns with each turn of the motor. The larger pulley makes the s/c turn faster, thus producing more boost (psi).

jambee888

Its the surround made out of carbon fiber (CF) for the shift lever on the center console.

jambee888

In the US, provisions for federal and state emissions are taken into account, plus the fact that the best gas you can use is around 91 octane on the average, is what drives the "lower" settings on these products.

In other words, there is still a lot of room to develop additional horsepower - as suggested by the "all-out" RENNTech SL600 BiTurbo that produces almost 900 horsepower and torque on the wheels.

JAYCL600

I am unfamiliar with this vehicle...do you happen to have any additional information? Thank you.

jambee888

Autowerks Direct is actually working on a 2004 SL600 with the "street version" which does 745 ft-lbs of torque when I visited their facilities.

Here is the RENNTech listing, under SL600 BiTurbo...

http://www.renntechmercedes.com/spla...230sl/R230.pdf

I was told that the published numbers are down-tuned as they've seen as much as 900hp on the dyno.

stephens

That's great, if true, for S/SL600 owners, the issue here is the pulley kit for the SC V8 and frankly, from what I have seen, Renntech does not produce the goods.

saber

So readers can make there own judgments without generic statements about "producing results". The last e55 on the dyno with the Renntech pulley and ECU conversion produced 417 hp and 501lbs of torque to the rear wheels. A factor of 19% was calculated for the flywheel conversion which equates to 515 hp and 618 of torque! You now can make an educated decision for yourselves on if the conversion produces results. I am not affiliated with anyone renntech or powerchip.

theboogers

again i ask. will you guys measure your pulley sizes and post them for comparision by others. thanks.

saber

I intend too by next week

thanks