houston

what stage I package do u guys think is better. i respect all opinions without flaming. all speculations, facts, etc welcome

renntech = $4,995
evosport = $3,995

i notice u get underdrive accessory pulleys with evosport
( if u really don't necessarily need the underdrive acessory pulleys i think u should put it on unless it's results are enough to really do so, cuz once u do those u start messing around with other things IMO )

http://www.renntechmercedes.com/spla...11/EClass.html


http://evosport.com/product/perf/per...html#evo_power


i'm thinking of ordering the renntech coming up next week and have hoped i make and awesomeon choice.! i would love all feedback tho so i can rebrainstorm to make a better judgement

Redlinerobert

I'm facing the same decision....

Teej55

I'd like to know too

VelocitE55

Same decision coming for me too. Lets hear it.

cte430

I'm also thinking, LOL. Lot's of thinking going on here. You could also throw Kleemann into the mix. I was thinking of the Evo stage 1 and 2 and it is priced similarily to the Kleemann kit. $7,000-$7,500

saber

I faced the same decision six months ago. I went with Renntech and they have been great. The product is top notch and the time spent on the phone with me has been very helpful. I have called them over seven times on a variety of topics and they have always spent the time on the phone to answer my questions and talk about my results. I even sent my ECU back recently to have it upgraded for free when another version of software came out. No questions asked. There is no risk with Renntech if you want the best. Awhile back I posted detailed instructions on my experie nce installing the pulley system. You may find it very helpful if you want to install yourself. Feel free to contact me for more detailed info.

E55_POWER

I think everyone that has modded or will be modding at one point or another were in the same boat. I was in this situation 2 weeks ago, but I was looking at Kleemann as well. I chose to go with Renntech because Bob spent literally an hour on the phone with me and basically explained the technical side of things. What I liked about him was that not once did he bad mouth any of the other vendors. Evo was a close 2nd only because I felt that they were too "young" in the MB tunning side of things compared to Renntech. I will be sending my ECU out on Wednesday...

cte430

E55 power, any reason you did not go with kleemann? Anything with their kit you didn't like, or were you just comfortable with your conversations with Bob at Renntech? Which is fine.

E55_POWER

Biggest reason was, that they didn't have pullies in stock, they don't return calls when you leave a message on their A/M or Vmail...aside from that, I'm sure they have a GREAT product as well.

dgussin1

THEY ALL USE THE SAME TUNERS.

Renntech, evosport, Kleemann and the others all use powerchips tuning. The only difference is the pulleys themselves.

E55_POWER

Are you sure? Can you confirm this?

MrBonus

I don't doubt the pulleys are nearly the same as well.

M5KILLR

from what i know everyone does not use the same software upgrade. renntech and granatelli motorsports licensed amg upgraded software and dont use powerchips. i was told that if you ordered a powerchip directly from the powerchip co. they essentially shortchange the upgrde by leaning the mixture (dont quote me exactly) but evo has spent considerable time adjusting the chip to cater to the e55 specifically. the owner of granatelli, who doesnt advertise this on their website will tell you and sells the upgrade for 1,000 less. as far as headers, pulleys etc you need to look to evo or renntech etc. for a 1,000 less i still would go with renntech for the peace of mind. even though i was not the original purchaser of the sl 7.4 upgrade they have spent considerable time with me on the phone answering questions.

cte430

That's surprising. I've sent Cory a few e-mails in the last few days and the response has been extremely quick and courteous. Maybe their customer svce. is improving? always a good thing.

VelocitE55

Whats up with the factory warranty when you go with a stage 1 kit for example? Will it affect the factory warranty in any way?

Dr Chill

That is ridiculous. Just take a trip to Renntech and talk to Hartmut-the guru-about the bogus work done on these high end ECU's by Powerchips in their secret backrooms. Renntech does their own R + D and charges appropiately (albeit high dollars) for their services. They dyno all their products and track test the cars locally as well before and after mods.


Bob Brady is a good guy too.

Sleestack

No offense, but, just b/c Renntech bashes on Powerchips you think it is true? You don't think they have an incentive to criticize other tuners that can offer competitive products at a lower price. I think Renntech does great work, however, some of their customers talk about them as though they are the only capable MB tuners around. Although it might not be the case any longer, Renntech used to OEM alot of their products from MKB, the real rocket scientists.

The fact is, as the world of MB tuning has grown, other companies have been able to put out top notch tuning packages at more competitive prices. If I lived in Florida, I might be turning to Renntech, but living on the west coast, I have no reservations bringing my car to Evosport or Kleemann. I have had a few cars significantly tuned by Evosport. None of them have ever had a problem and the dynos have more than backed their promises.

Marcus Frost

I like both companies as well, and have spoken to both about their products. I do not think either have any shady dealings going on... especially the kind Dr. Chill is describing. Remapping ECUs is not rocket science. Evosport makes claims and their products seem to have the #s to back it up. Do you think they they'd honestly put out a product and give #s only to have one of us find out they are total liars? I don't want to sound naive, but they are a pretty big and respected shop.

I've exchanged a number of emails with Vadim @ evosport and feel very confident in their knowledge and reputation. I've built some wild street cars on my own, using total standalone engine management systems, huge fuel systems, and more horsepower than today's Formula 1 cars. I don't mean to toot my own horn but I know a thing or two about making cars fast and I don't ask softball questions when I talk to tuners, I ask questions that can only be answered by people who know what they are talking about.

I've also spoken to Renntech and they are a great group of guys, who are als very knowledgeable. There have been a couple of posts on here that have somewhat put into question Renntech's claims on HP gains with their stage 1, and I don't know whatever came of them. I want to enjoy my car in it's stock configuration for a little bit before I starting upgrading this winter/spring, but I'm sure I'll wind up going with one of those two companies.

Regards,

Marcus

CynCarvin32

Exactly right Doc! RENNtech is a long lived tuner who has been working on MB's for the last 25 years (minimum).

Powerchips is not on the same playing fiend as RENNtech. Mr. Feyhl is one of the most reputable MB tuners world wide and he has made the US market his main focal point. He builds nothing but the finest parts with the highest quality parts. He makes parts that people are willing to pay the extra dollars to have. Why would you put 4k into a pulley kit that is made by a tuner who has been working on MB’s for 2 years when for 1k more, you could have one which was designed and tested by a firm like RENNtech (don’t forget the warranty they offer on their modified parts – larger company can back a warranty while small firms shut down when things get rough). RENNtech has access to knowledge that no other tuner could ever dream of acquiring.

If I were to buy a pulley kit for my E55 or SL55 I would never consider any other firm other than RENNtech. This kit makes the power they claim (in real world conditions not just on a dyno pull). In fact RENNtech cars often make MORE power than they claim because their tuning goes beyond what the competition can achieve. Instead of giving aggressive power figures, they give conservative numbers and leave the rest as unexpected bonus.

I know a RENNtech car can be driven hard all day long in hot weather and have the same reliability as the factory car. Think of it as factory tuning pushed a bit further than before.

Most of the time a powerchip simply feel faster but they rarely create the expected increase in raw power.

Bob Brady is a great guy with many years of expertise.

CynCarvin32

Your MKB point is not valid. They are not a MKB re-seller in any way. Such comments are spread by tuners who are trying to claw away at RENNtechs reputation. Trouble is, their business is growing at levels never seen before.

Sleestack

I didn't say they currently source from MKB, however, unless MKB is lying, there was a time when they did. I have MKB parts in my car. They are top notch, designed by brilliant engineers, and nothing to be ashamed of.

Sleestack

Now you wouldn't be a little biased would you? Everyting you say is great, but doesn't change the fact that other companies are putting out tuned MBs that have no issues with reliability, perfect driveability and dyno proven gains. Furthermore, while ECU tuning on MBs can be more complex, there is no magic to tuning MBs. Unless Renntech is using fairy dust on their pulleys, I don't see how they can really be that different.

I think it is great that you support Renntech, but I think quite a few other tuners have shown that they are fully capable of creating amazing cars. Furthermore, believe it or not, a company like Kleemann might actually have more expertise in some areas (e.g. proprietary SCs) than Renntech.

CynCarvin32

You have the chicken and egg story backwards .... been at evo to long i think

CynCarvin32

If a company has existed for say 2 years and built but a few real motors how can we sit back and say how long their mods last?

Now if a firm has built hundreds of cars and had virtually no failures that say something.

Of course there are many great companies but time tells a nice story sometimes.

And the stories I have read about kleemann parts... I would never use a part with their name on it.

Sleestack

What are you talking about? Been at Evo? Evosport had nothing to do with my MKB tuning and they are located over 400 miles away from me. Chicken and egg story backwards? So I guess you are trying to say Renntech was supplying parts to MKB? I don't think so.