I want to take this opportunity to make the forum aware of a few things as it relates to the recent advances in TCU tune availability and the good work performed by Senad aka 5Soko in NYC to advance this access. If people have questions, refer them to this post or have them reach out to me via PM.

Up until very recently, if you wanted a TCU tune, it appeared your only recourse was to go with Brand X for those of us in the USA, or at least that’s all that seemed to be available to the general enthusiast population.

We, as consumers, are not always abreast of the latest advances that companies are developing for the market place, or the time-frame to roll out, and we also sometimes would prefer alternatives for product access.

To start, there appear to be a few companies and individuals who are out there suddenly making TCU tunes available. I want to discuss how the evolution of the current TCU availability came to be and who the actual players are to avoid confusion.

I’d like to single out Senad (aka 5Soko) first and acknowledge his involvement in this space for the better part of the last 6 months. He has been very active in the W212 community.

To say Senad is a motivated enthusiast is an understatement. Everything he does is for the betterment of our passion. He has zero commercial interests; he just wants the best for the car crowd.

Over the last few years he has been working with local enthusiasts in the NYC area actively working with them providing ready access to his HPTuners suite and general knowledge. He has helped many fellow enthusiasts, myself included. When I was developing my E50 tune with Jerry, Senad was the one who helped me set up my logging configurations. He was also able to share with me logs from other platforms to compare my performance against. Some of that collaboration made its way into a few of the posts on here.

One thing in particular that we found of interest was the apparent TCU interaction that imposes itself on the ECU, regardless of tuner. We came to the joint realization that the throttle closure seen in our logs was not evident in cars that had been TCU tuned. It also helped explain why some vehicles making massive power were not really that much faster in the quarter mile then others. We brought this new found knowledge to the greater group via these forums. Things were starting to make sense for us.

It was then that Senad started making enquiries into the TCU aftermarket world. The industry is very tight lipped but Senad was able to make contact with someone in Germany who had the ability to tune our cars, with a proven track record of doing so. So what does an enthusiast with no commercial interest do next? You get on a plane and go visit the individual. That’s how keen Senad was to bring this capability to the USA as an alternative solution.

Around this time I also contacted Jerry at Eurocharged to see if he had anything in the works. He told me that he had a development in the works but it was still a ways away.

Senad went to Germany, met the individual, and established a relationship. Fast forward a few months and suddenly the German entity reached back out to Senad. He would help Senad bring a MCT TCU tune to his fellow enthusiasts in the NYC area.

Things started in earnest a couple of weeks ago, and suddenly we were seeing draggy posts of cars dipping into the 10.7s etc. All these cars benefitted from the addition of the TCU tune, whether they sported one ECU tune or another. Senad held tuning sessions at a local home of one of the enthusiasts and everyone was over the moon about the TCU tune, its capabilities and how the cars reacted to it.

The draggy posts were the result of Senad’s direct efforts to help bring an alternative TCU tune to his friends in NYC. As is apt to happen, these draggy slips started showing up in other threads. Whether intentional or not, many times these draggy runs were attributed to another tuner. While it’s true that these other tuners improved these cars above stock, it was Senad’s direct efforts and relationship with the German tuner that allowed these guys in NYC to suddenly gain 0.3 seconds in the quarter and turn a 10.7 on their first run, no one else. For that Senad needs recognition.

It’s no secret that I’ve always wanted a TCU for my car so I was eager to get my own TCU tune to see what would happen. I was over the moon about the results and Senad’s feedback. I started working with Senad on a brochure to start generating interest in the TCU tune locally to help bring the TCU tune (and Senad) to the Houston area in the same way Senad brought it to NYC. Basing my flyer on his input and knowledge of the product offering, I created the flyers currently circulating. Those flyers contain content directly received from Senad and the draggy times were from cars he provided the TCU tune for. I wanted to acknowledge his contribution here.

Out of courtesy, I reached back out to Jerry @ Eurocharged to let him know what I was planning and he informed me his M157 product still was not ready but he was happy to see a safe product made available to the local enthusiasts. He was familiar with the tuner product being offered. I had a clear conscience.

Almost immediately thereafter I was made aware by a friend that Eurocharged ATX and Eurocharged Canada were working on an Ethanol Tune in conjunction with a TCU tune for the M157 platform. This endeavor was completely separate from the Eurocharged Ethanol Flex tunes that we had all been talking about, and something I was completely unaware of. I did not want to come into a market where someone was already investing time and effort into providing a tuning solution only to have someone usurp them, so I reached out to EC ATX to discuss what I wanted to do.

Over discussions, it was determined that they were working independently with the same TCU tuner that Senad was. Small world.

I spoke with Senad and it was decided that we would drop the effort to bring his TCU option into the region and subsequently work with EC ATX to provide the local tuning session. The subsequent group buy from EC ATX is what was posted in this thread. https://mbworld.org/forums/w212-amg/...cial-club.html

Why this long-winded post? People who work hard to create something need to be recognized for it. As it relates to the current available tunes in the TCU market in the M157 platform that is two entities.

One is EC ATX and EC Canada for taking an aging platform and working behind the scenes to take the platform to the limit and beyond. While still in Beta the work they have been doing with Ethanol and TCU tuning has netted a 10.4 @ 134 on stock turbos… they are purposely pushing the envelop. Beyond the draggy post I put up though there is very little else out there. That is set to change soon though.

The second is Senad aka 5Soko. He is an individual who is passionate about our platform and wants to explore the safe limits of the aftermarket while operating within the mechanical limits of the system. His efforts can be directly attributed to all the AMG hooligans who are currently terrorizing the BMW and Porsche community in the NYC area. Any videos of AMGs pulling on FBO GTR’s, M5’s or Big Turbo C63S’s in the NYC area can be attributed to him. Any draggy posts from the same area of an AMG breaking into 10.7’s can be traced back to him as well.

So, in closing, the only person who can lay claim to being responsible for the majority of the recent TCU tune success stories is Senad. I thank him for pushing the scene forward.

Thanks to him, I will be getting a TCU for my car in the next week or so from the fine folk at EC ATX. In typical fashion I will be logging data and conversing with Senad and posting out findings for the betterment of our community. The tune I get will be the “safe tune” that Senad has been installing.

I’m also keen to watch the advances from EC ATX and EC Canada camp. I’m expecting big things from them. Like Senad they are enthusiasts and they warrant our support. I’m also a lot more confident that if EC ATX’s transmission can hold up under the abuse they throw at it, the Stage 1 tune Senad has been offering will be a safe enhancement.

In closing, I'm sure when Senad sees this he will be embarrassed, so feel free to post up your experiences with Senad... He'll love it I'm sure...

 

Very well said Brutus!

I know Senad personally and I have always appreciated all his hard work and efforts he has put towards this platform. He is the one who has been teaching me more and more about data logging and things to do or not to do.

As for the TCU tunes, he went above and beyond for all of us to bring the TCU tunes to the US. Spent countless hours of his personal time doing research and finding the right tuners for us, then traveled to Germany and built a relationship with them and finally it is available for us through him. I was personally there to see the NYC cars get tuned and his work didn't end there, he wanted to make sure a lot more people take advantage of TCU tunes so we can put M157 platform out there. As we all know in the past 6-8 months this platform has come a long way with the E85 tunes availability and now TCU tunes. He deserves a lot more credit and respect in my opinion. He is very passionate and a great person that I'm glad to know on a personal level, always willing to help anyone and everyone.

P.S I need to buy my HPT setup before he gets tired of me using his again n again LOL

 

Wow, What a write up Brett! I truly appreciate all the kind words, esp coming from you, it means alot to me my good friend.



The road has been a really fun one, the knowledge i gained and all the new friends I have made along the way, especially here on the forums!

A lot of really good people here in our small community and its been a real pleasure meeting so many and sharing ideas.



This may sound cliche but all the challenges, learning, new friends I’ve made, has been the great part of all this, most who i talked to on a daily basis now lol. This community and platform has really come alive and skipped years ahead to some great stuff! Great time to be here.





Thank you Brett! This was not necessary!

 

Thank you my buddy, appreciate all the good words, i dont like this stuff so, ill see you soon for our weekly datalogging sessions haha
Thanks Adnan

 

I know this is probably early to be asking, but can this be loaded though the OBD, using a handheld device, or does it need to be done in person by a tuner? And is there a plan to get this further west, say LA or Orange County?

 

Sorry, No handheld tuning for TCU available.. would have to be done in person.

 

The tune is loaded via the OBD port, but it still requires a laptop and WiFi connection and tuner in person to perform the task.

There are a lot of things afoot right now in the W212 community as it relates to the M157 platform and 722.9 tuning.
Senad has the capability in NYC. In another post you saw that EC ATX have the ability to tune and we are hosting a tuning session based on that capability.
There are rumors that yet another player will be entering the playing field very soon. If this happens I see the potential for TCU tuning on the West Coast to be definitely possible.

This is all conjecture and rumor right now, but if it happens they will be making an announcement I'm sure.

 

Very much appreciate the effort, both @5soko and @brutus_tx have been putting into this platform - kudos!

 

Will TCU tuning finally rid my tuned14 E63s of the hard shifts from 2nd to 3rd along with the lag during those same shifts? Only thing that drives me crazy -

as compared to my 18 C63s - smooth/crips shifts as it relates to power delivery

@5soko - thanks for all the hard work you have done for all of us enthusiasts - i had called numerous tuners all with the same answers - one tuner locally said he could tune it, but too many questions were raised here before taking my car in and needed a bit more expertise in the space.

 

I personally can attest to these guys! Well knowledgeable and very helpful. I haven’t met anyone in a long time who shared the same passion as me. While everyone hides the upgrades and says everything stock I’ve always shared my upgrades and how I attained it and for what cost. 5soko and Brutus are only in search of what actually works ! My car feels like an absolutely different car after 5soko helped get me the tcu tune.

 

Thanks for the kind words, its much appreciated it and thank you for the help last night!

The lag is much better, and for those who had rough shifts, the shifts do smooth out at WOT from what a few members have told me with the TCU tune i flashed on their cars.
Most of the time in hard shifts, a full re-adaption of the trans via Xentry benz diagnostic software helps and as does a fluid change with new filter. Is the ECU tune stock?

Thanks you for the nice, kind words, its been a fun road learning and bringing the knowledge here to spread with everyone, thats what this community is all about.
Yea, not many in the world that can fully tune the TCU with a full flash Be careful with those guys. The TCU I have has been around the market in the world for many years now and the tuner is top notch in his industry.



Thanks Efrain, you know i always appreciate it my brother. We have been talking about this together for so long now, including those nights datalogging together and going over parameters. Its always been fun! I am glad we finally were able to see it to the end.

And finally Efrain's car was the FIRST E63S 4matic car I flashed in North America to have his TCU done with the Stage 1 TCU tune, outside of Renntech He is also the first guy to Draggy his car with real world results before and after the TCU tune as he recently posted, So big congrats to him being the pioneer this side of the world! Datalogs coming soon! And he may or may not be the stock turbo, stock airbox, stock fuel system record holder for fastest E63s 4matic in the world? haha

 

Thank you for this amazing write up and all the work (and willingness to share) that you all have undertaken. For the last year I have enjoyed a 2014 E63s wagon. The car is simply tremendous and a joy to own and drive. Within that total package, the transmission is an obvious weak point. Its good but it isn't great. My question is whether you all have to come to understand why Mercedes hobbled this car in this manner. Surely, they could have created programming such as you are now installing. Was it for marketing reasons and product positioning? Was it to protect less robust parts of the driveline? Would just like to understand better. Thanks.

 

This may be the best benefit for me. Although low gear power is nice, I'm mostly concerned with highway power and (since my car is RWD) street traction. Any more details on the differences in lag?

 

[QUOTE=5soko;8049052]Thanks for the kind words, its much appreciated it and thank you for the help last night!



The lag is much better, and for those who had rough shifts, the shifts do smooth out at WOT from what a few members have told me with the TCU tune i flashed on their cars.
Most of the time in hard shifts, a full re-adaption of the trans via Xentry benz diagnostic software helps and as does a fluid change with new filter. Is the ECU tune stock?

Thanks you for the nice, kind words, its been a fun road learning and bringing the knowledge here to spread with everyone, thats what this community is all about.
Yea, not many in the world that can fully tune the TCU with a full flash Be careful with those guys. The TCU I have has been around the market in the world for many years now and the tuner is top notch in his industry.

This is great to hear - my wagon is tuned and absolutely love the car (both looks/performance) but S+ and that hard shift/lag is the bummer for me - soo the big question is who is the tuner you are going to educate and ensure they are using the right TCU tune as I'm sure we will lining up to get this done. Excited to get my wagon even more terrorizing in S+

 

We may never know the EXACT answer to that, same as why we will always wonder why the M157 has so much potential left on the table from the factory, the engineers and board of directors make those decision based on a list of parameters they need to meet and want. The wide range of owners, environments, warranty standards and longevity standard or lifetime of the vehicle all play a part in where these limits are set at. As owners, i think we all accept that fact that raising HP and performance adds wear and tear to a certain degree overall on components.

As owners there is always a few things we can do to try prolong the life of components when modded, like bringing the trans oil temp up before getting on it , more frequent trans oil and filter changes, etc.

Most of the world and in Europe have been running with many Tuned TCU's and for the most part doesn't seem like any major concerns. I would stay away from drag radials

Id have to get more time behind the wheel and pay attention to that aspect more in the future. @Cifdig is a great member here as he posted above, im sure if you shoot him a PM he will give you a review as he has had 2 weeks behind the wheek of his car TCU tuned now.

I think now that I have opened the flood gates, others will soon be bringing this availability to an area near you
Group buy going on in Texas now, so soon them Texas boys are gonna be joining in on the fun!

 

Off topic a bit, but it made me wonder if you had seen any chicks in the AMG crowd. And I do not mean ridealong. It seems like 100% guys' idea of fun. Am I correct?

 

Not down here... we have our own Womens Car Club and quite a few are active at the HPDE events. One in particular does all her own wrenching and she puts most of us to shame... did I mention she can flat out drive as well.

 

I am glad to hear there is still hope for humanity.

 

Thanks to all of you that have pushed the M157 platform to the level it is at now!

we are grateful to you pioneers!

 

Awesome appreciation post.

@5soko Are you still doing TCU tunes in the NYC area? If so, how do I get in contact with you to get one scheduled?

 

Pm sent 5soko, check inbox.

 

It has been such a fun filled amazing past 3 weeks now since I first flashed the first E63s 4matic, aka now my good friend Efrain @Cifdig

I have done about a dozen members locally coming up this week, who have had the Stage 1 TCU tune done, including many E63's,C63's, CLS63's, both RWD and 4matic. Seeing so many satisfied members with this upgrade has been well worth the effort.
I was also able to flash the first C63s in North america ever, so that was a great accomplishment and the car loved it, as did the owner.

I have gotten to meet some really great people within our community and have made good friends with many of you guys. Finally to have this rolling out and onto the cars of so many enthusiasts has been so great and its been a pleasure of mine to do so.
Thanks to this great community we have here, it has become a great place to be and be a owner of these awesome AMG cars

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks of some of the cars that were part of the initial intro and group buy for the Stage 1 TCU Tune :

 

I've got a 2007 E63, M156 NA and am in the middle rebuilding the rear end. I'm wanting to rebuild the differential with LSD and 3.06 gears, modifying it from 2.84?, so the question is, can't I send the TCU to be programmed for the final drive Gear change? If so, can the program also include this TCU Tune, or must this TCU Tune be done in conjunction with an ECU Tune via STAR/Xentry obd port?

If it it must be that I send out the TCU to change the programming for final drive Gear change to 3.06 first and then next get the old port TCU Tune afterwards, I'd still be very appreciative, but in the meantime would like both an explanation as well as a means of expediting the requirement of reprogramming the TCU to 3.06.

If if anyone could let me know where to send out my TCU to get that part done while my car is on jack stands in my garage and I go ahead with acquiring the bits to swap over to 3.06, I'd be psyched, otherwise I'm kinda sitting here in Limbo!

 

This can be done, but we would need your car to be present. Where are you located?

Thanks!

Dave

 

Need to get in on this in the south East at some point. Just loading my E85 and starting to log now. I was always under the assumption that those of us making in the 700whp range would kill the trans with TQ if we tuned the TQ limits out. Of course that was always just conjecture since no real data was available?