Tuning a standard SL500 306 bhp

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Has anyone done this to their 113 engined SL As it stands it is 306bhp and torque of 460nm. with tuning you can get 326 bhp and 485nm torque, is it worth it ??.
 

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I have always looked at tuning from the percentage viewpoint.

If you add, say, 20hp to an engine developing 150hp, then that could be a worthwhile improvement. But adding the same amount to an engine already producing over 300hp, you're heading into the territory of diminishing returns.

Would you really feel that 'kick in the back' extra punch, or would the improvement be marginal? And exactly where in the rev range would the additional bhp and torque kick in?

A lot must depend, not just on your wallet, but also on your habitual driving style.
Just my humble two penn'orth.
 

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i still believe most cars benefit from being remapped , the gains maywell not be huge but in my experience , the car will defo feel more lively to drive and response will be much improved
 

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We did Dans SL Malc, make a good difference to his.......
 

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SUPERCHARGE IT!!!!!


you KNOW you want to ;););)
 

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That would cost more than my house Pete.

depends how much of a bump in power the standard lump can take i suppose. these C63 supercharger conversions MSL seem to do, at basic level seem to be a (relatively) simple bolt on and remap, job done. im not sure that they have to strip the engine etc, so possibly a lower boost level than the factory version, but possibly worth a thought?

im assuming this is for the older SL?
 
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depends how much of a bump in power the standard lump can take i suppose. these C63 supercharger conversions MSL seem to do, at basic level seem to be a (relatively) simple bolt on and remap, job done. im not sure that they have to strip the engine etc, so possibly a lower boost level than the factory version, but possibly worth a thought?

im assuming this is for the older SL?

I will be selling the newer one shortly, that one is quick, it was just a matter of a bit more, I know it is only a little bit, its been de catted.
 
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No one that I can see can do that one John, it is almost into AMG territory as it is, with out the cost.
 

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Malcolm, you and I are at the same decision point with the same engine/ transmission combo :D

As I understand it, the extra power/ torque isn't "really" evident, but what is is the power & torque delivery throughout the rev range. On the American forum many people have reported their cars feeling much more responsive & quicker off the mark, people not initially believing it was a modest ~25bhp gain.

If I get it done before you (not likely- it'll be a late year job for me) I'll let you know how I get on, otherwise vice versa eh?
 
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Malcolm, you and I are at the same decision point with the same engine/ transmission combo :D

As I understand it, the extra power/ torque isn't "really" evident, but what is is the power & torque delivery throughout the rev range. On the American forum many people have reported their cars feeling much more responsive & quicker off the mark, people not initially believing it was a modest ~25bhp gain.

If I get it done before you (not likely- it'll be a late year job for me) I'll let you know how I get on, otherwise vice versa eh?

Will do :D I too have read most of the comments, I am not very good with percentages and the gains are small, as it takes x amount of power to get it going, there should be gains that can be felt. I will talk to Colin when I go down this week.
 

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Malcolm is it a re-map you are considering, or some other way of extracting more power ? E.g. new cams, air filters, exhaust, like Pete I think a supercharger may be the way to go, or possibly all of the above.
 
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Malcolm is it a re-map you are considering, or some other way of extracting more power ? E.g. new cams, air filters, exhaust, like Pete I think a supercharger may be the way to go, or possibly all of the above.

It is a re map, I cannot see me going into engine mods Mark. If I saw a supercharger cheap, then I might re think. Changing to a 55 is not an option as I am keeping this one, it goes wrong so much it has become a way of life. :D
 

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In general while most people will feel a loss of 10% power very few people will notice a gain of 10%. Therefore a noticeable gain for most people would need to be more than 30hp Malcolm.
Many times the reviews of performance increases can be put down placebo effect with a some amount of sucker effect thrown in (sucker effect is where someone has paid a lot of money for no improvement but will claim its the best thing since sliced bread as they don't want to appear to be a sucker who wasted their money).

A classic example of placebo is the old favourite of K&N filters. In order to have any noticeable improvement the standard filter would have to be extremely poor but in these days of reduced emissions and fuel economy gains that just doesn't happen any more as the better the flow of air into the engine the more fuel efficient it is so manufacturers do these things very well.
One common way to make apparent improvements on fly by wire cars is to adjust the sensitivity of the pedal. A remap of the pedal so a smaller press has a bigger effect at the throttle body will make the car feel far more lively even if it has no extra power at all. There are modules available that do exactly that (they fit inline to the throttle pedal and alter the signals sent to the ECU and hence the control of the throttle butterfly).

In my view anything less than a 20% gain isn't worth the effort unless you're track racing (where every little bit helps).
 
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In general while most people will feel a loss of 10% power very few people will notice a gain of 10%. Therefore a noticeable gain for most people would need to be more than 30hp Malcolm.
Many times the reviews of performance increases can be put down placebo effect with a some amount of sucker effect thrown in (sucker effect is where someone has paid a lot of money for no improvement but will claim its the best thing since sliced bread as they don't want to appear to be a sucker who wasted their money).

Yes I have thought about that one, and that could be the case :D

A classic example of placebo is the old favourite of K&N filters. In order to have any noticeable improvement the standard filter would have to be extremely poor but in these days of reduced emissions and fuel economy gains that just doesn't happen any more as the better the flow of air into the engine the more fuel efficient it is so manufacturers do these things very well.
One common way to make apparent improvements on fly by wire cars is to adjust the sensitivity of the pedal. A remap of the pedal so a smaller press has a bigger effect at the throttle body will make the car feel far more lively even if it has no extra power at all. There are modules available that do exactly that (they fit inline to the throttle pedal and alter the signals sent to the ECU and hence the control of the throttle butterfly).

In my view anything less than a 20% gain isn't worth the effort unless you're track racing (where every little bit helps).

Thanks, I discounted the "sprint booster" on the grounds of reversing into my garage :D The car does feel livelier being de catted, that must give some gain, added to a tune up would this lead to a 20% gain.
 

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Thanks, I discounted the "sprint booster" on the grounds of reversing into my garage :D The car does feel livelier being de catted, that must give some gain, added to a tune up would this lead to a 20% gain.

This is my hope too!
 

John Laidlaw

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No one that I can see can do that one John, it is almost into AMG territory as it is, with out the cost.

Running before I can walk I guess! Really expanding my knowledge for the future....;)
 

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