vRS Carl's New Machine ***Pics Added***

[galaxie500]

Hi Carl
Very smart & in the best colour too! My brother has a slightly lesser specced non AMG and that goes very well indeed. His wife has kerbed a wheel which I kind of expected tbh but last week she took out the entire near side on a low post. Bro is pretty cross!
Enjoy and safe driving.
PR

[gtipirelli]

Did Merc also throw in the 2.4 kids and the Labrador as part of the deal 

[vRS Carl]

Did Merc also throw in the 2.4 kids and the Labrador as part of the deal 

Well i do have a son and 2 dogs 

[wigit]

you've changed  

I've become that discerning gentleman i've always desired to be. I aspire to be like this
I just need to grow some hair first  

The tweed suit and matching cap are on order already though with all the money i'm saving on fuel  

you can only dream of a thatch like that these days :)

[vRS Carl]

This just arrived in the post. Will install later.

[Bignod00]

This just arrived in the post. Will install later.

Used one of these on two previous car's with great results! Will be interested to see what you think.

[vRS Carl]

Not too shabby for a 1800kg wood burning stove

Standard car is 6.5secs

First attempt with the Tuning box fitted



This was the best run

[rdfcpete]

That's impressive!

I know nothing about these tuning boxes compared with conventional brand name after market remaps, but on the surface that looks like a quick and cost effective way of software tuning. In my mind I'd always associated tuning boxes with eBay risk filled buys, but clearly can't be the case anymore if someone like yourself is putting them in your new 35k+ Benz 

Are you still bothering with the Brabus map in the long run Carlos?

[vRS Carl]

No as the Brabus is not a map but a tuning box which costs 6 times as much as the DTUK one

It also has to be fitted by a Brabus approved dealer (Not just any Mercedes dealer) for the warranty to be approved. So all in all I'm paying £1500+ for an extra warranty.

Tuning boxes have come on leaps and bounds these days. The one I'm using is a multichannel box which alters fueling and boost signals. It also comes with a 3yr warranty and I can take it to my next car as they just reprogram it for whatever you get next.

[rich83]

Nice. 

Where does it plug into?

[vRS Carl]

It plugs into the rail and boost pressure sensors.

[rdfcpete]

^ Cool.

No ODB or port interaction?
Is the reprogram free?

[vRS Carl]

No it's all done in the engine. The reprogram is an additional cost but it's about a third of the cost of a new box. They will also offer you a new box at trade price if your current one doesn't fit your new car due to technical changes etc.

[rdfcpete]

Directly to the engine? Interesting.

The prices seem fair. In terms of a gains and cost combination, is this now known as the best way to tune a vehicle like yours from an enthusiasts POV?

[vRS Carl]

It plugs into the fuel rail sensor at the back of the engine and then the boost pressure sensor at the front of the engine (on mine anyway. Location will be different on other engines).

The loom then connects to the Tuning box which intercepts the signal to the ECU and alters the boost and fuelling accordingly. So similar to a remap (before people start the remap vs tuning box argument I know there is a lot more involved in a map!)

The difference with this is its easy to remove yourself. A remap you can't.

To be honest it has surprised me at how good it is. There are 28 different settings on this particular box (4 different maps with 7 power setting adjustments for each map). Yes a remap would yield slightly better results on a Dyno and be less "crude"  in how it achieves those results.

But for something that takes 15 mins to fit and remove it's a no brainer.

As for the best way then that would still be a remap. There is a company called GAD Tuning that have tuned a C350 CDI to 340bhp and 800lbft!!! That's with remap,  EGR switched off , DPF Delete and a larger bore TBE.

Mine now has around an extra 40bhp and 80lbft. Which I'm happy with as I just wanted a bit more shove. I don't intend doing anything else after I've found some better air filters (which is proving difficult at the moment)