2018 Mercedes C63s AMG Staggering Stage 1 Tune and Stage 2 Tune Results

Mercedes C63s AMG: As we look towards the Christmas holiday, we’re thankful for time with our family and friends. We’re also thankful for the opportunity to get to do the work that we’re passionate about… Performance tuning Mercedes, Audi and BMW vehicles. We recently got to tune a 2018 Mercedes Benz C63s AMG. It’s a car that was once described as “an iron fist in an iron glove, it’s just brutal.” Not only did we see this brutal power with the Stage 1 Tune, we saw the staggering upgrade with the Stage 2 Tune.

AMG Means Serious Business

For a bit of trivia, AMG stands for the names of the founders and the town where they first set up shop: Aufrecht Melcher Großapach. AMG is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. It’s also their 18th year as a Mercedes Benz subsidiary. Their mission is to elevate the performance of Mercedes vehicles, and we’re always excited to take that mindset a step further.

Mercedes C63s AMG Stock Specs

The Mercedes C63s AMG has M177 4.0-liter V8 biturbo engine, similar to the AMG GT sports car. It jumps off the line, charging from 0 to 60 in 4.0 seconds. At stock, this car performs at 503 horsepower and 516 LBS-FT torque. We couldn’t wait to see what kind of power could be unlocked for this car when we gave it a Stage 1 tune and then a Stage 2 Tune.

Mercedes C63s AMG Stage 1, Stage 2 Tunes

For this C63s AMG, a Stage 1 Tune would up performance to 570 horsepower and 600 LBS-FT torque. Further, a Stage 2 Tune would really make our eyeballs pop out of our heads, with an anticipated 600 horsepower and 660 LBS-FT torque.

The Mercedes C63s AMG Stage 1 Tune and Stage 2 Tune Process

In fact, when our expert technicians’ tune, they target a critical piece of technology under the car’s hood. That’s the engine control unit or ECU. Tuning is a complex process and the ECU needs to be handled with care. When we removed the Mercedes C63s ECU, we used our in-house technology to modify its settings, unlocking this vehicle’s potential. Watch Todd at work on this C63 S in this YouTube video.

Of course, that’s one of the reasons we love Mercedes is that we can do a Stage 2 Tune without having to replace any stock components and still be able to pull off some crazy performance numbers. This is because Mercedes already uses such great components and their cooling systems are on point. We have a really solid foundation to work from.

Mercedes C63s AMG Performance Results

Moreover, when we tune a Mercedes, we see better throttle response, increased efficiency through all loads and gains all around. For this Mercedes C63s, this included a boost of 97 more horsepower and 144 more LBS-FT torque. That’s a 19% increase in horsepower and a 27% increase in torque. It’s incredible to see what kind of performance upgrade can be achieved simply through tweaks to a car’s ECU, without making other expensive aftermarket upgrades.

Give Us A Call

If you’re thinking about a performance tune, give us a call at (770) 648-0500 or use our Contact Form. We’re happy to chat with you about what a performance tune can do for your vehicle.

Mercedes M278 Engine Mercedes Performance Tune

As you can imagine, we like to nerd on the M278 engine at the PRESSERtech garage. Today we’d like to wax poetic on one our favorite engines. The Mercedes M278 Engine. Some of our favorite Mercedes Performance Tune have been on the M278 Engine.

The Mercedes M278 Engine

A little backstory first. The M278 (and its variants the M157 and the M152) is a direct injected, twin-turbocharged, V8 gasoline piston engine.

Its predecessor is the M273 V8, and it still shares its bore pitch, aluminium engine block, and Silitec aluminium/silicon low friction cylinder lines. Where it differs is the gasoline direct injection, as opposed to port injection. The M278 boasts more precise fuel delivery and multi-spark ignition for more efficient combustion. The M278 features twin turbochargers.

What all this boils down to is 22% lower fuel consumption than its predecessor, while still producing more power and more torque. You can begin to see why we’re so sweet on the M278.

This engine can be found under the hood on more recent S, CL, CLS, SL, E and GL classes. The M157 variant is tuned by Mercedes AMG and is used in higher performance models like the S63, CL63 and the CLS 63 AMG. You’ll find the M152 under the hood of the SLK55 AMG.

Eye Popping Mercedes Performance Tune Upgrades

Equally Important, we love this engine because of the results we’ve seen from Stage 1 and Stage 2 tunes here in our shop. In one case we upgraded a 2014 E550, which started with stock specs of 402 horsepower and 443 LBS-FT torque. A Stage 1 tune brought a whopping 26% increase in horsepower and a 33% increase torque.

You may also remember when we tuned this 2012 CLS63. With a Stage 2 tune, we took this car from 550 horsepower and 590 LBS-FT torque to an eye popping 660 horsepower and 730 LBS-FT torque. This was an impressive 20% increase in horsepower and 23% increase in torque. As a matter of fact, we also got this great soundbite out of Todd: “Good god, this thing is awesome.”

You can take a look at more examples we’ve written about on our blog. This includes a 2014 SL550, a 2012 S550 and a very special SL65. We hope you can see that we can really get a lot of power with a performance upgrade on an M278 engine. Especially with a Stage 2 tune.

ECU Tuning

As a matter of fact, when we tune a Mercedes, we see better throttle response. Increased efficiency through all loads and gains all around. In addition, by modifying the engine control unit, or ECU, we can unlock the hidden potential in your vehicle. Better still, without compromising your stock components. We encourage you to read through our Ultimate Tuning Guide to learn more about what tuning can do for your car. You can also learn about our other offerings including replacement of defective or damaged ECUs.

We’re Here For You

If you’re thinking about a performance tune, give us a call at (770) 648-0500 or use our Contact Form. We’re happy to chat with you about what a performance tune can do for your vehicle.

Bringing it Back to our Roots – Mercedes Tuning the Mercedes CL55 AMG V8 Kompressor Engine

When we opened this shop we had one thing on our mind — all of the possibilities for Mercedes Tuning. The Mercedes CL55 AMG and specifically V8 Kompressor engines. Out of that passion came PRESSERtech, and many Mercedes V8 Kompressor Engines later we are proud to say we’ve expanded to working on the engines of other European makes and models, like BMW. But today, we’re going back to our roots to work on that V8 Kompressor engine. One that is near and dear to our hearts, is in a 2005 CL55 AMG with a W215 chassis. The name for the V8 Kompressor Engine is a marketing name by Mercedes-Benz used in Supercharged Engines.

Arnold in Armani: Mercedes CL55 AMG Stock Specs

“Think Arnold Schwarzenegger in an Armani tuxedo.” That’s how MotorTrend described the Mercedes CL55 AMG in 2003. It’s certainly “a confident head-turner, with a hint of the formidable muscle underneath the beautiful tailoring.” At stock, its 5.5 liter V8 Kompressor engine outputs 493 horsepower and 518 LBS-FT torque. As you may know, the CL-Class is a derivative of the S-Class and is comprised of a line of full-size luxury grand tourers. The CL stands for Coupe-Light or Coupe-Luxury.

Planning and Perfecting Mercedes Tuning

This particular Mercedes CL55 AMG is a 12-year-old car. Rather than let it feel its age, we made big plans to enhance its engine. (You can watch our progress on our YouTube channel.)

When we talk about Mercedes tuning options with our clients, we speak in terms of stages. The anticipated results of a Stage 1 tune was 530 horsepower and 565 LBS-FT torque. A Stage 2 tune would bring the vehicle’s performance up to 535 horsepower and 605 LBS-FT torque. While this CL55 would see gains all around, we were most excited about what we’d be able to do for the upgrade in torque.

With a Stage 2 tune in our sights, we got to work in the PRESSERtech garage. When our expert technician’s tune, they target a small, but important piece of technology under the car’s hood. The engine control unit or ECU. If you’ve read some of our other blog posts or watched some of our other videos, you know that this process is complex and the ECU needs to be handled with care. We remove the ECU and use our in-house technology to modify its settings. In this case, breaking a 12-year-old Mercedes CL55 AMG from its factory specs. We’d soon be able to see what this car could really do.

The Results

You can see and hear the 2005 CL55 breathing freely now after its Stage 2 tune. We saw gains all around, including an increase of 42 more horsepower and 87 more LBS-FT of torque. That’s a 16% increase in torque for this Mercedes Benz, and we couldn’t be happier to share these results with our client.

Performance tuning is an affordable way to make a potential 15-20% improvement in your vehicle’s horsepower and torque. If you’re thinking about a performance tune, give us a call at (770) 648-0500 or use our Contact Form. We’re happy to chat with you about what a performance tune can do for your vehicle.

A New Chapter – Powering Up the 2014 BMW 435i with a Performance BMW Tuning

We’re excited to begin a new chapter at PRESSERtech, so we introduce BMW tuning to our offerings. We’re looking forward to welcoming BMW drivers to our garage, alongside our Mercedes Benz customers to have there very own BMW Tune. To kick it off, we had a blast tuning a 2014 BMW 435i. What better way to get started on a BMW Tune?

We love the BMW 435i for its N55 engine — a turbocharged direct injection straight-6 dual overhead camshaft (DHOC). In particular, it features a single twin scroll turbo and BMW’s proprietary Valvetronic variable valve lift. The technology makes for one solid engine under the hood, and exciting possibilities for performance tuning and specifically a BMW Tune.

BMW Tuning 435i Stock Specs

The F32 coupe was revealed in September 2013 at the Frankfurt Motor Show. This 2014 model helped usher in the BMW 4-Series, a range of entry-level luxury cars for BMW. At stock, the BMW 435i performs at 302 horsepower and 295 LBS/FT torque.

It’s certainly a gorgeous car and “a rollicking good time,” as AutoWeek once described it, but the BMW 435i is lagging in power. The good thing is that’s exactly what we’re here for — to help BMW tune this BMW 4-Series and get it performing to its fullest potential.

BMW Tuning Options

Like we’ve done for many a Mercedes Benz, we can help bring the power out of this BMW. A Stage 1 BMW tune would boost this bimmer to 375 horsepower and 308 LBS/FT torque. Our client ultimately decided on a Stage 2 BMW tune, which would power up performance to 400 horsepower and 405 LBS/FT torque.

As you’ll see in our Ultimate Tuning Guide, by BMW Tuning your vehicle, we can help your engine perform better and more efficiently. It’s not all just about horsepower and torque. By helping the power come in faster, at a lower RPM, we can also help decrease your vehicle’s fuel consumption.

The key is your BMW’s ECU, which oftentimes holds your engine’s power captive. A performance upgrade can safely breathe new life into your vehicle.

Staggering Results

Our CTO Todd Presser tested out the 435i after its tune and experienced some striking differences. Overall responsiveness was much quicker, and the lag was almost nonexistent. After the BMW performance tune, we saw a 32% increase in horsepower and a 37% increase in torque. These results, based on a software upgrade, are just staggering.

You’ll see on our YouTube channel that Todd may be having a little too much fun testing out the results. But who can blame him? (Please don’t get a speeding ticket, Todd!)

Contact Us to Learn More

If you’re thinking about a performance tune, give us a call at (770) 648-0500 or use our Contact Form. You can also learn about some of our other offerings including replacement of defective or damaged ECUs, as well as a permanent fix for faulty electronic steering locks.

We’re happy to chat with you about what we can do for your Mercedes or BMW!

Performance SL65 AMG Mercedes Tuning the Black Series Batmobile (A One-of-A-Kind)

When the Mercedes SL65 AMG debuted, Car and Driver wrote that “in terms of the global horsepower war, Mercedes-Benz was taking off a glove and slapping the rest of the industry in the face.” And they weren’t wrong. At stock specs this car boasts an incredible 604 horsepower and 740 LBS/FT torque. We recently had the opportunity to Mercedes Tune an SL65, but this one had a unique twist, was it a Black Series? Mercedes Tuning was the only thing missing.

A Mercedes SL65 AMG with a Twist

We wondered if our eyes were deceiving us when our customer brought in his Mercedes SL65 AMG. Did he fail to mention his car was a Mercedes SL65 Black Series? Turns out he had painstakingly modified his Mercedes SL65 AMG with a body kit to make it look like a Mercedes Black Series. But now he was looking to match its striking look with upgraded performance and specifically, Mercedes Tuning.

You know from our previous blog posts our love of the SL-series, and without a doubt the Mercedes Black Series is a gorgeous car. Seemingly influenced by the Batmobile, the exterior styling is quite a bit different than the classic SL65. Outside of the doors and the side mirrors, everything else was replaced with carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic panels.

The Black Series Mercedes SL65 had a limited run from 2008 to 2011. Sylvester Stallone once had one. It has the bragging rights of 661 horsepower. And while it looked incredible, it did lose the convertible top of other SL models, favoring instead a fixed-roof coupe.

Mercedes Tuning Performance Stage 2 

To give this one-of-a-kind Mercedes SL65 AMG a real kick, we worked with our customer on a custom tune. He picked a Stage 2 tune which would enhance engine performance, with a reduction in fuel consumption, smoother acceleration and a much-improved throttle response.

In our shop, our expert technician analyzed and adjusted the SL65’s engine management software. This is better known as the Engine Control Unit (ECU). It is a delicate and complex process– the ECU must be removed and then opened with extreme caution. Once removed the technician was able to modify the factory settings to achieve a staggering 702 horsepower and 905 LBS/FT torque. Now this SL65 runs just as spectacularly as it looks.

More than Just Tuning

Mercedes tuning is an affordable way to make a potential 15-20% improvement in your vehicle’s horsepower and torque. It’s performance upgrade that doesn’t compromise your stock components. We encourage you to read through our Ultimate Mercedes Tuning Guide to learn more about what tuning can do for your vehicle. You can also learn about our other offerings including replacement of defective or damaged ECUs, as well as a permanent fix for those pesky faulty electronic steering locks.

Contact Us to Learn More

If you’re thinking about a performance tune, now is the best time to give us a call at (770) 648-0500 or use our Contact Form. We’re happy to chat with you about what a performance tune can do for your Mercedes.

An SL550 Performance Tune in a Brand New PRESSERtech Shop

You may know that PRESSERtech, home of the Performance Tune. recently moved. Our new digs have a comfy waiting room for you to relax while your car is getting a Mercedes tune. Of course, we’re also pretty excited about our new garage. We couldn’t wait to break it in, and we could think of no better housewarming than giving a 2014 SL550 a performance tune.

We were excited to Mercedes Tune this twin-turbocharged 4.6-liter V8 engine, this white 2014 SL550, with camel interior, came into our shop with 429 horsepower and 516 LBS-FT torque. It already can go 0 to 60 in a blistering 4.5 seconds, with a top speed of 130mph. And yes, we can top that with a performance tune by the Mercedes Tuning experts at Pressertech.

History of the Sportlich-Leicht (Mercedes SL Class)

But first, some history. Because the SL-Class has been around for a long time, tracing its roots back to 1952 with the W194 racing car. This was Mercedes first post-war competition car, and while it lacked power, its lightness made it a successful racing car. As a matter of fact, the designation SL comes from the German Sportlich-Leicht, or Sport Lightweight. The 1954 300 SL is considered the world’s first supercar, which had a top speed of 154mph. The SL was even the car of choice for one famous soap opera oil baron.

Starting in 2013, the SL-Class was produced almost entirely from aluminum, with a retractable roof made of magnesium. In the true meaning of SL, it’s 240 pounds lighter than its predecessor. Fifth Gear called the modern SL-Class, “a car for cruising around, looking groovy.”

Building the Performance Tune

In our new PRESSERtech garage we performed a Stage 1 tune on this SL550. Our goal was to increase the horsepower to 550 and the torque to 627 LBS-FT. We also can perform Stage 2 tunes if that’s a better fit for you.

The key to tuning is the electronic control unit, which dictates how effectively the engine can run. Mercedes engines are often depowered in the factory to allow for consistent performance increases on new models year after year. But that also means that there’s probably some untapped potential in your Mercedes engine.

Results for Days with a Mercedes Tune

The tuning upgrade results for this turbo charged gasoline engine are simply amazing. We saw a 28% increase in horsepower and a 21% increase in torque. Our clients also typically report a reduction in fuel consumption, smoother acceleration and a much-improved throttle response.

Our tunes are also 100% customized to you. If for some reason the tune doesn’t meet your expectations, we can always go back and make tweaks. Additionally, if you want to keep your old ECU with its original stock tune, you can upgrade to an ECU+ package.

Give Pressertech a Call

While many of your questions may be answered in our Ultimate Mercedes Tuning Guide, we encourage you to give us a call at the shop. We’re happy to chat with you about what a performance tune can do for your Mercedes.