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.