Race Chip on W205 (Motorshow 2016)

[LYH]

Hi all!

 

Anyone installed Racechip on their W205?

 

Was at the Motorshow yesterday and there is a good deal offered!

 

Downside is the trouble of removing it for every servicing.

 

Was also told that the installation on W205 is more complex. They would need to drop the intercooler (I may have remembered this wrongly) or something like that.

 

Perhaps those who have installed can share? Considering getting it

[708]

I thought the Chip is plug into OBD? Btw can share what the price promo offered at Motorshow? Thanks!

[LYH]

$888. Pay a $50 deposit. And install at their workshop.

If not happy with performance can return with money back.

I was told they can hide the chip. But means it will still be there. There is still a risk cycle will discover?

[jtang]

$888. Pay a $50 deposit. And install at their workshop.

If not happy with performance can return with money back.

I was told they can hide the chip. But means it will still be there. There is still a risk cycle will discover?

Yes....C&C will get to see it no matter how u hide the piggyback. Why? The cables attaching to the 3 key sensors are a dead giveaway.

Some years ago, a bro here was assured by the installer that it will not be detected. Guess what? When he came back to collect the car after servicing, the SA pulled out his point & shoot camera to show him the cables & piggyback and smilingly announced that his engine warranty is voided. It's better to remove it before sending the car in....be it servicing or any work when the car is under warranty.

[LYH]

Yes....C&C will get see it no matter how u hide the piggyback. Why? The cables attaching to the 3 key sensors are a dead giveaway.

Some years ago, a bro here was assured by the installer that it will not be detected. Guess what? When he came back to collect the car after servicing, the SA pulled out his point & shoot camera to show him the cables & piggyback and smilingly announced that his engine warranty is voided. It's better to remove it before sending the car in....be it servicing or any work when the car is under warranty.

Yes sir. I remember seeing that post. Hence I am hesitatant. Hmmm. But the price is indeed tempting

[giggss]

had it on my W204 for a long time... yes, I do remove it whenever need to send car to C&C during warranty period.. need to learn how to DIY installation and uninstallation yourself.. otherwise it will be even more troublesome to keep going to workshop to remove

[Omgamg]

how much torque and hp does it boost?

[jtang]

how much torque and hp does it boost?

At least 25-30% improvement in both bhp & torque if properly tuned.

[MarkCWQ]

That's because they can charge you more. Example, the C200 and the C250 or the CLA180 and the CLA200 are basically the same car underneath. Same engine, same gearbox, same hardware. Diamler just tunes the ECU of the C250 and the CLA200 to give more performance. In theory, you're paying more for an officially tuned car.

FYI, I've gone in numerous times for servicing with a piggyback. SA has taken note of it and I still managed to claim warranty for engine light issue. So it's still based on a case by case at your own risk.

[LYH]

That's because they can charge you more. Example, the C200 and the C250 or the CLA180 and the CLA200 are basically the same car underneath. Same engine, same gearbox, same hardware. Diamler just tunes the ECU of the C250 and the CLA200 to give more performance. In theory, you're paying more for an officially tuned car.

FYI, I've gone in numerous times for servicing with a piggyback. SA has taken note of it and I still managed to claim warranty for engine light issue. So it's still based on a case by case at your own risk.

Now that this has been brought up. Interestingly, it was claimed by one of the guy there that a c180 van be tuned to a c200.

I was shocked. Aren't they different cc engine? The guy said W205 means they use rhe same engine. *I blur*

I am not a very technical person, but I think its not correct right?

[MarkCWQ]

Now that this has been brought up. Interestingly, it was claimed by one of the guy there that a c180 van be tuned to a c200.

I was shocked. Aren't they different cc engine? The guy said W205 means they use rhe same engine. *I blur*

I am not a very technical person, but I think its not correct right?

Yes, it is possible to tune and increase the performance of a C180 to a C200. I have tuned up a C180 to match a C250 on performance on paper (Hp and torque).

A180 and A200 (M270 1.6L engine) vs A250 (M270 2.0L engine)

CLA180 and CLA200 (M270 1.6L engine) vs CLA250 (M270 2.0L engine)

C200 and C250 (M274 2.0L engine) vs C180 (M274 1.6L engine)

Therefore as I mentioned, if you buy a CLA200 for example, you're basically paying for a CLA180 hardware but on a different tune producing more performance. If you tune a CLA180 aftermarket, it is unsurprising that you can hit or even exceed the performance of a CLA200.

[PearlJam]

Yes, it is possible to tune and increase the performance of a C180 to a C200. I have tuned up a C180 to match a C250 on performance on paper (Hp and torque).

A180 and A200 (M270 1.6L engine) vs A250 (M270 2.0L engine)

CLA180 and CLA200 (M270 1.6L engine) vs CLA250 (M270 2.0L engine)

C200 and C250 (M274 2.0L engine) vs C180 (M274 1.6L engine)

Therefore as I mentioned, if you buy a CLA200 for example, you're basically paying for a CLA180 hardware but on a different tune producing more performance. If you tune a CLA180 aftermarket, it is unsurprising that you can hit or even exceed the performance of a CLA200.

 

I asked the same question about the E200 vs E250 but got nowhere there.

So, taking the CLA 180 and CLA 200 as examples, they are both using the same M270 1.6 litre engine.  If one were to buy the original ECU for a CLA200 and replace the original ECU in the CLA 180, the 'new' CLA180 will now perform exactly like the original CLA200?    (I am not talking about using those after-market chips here.)

[giggss]

Ya, same question as PearlJam...

 

hardware of CLA180 and CLA200 no difference at all? Just ECU tuned differently?

Hardware such as Exhaust width and dimension? All exactly same?

 

Just pondering...

[Omgamg]

doesnt make sense leh... if I can sell the car with higer specs at a higher price why dont I do that? In any case, the lower specs model always outsells the higher specs, i.e. you see more C180 on the road and resale market. What I mean is that tuning the 1.6 engine down to CLA180 doesn't move CLA200 units

 

I don't think it is so straight forward

 

and C180 confirm is a different engine than C200, same logic applies

 

racechip is just tricking the computer to think that it can run faster like body builders using creatin to trick the body into believing it can lift more

[MarkCWQ]

doesnt make sense leh... if I can sell the car with higer specs at a higher price why dont I do that? In any case, the lower specs model always outsells the higher specs, i.e. you see more C180 on the road and resale market. What I mean is that tuning the 1.6 engine down to CLA180 doesn't move CLA200 units

I don't think it is so straight forward

and C180 confirm is a different engine than C200, same logic applies

racechip is just tricking the computer to think that it can run faster like body builders using creatin to trick the body into believing it can lift more

Why doesn't it make sense? Both cars on the same platform, they'll already have earned from the lower spec car. If anyone orders the higher spec car, they simply flash it differently. And difference in cost is additional profits. Furthermore, they only need to produce one set of hardware to be used on the same assembly line drastically reducing cost. Rather than spend a whole lot of money for a separate production and R&D if the hardware was different.

Of course we're talking about cars on the same engine M274 2.0L which the C200 and C250 is using. You can't compare a C180 to a C200 as the C180's M274 1.6L engine is different.

Racechip or any other electronic tuning option, similar as the manufacturers mapping simply tells the engine what performance to produce.

[MarkCWQ]

I asked the same question about the E200 vs E250 but got nowhere there.

So, taking the CLA 180 and CLA 200 as examples, they are both using the same M270 1.6 litre engine. If one were to buy the original ECU for a CLA200 and replace the original ECU in the CLA 180, the 'new' CLA180 will now perform exactly like the original CLA200? (I am not talking about using those after-market chips here.)

I doubt it's that straightforward to replace the ECU. However, do bear in mind that tuners are able to flash the original ECU map to produce more power. Which in essence brings you to the same outcome.

[Omgamg]

what I meant is, if I spent $$ on R&D to develop the 1.6L engine, why would I wanna tune it down and sell a CLA180 for lesser profit?

 

why not just sell CLA200 and totally forget about CLA180 since they are the same engine hardware and cost price? ignoring the other frills for now.

 

I know BMW does it for the 316 vs 320 as well but the difference is, nobody buys the 316 cos its perceived as not worth the money. So PM sells more 320 and earn better profit for the same engine. Merc is doing something wrong then if people are buying CLA180 rather than CLA200.

[MarkCWQ]

what I meant is, if I spent $$ on R&D to develop the 1.6L engine, why would I wanna tune it down and sell a CLA180 for lesser profit?

why not just sell CLA200 and totally forget about CLA180 since they are the same engine hardware and cost price? ignoring the other frills for now.

I know BMW does it for the 316 vs 320 as well but the difference is, nobody buys the 316 cos its perceived as not worth the money. So PM sells more 320 and earn better profit for the same engine. Merc is doing something wrong then if people are buying CLA180 rather than CLA200.

CLA180 has only 120Bhp stock which qualifies it for CAT A COE. The 316i used to qualify as a CAT A car but since LTA included Bhp as a criteria, (unluckily) it has been shifted to CAT B as it comes stock with 134Bhp. Plus, this is only in context of our small Singapore market. The 316 uses a 1.6L engine while the 320 uses a 2.0L engine which is a different case from comparing the CLA180 and the CLA200 which has the same 1.6L engine.

The other markets around the world especially the American one is very performance driven. So in this context of using the same engine but different tune, it fits into MB or any car manufacturer's sales plan perfectly. One engine size fits all but with different engine mapping setup. As I may point out again, "they only need to produce one set of hardware to be used on the same assembly line drastically reducing cost. Rather than spend a whole lot of money for a separate production and R&D if the hardware was different." Furthermore, in every market, there'll definitely be those who feel less power is sufficient to get from point A to point B (MB charges base price), but there'll also be those who want more power (MB charges even more, bonus!). So rather than simply go for one segment of the market, why not try and conquer as much market share as possible with more variants when using the same engine platform won't increase their cost?

[LYH]

Great discussion guys! Really learnt a lot.

 

Keep them coming!

 

I would want to tune when my W205 C180 is delivered (Should be Aug 2016, already booked but will wait till my current ride is due)

 

Would weigh the pros and cons especially with respect to warranty and update the results!

[Omgamg]

btw BMW 320ED uses the same 1.6L engine as 316... the 2L version was phased out sometime ago

 

i take your point of tuning down to squeeze into Cat A

 

anyway for the marginal performance boost, I rather not fck around with my new car from C&C

[MarkCWQ]

btw BMW 320ED uses the same 1.6L engine as 316... the 2L version was phased out sometime ago

i take your point of tuning down to squeeze into Cat A

anyway for the marginal performance boost, I rather not fck around with my new car from C&C

I'm not that familiar with BMW and their engines.

Anyway, good discussion!

[Omgamg]

speaking of Cat A, BMW 216 diesel has 270 torque and 116HP, so Cat A... go figure