Team-BHP - Merc C250 gets quicker with Race Chip (Rs. 18,000 only!)

I recently installed the race chip tuning box in my already quick C250 CDI. I was contemplating about getting a remap done or go with locally proven boxes like Pete's but came across two options after speaking to experts and guys who have used these products on their A6s and ML250. Tuning box UK was my first option, but when I saw the value for money that Race chip was offering and the ease of use to buy it, I didn't wait any longer. It arrived in just 3 days after I placed an online order. The box was 129 Pounds and duty and shipping came to 3900. Totally worked out to less than 17K.

The factory setting that they send the chip was at default 20 % . When I spoke to them they had advised me to use it at this setting till the engine settles in with the new setting and then increase the power if required.

The immediate difference I notice is the abundance Torque on demand at any gear or any speed. The surge in power is phenomenal . The great part of it is that there is no black smoke like the Pete's Box.

Installation took just 5 minutes. Overall the mileage has also increased in city traffic. I used to get 9.8 avg in city driving,, am getting 10.6 now under normal driving conditions.

i strongly recommend this for a great drive. Ive just booked a Thar and am looking forward to fitting one on it too :-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO (Post 3440826)

That's a mouth-watering deal. 17K is substantially cheaper than local tuning boxes, especially for a box from a company of repute such as Race Chip. The 3 day delivery time quite is a sweetener.

Personally, when it comes to diesels, I prefer plug & play power boxes over remaps.

What was the exact import duty?

Congratulations & thanks for sharing your experience with us.

Hi GTO

Import duty charged by UPS - 4081
Cost of the chip - 129 Euros
Shipping - 45 Euros
Total Landed Cost = 17938 :-)

Got inspired by you and went to basement and installed racechip on my BMW 320d.

I ordered one online and had also asked my brother-in-law in UK to order for me. As the luck would have it, I received both boxes with a handsome custom duty slapped. Mine costed about 20k each.

I was waiting for my BMW to get over with 2nd service and then install racechip. After reading your post remembered the 2 boxes, opened the bonnet and installed.

It was straight forward and took less than 5 minutes and not even screwdriver required.

I had earlier helped a friend install racechip in his 320d so it was aware of the benefits. He has already played with several settings but I wanted to use the stock settings as the car already has tons of power.

Idling clutter gone, turbo lag is hardly there after the install. Took car for a 20 km spin and it appeared much smoother than stock. It feels super slick and runs like sport mode in normal.

Overall happy with my decision. Will sell the second box and then order one more for my Audi A6 :)

Firstly, I would not go by the figures quoted there. They are definitely over rated.

Secondly I don't think its wise to put an 18k box on a 40l car. Racechip is widely used, but I'm still not sure if it is a tuning box that increases boost pressure along with fuelling. Also I don't know whether they use the same box for all cars with just different connectors, or what?

Personally I would go only for reputed tuners for certain brands. If I had a Mercedes it would be either a Brabus box or an MKB box. It will be more expensive, but then you know for sure enough research has gone into it. For a BMW maybe something like a Steinbauer box, or a BMW performance power kit. For Audis something like MTM is ideal, but expensive.

Either way if you do continue to use this box dial down the power levels, especially because of Indian conditions which are harsh. I know someone who is facing stalling issues in his 320d, and I'm pretty sure its because of a Racechip.

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay1234 (Post 3441832)

Firstly, I would not go by the figures quoted there. They are definitely over rated.

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay1234 (Post 3441832)

Secondly I don't think its wise to put an 18k box on a 40l car. Racechip is widely used, but I'm still not sure if it is a tuning box that increases boost pressure along with fuelling. Also I don't know whether they use the same box for all cars with just different connectors, or what?

They use different boxes none are the same. What it basically does is take a dump of the ECU (is that what it's called?), changes the parameters and transfers the new one into the ECU. That is what I heard don't know if it is correct.

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay1234 (Post 3441832)

Either way if you do continue to use this box dial down the power levels, especially because of Indian conditions which are harsh. I know someone who is facing stalling issues in his 320d, and I'm pretty sure its because of a Racechip.

No way that the Race Chip is causing that. Take it back to normal settings and if it stalls again, I am pretty sure that he is driving it wrong. (you know these Germans, don't you Akshay)

Quote:

Originally Posted by akshay1234 (Post 3441832)

Akshay, a friend and BHPian has been using this on his 320d for 2 years and is extremely happy with it. Zero issues encountered in 2 years.

The trick is to stick to default settings and not push the engine to extreme using 2 dials.

Quote:

Originally Posted by thebfg (Post 3441848)

Ask OP, he'll tell you there is an amazing increase in low end torque and power, it does actually work. My friend has been using it on Innova (they do make it) since 1 year and my God! It has transformed the rubbish highway performance into a slightly better one (you can't change the gearbox can you)

They use different boxes none are the same. What it basically does is take a dump of the ECU (is that what it's called?), changes the parameters and transfers the new one into the ECU. That is what I heard don't know if it is correct.

No way that the Race Chip is causing that. Take it back to normal settings and if it stalls again, I am pretty sure that he is driving it wrong. (you know these Germans, don't you Akshay)

I'm not doubting the fact that it works, but I am unsure it works as well as well known brands who make specific maps for each car. Please don't compare an Innova to these cars, the Innova has a detuned engine that can take a lot of abuse. These cars are running much higher outputs, and unless tuned properly may give trouble after a few years.

How are you sure they use different boxes? It could be the same box with different connectors, designed to increase all the paramters by a certain percentage to give more power. Each cars engine has different tolerance, and is running different tunes. Hence I believe each map should be designed specifically for each application, and not something like this.

Again how are you sure the racechip isn't causing it? Without the box on the car does not stall. I think it was taking the rail pressure far too high. Also how do you drive an automatic car wrong? The whole point of getting a good tune is to be able to drive it however you want with no more breakdowns than a stock car.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rishi_kapoor (Post 3441856)

I agree default settings are preferable if you do decide to go for a racechip. Again like I've mentioned above, it will probably run for a couple of years just fine, but there ARE better options.

With your A6, I suggest you get a Steinbauer or MTM box. Yes they are much more expensive than Racechip, but they will be a lot better too. Do try and get a drive of a 320d with a BMW Power Kit to see the difference.