MB300E87
07-27-2003, 12:43 AM
"Drive the darn thing!" I hear in my right ear. I’m sitting in my car with a man named Lanny Richardson on a hot day in Chino Hills California and he’s telling me to punch it as we leave his neighborhood. Ahead of me is a long sweeping turn and in my hands is the steering wheel of my new car.
Just a half hour before I met Lanny outside of his beautiful home where he gave me my new car for only $325. But maybe I should backtrack and explain how this was all possible. Lanny just happens to be one of twenty US distributors for Upsolute, a company that specializes in chip tuning. He is in the business of unlocking the potential within his customers’ cars and that is exactly what he did for me in the form of 45 extra horsepower and lots more torque.
Chip tuning has really come into it’s own in the past few years as cars become more and more technically advanced. In this day and age a car’s engine is controlled not only by its mechanical components but also by the computer brain that rules the car and its operations. Upsolute uses their years of experience in tweaking and changing the software that lies within all cars’ ECU’s to extract more power from the engine while still remaining within the engines safe limits of operation without any other modifications to other areas of the engine. Through a simple swap of a computer chip within the ECU, Upsolute can boost the power of your car in previously unthinkable way.
But how could they possibly extract 45 extra horses just through one swapped computer chip? One thing that Upsolute has learned is that forced induction engines have a lot of room for a boost in power that is well within the vehicle’s stress limits and that this potential has always existed. Why then have car companies chosen not to capitalize on this? Well the reasons vary in every car manufacturer but at least in my vehicle’s case it’s more of a marketing issue than anything. The 1.8T, a widely used engine within the Volkswagen group is used in cars ranging from the Golf and Jetta up to the Audi TT, A4, and VW Passat. All 1.8T’s are virtually the same and only vary in a few mechanical bits. The major differences between them lie not within the engine, but in the ECU. It makes sense for them to dumb down the Golf and Jetta’s engine so that it doesn’t infringe on their bigger brothers, or the VR6 engine.
So how does it all happen? Well all I had to do was go to the Upsolute website, find my local distributor’s phone number and make an appointment. After making the appointment I drove out to the install location, which turned out to be Lanny’s house (he explains this is one way they keep their costs down), and after a half hour the new chip was installed and I was on my test drive. That was all that was needed to give my car an entirely new character and in a sense change it into a completely new car.
So what does this mean for you, the Mercedes-Benz driver reading this article?
How does the story about one Volkswagen Golf 1.8T apply to you and your Mercedes? Well if you happen to own a C230 Kompressor or SLK230 Kompressor for example, this article is for you. If you happen to own a turbo diesel Mercedes-Benz this article is for you. The potential for a lot more power has always been under your hood from the day your car left the factory. That turbocharger or supercharger lurking under your hood means that a new computer chip could unlock the power that has always existed but has up until today remained untapped. While naturally aspirated engines can always benefit from a new chip, the possibilities for inceased power are far greater in cars with a turbo or superchager. Should you ever add any other mods to your engine Upsolute is also quite happy to reprogram your chip to make the most of your new mods. The new chip is also undetectable by the dealer’s diagnostics tools.
Chip tuning produces large results, is safe, cost effective, and downright fun. But don’t take my word for it. There are some of us out there who have already had their Mercedes-Benz’s chip tuned by Upsolute. Luwin1026, a moderator here on BNZSport.com was the very first customer to have a C230 Kompressor chipped by Upsolute in North America and many others have followed suit. Here is what he had to say about the experience:
"Being the first 230k motor to be chipped by Upsolute in North America, I was a little apprehensive and hesitant at first. But talking with Lanny about it beforehand and having my questions answered put me at ease. I really liked the "tunability" of this chip, and the ability to reprogram over and over again. When I got my reprogrammed chip installed and I went for the initial test drive, I felt the power increase immediately and had to remember to keep speeds legal as I was driving in a residential neighborhood. Upsolute is a great alternative to the expensive chip-tuning likes of Renntech, etc. - and really offers great bang for the buck!!"
Upsolute has been tuning Volkswagens and Audis for years now and is really starting to take off in the Mercedes-Benz crowd. Thousands of happy customers and the recommendation from respected BNZSport.com members like Luwin give Upsolute an awesome reputation that I am willing to back up with my own experience.
All that needed to be removed to get at my car's ECU was one windshield wiper and a few platic peices
http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0TwDTArcYtfFoNOYP76ThUmoDkRENfOGp6qzUDpRATPwEIPi6L PGVTUshAtNw2X*C67MHd*3i9LTHWKYmoT9KCgM6i*xCpmy8!gv V1eYsLQ*y!zlRKPl5uw/upsolute_02.JPG?dc=4675431464209297306
Here you can see where the ECU usually sits. This picture shows the space after its been removed so that Lanny could soulder the new chip into place.
http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0TwAbA7YYcvFoNOYP76ThUtEW!DXCybK23wX064DTCDfMmPH6h 5Ek66XCwhxYn!d8N7bG!5lxUwpl37jjqlPW8GIF!AE6InJ7nY9 kh01LIg6Ytx0*h*Wg3w/upsolute_01.JPG?dc=4675431464203534096
UPsolute can best be contacted through their website here (http://www.upsolute.com).
Naturally there are many issues i left unmentioned in this article because of space. If you have any questions about my experience, or the experiences others have had, go ahead and post here!
Just a half hour before I met Lanny outside of his beautiful home where he gave me my new car for only $325. But maybe I should backtrack and explain how this was all possible. Lanny just happens to be one of twenty US distributors for Upsolute, a company that specializes in chip tuning. He is in the business of unlocking the potential within his customers’ cars and that is exactly what he did for me in the form of 45 extra horsepower and lots more torque.
Chip tuning has really come into it’s own in the past few years as cars become more and more technically advanced. In this day and age a car’s engine is controlled not only by its mechanical components but also by the computer brain that rules the car and its operations. Upsolute uses their years of experience in tweaking and changing the software that lies within all cars’ ECU’s to extract more power from the engine while still remaining within the engines safe limits of operation without any other modifications to other areas of the engine. Through a simple swap of a computer chip within the ECU, Upsolute can boost the power of your car in previously unthinkable way.
But how could they possibly extract 45 extra horses just through one swapped computer chip? One thing that Upsolute has learned is that forced induction engines have a lot of room for a boost in power that is well within the vehicle’s stress limits and that this potential has always existed. Why then have car companies chosen not to capitalize on this? Well the reasons vary in every car manufacturer but at least in my vehicle’s case it’s more of a marketing issue than anything. The 1.8T, a widely used engine within the Volkswagen group is used in cars ranging from the Golf and Jetta up to the Audi TT, A4, and VW Passat. All 1.8T’s are virtually the same and only vary in a few mechanical bits. The major differences between them lie not within the engine, but in the ECU. It makes sense for them to dumb down the Golf and Jetta’s engine so that it doesn’t infringe on their bigger brothers, or the VR6 engine.
So how does it all happen? Well all I had to do was go to the Upsolute website, find my local distributor’s phone number and make an appointment. After making the appointment I drove out to the install location, which turned out to be Lanny’s house (he explains this is one way they keep their costs down), and after a half hour the new chip was installed and I was on my test drive. That was all that was needed to give my car an entirely new character and in a sense change it into a completely new car.
So what does this mean for you, the Mercedes-Benz driver reading this article?
How does the story about one Volkswagen Golf 1.8T apply to you and your Mercedes? Well if you happen to own a C230 Kompressor or SLK230 Kompressor for example, this article is for you. If you happen to own a turbo diesel Mercedes-Benz this article is for you. The potential for a lot more power has always been under your hood from the day your car left the factory. That turbocharger or supercharger lurking under your hood means that a new computer chip could unlock the power that has always existed but has up until today remained untapped. While naturally aspirated engines can always benefit from a new chip, the possibilities for inceased power are far greater in cars with a turbo or superchager. Should you ever add any other mods to your engine Upsolute is also quite happy to reprogram your chip to make the most of your new mods. The new chip is also undetectable by the dealer’s diagnostics tools.
Chip tuning produces large results, is safe, cost effective, and downright fun. But don’t take my word for it. There are some of us out there who have already had their Mercedes-Benz’s chip tuned by Upsolute. Luwin1026, a moderator here on BNZSport.com was the very first customer to have a C230 Kompressor chipped by Upsolute in North America and many others have followed suit. Here is what he had to say about the experience:
"Being the first 230k motor to be chipped by Upsolute in North America, I was a little apprehensive and hesitant at first. But talking with Lanny about it beforehand and having my questions answered put me at ease. I really liked the "tunability" of this chip, and the ability to reprogram over and over again. When I got my reprogrammed chip installed and I went for the initial test drive, I felt the power increase immediately and had to remember to keep speeds legal as I was driving in a residential neighborhood. Upsolute is a great alternative to the expensive chip-tuning likes of Renntech, etc. - and really offers great bang for the buck!!"
Upsolute has been tuning Volkswagens and Audis for years now and is really starting to take off in the Mercedes-Benz crowd. Thousands of happy customers and the recommendation from respected BNZSport.com members like Luwin give Upsolute an awesome reputation that I am willing to back up with my own experience.
All that needed to be removed to get at my car's ECU was one windshield wiper and a few platic peices
http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0TwDTArcYtfFoNOYP76ThUmoDkRENfOGp6qzUDpRATPwEIPi6L PGVTUshAtNw2X*C67MHd*3i9LTHWKYmoT9KCgM6i*xCpmy8!gv V1eYsLQ*y!zlRKPl5uw/upsolute_02.JPG?dc=4675431464209297306
Here you can see where the ECU usually sits. This picture shows the space after its been removed so that Lanny could soulder the new chip into place.
http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0TwAbA7YYcvFoNOYP76ThUtEW!DXCybK23wX064DTCDfMmPH6h 5Ek66XCwhxYn!d8N7bG!5lxUwpl37jjqlPW8GIF!AE6InJ7nY9 kh01LIg6Ytx0*h*Wg3w/upsolute_01.JPG?dc=4675431464203534096
UPsolute can best be contacted through their website here (http://www.upsolute.com).
Naturally there are many issues i left unmentioned in this article because of space. If you have any questions about my experience, or the experiences others have had, go ahead and post here!