[mapombo]

Hi all,

Reading through this and other forums, I decided to go for a Promotech CR516+ unit to boost my new 3 doors 118d (143ps).
I payed 600€ for the unit, shipping included. The assembly was pretty straight-forward: I only had to disconect the common rail and turbo sockets and insert the boxe's ones in serial.
After pressing the Start button, everything looked fine; the engine sounded normal, no unusual light at the dashboard. I then went for a log ride, and world not be very demanding for the first 100 Km. Then the actual testing begun; and was I impressed: at hi-revs, recoveries were a lot faster, and pressing hard with my right foot made the car jump forwards like a V6! (well, almost...). But at low-revs, it seemed slower than before.
Getting out of the highway, my feelings were confirmed: on a low inclination ascent road I used to ride on at 4th gear, the car now doesn't go beyond 1600rmp, even though my foot is firmly stuck against the ground, so I had to reduce to 3rd.
I guessed the unit, and perhaps the ecu, may need some time to adjust, so I kept it on for a week. And nothing changed.
I then decided to pay 100€ for a dyno. It proved me right: below 2700rpm, its a lot slower, beyond that it gets a lot faster:

http://imgplace.com/image/view/d5fe83ec84a13f0bd9002ae0a179a017

I sent this dyno to the guys at Promotech, who then requested the unit back for a software check. So I paid another 15€ for a registered mail delivery, and waited 2 more weeks for a response, only to hear they found nothing wrong with the unit, but still had no answer for the dyno's readings. They gave my money back... well, at least some of it: 574€. So, in total, I threw 41€ to the garbage!

I am posting this because I want everyone to have a little more input than I had when I bought this power module. From my experience, I now guess they don't actually test their units on every single car module the state as covered, and probably just assume it will work!

If anyone, owning a 118d with 143ps, has any experience, good or bad, with any tuning box, please post back your dynos or your general feeling. I am on the market for one, and surely many other people are too!

Please feel free to comment.
MP

 

[DieselDog]

I was probably one off the first on this forum to buy this box from ProMotech, and in my car it's very similar to your graph.
But I feel that mine is stronger below and arround 2000rpm than you show here. Last week I towed my new boat, that's 800kg with the trailer, and had no problems in hills having the rpm at 2000.

I don't have any graph on mine, because it cost to much to do this in Norway (I beleive), but I have one question.
Is your car run in propebly? How many miles / km has it done?

Mine didn't really loosen up before after 8-9000km.

Any how, I like the "Petrol like" performance in this engine compared to a old VAG diesel 8)

 

[texasjohn]

I wrote a long reply to this yesterday, but I lost all the text due to an error on my part.

Anyway, the long and the short of it was I dont seem to have the issues around 2000rpm like you are experiencing.

I tried this unit on the recommendation of diesel dog. I am very happy with it. It didnt feel to me like the whole 180hp and I have commented on this however your dyno seems to prove the claim.

The car certainly has the upper RPM powerband shown by your dyno and I love the power delivery, very much like a petrol.

Colleague of mine has a late 2007 model 120d and has driven my 118d. He thinks my car is quite quick compared to his, even to the point where he is suspecting his 120d has a problem because it should 'feel' 30hp more. He reckons they are about as fast as eachother, but mine has a 'step' in power at about 3500RPM and more pull from 3800RPM to redline. Ok, only a couple of hundred RPMs, but noticeable for him to comment.

I borrowed his car at the same time and drove it, it was very linear but a lot better than a standard 118d is I didnt rag the arse out of his car quite so much as I only drove it once that day, to go to lunch; he borrowed my 118d to go to all the way to London as the 118d is exempt from the London congestion tax!

 

[mapombo]

I guess if you like to drive in hi-revs (always above 2000rpm), this module should be fine. If you come from a petrol engine, that's what you're expecting. Personally, I really like the feeling of getting some real power from 1500rpm on, but then again I always drove diesels before...
Mine's 10000Km by now, and I guess the mechanics already loosened as much as it gets.
Thanks guys for your feedback.
Anyone owning a different box, please reply.

MP

 

[Dizzle118]

I found this an informative read. Didnt reliase there had been any units released for the 143bhp. I would love to know how much extra pressure is used on the turbo once the unit had been fitted (in terms of bar).

 

[DieselDog]

I I would love to know how much extra pressure is used on the turbo once the unit had been fitted (in terms of bar).

I belive it's raised from 2,55 to 2,6bar so not much.
I have never had the car going into emergency program, so I beleive it's within the engines tollerance.
Because this is a box and not a re-map, the engines software are 100% intact, and the engine would go into emergency program if the "bar" pressure went to high.

 

[Auto]

Promotech claims that with the box hp is 175hp and the dyno said it all, 179,2hp. That's 36hp just from a box! That's relly good. I didn't expect that.
Max tourge 353,3Nm from orginal 300Nm, that's also good.

Did you ask them if they could rise the tourqe in the begining under 2000rpm?

 

[Realtor]

I don´t have a box installed on my car. I had my car on dyno at a local performance center, just for the fun of it, and standard, without any modifications.

160 BHP and 330NM.

And i can prove it if wanted.

 

[Dizzle118]

118d? 160bhp standard? :| Was is a rolling road? or hub connection? I want proof. thanks :mrgreen:

 

[JezyG]

I don´t have a box installed on my car. I had my car on dyno at a local performance center, just for the fun of it, and standard, without any modifications.

160 BHP and 330NM.

And i can prove it if wanted.

Love to see the dyno plot engines quite a jump from the quoted 143Bhp and 330Nm tolerance is usually +/- 10% so yours is right at the top of the 10% scale :mrgreen:

 

[DieselDog]

Today I had to remowe my box, because I'll have my first service on the car. And what a difference!
It feels like you never get full power, some what like 3/4 of what you are used to.

And again I can confirme that there is no more tourqe at low rpm without the box than with it.
The car feels slower, and dosent have the same response to the trottle.

 

[p-torque.co.uk]

I don´t have a box installed on my car. I had my car on dyno at a local performance center, just for the fun of it, and standard, without any modifications.

160 BHP and 330NM.

And i can prove it if wanted.

Thats a hell of alot :?

We usually see near stock on the 118d 138 - 148bhp

 

[maxl.brown]

I wrote a long reply to this yesterday, but I lost all the text due to an error on my part.

Anyway, the long and the short of it was I dont seem to have the issues around 2000rpm like you are experiencing.

I tried this unit on the recommendation of diesel dog. I am very happy with it. It didnt feel to me like the whole 180hp and I have commented on this however your dyno seems to prove the claim.

The car certainly has the upper RPM powerband shown by your dyno and I love the power delivery, very much like a petrol.

Colleague of mine has a late 2007 model 120d and has driven my 118d. He thinks my car is quite quick compared to his, even to the point where he is suspecting his 120d has a problem because it should 'feel' 30hp more. He reckons they are about as fast as eachother, but mine has a 'step' in power at about 3500RPM and more pull from 3800RPM to redline. Ok, only a couple of hundred RPMs, but noticeable for him to comment.

I borrowed his car at the same time and drove it, it was very linear but a lot better than a standard 118d is I didnt rag the arse out of his car quite so much as I only drove it once that day, to go to lunch; he borrowed my 118d to go to all the way to London as the 118d is exempt from the London congestion tax!

urm a standard diesel is not except it has to be biofuel or duel fuel a sfar as i can make out and you register a £10 charge per year. how did you manage to get an exemption i would be interested to know

 

[tminal]

Anything under 120g/km is exempt the 118d (latest version so not all facelift I believe) is only 119g/km

 

[JezyG]

Anything under 120g/km is exempt the 118d (latest version so not all facelift I believe) is only 119g/km

Fl 118d came out at 123g/Km until Sept then 119g/Km ours is the 123g/Km although it does feel more responsive than the 119g/Km 118d assume some remapping must have gone on :?