Those are all exaggerated claims, and what power they do make is usually on high octane. I shopped Upsolute a few months ago, but settled on Powerchip for two reasons-
1-Most of the independent Upsolute tuners were very slow in responding to my requests for info, and found out later that most of them (if you are getting their contact info from the Upsolute home page) when they did respond, were limited in their knowledge for ECU tuning for Benz's. I have the M271 motor so that made me nervous. Most did VW's Audi's etc, so if you decide to go that way make sure your tuner is familiar with your car. Also the Upsolute people provided me with no information on shipping or ECU removal, so I was on my own if I used them.
2- Powerchip (Love em or hate em), gave me great customer service and there was always someone there, either Travis or Matt that took the time to answer all of my questions. Their service alone offset the price, and they sent very specific removal instruction and overnight service so I was very happy. If you have the M271 motor removing the fourth and farthest screw that holds the ECU to the motor requires great patience and very small hands and tools. When I got stuck, I called Powerchip and Travis gave me some great tool suggestions as it is in a very difficult location, but what he suggested worked and I finally was able to remove the last screw. First three took 1 minute, last one 30 minutes. Yikes!
Realistically, for what I found, a good ECU tune alone might bump you 8-12 ponies estimated, depending on your motor and how you re-flash. I wanted more punch out of the hole, better mid range and passing power, and the Gold 91 flash gave me exactly that. Not like cranking up the boost to 20psi, but I did notice a difference, especially on the hiway when passing, and no reduction in fuel economy. For the price, and for what I was expecting, it worked great for me.
I researched all options for about two weeks before I bought, so doing your homework in advance should give you the information to make a good buying decision based on your needs.
1-Most of the independent Upsolute tuners were very slow in responding to my requests for info, and found out later that most of them (if you are getting their contact info from the Upsolute home page) when they did respond, were limited in their knowledge for ECU tuning for Benz's. I have the M271 motor so that made me nervous. Most did VW's Audi's etc, so if you decide to go that way make sure your tuner is familiar with your car. Also the Upsolute people provided me with no information on shipping or ECU removal, so I was on my own if I used them.
2- Powerchip (Love em or hate em), gave me great customer service and there was always someone there, either Travis or Matt that took the time to answer all of my questions. Their service alone offset the price, and they sent very specific removal instruction and overnight service so I was very happy. If you have the M271 motor removing the fourth and farthest screw that holds the ECU to the motor requires great patience and very small hands and tools. When I got stuck, I called Powerchip and Travis gave me some great tool suggestions as it is in a very difficult location, but what he suggested worked and I finally was able to remove the last screw. First three took 1 minute, last one 30 minutes. Yikes!
Realistically, for what I found, a good ECU tune alone might bump you 8-12 ponies estimated, depending on your motor and how you re-flash. I wanted more punch out of the hole, better mid range and passing power, and the Gold 91 flash gave me exactly that. Not like cranking up the boost to 20psi, but I did notice a difference, especially on the hiway when passing, and no reduction in fuel economy. For the price, and for what I was expecting, it worked great for me.
I researched all options for about two weeks before I bought, so doing your homework in advance should give you the information to make a good buying decision based on your needs.