Brabus D6 III - an owners blog without the bull.

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

developer

MB Enthusiast
SUPPORTER
Joined
Dec 28, 2007
Messages
8,228
Car
Volvo V90 D5 AWD
I thought I'd share some thoughts and experiences of my Brabus D6 III (for a 320 CDI) based upon a bit of real world owner analysis.

When I bought my car in Jan 2011 it came with the Brabus chip already fitted.

My previous S211 was an IL6 with 204bhp, so the new car with a claimed 272bhp was obviously quicker, but I'd never driven the new car without the chip to compare over a standard V6

During a group remap session late last year my car was put on the dyno (just for a look see) and showed 252bhp at the wheels, quite a bit less than the 272bhp claimed by Brabus.

I wasn't overly worried about the lower figure because I know from my time in automotive powertrain engineering that dynos can vary considerably from place to place. Also there were other doubts about the way that particular dyno was being run, with some ambiguity about the interpretation of the results on other members cars, that I won't bore you with here.

However, armed with the dyno graph I approached Brabus in Germany and Markus (the technical front desk contact - a very helpful man) immediately offered to have the chip/harness back to check it was functioning properly.

He also confirmed that the chip on mine was for a W219 (a warranty replacement) and while it appears to be the same engine and gearbox, he felt that it should be reprogrammed to the latest W211 software.

Mercedes Benz removed the chip/harness free of charge and sent it back to Brabus, early December.

Now, this meant I was driving a standard car and this is where it gets interesting.

The car was definitely slower - it seemed to have lost some of it's mid range shove, that part of the characteristic that makes diesels most enjoyable.

Brabus did their stuff and sent the chip/harness back to Mercedes Benz and today it was refitted, complete with the correct W211 software update.

So, the all important performance questions:

It's back to it's torque increased best now, though I can't say yet whether it's any quicker than the W219 software chip.

Does it feel like 48bhp more? - that's a tough one.

It is quicker than standard? - undoubtedly yes- and I've had the benefit of back to back testing now, which I'd not had before.

Others have described the power increase as like a helping hand, an extra shove in the mid range, and I'd agree with those analogies.

Would I have another one - well, as I begin the hunt for a S212 (which isn't for a while yet) I'll be looking for a D6S equipped beastie, so that's a yes then.

You'll note I've not referred to economy as I still believe you don't get more power with more economy, if only because your point and squirt right foot negates any possible(??) benefit.

I hope you find my "all Brabus, no bull" review informative.
 
Interesting blog. I have a S211 Brabus D6 III sitting on my desk at the moment. I've just got to get around to contacting the insurance company to see how much extra it will cost and if it's reasonable (or even allowed) then I should fit it - maybe a trip down to Olly at Prestige Services. How many miles has your S211 done?
 
I thought it made a big difference to mine, haven't had it dyno'd yet but will be doing when I've had a new exhaust system fitted.

Before I had it fitted off the line (dry conditions & 18" wheels) and low gears on a big prod of the accelerator the wheels never slipped however with the D6(III) they do (not scientific evidence at all but real world driving situations). The midrange is where the bulk of the difference lies without a doubt, having driven a 350CDI without the D6 back to back with mine I know I'd rather have mine
 
My previous S211 was an IL6 with 204bhp, so the new car with a claimed 272bhp was obviously quicker, but I'd never driven the new car without the chip to compare over a standard V6

During a group remap session late last year my car was put on the dyno (just for a look see) and showed 252bhp at the wheels, quite a bit less than the 272bhp claimed by Brabus.

Given that manufacturers almost always quote output figures at the flywheel, to still have 252bhp at the rear wheels from 272 at the flywheel sounds quite reasonable to me. They certainly didn't sell you short!

Dyno results are so-so, but I would prefer a 0-60 (70, 80, 90 100?) time on the same stretch of road in similar conditions before and after to really see what difference it makes.
 
Last edited:
Thanks John,

Good review. Again like Dr-Nab I also feel the real difference is in the midrange kick.

Again not very scientific but before I had the chip fitted I tested my 0-60. It was 6.4 secs before the chip and 5.9 after the chip. I did the test on the same road with TC turned off. Weather conditions were dry and around the same time of the day.

So a definite improvement but in all honesty probably not worth the £2K.

But no regrets, I do however sometimes think I should have bought a C63 or M3. But that's because I'm a power hungry speak freak :D
 
Dyno results are so-so, but I would prefer a 0-60 (70, 80, 90 100?) time on the same stretch of road in similar conditions before and after to really see what difference it makes.

Agreed. Forget Dyno readings, they can and will say anything the operator wants them to.
Get the stopwatch out.
 
It will be noticable although looking at the 204 range with the 250cdi car, the biggest gain is having the 5g box over the 7g with 0.5sec quciker to 60 in a 5g car. I imagine with less gear changes and plenty of low down push from a twin turbo set up, the difference is even greater in 50-70 and say 60-100mph type scenarios.
 
Given that manufacturers almost always quote output figures at the flywheel, to still have 252bhp at the rear wheels from 272 at the flywheel sounds quite reasonable to me. They certainly didn't sell you short!

Dyno results are so-so, but I would prefer a 0-60 (70, 80, 90 100?) time on the same stretch of road in similar conditions before and after to really see what difference it makes.

Aaarrgh - a moment of stupidity by me.

It was 252bhp at the engine, not the wheels :doh: which is why Brabus asked for it back - my apologies for the misleading info.

I'd have been happy at 252bhp at the wheels.

The dyno ambiguity I mentioned earlier was because there were two dyno readings on the printout. Eng HP and Max HP. I was told my engine horsepower of 252bhp was from the ENG HP column, while other cars from the remap on the day were told that their engine horsepower was from the Max HP column. :dk:.

To further complicate things, there was a large digital display screen giving an actual readout in bhp as each car was in the dyno - every owner was told to ignore that and were told it was meaningless :confused:.

It was only a catalyst for me to get my chip back to Brabus.
 
Last edited:
Interesting blog. I have a S211 Brabus D6 III sitting on my desk at the moment. I've just got to get around to contacting the insurance company to see how much extra it will cost and if it's reasonable (or even allowed) then I should fit it - maybe a trip down to Olly at Prestige Services. How many miles has your S211 done?

Mine has now done 44k BG.

My insurance premium increased by 10% this year (Aviva), though I did get a couple of declines from other companies, specifically due to the chip.
 
Hi developer215,

How long did it take Brabus to re-flash the D6 for your model?

And did it cost you?

Thanks
 
And have you done any back to back stopwatch testing yet?
 
And have you done any back to back stopwatch testing yet?

I'll collect the car from Johns on the way down to Portsmouth, and I'll road test the life out of it and post up my thoughts. I'll do a grand prix start on the toll road in mine and his and I'll tell you what speed I hit in each car before the lanes start.

Developer, please PM me your address so I know where to collect the car?
 
Hi developer215,

How long did it take Brabus to re-flash the D6 for your model?

And did it cost you?

Thanks

It took about three weeks, but some of that was a hiccup at the MB dealer where the guy who was supposed to send it didn't.

Brabus didn't charge me, however it was they who asked for it back after the dyno run and me telling them it was a W219 unit, so they were unlikely to.
 
I'll collect the car from Johns on the way down to Portsmouth, and I'll road test the life out of it and post up my thoughts. I'll do a grand prix start on the toll road in mine and his and I'll tell you what speed I hit in each car before the lanes start.

Developer, please PM me your address so I know where to collect the car?

Thanks Steve, however, you might just have the kiss of death :crazy: :D.

At the moment it's an
220px-Kuskovo_orangerie.jpg


And I don't want it to become a
shed.jpg
 
It's a shame John didn't get his car on the Dyno at the group re-map a few weeks ago.

I'd have like to have seen a direct comparison of BHP & Torque at the wheels between a D6 S211 320 and my Viezu re-mapped S211 320.

It seems a general consensus on this forum that a specific map is better than a plug-n-play chip box although the D6 is in a league of it's own compared to other box's.
 
It's a shame John didn't get his car on the Dyno at the group re-map a few weeks ago.

I'd have like to have seen a direct comparison of BHP & Torque at the wheels between a D6 S211 320 and my Viezu re-mapped S211 320.

It seems a general consensus on this forum that a specific map is better than a plug-n-play chip box although the D6 is in a league of it's own compared to other box's.

Hello J,

Many pay the premium for the Brabus box because it enables the warranty to be maintained on the car as Brabus are MB approved.

Out of warranty, anything goes.

Brabus claim 48hp extra, though I'm not convinced.
 
Hi, Am considering a Brabus chip for my E350 CDI sport Blue Eff, am I throwing 2k out the window or is the overall package worth the money?
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom