https://slrspeed.com/products/merced...40995939287134

Anyone have any experience with this kit?

Who makes the coilover bodies? Quality?

 

I don't know who makes it, but it looks quality. I have ABC, and I've been looking at this type of conversions, and this one seems to me to be of better quality than any other (at least at first glance).

 

asked some questions and got some answers!

Questions:

Interested in more information on your coilover conversion.

What kind of pump is included with the kit? OEM?

How do the swaybars mount? will I need to source new control arms?

Do you have provisions to delete the ABC Error code?

Who makes the coilovers in the kit? Are they rebuildable?

Answers:

- The pump is not required on the CL55 only on V12 cars like the SL600, SL65, and such.

- The sway bars mount to the coilovers included in the conversion, so no need for new control arms or anything outside of the kit.

- The ABC light/code can be removed by any Mercedes dealer or mechanic shop with the programming computer. They simply go into the car's computer and change it to remove ABC in one selection.

- VVK is the manufacturer who sources the inner parts of the shocks from a top Taiwan race factory and then VVK machines and manufactures all the outers, top hats, sway bars here in Florida and assembles them. The shocks are rebuildable but might just be cheaper to order a replacement from us if anything happens (cheaper most likely).

 

Wondering if anyone has tried a kit from SLR yet

 

Same

I have an 05 Cl55 AMG. I have been completely against changing out the abc until I saw this kit. If anyone at SLR wants to give me a deal. I will install myself and do a write up.

 

Im against replacing ABC also but with MB Discontinuing the struts… makes me consider it

 

FYI I know only 1 side is available for the front of my 05 CL55 not sure if you are aware but the struts are the same right and left except for the angle of the line coming out of the strut. So you can by 2 Right sided and just replace that line.

I currently have 184,000 miles. It’s my daily and have put 84k miles in 2.5 years with just having to repair 1 accumulator, fuel pump, supercharger pulpy bearing, plastic serpentine idlers. These cars do much better driving than sitting and of course I change the abc fluid every 18k miles. I also changed the transmission fluid and conductor plate. Rear tires are the biggest expense and that’s without doing burn outs.

currently my front struts are creaking but not leaking and one of the hydraulic lines is weeping . Was planning on changing both hydraulic lines when I do the struts. Never again will I play games trying to release a quick connect fitting unless the line is practically new and then the quick connect shouldn’t be a problem. I changed the 4 struts on my 04 CL 500. Horrible experience I bought Arnott struts refurbished and should have only changed the back as one was leaking the other sensor was going bad. I made a huge mistake trying to save money on programing. Thinking do all so I only needed to program once. I bought all 4 and 2 were bad started leaking after programing then the 2 replacements 1 was bad. Then then the last one they shipped was also bad. I was done installing Arnott hydraulic struts. They refunded money for 2 of the struts so I could buy 1 strut from Mercedes . 2 months later one of the 3 Arnott struts on the car started leaking. After notifying Arnott about the other leak they refunded my money for the other 2 struts. Arnott rep told me they don’t change every seal. One is behind a weld that they are not certified to re weld so they don’t change. What a nightmare just thinking about it now pisses me off. I have heard better things about there air shocks so I don’t want to just destroy Arnott especially when in the end they did reimburse me for what I paid plus most of the cost of programing.

The quick connects each took hours to release. This has to be a joke to Mercedes engineers like calling someone heavy /slim. I decided then if I ever had to change abc struts I would be cutting the hydraulic lines

3 years ago Mercedes was selling refurbished struts for the 500. I don’t know if they still are but not for the 55.

The creaking is getting worse and when I googled front struts thisSLR speed kit came up. Need to find someone who has purchased it and did they get the race or standard? Apparently the sway bars attach directly to the new strut.

 

The sway bars attaching to the strut has me a bit confused also. Looking forward to someone writing a review on this kit. Too much work to be a guinea pig and then not be happy.

I contacted KW a while back and they were willing to have their custom department make coilovers for our cars but they wanted to charge hourly for R&D and required all four struts shipped to them and measurements taken directly from the car, and $3500 base price for the V3 and the sky is the limit. Then sway bars would have to be developed, etc etc

The car will never be "Sporty" but I sure wouldnt mind dropping some weight if a performance oriented coilover set up was available.

 

Going to contact SLR today and see what information that they can send me.I will advise.

Truthfully, I was less willing to replace the abc on my 500 than my 55. Not sure if anyone else feels a difference between the 500 and the 55. I think that my 500 was smother than the 55. I know AMG re programs the abc and not sure if the springs are stronger or what or maybe it’s just me.

I know a lot of people mention the smoothness of the 600 over the 55. I know the v 12 is a well balanced motor and Mercedes downplayed the HP by 50-60

Has anybody else experience with the 55 abc compared to the 500 or 600.?

 

 

I think ABC quality has more to do with system condition (accumulators and pump) and the condition of bushings and strut tower top bushings. The bushings go bad in the lower control arms, which nukes handling quality, and the bushings at the top of the strut compress, leaving you with as much as ~.75+" of completely unchecked strut movement. Look at your struts under the hood, and see how much airspace is beween the middle rubber bumper/washer thing (specifically the center piece where the electric sensor plugs in) and the metal base it's supposed to be snugged up against. I fixed the gap with polyurethane washers on one car, and pouring in 2-part urethane epoxy in my other CL. Made a hude difference in a moderate high speed curve where I live that had a bump in one side... unsettled the car severely before shimming that strut tower gap.

 

Thanks for the info I will check the top bushings.

To check accumulate health, on the low ride height position and if filled to the correct high line with the car off when you start the car the fluid should drop to the lower level line exactly if all of the accumulators are healthy.


What I am talking about is if you driving in a 500 down a hill and you put the car in neutral while still rolling there is a huge difference in the way the car feels. Putting the car in neutral disengages the abc. In the 500 the car lifts up and is very unstable. My 55 when you disengage abc the car does not noticeably lift and feels more stable. Not sure if anyone else is familiar

 

anyone take the plunge with this kit yet?

 

What is the ride quality like? It would be a shame to lose that fabulous Mercedes ride you get with the ABC system.

 

Ride quality won't be comparable, these are almost 5000 pound cars. ABC is special in that it's active, and fluid actuated. Airmatic is neat, but air is compressible, the air pump isnt super powerful, and the response time is limited by the first two properties.

It's better than GM's magnaride (IMO) because magnaride can simply stiffen, rather than actively apply counteractive force to the suspension. ABC is a great system when it works, but neglect will cause cascading issues that all need rectifying, which can be expensive. Example is my CL65- I had to replace the front valve block (someone had broken a solenoid by hitting it with a hammer), as well as 2 ABC lines and the ABC pulsation dampener line, and front+return accumulators. Why? The broken accumulators and pulsation dampening hose absorb pressure spikes that would otherwise punish the ABC lines and blow them out... I'm assuming this is why I had 2 lines on the verge of popping. People don't want to replace what's needed because it's somewhat expensive, but duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, these were 100k+ cars when new, depreciation does not apply to repairs or parts lol.


Resale value on coilover-ed cars seems to take a hit too.