SL/R230: Inquiring Mind Wants to Know about WEIGHT!
03-20-2005, 10:02 PM
#1
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2006 SL600, 2001 S500, 1996 SL320
Inquiring Mind Wants to Know about WEIGHT!
Looking for member feedback about the weight issue with SL's. In reading various peoples reviews about the new SL's the negative they seem to mention most is the weight issue with the car. It is portrayed as a rather big negative. I personally don't see it that way, I like the solid/heavy feel to the car, and even though it weighs a lot, it travels VERY FAST! If anyone has any opinions on this I would like to hear them.
Why do you think it was designed as such a heavy car?
Why do you think it was designed as such a heavy car?
03-20-2005, 10:56 PM
#4
MBWorld Fanatic!
Of course, the "L" in "SL" originally meant "Leicht" (lightweight) but they've lost the plot somewhere along the line.
It all comes back to whether the SL is a luxury GT or a sports car. A sports car can change speed or direction rapidly - by definition - and the greater the weight, the greater the engine power, braking power and tyre traction required to do it. Tyre traction is the key. You can add lots of engine power and braking power to compensate for the weight and you can have wider tyres to improve the traction, but at the limit, when your tyres have nothing more to give, the acceleration you will be seeing (that is, ability to change speed or direction rapidly) will depend inversely on the weight of the car. As Newton put it in the 1600's,
Force = Mass * Acceleration
This applies both in a straight line and when cornering so when the force is limited by what the tyres can do, the acceleration is limited too.
The SL is more luxury GT than sports car and its weight is the result of what's required to have a strong rigid body, a car which is quiet and has lots of luxury features. The SL is definitely not a sports car in the sense that while it can out-drag lots of lesser cars in a straight line, it is more compromised on the corners.
Mercedes disguise the weight of the car with the brilliant ABC which gives the car a much more neutral cornering stance. There's also a host of features to rein in the driver when traction begins to run out and all of that makes the car satisfying to drive within an envelope which is sane on public roads. Put it on a track, switch off the electronics and it would be a rather untidy performer. An SL as a track car makes no sense at all.
It all comes back to whether the SL is a luxury GT or a sports car. A sports car can change speed or direction rapidly - by definition - and the greater the weight, the greater the engine power, braking power and tyre traction required to do it. Tyre traction is the key. You can add lots of engine power and braking power to compensate for the weight and you can have wider tyres to improve the traction, but at the limit, when your tyres have nothing more to give, the acceleration you will be seeing (that is, ability to change speed or direction rapidly) will depend inversely on the weight of the car. As Newton put it in the 1600's,
Force = Mass * Acceleration
This applies both in a straight line and when cornering so when the force is limited by what the tyres can do, the acceleration is limited too.
The SL is more luxury GT than sports car and its weight is the result of what's required to have a strong rigid body, a car which is quiet and has lots of luxury features. The SL is definitely not a sports car in the sense that while it can out-drag lots of lesser cars in a straight line, it is more compromised on the corners.
Mercedes disguise the weight of the car with the brilliant ABC which gives the car a much more neutral cornering stance. There's also a host of features to rein in the driver when traction begins to run out and all of that makes the car satisfying to drive within an envelope which is sane on public roads. Put it on a track, switch off the electronics and it would be a rather untidy performer. An SL as a track car makes no sense at all.
