acicchelli

After months of watching this forum and trying to convince myself I didn't need another car, I broke down and got an SL600. Car is a 2004, Black exterior, charcoal interior, sport package, pano roof, keyless go. Car also has Renntech ECU upgrades, 20 inch Renntech wheels and rear deck spoiler. I will take some pictures soon and post them.

I do have 1 question:

I am running continental sport compact 2 tires. 255/30/20s on the front and 305/25/20s on the back. I have no idea what the proper tire inflation is for these tires, can anyone help me with that? Thanks again.

lorinserbenz

Congrats on the car.. I am running the same tires as you, I keep them at 35lbs all the way around.... ride is smooooth..

tandan

enjoy, enjoy, enjoy! sounds like you bought yourself one heck of a car!

RennTechV12

Sweet Ride!!!!

As you can see, we have similar tastes!!!!!

blueSL

Enjoy you car!

acicchelli

Thanks everyone for the kind words, and for the tire pressure info. I took some quick pics in the garage today (it was raining) and added them to a gallery. The link is:

http://www.perenold.com/gallery/main.php

vraa

Your car looks really good. Have you thought about getting it (I believe it's the right term) sand polished to remove the orange peel?

LovinMercedes

If you get rid of the orange peel than it won't be a Mercedes.

vraa

Yep, it'd become a British car.

blueSL

It's a pity that the SL goes through precisely the same paint process as a C-Class, and you get C-Class quality for an SL price. Hopefully, the paint finish on your Vanquish will not be as Ricky suggests.

So Cal Sam

What's orange peel? Does just MB cars have this codition or do others too?

blueSL

Look at a Mercedes under fluorescent light and the surface can resemble the skin of an orange, hence the term. It's an unevenesss in the paint application which other high end manufacturers solve by meticulous hand finishing. Aston Martin is an example - they take longer to paint the car than Mercedes does to make the whole thing.

vraa

Almost all cars have it.
Most hand buffed cars don't.

acicchelli

Hey Ricky, my car supposedly has the Renntech ECU/transmission upgrades, but how do I really know if it has it? Is there some way to tell? I recently had the battery in the trunk replaced, I hope my Renntech ECU stuff didnt get erased. I took the car in for emissions inspection today and they couldnt communicate with the cars computer, which is apparently normal for someone who just had the battery replaced. I guess it takes some time/miles for the computer to relearn things. Any info anyone has would be appreciated. Thanks.

vraa

Replacing the battery won't wipe out the RENNtech upgrade. The RENNtech upgrade (as all other ECU reflashes) are stored on a ROM. That's why they need to be flashed. ROM means read only memory, so that means it doesn't have to have an active current for the memory to stay.

As for being able to tell if you have the RENNtech upgrade, I would have no earthly idea. Are you the second owner or something? You could try to get in touch with the company that supposedly worked on the car or RENNtech with your VIN # to see if they have your car in their database?

If you don't have the RENNtech upgrade (sadly) make sure you get it ASAP! 625hp and 745lb-ft torque rocks.

acicchelli

Yes I'm the second owner, and it's supposed to have it. I probably do have it, but I wanted to know for sure. I know that I have an M mode when I press the C/S (comfort/sport) button. I believe that you only get that if you get the Renntech upgrade, because in the 2004 SL600 sport there is no steering wheel shifter buttons. Here's the exact car I bought. I am assuming I have the upgrade, since this is a pretty reputable place.

http://www.8887exotic.com/VehDetails...9&Pictures=yes

I was able to Gtech a 0-60 mph time of 4.3 flat today, with ESP on, power braking a bit (2000 rpms), and with a 60' time of 2.1. I heard the tires screech a bit when I took off (traction control kicked in as well). The tires screeched again when it shifted to 2nd (I had it floored the whole way) I'd love to be able to get the advertised 0-60 in 3.6 that renntech claims, or closer to it. I am obviously a novice with this car, and if anyone has any helpful hints on how to lower my times feel free to chime in. I did hit 60 mph in 5.2 seconds today in my Cayenne turbo so I was pretty happy about that. (decently close to advertised time) Tomorrow I will try out the Viper and the SL600 again.

StephenK

I wouldn't rush into the Renntech upgrade, I did it and it seems like something is not right. The advertised power does not seem to be there. Others mentioned tires chirping and having to be easy on the throtle at intersections to avoid squeeling tires. Well that is not the case with mine at all. Now to be fair, Renntech called and arrangements are going to be made to take the car to them to find out what is happening. I will reserve my final judgment on the upgrade to then.

CASL55

Actually, Flash memory is not ROM, but EEPROM. A brief summary of non-volatile memory acronyms:

ROM: Read-only memory. Programmed at mask-making time.
PROM: Programmable read-only memory. Comes set to all 0's or all 1's. Can be programmed once by the customer, in a special fixture.
EPROM: Erasible, programmable read only memory. Like a PROM, but can be erased and reprogrammed, usually by exposure to a stron UV light source.
EEPROM: Electrically erasable programmable read only memory. Like a PROM, but can be erased and rewritten electrically. Flash is a type of EEPROM.

Before Intel got big and stuffy, they used to issue fake product announcements every April 1st. One was for the WOM, or write-only memory.

Jim

vraa

Oops, thanks man, I was really in a rush and simplifying things.

It's always nice to know that we have some hardcore computer guys on the forum, have you checked out the sticky in the Off Topic forum? The more cooks, the merrier!

CASL55

That for me?

Jim

vraa

Yessir, and to everyone else that has any idea of what we're talking about