A friend of mine just picked up an 2004 SL500. I have done alot of performance mods for VWs and Audis. This will be the first MB that I work on. I'll be installing a supercharger kit for him.
My question is; who makes complete supercharger kits for SL500s?

Is it a pretty straight forward install?

How much should he expect to spend once all is said and done for the full kit?

 

Should've just bought an SL55 AMG if he wanted a supercharged SL IMO doesn't make much sense to install a $15,000+ supercharger on Sl500 when you can buy an 03 SL55 for around 50 grand or less

 

he got a great deal on the car. 30k miles. $30,000

what are our options here?

 

Kleemann and Renntech are the only viable options, both around $20,000 installed, which brings to the total cost to around $50,000, same as 03 SL55...

 

I would not want to be in that heavy butted SL500 with standard brakes
supercharged.

And that SL500 engine was not designed to be Supercharged either.
An AMG engine is built just a little different.

Good Luck.

 

Both are variants of the M113 V8 powerplant. The primary differences in the AMG motor are different cams, heads, a bit larger displacement, and lower compression pistons. The M113 has effortlessly handled moderate levels of boost without any internal modifications in numerous applications.

To the OP, unless you want to go a custom route, Kleemann is tried and true aftermarket supplier of durable superchargers for Mercedes V8's. I would do a little digging over there and see how much you can negotiate for the parts.

However, if your intent to make very serious levels of power, then I agree with the others in stating that the SL55 would be a better route. It is currently is and will continue to be a buyer's market for these cars used, so there are some good deals floating around out there.

 

it would cost less to sell the SL500, then buy a 55, rather than trying to get AMG power from a non.


30K SL500 + 15,000 SC= 45K SL500

OR

42k SL55

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...spagenameZWDVW

 

I have an 03 sl 500 I put the kleeman sc on with headers,eisenman exhaust,quaife posi diff,totally reliable and it passes inspection,I say go for it,none of these cars are investments mostly money pits,Im keeping the car so Im not concerned about getting my money back

 

Exactly, no point in installing a supercharger on an SL500. Just buy an SL55 and you'll also get other AMG goodies like brakes, suspension, sport seats, etc...

 

+1

I used to own a E320 and was thinking day and night how to add power to the car to make it faster...looked at kleemann and renntech but at the end, it was a waste of time. Get an AMG , it is a cheaper alternative in terms of many things. You wont have trouble trading in an AMG vs a SL500 with a supercharger on it. You dont need to spend so much $$ on labor on tuning the car when the AMG comes already tuned....etc

Trust me, been there done that...

 

I am thinking about doing the same thing to my 03 SL500. How much power and torque did you get out of the Kleeman? Were the headers really necessary or just something you wanted to do? I am hoping to find a used one or one relatively cheap. Im in Atlanta, Ga. Got Connections?
Anthonymgrantham@aol.com

 

I think it is a waste of money.
If you want torque, by a super bike and drive it for real!

Otherwise, if you'll make this upgrade, let us know how much did you spend and what was the process...

 

If there was any car I've seen that could benefit the most from a supercharger, it's this one. In many ways it's the same car as the 55, with the same chassis. It's not like many others where the engine wants to bust loose and tear up the car in the process. This chassis was built to handle it. For many of us, selling it off and just getting something else doesn't make sense either.

I say if you've got the 14k and want to do it, the Kleeman route has been thoroughly tried and tested. You'll end up with something that's closer to SL55 performance (not entirely tho), but you're paying SL500 insurance rates. I don't think it's a waste of money at all.

 

You have a point on the insurance rates , that is the reason why i have both 500'S .

 

Insurance quotes differ based on all sorts of variables, but I'd venture a guess that the average person at the average insurance company would pay $1k to $1.5k more per year on an SL55 over a SL500. Assuming that range is correct, that's a lot of money (to me it is anyway).

 

Well i had a deal closed on a SL55 until i check with my insurance it was $1600 more for the 6 months and $80 more for the SL500 as i had my S500 and a 2001 SL500 insured at the time . i current pay $1300 for my 04 SL500 and my 03 S500 for the six month , if I switch either car to a 55 or 600TT it's going to be an easy $1500 increase on my current rate . crazy but i did that to myself getting few tickets on my BIKE

 

So by that math, the Kleeman upgrade would pay for itself in 4 - 4.5 years.

You and I are in the same insurance boat. I'm at 1200/6 mos now because of an accident ruled my fault back in August.

 

i think its not worth it to do the power upgrade. plus you MUST upgrade the brakes and possibly the suspension which is a few more grand. with the prices these cars go for now you would probably do better if you sell the sl500 and buy the 55.

after putting 20k into your sl you will most likely never get anything for it on a sale or trade in. where as with the 55 you will. also does anyone know if your insurance company might try to deny a claim with that extra power modification not listed? just asking on this one since im not sure.

but if you do decided on the upgrade get the breaks done or you will be making a claim on your insurance sooner than you think. trust me, I know!

 

With great power comes great responsibility!

 

The V12TT S600 Has standard brakes like the SL500 , no big deal with brakes i think .

 

even if your right, the sl500 can not perform as well as an amg or M series braking system. they will overheat much quicker and give you that rear-ending brake fade that will scare the ***** out of you.

it happened to me when we had a euro meet in LI NY. here's the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kes1zF46y5M

there were sl55's, e63's, m3, m6's all kinds of porche's, a lambo and we ran into some ferrari's. my brakes overheated and i almost rear-ended the guy in the flat black m6. it was truly embarrasing.

but i still had fun. lol

 

Check out the following
www.renntechmercedes.com
www.kleemann.usa
www.myhps.com

 

WOW!! when do you guys usually have these meets ? i can take the drive to NY . Great runs , your SL looks great man

 

As far as insurance rates are concerned, I think it's safe to say that your insurer could potentially deny your coverage for a claim if you didn't advise it of the supercharge upgrade (and pay the appropriate premium associated with that upgrade). My two cents is that you should ask the insurer what the added premium, if any, would be before making any such upgrade.

 

check the events sub-forum on this board. they have them from time to time. some are good and some are boring. what made this one extra cool was that it was open to all euro cars.
the guy i almost hit, who was pretty cool about it, turn out to be a NJ Nets ball payer. i just found out about 2 weeks ago, but you could never tell cause he was so down to earth. but everyone was cool too. maybe i'll see you at an event.

thanks for the compliment!