mikeinsf

I just bought my SL, and I'm interested in doing something to boost up the performance on the car a bit. Does anyone have any advice they'd like to share on the best / most common mods that people are doing to get more performance? My car is a stock SL500. Options I'm considering are:

- Renntech ECU and/or headers
- Eisenmann exhaust
- Performance springs

If I had the dough, I'd be considering a Kompressor upgrade, but I don't have 13k kicking around and budgetted for stuff like that.

Anyone with comments on what they've done? Comments on the options I've listed? Additional options to consider?

Cheers.

m4xm1l10n

After researching around I decide to leave my car stock as any of those upgrades will NOT bring you crazy noticeable power difference. If you really want to go with the mods you mention !!!!!! 1st , start thinking on how to make your SL500 LIGHTER , than do the mods . if you'd like a deeper sound than get the EXHAUST (SOUND PURPOSE ONLY ) if you can't afford the SUPERCHARGER don't even waist your money !!!!! again it's just my opinion , but i experienced it already !!!!!!!

OR JUST GET YOURSELF AN SL55

Rook3300

@mikeinsf, if you really want a blown SL, just buy an SL55 and forego the huge out-of-pocket cost to do it yourself.
Also, keep in mind that if you do these mods without informing your auto insurer, then they will not be covered in the case of an accident. AND if any of the mods could be found to have caused the accident, then none of the damage will be covered at all. Again, probably better to go straight for the SL55 and just insure it properly.

Rook

Rick SL55

Agree with it. Try to sell your SL500 and buy a SL55.

cnterline

I dont think your statement is correct about the insurance coverage,my agent said my kleeman supercharger install would be covered if car was stolen as long as I had receipts for install,and never mentioned anything about adding horsepower would negate coverage,doesnt seem right to me,

Rook3300

Sorry but I would guess your agent probably didn't even bother looking up the coverage terms himself. IF you make any modifications to the vehicle and do not have a rider to your auto insurance policy to specifically state the modifications (from stock), then it will not be covered. This isn't just about adding horsepower but about ANY modifications. Your car is only covered in such a manner as when it left the factory (as described by the sales sheet or standard setup as described by the insurance adjuster's software). Your agent is just a salesman, he is not an insurance adjuster. Believe me, the adjuster will look for anything they can to negate or reduce payout on an accident. Hence the proliferation of auto accident lawyers. (I was certified as a home/auto insurance adjuster back in the day and I have heard some stories, let me tell you.)
Your auto coverage also states that if modifications were made to the vehicle that made it unsafe to operate, and those mods caused an accident, then that circumstance isn't covered as well. As an example, if you installed a supercharger and it caused your electronics to fail for some reason and this caused you to plow into the back of another car, then the insurance company will say you modified your car in an unsafe manner. You would have no choice but to drag out a lawyer in your defense and try to get them to pay.
If you get a chance, take a read over your auto policy coverage booklet and make sure to read it from the insurer's point of view. It is an interesting read if you can figure out some of the lawyer-speak.

(FYI, this insurance information is limited to the United States and does not apply elsewhere.)

Rook

mikeinsf

Rook3300, you're dead-on about insurance company machinations. I recently learned a very, very bitter lesson wrt this. They take your money for a policy. When it comes time to pay out, if there's one single clause anywhere that allows them some sort of justification for denial... they'll take it. Now I'm out.. potentially to the tune of 30k.

Moral of the story... with insurance companies assume NOTHING. Be very, very careful what you tell them. Can't hurt to consult a lawyer before you get on the phone with them when a claim is involved.

mikeinsf

So, back on point....

I JUST bought my SL500, I'm not buying an SL55. For those of you with constructive insight on modifications to go forward with, thanks for the info.

Rook3300

@mikeinsf, yep, insurance is just a game and you have to keep the numbers on your side in order for it to work out. My wife found out the hard way back when she mentioned to her insurance agent that she needed to talk to her husband to make a decision (just before we were actually married, she was using the word anyway). The phone person wrote a note and within a few days she was being called for my information so I could be added to the policy. Since I don't drive her car except occasionally, I wasn't going to pay extra and I didn't want to be excluded either (auto policies automatically cover "occasional" drivers). Suffice it to say, she was threatened to be dropped so she just got coverage elsewhere. Turned out it was cheaper as well, so all for the better. It's just the hassle the insurance company went through was astounding and the result was to finally lose a customer.

On the performance mods, I was wondering about the Kleeman ECU tune myself. If anyone out there with it could give some feedback, that would be great. I also wonder about the benefits of a performance header + exhaust setup. Though I would imagine that the Mercedes engineers are not constrained by budget concerns as much as US automakers, so they should have "gone for the gusto" when engineering the engine parts for the SL. Hence the almost $100K+ price for just a regular SL500.
I'm just armchair theorizing here, but wouldn't any sort of suspension modification affect the ABC system and throw it out of whack? With ABC, the car should be pretty sporty already -- well, as sporty as a 4100+lbs car can be.

Rook

150shot

Well it seems like across the board on a variety of models- an ECU upgrade for about $1-1.5k may be your best bet. I have seen a bunch of tuners get good results from the CLS, C, E class etc...if you do go this route let us know which one and how it goes!

m4xm1l10n

cnterline

my old insurance broker is my girlfriends insurance broker,he knows we live together,we are both insured with same company,he is trying to raise rates as if we are married wtf ?

jmf003

B&G performance (http://www.bgmercedes.com/) claims they can get an extra 10 to 15 horsepower (a 3% to 5% improvement) out of your engine for $1,500. You may or may not notice that small a change. B&G also does TCU tuning. If they could significantly shorten your shift times, that would almost certainly be noticeable. Cost is an extra $1,400 (or more) on top of the $1,500 ECU tune. That's a lot of money but that's pretty much what it takes to get a credible ECU tune on a late model Benz.

A slam dunk, can't-help-but-notice change is tires. If you are running 255/45 Pilot Sport tires on 17x8.5 wheels, then save those wheels for snow tires and buy a set of staggered wheels. You can get SL55 AMG take-offs sized 18x8.5 front and 18x9.5 rear for less than $1,000. The only thing wrong with the AMG wheels is their weight; mine are 29 lbs front, 31 lbs rear. Lighter weight wheels are available from companies such as BBS, CCW, and HRE but they cost quite a bit more. Figure $2,000 to $6,000 depending on the specific vendor and wheel. Then once you have the staggered wheels, put on new tires. The OEM sizes for an SL55 are 255/40R18 front and 285/35R18 rear but you can use different sizes as long as the tire diameter doesn't change more than 2% or 3%. Just having wider rubber on the rear will keep the tail in line during aggressive corning. On top of that, you can certainly find tires that are grippier than the OEM Pilot Sports.

Good luck! Have fun!

Rick SL55

try a shoot of NOS

mikeinsf

Ok Rick, there ~must~ be middle ground between "buy an SL55" and "shoot NOS".

4matic

hahahahaha

ChuckT

Acme JATO package comes to mind.

mikeinsf

m4xm1l1on ------
That is one hot color combination you've got going on there. I wonder if I can shoot a thin coat of silver metallic on my black to get it like that. Did you get an aftermarket exhaust put on yours? I'm wondering how much louder the Eisenmann system is than stock. Every day I go on Youtube and listen to it at least once.

jmf003 --------
Those are some pretty good pointers.

m4xm1l10n

Thanks man you have to really see it in person !!!! I still have the stock exhaust no changes on that , but im thinking of upgrading my stock tips to dual tips.

IngenereAMG

I, of course think that our ECU work is the best bang for the buck!

m4xm1l10n

What's the gain on a 500 ?

jmf003

Here's a good deal on a set of AMG take-offs: https://mbworld.org/forums/wheels-ti...brand-new.html

Conti Sport Contact 3s are a decent high end tire, too. Slightly less grip than Michelin PS2s but much less susceptible to the sidewall flex problem (aka the "wiggle" problem). A new set of CSC3s alone will cost north of $1,000.

mikeinsf

Yeah, I saw those last night. Thinking about getting them, if just for a spare set of wheels.

I already have the 18" upgraded Mercedes 5-spokes--like the ones pictured--on my car. Are these wheels lighter than those?

Also, I'm guessing the wheels that I have aren't staggered, correct?

jmf003

At most a couple of pounds lighter.

This post says 18" AMG Style IV wheels are 28 lbs, which sounds about right: https://mbworld.org/forums/c32-amg-c...lb-wheels.html

And this post says 18" Mercedes wheels are 30 lbs, which also sounds about right: https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-...el-weight.html

m4xm1l10n

I have a set of those for sale with 500 miles with Michelin pilots sport still have the nips on the tires!!!!!!