Hi,

My name is Gary and I just joined the group. I live outside of Washington DC and I've been reading the forum for a couple of months and took the plunge last month by trading in a 04 Cadillac XLR w/22K for a 06 SL500 w/8k on it.

I love the car, the top works, the dealer ordered a new wind deflector for me, lot's of looks. The one problem that bugs me is that it seems to be lacking in power. (Didn't want to spend another $10K for the SL550) In reading the forum, it seems that the tranny is slow to downshift. I purchased the Sprint Chip and had it installed, that seemed to help, but it doesn't always seem to engage. (When it works its fantastic) I took it back and had another installed but it doesn't seem to engage all the time either. I miss that good old American V8 torque. Anyhow, I am now toying with getting the ECU flashed by Power Chip or Renntech. What are your thoughts and have you had any problems with slow off the line performance?

PS. Does the dealer reflash the ECU? It's still under warranty

Thanks and looking forward to being a new member.

 

I also picked up an 05 SL500 a few months ago. Great car, but muscle car it isn't. The 7-speed in mine is smooth, but not quick. When I mash the throttle past the click, there's a ~1.5-2s delay for the downshift. Similarly, manually downshifting on the tiptronic has a delay as well, about a second. I figure this is the modis operandi for the SL500.

You want quicker, you buy up to the AMG models. I just came off a C6 Vette prior to the SL, and that Vette had torque and instant response (6 MT). Of the various near-exotics/exotics I've owned and driven, the SL500 is the smoothest, must luxurious, but certainly not the boy-racer of the group. That title goes to the Diablo 6.0; that thing broken 'em all lose if you got enthusastic with the throttle. I'm older and frankly, the SL500 is just my style. My only mod has been the SmarTop module. Greatly expands operation of the top (one click up/down; open/close off the RF remote; open close while moving below a user-set speed, etc.). Huge bonus: I can get this car serviced (and its still under warranty) at my local dealer. The Italian Kit Cars all had to go out of state for the silliest things. You'd think Ferrari could build an engine that doesn't have leaky valve guides. Nope. Even my front-engined V12 developed a crop-duster oil leak from falled guides. Joy. These cars are all about trades: style vs. performance vs. reliablity vs. cost vs. ease of use and maintainence Pick your top 2 or 3, then find the model that fits. IMHO, the R230 sits at the tops of the style, reliablity, cost, and ease charts (comparing to true exotics like the Ferraris, Astons, and Lambos.) You want brutal performance with euro-influenced style? Buy a Ducati. With 4 wheels? Go Lambo or Ferrari and be prepared to doll out the $$$ for everything else and be without as they change archaic timing belts every three years or 15k miles (Ferraris only; the Lambos eat clutches at a similiar rate). And oh, don't mind the dissolving interiors you see all around you, that's part of the unique "Italian Experience".

My other current car? I've got a 2007 BMW 335i (E90) with a 6MT for when I want a bit of hole-shot driving. I save the SL long crusier runs in the Mountains and my weekly 250-mile trip to Albuquerque.

 

I guess I just have to go out and drive the Cayenne for the speed thrill. The SL is everything you say it is, comfortable, gets lots of positive looks and everything works. Just wish for more oomph. Oh well you can't everything. Thanks for your reply.

On another note, how do you like your BMW? I had a 2003 M3 and loved everything about the car except the SMG transmission, had it replaced twice under warranty.

 

I'm sure you've checked this out, but in your 2005 SL500 can you select transmission setting? In my 2009 (7 speed) if set at "C" for comfort, car starts in 2d gear. If set at "S" for "sport" it starts in 1st and holds gear changes longer. Good luck and enjoy your car; with 8K miles it's virtually brand new.

 

Thanks,

I have it set to the sport setting. It's better, but still lacking. I called a speed shop that specializes in Porsches, Mercedes, BMW and Jaguar in Sterling, VA and they recommended dumping the Sprint Booster and having the ECU flashed.

I am going out there Monday and just might take the plunge. It's $840.00 but the sprint booster was $329.99 and doesn't work all the time. I'll keep you posted how it goes.

 

welcome to the forums, which company are you getting your ecu tuned from

 

Thanks for the welcome, its alot of fun to be able to communicate with fellow R230 owners. I was always on the forum for XLR owners but there were'nt as many cars sold, so there weren't as many answers to questions. The name of the shop is Designo Motoring in Sterling VA they are affiliated with Evosport.

I emailed Power Chip and they emailed me back graphs and info on the performance enhancements. Again, if that da#% sprint booster worked continuosly, I wouldn't need to do anything else but add an exhaust and K&N filters.

What's your experience been with the sprint booster? Did it work right away and does it always perform as described?

Thanks,
Gary

 

Maybe try a transmission reset (do a search here for it) and let the software "re-learn" some aggressive driving? It's free, and I noticed a difference on my 05!

 

Thanks Vantage78. I'm open to anything that will breath a little life into my SL. I will keep you posted.

 

I think probably a transmission reset is a poor idea. First, the procedure that has been posted that does not involve a scan tool may do nothing at all. Second, as the transmission internal components wear the system compensates with adaptations in the control software that maintain shift quality and performance; those are good, and you don't want to lose them.

If you drive your car aggressively the transmission will quickly adapt to your style. There is no need to erase all of the parameters and start from a baseline.

I'm starting to look for extra performance too. After reading of mention of the Power Chip I looked at their website. I think the chip that adds around 30 HP and torque holds some promise.

 

Hi:

While the AMG cars have a bit more to work with, the 500/550 cars actually respond very well to our tuning.

We are netting approximately a 10% improvement in hp and tq, which is very dramatic in this car. We also improve throttle response and get rid of that pesky speed limiter!

Let me know if we can help you free up a little power, and check out our testimonials and see what others are saying...
www.veloceperformance.com/testimonial.htm

 

Veloce wants $1400 for an ECU tune vs. $840 for Performance Chip. RennTech wants $1200 for the tune and delivers 1/3 less increase than the other two vendors.

 

The cure for your R230 performance issues is called "AMG".
Should have driven an SL55 when shopping for your SL.

 

Thanks for the advice, I haven't heard of Veloce before, I am going to have to do some research. What started out as a $329 Sprint Booster has turned into spending appx. $1200-$1500.

Has anyone in the Mid Atlantic had the Veloce put on their SL and if so where did you have it installed. Seeing as the company is in Arizona, I would need something closer. By the way, does the ECU from a 06 SL have to be removed and sent off or can it be done on the vehicle?