SL/R230: Chipped SL600...that is the question
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Newbie
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 5
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From: Lockport, Canada
04-06 SL600 by 08/2011
Chipped SL600...that is the question
It seems sketchy, at best, between the oddity of the 2004 Car & Driver SL600 road test on an obviously non-production car with no explanation to be found by the publisher, sporadic reports of disappointments in ECU/TCU tuned cars and any basic concrete statistics of final road test figures. I am speaking of the SL600s and what I want to know is will a Renntech or Kleeman SL600 produce such performance as 0-60 in 3.5 sec, will it go anywhere near 200 mph, and is it mandatory to upgrade the braking system to 8 or 12 piston callipers when and if removing the governor? I can find a 2004 SL600 for 45k with under 10,000 miles but an ECU/TCU breather and intercooler, not to mention brakes are going to run another $16k and I would hate to find a mushy hush puppy throttle that barely breaks 4 sec to 60mph. What's the truth?
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,653
Likes: 5
From: Ann Arbor
'03 SL55
The short answer to your question is yes, an ECU mod can genuinely add a lot of power to an R230 SL600.
A fairly normal 1/4 mile time for a stock SL600 is in the low 12s, give or take a bit depending on track conditions and driver. An ECU mod can reduce that time by 1/2 second to a full second. That's a huge difference.
Improving the 0-60 time is a little more tricky because the SL600 is traction limited rather than power limited. Big sticky tires would help but even a SL65 Black Series running on 325 width tires is a 3.7 to 3.8 second 0-60 car by most accounts.
Close to 200 MPH? Probably, with the speed limiter removed of course.
Brake upgrade? Never a bad idea but not required. Knowledgeable folks in this forum who own SL600s report they have the same brakes as an SL55 AMG.
Cooling upgrade? Definitely would help with long or repeated runs.
Hope that info helps....
A fairly normal 1/4 mile time for a stock SL600 is in the low 12s, give or take a bit depending on track conditions and driver. An ECU mod can reduce that time by 1/2 second to a full second. That's a huge difference.
Improving the 0-60 time is a little more tricky because the SL600 is traction limited rather than power limited. Big sticky tires would help but even a SL65 Black Series running on 325 width tires is a 3.7 to 3.8 second 0-60 car by most accounts.
Close to 200 MPH? Probably, with the speed limiter removed of course.
Brake upgrade? Never a bad idea but not required. Knowledgeable folks in this forum who own SL600s report they have the same brakes as an SL55 AMG.
Cooling upgrade? Definitely would help with long or repeated runs.
Hope that info helps....
Banned
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,542
Likes: 72
From: Palatine, IL
Speedriven
The short answer to your question is yes, an ECU mod can genuinely add a lot of power to an R230 SL600.
A fairly normal 1/4 mile time for a stock SL600 is in the low 12s, give or take a bit depending on track conditions and driver. An ECU mod can reduce that time by 1/2 second to a full second. That's a huge difference.
Improving the 0-60 time is a little more tricky because the SL600 is traction limited rather than power limited. Big sticky tires would help but even a SL65 Black Series running on 325 width tires is a 3.7 to 3.8 second 0-60 car by most accounts.
Close to 200 MPH? Probably, with the speed limiter removed of course.
Brake upgrade? Never a bad idea but not required. Knowledgeable folks in this forum who own SL600s report they have the same brakes as an SL55 AMG.
Cooling upgrade? Definitely would help with long or repeated runs.
Hope that info helps....
A fairly normal 1/4 mile time for a stock SL600 is in the low 12s, give or take a bit depending on track conditions and driver. An ECU mod can reduce that time by 1/2 second to a full second. That's a huge difference.
Improving the 0-60 time is a little more tricky because the SL600 is traction limited rather than power limited. Big sticky tires would help but even a SL65 Black Series running on 325 width tires is a 3.7 to 3.8 second 0-60 car by most accounts.
Close to 200 MPH? Probably, with the speed limiter removed of course.
Brake upgrade? Never a bad idea but not required. Knowledgeable folks in this forum who own SL600s report they have the same brakes as an SL55 AMG.
Cooling upgrade? Definitely would help with long or repeated runs.
Hope that info helps....
