SL/R230 7-speed????????? - MBWorld.org Forums

Jan 17, 2004 | 10:46 PM

clkmon

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7-speed?????????

I've had my 04 sl for two weeks now. Everything is great, except I just don't get the 7 speed thing. I don't feel anything positive difference by switching gears instead of just driving in D. Can someone tell me in what speed or situation should i drive in which gear so that I can really feel some difference? I also noticed sl is not as quiet as a C or S class, not at all, normal?

Jan 18, 2004 | 01:23 PM

bmms8

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you wont really feel a difference, thats not why they made the 7-spd. the best way for agreesive driving is to keep it in the lowest gear possible, someting that "D" wont do. say your on the freeway..and want to over pass someone, hold the shifter to the left for 2 seconds, and it will put you in the best gear...also, try putting it to sport II mode on the air sus. the ride will be stiffer than a E, or C, just because its more sporty.

Jan 18, 2004 | 01:42 PM

pdxxer

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7 speed

Yeah I would tend to agree.. get your car in the lowest gear possible.. I got it to 60 mph on an ramp on gear 1 and 2.. you can really feel the power..

Jan 18, 2004 | 05:22 PM

dswildfire

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From: Encino

2002 C230K

Re: 7-speed?????????

Quote:

Originally posted by clkmon
I've had my 04 sl for two weeks now. Everything is great, except I just don't get the 7 speed thing. I don't feel anything positive difference by switching gears instead of just driving in D. Can someone tell me in what speed or situation should i drive in which gear so that I can really feel some difference? I also noticed sl is not as quiet as a C or S class, not at all, normal?

if by loud you mean that almost droning sound at about 1500rpm, thats just a beautiful thing to hear. i mean, that's like a big reminder that there's a v-8 under there. my C drones there too, but not as loudy or wonderfully as the sl. and if you're not feeling difference by shifting, it means that you're limiting the tranny to a higher gear than you're already in, so you won't feel anything. hold the shifter left for a tad, and enjoy.

Jan 18, 2004 | 05:28 PM

johnroden

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From: La Jolla, CA

13 E550 Cabriolet/19 SL550

I agree with everyone about keeping it in the lowest gear to get the best acceleration. Just be careful to watch the RPMs on the tach.

And I love the sound of the exhaust.

Jan 18, 2004 | 09:15 PM

vraa

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Once it starts to sound like it's screaming and not growling, shift.

Jan 19, 2004 | 04:08 PM

clkmon

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tks for all the replies, but I've also been told by the guys at the dealership that gear 1,2,3 are for uphilling driving, 4,5,6 are for city and freeway, is this true? I'll try the things u all said today, hopefully I can feel sth.

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Jan 19, 2004 | 04:24 PM

dswildfire

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From: Encino

2002 C230K

Quote:

Originally posted by clkmon
tks for all the replies, but I've also been told by the guys at the dealership that gear 1,2,3 are for uphilling driving, 4,5,6 are for city and freeway, is this true? I'll try the things u all said today, hopefully I can feel sth.

they say that because 1, 2, 3, have shorter gear ratios (i.e. higher than 1:1, like 3.9:1) and as result apply a torque multiplier which menas the engine has to do less work to do the same amount of work required to get uphill. and since 4, 5, 6 are overdrive gears (or 4 is 1:1 i believe), they require lower rpms for the higher speeds. since on freeways you dont really need much power to keep moving (i think it was something like 10hp @ 65mph) you dont need that torque multiplier, and the overdrive gears are used and save you gas.

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Jan 19, 2004 | 11:35 PM

benzosl

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The SL is tuned differently from the S-Class and is all together a different car from the C. As a sports car, you want to hear that loud purr to remind you of the great power under the hood. You should also notice that there is not a delay when going from Park into ANY gear as you may experience on almost all of the other models.