Wolfman

Finally got the new wheels installed.

They look so much better than the standard 19" AMG wheels (which are a bit bland). This car really need different wheels.
19" front, 20" rear forged AMG SL65 wheels in silver/gunmetal with Michelin Pilot Super Sports.

Was really surprised of how the driving and steering behavior changed, super light steering. I remember steering our SL600; you could feel the whole engine sitting on the front wheels...

Awesome traction and great stopping power.

Step 2. Get the car down a bit
Step 3. Waiting for top-down weather!

California John

So Wolfman,

Are these wheels for the current 2013 SL65? Where did you get them and what did they cost? I had Bridgestone Potenza RE050A on my 2010 BMW 335i Convertible and they wore out very quickly. Run-flats like the R231. Their treadwear rating was 140. They were gummier than the Continentals that came with my 2013 SL550. The Contis treadwear rating is 240 - fairly hard for performance tires. What is the treadwear rating for your Michelins?

So how much did the driving a steering change? Lighter than now? I think it's already pretty light - especially compared to the BMW. The SL550 has a better ride...don't feel all the tar strips and everything else in the road...but it goes just where I point it and that's what I want. And, is the stopping power greater? What is the aspect ratio on the new tires? Yes, I have the AMG wheels and tire package that came with the car.

Are you going to lower it? I notice with the ABC package that there is a choice of height - which I like especially when I want to raise it up to clear something in parking or a slanted driveway.

Wolfman

Yes, these wheels were introduced for the 2013 SL65 (stock) and as an upgrade for the 2013 SL63. I got the wheels (new take-offs) for a nice deal. List is ridiculous ($10k w/tires). Tires are 255/35/19 & 285/30/20, same as the SL65.

My assumption is that the tires last 15k miles. More is a bonus, but that should be the life cycle of the run flats as well. I had the same 19" AMG package as you with Conti 5 SSR's. Those tires are of course much more expensive than the PSS.

Since it's in the high 20's here temperature-wise I won't be able to give you ride quality comparisons, but I can tell you that the run flat wheel/tire combo weighs about twice as much as the forged wheel with the Michelin PSS.

Steering was much lighter than before, almost nervous, but I also didn't like the tire pressure that Mercedes put on the wheels (35 front/34 rear cold). Have to check on the proper tire pressure.

Full stop braking from 80-0 was VERY short with zero noise and super grip, much better than the run flats.

I will know more with more time on the wheels.

Re. lowering with ABC, you can use lowering links (adjustableairride) or lowering modules, which there are plenty of. Raising the car for driveways are a non-issue.
Since I don't have ABC, I will have to install lowering springs (H&R, Brabus) which is more hassle.

I also bought the Conti tire Fix kit in case of a flat.

BenzV12

These look sweet
Thanks for your detailed replies on the tires as well . I presumed run flats have same stopping performance as regular non flat tires

Wolfman

BMW's now are notorious for their less than stellar braking performance, which is often attributed to their run flats.

Mercedes does a better job with run flats on both the stopping distance and ride comfort, but it's not on par with a high performance tire like the PSS.

California John

So are the PSS tires not run-flats? I have to say, if the steering is a little "skatey" I would be scared that the car would push in a tight corner - or all of a sudden oversteer. I guess that isn't what you area saying Wolfman - but the car is already a bit "light on its feet" for me.

Sure seems like you got a good deal on the take-offs. I'm going to investigate the Conti tire fix kit. Never heard of it.

Wolfman

Run flats are great in theory, but a dumb idea in reality. They haven't taken off in the last 10 years because of all the down sides. I pay money to stay away from them...

Re. the steering, you have to understand my reference. We are coming from an R230 twin turbo SL600 (more or less the same base engine you have in a 65). It's a big and heavy engine and the steering felt very heavy to steer.

The SL550 has light steering and with forged wheels which have a lower unsprung weight, it does feel even a bit more eager. But the straight line accuracy is the same of course and the car runs like it's on rails. Very sticky tires.

Point I was making that the SL's are known to be heavy cruisers and this one feels quite agile to me (which is a good thing)

Here is the tire fix kit info:
http://www.tirerack.com/accessories/detail.jsp?ID=38

Jim A

Hi John,

Interesting your SL came with Continentals.... mine came with Dunlaps. Same 240 treadwear rating.

Jim A

Wolfman,

The new rims are beauties!

I am shopping for a new set myself. Mind giving us an idea of aproximately what take offs run. 10K for new rims with tires is a bit steep for my budget after the new car and all....

Thanks!

Jim

ajm0623

,,, and mine came with bridgestone pontenzas.

grane

I would have gotten the Pilot PA4s (on your original wheels if you still have them), and then the PSS in the summer.

Just my two pfennigs.

California John

The same as my BMW? Bridgestone Potenza RE050A? Run Flats? How about the treadwear rating?

Now Wolfman, your Conti repair kit would be for non-run flats - cuz you don't have a spare, right?

ajm0623

bridgestone potenza s001 runflats
treadwear rating 280
front - 255 35r 19
rear - 285 30r 19

Wolfman

Correct on the repair kit. It won't leave you stranded and it's Latex, so it can be removed if the tire is repairable.

This is the one issue with run flats that many people overlook. First off, run flats are not repairable, even a small leak. Buy a new tire. Which is not a big deal other than virtually no tire shops will have these in stock, so they will have to be ordered in.
A consideration when on a road trip...

The old SL's also had the tire fix kits when there wasn't any spare (like the SL55). From what I understand, that's not even the case on the new SL63.
Non-run flats and NO pump or tire fix kit. That makes no sense...

Wolfman

I will get snow tires for the car but didn't want to bother for a couple weeks of snow. I had Bridgestone LM60's on the old SL and loved it. Drove through snow like a tank

I'll check out the PA4's. Thanks!

Wolfman

I really think that the car looks better with larger 20" rears. Even without being lowered, look at these 2 pics in comparison...

$5k with TPMS

threeMBs

Wolfman, how is driveability of the car with the current wheels/tires? While your current setup retains the same front and rear tires' sidewall height as stock SL550, the rear diameter is a full inch taller than front's (while this setup is optional on SL63 and standard on SL65, I doubt it was built into SL550).

Wolfman

I am a bit confused by the question. The SL63 and the SL550 are identical cars chassis-wise, so you can consider these stock wheels.
ABC is stock on the SL63 and optional on the SL550 and while the AMG has different ABC calibration, the cars all can use the same wheels (as long as they are 19" or larger to clear the brakes).

California John

I didn't know that the cars are identical chassis-wise. I would have thought that the suspension geometry would be a bit different with staggered size wheels, different offsets, etc. Interesting.

threeMBs

The cars are not identical.

mitviet

I am not a 'wheel' guy but have to admit that Woflgang's new sets are much better looking than the stock one. But I am wondering if putting larger wheel , say 19 or 20 on a 18 stock, wouldn't that create more chance for your tires to rub the fender or messing up the odometer speed timing ? also i am curious on how the ride 'comfort' on these new larger tires when compare to the smaller stock sets.

Wolfman

I made a general statement re. the chassis. They are clearly differences between the AMG V8 and V12 and non-AMG vehicles, just like the R230.

I should have qualified that the reference was the exchangeability of wheels between non AMG/AMG cars.

That said, the SL63 does have a different offset in the front (27mm versus 35.5mm) but also features 9" rims, rather than the SL550 8.5" rim.
The rear has the same 48mm offset; here too it is a wider 10" rims versus the 9.5" SL550 rim.

The standard SL63 has the same tire sizes as the SL550 w/AMG wheel package.

What is unique is that the forged wheel upgrade on the SL63 does have the larger rear wheel while retaining the 30 profile (same 10" rim and 48mm offset). That should normally give a different rotation and wheel speed.
I expected that would give problems with the electronics, so I had checked with the dealer. I was told no and wheel upgrades to the 19"/20" set on the SL63's are bolt-on's.

My take was that if the SL63 can switch between the 19" rear and the 20" without issues, so can the SL550.
Mercedes made the change for me and the driving before has dramatically improved. I'll credit the better tires and lighter wheels for that improvement.

Be interesting to measure the speed with GPS. I am not actually sure where the speed is measured on the SL (rear wheels?). The difference should only be a couple of miles at 60mph.

Wolfman

My response was too simplistic. My bad Please see my response to California John.

threeMBs

Well I understood exactly what you meant even before it was explained above. I just do not agree with what you were told at the dealer in regards to R231 SL550 (19/20 wheels with same profile tires as 19/19 - 26" diameter front/26.8" diameter rear, while out of the factory rear diameter was 25.8"). In my experience with many MB dealers - they really have no clue when it comes to wheels and tires, i.e. many of them sell brand new W212 E-class cars with aftermarket 20" wheels (right out of the showroom - MB cars with non-factory wheels?) with 245/30 front (because unlike W211 245/35 does not fit and 235/35 is a rare size) and 275/30 rear tires (same idea as in your case - rear diameter almost an inch taller). No W212 car is designed for that nor is non-AMG R231. JMHO. That's why I asked about any driveability issues. And since it sounds like you do not have any, it is good for all of us (wanting to do a staggered diameter fitments) to know. So if 19/20 is OK, I'm sure someone will try 20/21 and I really would be interested if it works. It sure would look stunning on R231.

Wolfman

Most dealers are worthless to be sure, i do have a few friends in service and body shop where I can get the info I need.
Where we live, the MB dealers are quite conservative; they only sell MB authorized wheels. Nothing aftermarket.

That said, there are still seems to be the myth that AMG vehicles are radically different than their non-AMG counterparts. Most are not built in Afalterbach either.
I remember my SL55 coming out of Bremen, just like any other SL and surprisingly few parts come out of the AMG parts bin. Few, but the most important ones

FWIW, I would have preferred 20" front & rear but wanted to stay with the AMG because they are very cool-looking rims. The other choice would have been the HRE P43 or P47 concaves...