KramerHaus

2013 SL 550 - does anyone get a strange side sways hop in the rear suspension over bumps. Especially noticeable and scary under acceleration, but happens while just cruising also. About to change out rear tires based upon a suggetion but don't know if that is right also.

Utopia Texas

Standard or ABC suspension?
Any spacers on the wheels or unusual tire tread we Are?

dthurn

I bought a 2013 Mercedes Benz certified used SL 550 which also had the rear end hop. The dealer said there was an alignment problem and after the car was realigned the hopping has mostly stopped.

But still it doesn't seem to hug the road as my previous 2008 SL did.

The dealer claims that the suspension is completely different from that of the 2008 SL 550, which I used as a trade.

I would like to know if this "not hugging the road" is typical of the R231.

THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN FIXED: I took the car to my usual dealer even though he was not the dealer who sold the car to me. The service department found a problem with the rear right spring. (Apparently the strut mechanism can have either the spring or the shock replaced; the complete strut does not have to be replaced.) The spring was replaced and the car was realigned and now it handles like a SL should.

Streamliner

IMO, this is due to the fact that your 2013 most likely does not have ABC and your 2008 did. Huge difference. I am experiencing the exact same thing. I had a 2004 SL500 with ABC and now have a CPO 2013 SL550 without it. Up through 2012, the SL's had ABC as standard equipment. Starting in 2013, ABC became a $4,000.00+ option, so very few 2013 to 2017 SL's have it. I like everything about my 2013 better than my 2004, except for the ride. The 2004 rode like a wonder. The 2013 ride isn't in the same league. I have a 2018 SL450 on order, with ABC, of course.
Oh, and I liked the front end exterior styling of my 2004 much more as well.

TennesseeZ4

Long time road racer here, so forgive my one-sided perspective, but on the SL the hop that I have experienced is, IMO, similar to any 'sports car' that has a multi-link, coil spring, shock absorber suspension. And it really manifests that trait when you are hustling the car through a corner and applying copious amounts of torque to the rear of the car. The 4000 lb. vehicle is already weighing down the outside tire through simple weight transfer, and when you bring in the kind of torque number that you can apply with the SL550, it challenges the suspension to adjust quick enough to keep the tire planted on the traction surface. So with all of that going on, you might understand why the ABC system would react quicker and provide a more stable platform under those conditions as noted by SL.

Non-runflat tires may mitigate the feeling, as they did on my last BMW, but that will not totally eliminate the immediacy of the suspension reaction (or lack of). All of that being said, I find you can be aggressive with the Sl on most surfaces when cornering. I do find that a late apex provides a better launch angle which seems to keep the tires planted for exit, and minimizes any oversteer tendency. I have not driven many sporting cars that do not requires some alteration in driving style to accommodate chassis design, weight transfer, and power application. I just try to limit my speed episodes to better roads in my area.