Hi All

Can anyone shed light on what sort of tech my r231 has relating to suspension - I have looked up the build sheet and there are no suspension related options except perhaps 951 (Sports Package USA) although I think this means better brake caliper/rotors - It does not have ABC which seems like given unlimited resources to maintain would be great. My Dealer Advisor told me it was a blessing that it is missing.

https://www.mbdecoder.com/decode/WDDJK7DA4DF010212

I assume it has some sort of tech in the suspension or semi-active suspension. My Ducati motorcycle has something called Skyhook which is also semi active - it adjusts rebound and dampening based on feedback from Bosch gyroscopes, the brakes, engine speed, tire speed, lean angle etc.

I assume the SL has some goodies in it - I would hope there is more than my previous 2001 SL.

Picture is of my new baby with the Ceramic Coat curing in my freezing garage. Looks great on the Black Magnetite



Thanks

 

First off, congrats on your new SL!

There are many threads here on this forum about ABC and the lack thereof. Just do a search. Unlike the prior R230 SL's, the R231 ABC suspension is rock solid with no issues encountered on the older model. But Mercedes decided to make ABC a $4k option instead of a default and as such is a very rare feature.

The standard suspension is non-active. Springs only. Like other Mercedes models on springs it features ride adjustable dampers which adjust for firmness (comfort, sport and sport plus for 2017+ models). The suspension is quite good and gives the SL a good ride as the chassis is well balanced and is lighter than its predecessor.
I am not sure if your car still has run-flat tires on it; swapping them for performance conventional tires will improve the ride quality.

 

Thanks for the reply Wolfman - I really wanted the ABC and also the B&O sound but after looking at many cars on Autotrader - it appears either people that bought those options don't sell or they are very rare -

I finally settled on a car from Hawaii as it only had 7900 mile on it - being a 2013 quite rare -

The tires (Continental) subsequently are stock with the run flat and are almost new - except for flat spots from sitting. I will probably use them until next winter when they will still have tons of tread but be 10 years old.

I plan on getting Continental DWS 06 or Michelin All Season as I live in Colorado - Even though the SL is scary on any amount of snow - I would like to still drive it in nice days in the winter. Any opinions would be great - I will also search the forum

 

And, now that you have your beautiful car, when you “try” to listen to music and your ears hurt, you think “gee, I really wish I had the B&O system.” Well, allow me to enlighten you: BOTH the HK and the B&O systems in the R231 SL’s STINK! It’s actually quite amazing when you find that the audio systems in the 2013 models were designed extremely poorly, but MB left them, pretty much unchanged, right through the 2020 models. Mercedes-Benz: The Best or Nothing! It really is unforgivable.

 

As a marketing person, I've always thought that was one of the more brilliant (and subversively honest) marketing slogans out there. Usually it's the best. And sometimes — as in this example — it's nothing. :-)

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Spend a few bucks more and get dedicated snows. We have snow on the ground for 5 months a year in MN and the car is actually a great winter car. We used Pirelli Sottozeros with a staggered setup. As for summer driving, get rid of these old and junky run-flats and get yourself a set of proper performance tires like Michelin PS4s or maybe PSS, depending on availability. Personally I think all seasons are great for a sedan etc, but that car can use better tires. More fun in the mountains

Love magnetite black btw. Our GTC has the same color!

 

Probably worth checking for dry rot in the tires. At that age and sitting a lot, they may not be worth keeping on the car from a safety standpoint.

 

Tires that old even with a lot of tread are really stiff riding as the compounds lose their elasticity. New Michelin Pilot Sports will make a huge difference in ride quality.

 

Here is a thread that addresses the build code suspension which I had on my 2013 SL550. Perhaps not common, none the less, it was on my vehicle: Active Damping Suspension - MBWorld.org Forums

 

Thanks for the reply

I saw this thread earlier and I have option 485 which says Chassis - Active Suspension to me would mean the car is dynamically changing the shock characteristics based on some sort of sensor / vehicle / road input.

In the end I am still not sure that I have these great enhancements in the AMG in my vehicle - there seems to be no consensus on this between the experts here, the brochure and some sales guy at a dealer.

 

Another Mystery - Sports Package USA 951 , according to the link below it is an incomplete part of the wheel package , but my build sheet has AMG wheels as a separate code 770 - other threads suggest it may be a stiffer suspension

Sport Wheel Package $2,000
Sport Package Brake System
19” AMG 5-Spoke Wheel
Sport Steering Wheel

https://www.mercedes-market.com/2017...lors-sl-class/

At least I understand the cupholder option - now If I can only get my rt arm to bend backwards to reach the cupholders in the back -

 

The reason for these mysteries, is due to the fact that in Germany and some other markets, MB offered the non-AMG R231's with and without the so called "Sports Pkg." Here is a photo of the "standard" model. Here in the USA, we only got the Sports Pkg model. I happen to think this standard model is the most beautiful of the R231 versions, but it was never available here, due to the brilliant minds at MBUSA.

 

It has been my past experience that the “sales guy” knows less than I do about vehicles I buy. 😊

 

My apologies for the confusion. The information that I received from the dealership representative was from a technical guy that we have know for over twenty years during his growth at the Mercedes dealership; we met him when he was a line tech, and have been friends ever since. He is now the dealer service manager; and IMO one of the most knowledgeable automotive technicians I have ever encountered, as well as being someone who is a 'go to guy' for the local MB club. I trust his knowledge implicitly; he is the fundamental reason that we ended up with an R231 and not an R230. If I made it sound like some sales guy at a dealership, please forgive my construing it as such.

 

The confusion was mine - you clearly said Head of Service - I mixed it up with the sales brochure which I hope is correct. Everyone here is just trying to be helpful which is greatly appreciated.

What got me interested in this is that I bought the car sight un-seen and without over driving one. When I took it out for a short drive in the mountains, while it is clearly superior in almost all regards it did not seem to "carve" the corners like my 2001 R129 which also had the AMG low profile wheels with vastly superior, performance tires. Michelin Super Sport I believe

As soon as it thaws here I will heed the advice on this thread and explore proper tires to replace the run flat Conti's. I will also get a tire repair / plug kit and compressor like I have for my street bikes - they are quite effective for nail and screw holes which are always the majority of the leaks I have had over the years - (unless the kids drive for 10 miles on a flat rear without realizing it)that really does a number on the old SL - I even had to buy a new rim on ebay as they are no longer available from Germany.

 

The shocks on the 485 base suspension are active. Just open your hood and you can see the electrical connections on top of the front ones.

 

I did some digging as this question already came up last year in the other thread that TennesseZ4 posted. I am definitely correcting my earlier answer

By default, springs and dampers are passive. Add ride adjustable dampers (soft/firm), that suspension is still passive (even if they have an electrical connection). If the dampers are continuously adjusted based on sensor input, that would make it semi-active. For sure, all SL's 2017+ on springs are semi-active since they use Dynamic Body Control.
Based on the pic of the brochure, it seems certain that the earlier SL's are also semi-active.
Too bad that the base SL doesn't have a live screen that shows real-time damper adjustment/g-force like with ABC. It's great to visualize how the suspension works.

 

Thanks for the answers Dr Manhattan and Wolfman - They definitely have the electrical connections on top - which begs the question - are they reacting to road conditions like a true semi-active or are the electrical connections merely to make them firmer/softer via the sport/comfort button on the console and therefore no adaptive characteristics. I assume the sport comfort button would control them via some sort of electronic actuator.

BTW Dr Manhattan would consider my inquiries irrelevant as well as my existence, I am glad you do not.

 

Hello All, not sure if this is in the right place but here goes. I hav a 2013 SL550 231 and have developed a noise/ vibration when warm that is loudest in left front corner area just behind/below headlight. From what Ive read it seems to be ABC related. Many suggest the pulsation dampener but that is locked front top of engine and that area is not where the noise is coming from. Any suggestions?