SL-Class (R231) 2013 on: Discussion on the SL550

SL/R231: 2020 Grand Edition -- Sports Suspension Question

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Old Jun 13, 2022 | 06:51 AM
  #26  
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Originally Posted by JettaRed
I'm curious what your plans are. Do you plan on importing a care with a 486 suspension or retrofitting your current car with all the parts (if you can get them)?

Have you contacted MBUSA to see if that option is even available in the US?
Haven’t contacted MB-USA. Maybe I should, but as stated above it’s normally a useless enterprise.

I wouldn’t import a car. There are Grand Editions for sale here in the US which are supposed to have the sports suspension standard; but I’m finding out they may not, which is a disappointment.
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Old Jun 13, 2022 | 06:55 AM
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Originally Posted by ToeKneee
It handles well, the suspension certainly outperforms my ability. But, I prefered the ABC of my old R230, I waited for a UK R231 to come for sale with ABC, but none did.
I can tell you the the standard ABC in my 2019 SL450 which I ordered brand new with ABC was not very sporty. Comfortable, yes. Ultimate highway cruiser, yes. But the car didn’t handle twisties as I expected. Not even close to the R231 SL63, which I also own (2017). I am tickled by the idea of sportier springs from the factory in a non-ABC setup. I want to buy one and keep it at a secondary location of mine.
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Old Jun 13, 2022 | 11:46 AM
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Originally Posted by ToeKneee
UK car, non grand edition, AMG sports package (SL500 not an AMG) suspension code is "486 sports suspension"
Well, I suppose that confirms the guess
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Old Jun 13, 2022 | 11:53 AM
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Originally Posted by 348SStb
I can tell you the the standard ABC in my 2019 SL450 which I ordered brand new with ABC was not very sporty. Comfortable, yes. Ultimate highway cruiser, yes. But the car didn’t handle twisties as I expected. Not even close to the R231 SL63, which I also own (2017). I am tickled by the idea of sportier springs from the factory in a non-ABC setup. I want to buy one and keep it at a secondary location of mine.
I can tell that the sport suspension drives very similar to the US comfort suspension. A touch firmer but the not as much as the SL with ABC in Sport+. We logged more miles in Germany and pre/post facelift SL's than we did our first SL550 on springs. You will have to swap springs or go to coilovers to get something firmer than ABC...
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Old Jun 13, 2022 | 10:43 PM
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Originally Posted by ToeKneee
It handles well, the suspension certainly outperforms my ability. But, I prefered the ABC of my old R230, I waited for a UK R231 to come for sale with ABC, but none did.
Even with ABC, I would not call the R230 nimble or agile. With the big V8 up front and the extra weight over the R231, I couldn't imagine an R230 WITHOUT ABC. My SL400 without ABC feels much more agile on the twisties than my SL500 ever did. Still, there were things that made the ABC superior over a conventional suspension -- no body roll in turns; no nosedive on braking; no nose lift on sudden acceleration.
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