BiTurboAmg

I have a e55 k2 and want more power and according to kleemann the 65 tuned is the only way to go for that need for speed. I was wondering if anyone who has a 65amg owned a 55amg before and can give me there thoughts and what they think of the two different cars? I also hear that the 65 amgs spend more time in the shop, is this true and why?

s55sl55driver

I spoke to one of the drivers at the amg challange in august who has had considerable track experience in both cars. I told him that I was considering a new 55 or a pre-owned 65 and asked from an enthusiasts point of view which car to buy. He said the 55 because it was lighter and had performance so close to the 65. additionally he stated that the additional weight on the 65 is "out front" which he said is noticable at performance driving levels. IMO if you plan on driving the wheels off the car go for a 55 with the performance package it is the real deal.

Doctodd33

Weight equals horsepower.....swap out the seats and you just lost the weight, of course not all in the nose of the car. Ive driven at 2 AMG challenges and the 55's are heavy too. There are other ways to put some oversteer in the car to try to offset the weight. But i dont know too many people who track these cars anyway....they are all too heavy no matter what you do.

For a track car, look at a Cobra replica with 500+ HP and only 2500 lbs.

T

russjr

if you want power,go with the 65- when modded it is stunningly fast. there is no comparison between my 55 and my 65. also, why do people prattle on about the 55 or 65 or even 997tt etc. as "track " cars. any car that is useful and satisfactory to drive on the street is NOT going to be remotely adequate as atrack car; conversely, anthing that is properly set up for track use would be horrendous to live with on the street. that being said, the 65 is an extraordinary real world car . you would never regret getting one.

Doctodd33

agree....."driving the wheels" off an MB if an AMG 55 or 65 just doesnt make sense. If you can afford a $100K+ track car, then you can afford a real track car for less than half that price.

T

BiTurboAmg

Thanks for your help, are you saying that even a 55 with kleemann upgrades still is way slower then a stock 65amg? Like I was saying I just want stupid fast not track or anything like that. The only track my car "might" see is a drag strip. I have been thinking of adding the cams and tb to my 06 e55 but wonder if I would just be better off buying a sl65 amg and tuning that. If it is one of those cars that will not go fast until 80mph or something then I dont want it. I want a car like my car is now but faster, meaning that from light to light it is rare that something can beat it. How does you 997tt stack up with the 65amg? What do you think of a 65amg(stock or tuned) running a ford gt or carrea gt?

AMGBENZ

I am about to buy a used SL55 Performace Pack or used SL65 AMG.

I had a 2003 SL55 and loved it! the great response of the engine and exhaust sound big plus

I also tracked the car alot at Nelson Ledges and Mid-Ohio the car is very good on the track except for the expense of brakes and rotors due to the weight of the Beast

I like the SL55 on the track I think it feels great, but agree this is a heavy expensive car to use as a track car, but make no mistake it can be pushed around that track very fast!

I test drove a SL65 thought it was super fast but very refined it was a wet night and did not have a chance to get a real feel for the car, I walked away from it wondering if it was as much fun to drive as the SL55 it seemed too perfect and engine and exhaust seemed very quiet, maybe not as much fun to drive 0-70mph as the SL55 and the SL65 seemed much more fun to drive from 70mph-170 mph than the SL55!

I have not driven an 06 or 07 performance pack SL55 yet

Can anyone that has time in SL55 and SL65 confirm what I am thinking. And to help us out in making up our minds over the SL55 030 pack and the SL65

Any help with this would be great!

Thanks,

AMGBENZ
2003 SL55 AMG Silver Arrow (sold)
2005 Range Rover Westminster

russjr

06 e55- my sl 55 was not modified; however my cls55 was ( and is somewhat lighter than a sl) and it was in no way , from any speed, comparable to the power of a modified 65. incidentally, i think it was car and driver that quoted 0-60 of 3.6 for a sl600- and though they did not mention it, it is my understanding that it was tweaked by renntech.

AMGBENZ

russ jr. how do you like the SL65 exhaust sound? Since you own 55 engine car and SL65 you would 100 percent go with the SL65 AMG over the SL55?

Does the SL65 have that fun low speed responsiveness as the 55 cars? I guess you can call the boy racer feel as the SL55?

Thanks,
amgbenz

russjr

the 55 has an extraordinary exhaust sound that the 65 doesn't begin to match, but if you want power, a modded 65 is IT, especially for a real world car.

Juice it

I agree, after considerable seat time in SL55's the 65 is on another level power wise. The 65 exhaust isn't loud but it does have a nice sound when you step on it and when you start it up. For the price difference I wouldn't even think about a 55 with PP over a used 65.

france2112

No question about it!! If you want sick acceleration and a mountain of torque then get the SL65. I use to have an 03 CL55 and now I own an 05 SL600 with Renntech ECU and transmission upgrade (poor man's SL65). I can tell all of you with the 55 engine that it doesn't even compare. I know how you feel because I use to think that nothing could be that much more seat of the pants powerful. Just test drive one if you can and you will come to understand. If you get the Renntech ECU for the SL65 then you hit NIRVANA for straight line acceleration.

I would love to trade in my SL600 for an SL65 but I have to draw the line somewhere (baby on the way). I do love the SL600 but I think the SL65 engine is the ultimate for power.

My exhaust is quiet also. I am going to get rid of the mufflers and run straight pipes. I have heard this makes a nice sound but not too loud. This also can be done on the SL65 with similar results as far as I understand. Good luck with your decision.

HLG600

Excluding the new 63 Series motor, MB-AMG designs motors to perform in an opposite manner than of BMW-M, meaning that the power is emphasized in the low and mid range. With 738 tq available at under 2000 rpms, and assuming you can somehow find traction, the off the line performance will keep you entertained. Also, it will pull harder throughout the powerband due to turbocharging versus supercharging and 12 cylinders versus 8. However, where things fall short is the sound. I remember hearing an EVOSport E55 with Eisenmann race exhaust setup, and that sounded almost too harsh to be on the street. Then again, you could play with the exhaust...

HLG

AMGBENZ

Does anyone know if AMG Germany makes a more aggresive exhaust for the SL65?

Has anyone driven a 6.3 V8 AMG anything yet, I wonder if that will be the ultimate SL when it comes out

Thanks for all the help
AMGBENZ

BiTurboAmg

I know some guys with the e63 are ot too happy rght now. Look in the e55 forum and you will see they ran one at the strip and I thik only did 13's in it. So it may take a little bit to get that motor running the way it should but i think the sl needs more power then the e and cls just do to price. I would think at least 550hp and the e and cls can have the 507hp would be nice and with that 7spd and higher power band the car should feel great. Once my deal goes through I will ook at exhaust for the car, i was thinking super sprint. they have some nice ans $$$ kits but they soud good. if my deal goes through i most likely will be selling the sl65 whees and the k2 headers, pulley if any one is interested. i will know by today if i am getting the sl or not.