SL55 AMG, SL63 AMG, SL65 AMG (R230) 2002 - 2011 (2003 US for SL55 and 2004 for the SL65)

SL55/63/65/R230 AMG: What would it take for the SL65 to trap 130??

Old Sep 16, 2008 | 11:54 AM
  #1  
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What would it take for the SL65 to trap 130??

So, I have a C6 Z06 that makes 530 rwhp. It is FAST and I love it. I am looking to add a luxury sports car and what's better than a 80K SL65 AMG.

Question is, I won't allow punks (like me, haha) blow me away in their stock Z06's. So, my question is, what does it take to make a 65 go 130 through the traps? How much money??

Thanks, and I am looking forward to becomong part of the AMG family pretty soon..
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 12:31 PM
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Dragstrip calculator says 823 hp at the wheels for a 4,800 lb car + driver to trap 130 mph. YMMV, of course.

If the drivetrain loss is 18% then 823 hp at the wheels would mean 1,003 hp at the crank. Sounds like a call for the VR1000 package: https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/222124-1000-hp-amgs.html
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 01:13 PM
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Whoa, 1000 bhp to go 130 in the 1/4. Jeesh, now I remember why I love my Z06 so much..

What do Renntech 65's do in the 1/4 as far as traps? I am not much into drag racing and hence not asking much about the ET.
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 01:34 PM
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SL65s are somewhere in the 122-124 range stock. You can probably hit upper 120s fairly easily by hitting up a tuner company for a flash (~$4-$7k). That brings you into the upper 600s for HP. I don't think you'd need to hit a 1,000 to get up to 130. The problem is that any additional HP gains get pretty pricey. Not sure what type of gains you'd get with DRs, but I'm sure there are people here who do.
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 01:55 PM
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If I can be on par with a stock C6 Z06 I will be happy. In other words, if I can get this car to trap around 125-126 mph that will be good for me.

I am looking at the Renntech page and it seems like the renntech stg1 pkg is roughly 7K. But, they have a video of a stage 1 running an 11.4 but at "only" 120. That just won't do.

Any 65 owners out there with a high 120 trap car? If so, can you please elaborate on your mods and price? Thanks.
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 02:35 PM
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Originally Posted by Zlicious
If I can be on par with a stock C6 Z06 I will be happy. In other words, if I can get this car to trap around 125-126 mph that will be good for me.

I am looking at the Renntech page and it seems like the renntech stg1 pkg is roughly 7K. But, they have a video of a stage 1 running an 11.4 but at "only" 120. That just won't do.

Any 65 owners out there with a high 120 trap car? If so, can you please elaborate on your mods and price? Thanks.
There are a bunch of cl600 and cl65 trapping in the mid 120's. One member in a 65 was trapping 126, think his name is TCM M5 but I could be wrong.
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 02:44 PM
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Originally Posted by metalica_23
SL65s are somewhere in the 122-124 range stock. You can probably hit upper 120s fairly easily by hitting up a tuner company for a flash (~$4-$7k). That brings you into the upper 600s for HP. I don't think you'd need to hit a 1,000 to get up to 130. The problem is that any additional HP gains get pretty pricey. Not sure what type of gains you'd get with DRs, but I'm sure there are people here who do.
Yeah, I think you're right Metalica.

The highest trap speed posted for an SL65 on Drag Times is 127 MPH: http://www.dragtimes.com/Mercedes-Be...ag-Racing.html

All the 127 mph runs were on low air density days, so weather was favorable.

Both 127 mph cars had Renntech packages. Other SL65s with Renntech packages trapped in the 123 to 124 mph range but with better ETs.

At least one of the 127 mph cars ran drag radials. The other dyno'd 543 hp at the wheels (= 662 hp at the crank if 18% loss).

Based on those numbers and depending on whether you'd want to trap 130 mph pretty much all the time versus an occasional best run, it should take something more like 600 to 660 whp, not 823 whp.
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 03:46 PM
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you are talking such different types of car that i'm not sure you're asking about a comparison that is meaningful. having had a Z06 and a 65 they are totally different. the Z06 is raw and raucous and frankly very scary at speed in turns that are less than very smooth; it also, in my case, seemed to get a little breathless as you got 120 or above. the 65 has tremendous torque everywhere, especially above 110 and is far more stable than my corvette, keeping in mind that neither of these is a real track car.
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 03:46 PM
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Thanks for the replys, guys. I hope that I am able to hear from some owners that have modded 65's for more concrete info.

I have raced an 65 when my Z06 was stock and it put up a pretty good fight. It lost, but not too badly. This is why maybe I am thinking with a few mods, it can be on par with a stock Z06. I wonder if a Renntech stge1 will do? hmmmm...I think it might need a little more.
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 03:49 PM
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Originally Posted by russjr
you are talking such different types of car that i'm not sure you're asking about a comparison that is meaningful. having had a Z06 and a 65 they are totally different. the Z06 is raw and raucous and frankly very scary at speed in turns that are less than very smooth; it also, in my case, seemed to get a little breathless as you got 120 or above. the 65 has tremendous torque everywhere, especially above 110 and is far more stable than my corvette, keeping in mind that neither of these is a real track car.
The Z06, imo, is far from scary at high speeds and is very stable UNTIL you hit a bump. Only then is when it becomes very scary. As far as running out of breath, maybe your Z06 was not running right as the Z06 pulls THE HARDEST from 120-160 in 4th gear. It is AFTER that where it dies out, at 160+.

I am not looking for a comparison, i am looking to see what I can do to a SL65to make it as quick as a Z06, or quicker. I want a luxury sports car and the 65 would be my choice. Like I said, I just don't want to get wasted by some punk Z06..

I am very aware that these cars are VERY different from one another.
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 06:40 PM
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zlicious,

I also had an '06 Z06. There are some V12 BiTurbo guys who've hit 130mph, but on spray. Mostly because the aftermarket for these cars isn't that developed, so we don't have a lot of options.

I also caution how great of a deal you might think the SL65 is at $80k. This was a $200k car new, and fixing/servicing this car as well as parts have not depreciated with the car's value. It's also NOT a DIY friendly car like a Z06, not even close. You can't even bleed the freaking brakes on this car without a computer with special connector and software.

Just my $.02

-m
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 08:01 PM
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Marcus, are you saying that a used SL65 with about 15K miles can be problematic? Any particualr model year I need to look out for? I am not a expert when it comes to these cars so if you are aware of something that I am not, please inform me. Thanks for your post.
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Old Sep 16, 2008 | 09:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Zlicious
Marcus, are you saying that a used SL65 with about 15K miles can be problematic? Any particualr model year I need to look out for? I am not a expert when it comes to these cars so if you are aware of something that I am not, please inform me. Thanks for your post.
I don't think he's saying they are problematic but rather pointing out that you won't be able to do simple DIY's yourself and that servicing brakes will be pricey. The 2 piece rotors we have are a grand each IIRC.

Make sure you get one with warranty and extend it as much as you can.
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Old Sep 17, 2008 | 12:41 AM
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Got ya. Thanks guys.

I am still hoping to hear from modded 65 owners..
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Old Sep 17, 2008 | 01:39 AM
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Tag line says it all. Tuned to 560 hp and 790 ft-lbs at the wheels. Serious traction issues for first and second gear.

Last edited by NSM; Sep 17, 2008 at 01:42 AM. Reason: Wrong numbers
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Old Sep 19, 2008 | 12:24 AM
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Lou F. has trapped 130 mph @ 10.9 in the 1/4!! I'm 99% positive!
He also trapped 125 @ 10.85 the same day I believe.
He has the Renntech ECU/TCU mod, the airbox and maybe exhaust!

There is another memeber here who trapped 129 in his Renntech S65! He also has the Renntech ECU/TCU and airbox! He was running 100 oct!

So I don't think you need 800 rwhp to get that trap! 600 rwhp + good tires and you're good to go!

Iron Sheik
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Old Sep 20, 2008 | 10:17 AM
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I've seen Ben run before and his SL is god awful quick. The key is traction. The cars make plenty of power, just can't get it down.

Drag Times results:

http://www.dragtimes.com/results.php...arch+DragTimes
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Old Sep 29, 2008 | 04:14 PM
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Sounds like a lot of these guys with huge traction issues need some Nitto R2s (stiffer sidewall with a 100 treadwear rating). They helped my old 02 Z06 dead hook with a 520 rwhp torque spike on the spray at 45 mph.

I'm all over the road when it comes to a car. I'll probably end up leasing a gently-used SL65 for the tax advantages.
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Old Sep 29, 2008 | 06:50 PM
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Originally Posted by Shaun
There are a bunch of cl600 and cl65 trapping in the mid 120's. One member in a 65 was trapping 126, think his name is TCM M5 but I could be wrong.
Shaun:

I wish my car trapped 126.

I think my best trap is 118.98mph in the wonderfully humid DC summer heat. Stock I think the car will hit low 120's at MIR in Nov....maybe higher if I do some tweaking before the event...

Tom
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Old Sep 30, 2008 | 03:08 AM
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118 wtf ? stock e55's run that , it really matters on the place and on the track , if you're going to get the sl65 you can renntech it to 695 or 730 hp and it will murder out the z06 to small pieces , especially at high speeds but sl65 is a very good choice if you like those type of roadsters , plus this one is hardtop can't beat that
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Old Sep 30, 2008 | 09:48 AM
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Originally Posted by MikeRPA
118 wtf ? stock e55's run that , it really matters on the place and on the track , if you're going to get the sl65 you can renntech it to 695 or 730 hp and it will murder out the z06 to small pieces , especially at high speeds but sl65 is a very good choice if you like those type of roadsters , plus this one is hardtop can't beat that
You need to re-read what I said... 80-90 something degree heat with high humidity = bad trap speed. The DA's were 1,500+ft. Using calulators it would run 120+ at sea level. I can assure you that the stock E55's running 118+ were running in conditions at or below sea level. BTW RENNtech doesn't make a 730hp package...and no... a Z06 will not get "murdered" by a RENNtech SL65. The RENNtech SL65 should walk it above 140mph....but I would hardly call that a "murder". Do the same $12K of mod's to a Z06 and you would then have a crime scene....and the guys from CSI could make the call in a matter of seconds.

Tom
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Old Sep 30, 2008 | 10:52 AM
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Originally Posted by Zlicious
Marcus, are you saying that a used SL65 with about 15K miles can be problematic? Any particualr model year I need to look out for? I am not a expert when it comes to these cars so if you are aware of something that I am not, please inform me. Thanks for your post.
Almost all of them have cracked rims and rotors.
A lot of them have "status 8" warranty, meaning no coverage at all in practice.
Most owners don't even know about it until something major happens...
Be very,very careful and thorough when buying one of these things.(There is a reason they drop so much in value)
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Old Sep 30, 2008 | 11:20 AM
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Originally Posted by TMC M5
Shaun:

I wish my car trapped 126.

I think my best trap is 118.98mph in the wonderfully humid DC summer heat. Stock I think the car will hit low 120's at MIR in Nov....maybe higher if I do some tweaking before the event...

Tom
Hey Tom,

Sorry for the confusion but got you mix up with SGC car. 118 is still damn good in that weather.

http://www.dragtimes.com/Mercedes-Be...lip-15116.html

Your cars looks alot alike, again sorry.
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Old Sep 30, 2008 | 11:35 AM
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Originally Posted by Shaun
Hey Tom,

Sorry for the confusion but got you mix up with SGC car. 118 is still damn good in that weather.

http://www.dragtimes.com/Mercedes-Be...lip-15116.html

Your cars looks alot alike, again sorry.
How dare you think my car runs 126mph traps!!!!

No problem!! Maybe you have psychic powers and saw that my car will run that at MIR.

Tom
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Old Oct 1, 2008 | 09:12 PM
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Originally Posted by TMC M5
How dare you think my car runs 126mph traps!!!!

No problem!! Maybe you have psychic powers and saw that my car will run that at MIR.

Tom
Dont need psychic powers to see you trapping close to that. Have you chosen a tunner yet.
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