CA_E55

Is it normal that these models exhibit a mild form of wheel hop? With my SL65, when rolling around 40 MPH and I put the hammer down, there is a brief period of wheel hop, just before the ESP shuts down very aggressively. The car does this wheel hop on any road surface, even in the rain, so its not the tires or air pressure etc - and with ESP switched off, the tires just spin and the car starts to go sideways.... ...no wheel hop.

Is this part of how the ESP works? Or do I have a rear suspension problem?

I tried to explain this to my SA and the tech took the car for a spin but they are clueless

MSL01

SL65 wheelspin and drifting sideways is common when the ESP is off. You'll still experience a brief moment of wheel spining with the ESP on if you smash the gas pedal to the floor. My SL feels like its trying to rip the pavement up at most speeds including WOT from 80 to 150. That's the beauty of the SL65 - asphalt ripping torque!

Fantasm

Thats not the point he was trying to make. He's concerned about the wheel hop, which I can indeed say happened to me too sometimes in my old SL55.

It doesn't happen on my SL63 though, perhaps because it has less torque

CA_E55

Thanks for your reply - that would confirm its more related to how the ESP works than a suspension problem.

CynCarvin32

It is not an issue but they all do it. My SL55 does it and it does not feel good when it does. Its more about the cars short wheelbase, and the fact that its not as rigid as say an E55. My E55 never had this issue. AMG tried to stiffen up the rear structure with a steel instead of Aluminum bulk head but it still gets a bit of flex and it does not keep the rear end fully plated at all times.