kjkj

Hello,


I'm considering of buying the SL63 2011, and im planning on driving the car in the winter under snow conditions, I searched everywhere and can't find the answers, I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, im currently driving SL500 and its fine in the winter snow driving as long as I have the winter tires on.

I'm curious how it is for the SL63, it has a differen't engine with a lot more horsepower than the SL500, 518hp vs 300hp.


Please help me with your advice!!


Thank you.

AccelToronto

IMHO you will not see any difference driving SL500, SL63 or Honda Civic (I am not trying to offend anyone and Civic is a really nice car, but serves different purpose than SL) in winter. Any car can be driven in winter, you just have to learn to use the throttle on slippery surface with all that torque.
Real question is why would you want to drive very nice car under conditions where you cannot enjoy it. If you thinking of buying 2011 SL63, you might as well get a winter beater for the price of Winter tires for that car I personally do not even take my SL in the rain, never mind the snow, as I know I will not be able to fully enjoy the ride.

To answer your question, yes SL63 in winter with winter tires WILL MOVE just as your SL500. Just try not to take it Cross-Country

Igor.

WHTEVO

I would buy a beater and not drive the SL in the winter :P But i suppose if you have good winter tires, and drive cautiously, then you should be fine.

Aaron

photonut

the sl63 is a summer driver.
you should get a winter driver.
i would suggest a panamera 4 or perhaps a cayenne.

alx

I beg to differ on the Honda vs sl comparison. A fwd car is infinitely more capable in the slippery stuff than a rwd car- namely you dont get stuck on inclines that you cannot perceive as such but your car is slowly drifting towards the ditch winter tires or not.

Get a winter beater. It is not the snow that is the main problem. It is the salt, the ice ridges after the plow trucks, the slush between the lanes on the highway and so on.

Said that- I have survived countless winters driving powerful rwd cars, so it can be done. But... In a hindsight it was the stupid thing to do.

AccelToronto

Both are not exactly beater cars. If you are talking AWD, Porsche was never famous for their AWD and for the price, I would get ML/GL hands down. X5/X6 is not a bad option if we are talking fancy SUVs. Cannot comment on Panamera, but I had Cayenne before ML and no regrets switching... For me, there is only one Porsche and it is 911, all the others are trade-off.
For beater, I would suggest any Honda/Toyota or, even American or Korean SUV. At the shop I had couple Neons as my loaner vehicles and noone ever complained even in winter... Have one of those for sale (2003) - this would be a good beater and is pretty much the price of Winter rims and tires for SL

Igor.

AccelToronto

I will disagree on GENERAL FWD and RWD comparison. My wife had a Civic and I drove 530i - guess what ? Heavier 530 with all the electronics and 50/50 weight distribution performed much better in winter than Civic. Both had winter tires, but we would take 530 any time over Civic in winter. I am talking from over 150K driving both for over 7 winters living in Toronto suburbs. Yes, 530 was RWD and I did drive RWD cars since I was a kid so quite possible this is one person's opinion and all others will disagree.

And sorry to hijack the thread so back on the topic: main issue for the car in Toronto winters is salt. The amount of money you will spend keeping up your SL with salt is far more than spending it purchasing winter ride (I do not mean something fancy). Yes, one thing paying over time and another is one time expense, but there are always financing/lease options... I prefer my 800HP toy stored in winter

Igor.

BobLibSL55

Is it even legal to drive an SL63 in the snow?

carlsturm

if you do decide to drive your SL in the winter then get some Blizzaks or equivalent. Tire Rack & Discount Tire offer winter wheel/tire packages that are reasonably priced.

sound 8

Lock it in the garage until Spring.

alx

ah.. dont talk to me about 5 series and snow. i spent two years with an m5 and winter tires- never ever again. and i fancy myself being a very decent driver (scca- certified instructor).

and.. you dont want perfect balance- that is not a track- you want weight bias over the driving wheels for the winter.

the only good rwd car for the winter (clearance and suitability for winter notwithstanding) would be a 911. rwd and engine hanging right over the driving wheels.

and talking about electronics- when trying to go up the hill those only hamper your progress and you go nowhere.