kaczman

Hi all, allow me to introduce myself, ask some questions, and give an idea of what I'll be doing in the next month or two.

I have heavily modified a few vehicles in my past such as:

A 584HP BMW M6:



STS-V Interlagos Blue / White Progress Thread! - BMW M5 Forum and M6 Forums


A 573HP Supercharged STS-V:



2012 550HP STS-V's progress thread 2: Ported blower & More, inching towards 500 RWHP

550HP STS-V's progress thread


A Jeep Grand Cherokee WK on 22" Viper Wheels:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.n...89403199_n.jpg

STS-V WK Grand Cherokee Progress Thread - JeepForum.com

A Cadillac STS V8:



http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3806086/2007-cadillac-sts

A Custom Matte Graphite Turbocharged Tiburon:



Rebuilt Custom Modified Tiburon - finished. - Hyundai Forum: Hyundai Performance Forum

And a 2012 Chevrolet Avalanche LTZ with a 10" Lift and other goodies:



And a few others. I just recently sold my M6, and have plenty of cash for a new project. I was thinking of doing a 2005 SL55 with a wide body kit.

So I've browsed the forums, did some research, and have a few questions.

First, I havnt really been able to find a definitive list of the changes from 03-08. Obvious 2008 is the last year, but what I've came up with so far is that 2007 is a slight increase in horsepower. Anyone know from what? I plan on modding the engine like I did my STS-V, so if its something I'll be doing anyhow I dont really need a 2007.

2005 they changed the navigation, which is major for me. I thought I saw someone say it changed again in 2007, but the 2007 and 2005 unit look identical. I'd do aftermarket, but I think too many systems are tied into the nav to make it worth while.

I also see in 2005 they got fun options like dynamic seats and so forth. So I think this is the year I'll be going with. The transmission has been the same the entire time, correct? The 5 speed with paddle shift on 05+? And is the shifting going to be anything like the SMG from my M6?

Second, does anyone know what options were "optional" on the SL55s these year? I cant find a list of what I should be looking for in a car, and I dont want to buy one and wish I had that critical option missing.

Third, anyone have a suggestion on wide body kit? I REALLY like the Renown Sidewinder, but it looks as if its not available for sale. I probably will pick up one of the kits on ebay for $5k, but the Misha and Prior kits are nice. I think these are the ones on ebay?

Sorry for the long winded post. Sorry for all the questions, but I've searched on here and Google, and couldn't find definitive answers. I'll be sure to post my step by step mods as they come. Thanks guys!

SteveL1

Welcome. Nice list of past projects. Primary list of options that i know of are:
Panoramic Roof
Keyless Go
Parktronic
Distronic
Xenon headlights
Active ventilated seats
P030 Perfprmance Pkg - '06-'08 - $14k option
Wood steering wheel and shift knob
Carbon fiber interior trim
Alcantara head liner
Designo pkg- special paint w/specific leather color - $7k option

Interior colors:
Light Ash-light grey
Ash-charcoal
Stone
Berry Red

My personal favorite wide body kit it either Prior Design or spdv6 which is a little less aggressive. Do a Google search for SL65 wide body to see a couple of videos of it. Not even sure if he's still making them.

Good luck on the hunt and make sure to post pics of the progress. I've been looking for the right one for a while myself.

kaczman

Thanks. Any suggestions on year, or nav?

SteveL1

I guess I would say get as new as you can afford. I'm looking for '05-'06 as that is all my budget will allow trying to keep miles under 50k-60k.

kaczman

Is there a real reason why? Any changes in 06-07?

DCMETRO22Z

Yep. After 2006 SL55 have padleshift instead of buttons, a few ponnies more, interior available in black instead of charcoal, a better intercooler pump,different wheels (In usa 19's five spokes) a different grill and a few other changes

amok55amg

You should check this build out for insperation: https://mbworld.org/forums/sl55-amg-...ld-thread.html