Geo3

Thanks for the links......interesting......Geo

ECSTuning

JadAwada,

Thank you for the shout out!

David

sgaar

I am not sure that it is more desirable because it doesn't have ABC. Keep in mind that in the countries you mention, SL's in general are much more expensive. I claim that the 350 simply might sell better because it is cheaper.

I don't understand. Nobody got AMG's with coil-over.

Coil-over is not a better suspension system than ABC. There is no arguing that ABC - the system - is better when it comes to handling a car like the SL, than coil-over. We can always discuss the implementation and components.

It doesn't really matter if you use Bilstein or MB parts. In either case you have a Franken-car that has been butchered. It remains to be seen if you would be able to fetch a higher price for you car then a comparable one. I think not.

sgaar

You might be correct, but in my opinion, you should not be afraid of ABC. When you are considering getting a car with ABC, it really - as in any other situation - it comes down to research and getting the car you are looking at, looked over by a competent tech. If you are buying from a seller that has taken car of the car, you should be able to see all the receipts on what has been do to it. Also, go to the local MB dealer with the VIN and ask to take a look at the VMI for the car. It will show you any warranty work that has been done.

Geo3

We will just have to differ in our opinions....

By the way, quoting one of your aforementioned comments, "I don't understand. Nobody got AMGs with coil-overs".

In fact I know no AMGs came with coil-overs (other than Black Series SL65 AMG), and my quote ("Just because we didn't get coil-overs in our North American SLs, don't think it's an inferior suspension system."), clearly stated as such.

Nowhere did I say AMGs had coil-overs.

BlownV8

+1,000,000. An SL without ABC and a proper coilover suspension is much more attractive to me. After throwing more than $10k on ABC maintenance/repairs and dealing with a very unreliable suspension system, I can appreciate the coilover conversion. And, no, it's not all about the maintenance and upkeep of the system. You can have a hose blow that shows no outward signs of a potential failure. The blown hose will either leave you stranded or cause pump failure.if you keep driving.

If you drive a few thousand miles a year in a moderate to cool climate, the system is ok. If you drive 30k miles per year in a very hot climate like Florida, the system is horrible. I would/will definitely go this route in the future.

sgaar

I know that, but we are not talking about non-AMG cars. We are talking about ABC which all AMG cars have.

All in all, my post was not on the validity of putting coil-over's on an AMG car, but rather whether it would decrease the value of the car.

CHADisBAD

+1...

I'm with you as well. If I had the choice of 2 identical SL55's side-by-side, but one with coilovers and the other with ABC. I'd jump all over the one with coilovers any day of the week. I agree the ABC rides nice, but for the problems associated with it, I don't care how nice it is. I purchased my SL55 last year, and the previous owners neglected the ABC as most do, and I've had to deal with that mess.

cnterline

The way I see it if converting over gets me another tenth the ABC is going in the trash lol

Geo3

I have researched and written this quickly, in an attempt to pull parts and numbers together.

If anything requires correction, please add comments in forum.

Now, we just need a DIY write-up....Geo3.

JadAwada

@ECSTUNING, your doing a great job guys, always providing good prices.

@Geo3 great job man writing this PDF file. It's a great writing. The guys who made this suspension conversion kit use the MB Non-ABC SL R230 parts, you can get all the parts for 2500$, and sell yours on ebay. So why give them your old parts, I suggest you buy them man, and keep your parts or sell them, so the conversion costs you 1000$ or even less.

@sgaar, when I did the conversion I knew I'm taking a big risk that this is the first SL55 to have its ABC suspension deleted. For a while I thought I will regret doing this, the night before the car was done, I thought that I'm gonna hate it, it will lose its handling, and it will be come a car that I will never drive again. But now? I say thanks god I did this conversion.

@BlownV8 & @ChadisBad thank you for the good feedback guys.

BlownV8

Why do you think you are the first to do the conversion? There have been others but no one has shared as much information as you.

V12TTenthusiast

Considering how far I modded my car, I'm not planning to resell the car with all the work I put into it. I do like the way the ABC rides, but if I can have worry free suspension I think I'd opt for coil overs if they conversion is mess and error free. But I would have to be that KW setup they have for the SL65 BS with the adjustable ride height

F1BHP

I am in the same boat V12. I would also do the KW V3 so the dampening can be digitally controlled.

JadAwada

@BlownV8, I know this is not the first car with ABC suspension delete. But this is the first SL55 with ABC delete.

BlownV8

There is a company that has been doing SL55's in Florida for a while. I posted a link on the forum months ago.

smyth600

Anytime a car such as a mercedes sl gets cheap enough for regular car enthusiasts to modify you will hear shreaks from brand purists about the problem with changing anything.

Ferrari guys can be the worst in this but I have learned that each brand has its "keep it stock or all is lost" crowd. When I started factory five racing there were some 5.0 mustang guys that thought the same way. Now that I am making kit trucks from vw jettas I even get it from jetta fans(believe it or not...really?..it's a 10 year old jetta)

In the case of the sl600 sl55 etc the truth is that these are fantastic and dependable cars that have a horrific suspension as far as repairs are concerned...when it works it is a tech marvel...but when it doesn't...wow. They are an amazing bargain for the power and build quality and our job as hands on car guys is to transform it from a rich guys car to a true enthusiasts car that you can have fun with. Avoiding silly 7k repairs to a 20k car is a huge priority. Coilovers are easy to tune and get right and an sl is just another cool car. Sway bars and coils will be terrific and wonderfully safe(yes you can change a merc and still be safe)and make this heavy pig a blast to drive and drive hard without worry. Have fun with these things now that they are cheap. Now, getting rid of another couple hundred pounds is the real challenge.

And JadAwada....thanks.


Mark Smith
smythperformance.com

BlownV8

Here's the company that does SL55's in the states.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Coil-Spring-Conversion-Kit-Mercedes-R230-SL55-AMG-2002-2008-OEM-/191278933160?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item2c891ce4a8&vxp=mtr#ht_2073wt_1190

Smalone01

This is good news for anybody who owns a SL. These are good cars minus the suspension!

m-svt-amg

Didn't the black series have coil overs? I feel the 350 setup would be a downgrade...

Then again, most people with busted ABC systems probably wouldn't feel like it because their ABC wasn't riding properly to compare against.

I'm 80% done with my full ABC overhaul, and I'd love to see how it handles compared to the bumpy boat ride I've been accustomed to for 3 years.

If it breaks again (which I should be covered by lifetime warranty on struts at least), then I'll likely look into the best spring suspension offered for our car, or likely do a custom setup before installing a "comfort" suspension on an AMG.

I do agree, that ABC does hurt the resale value of our cars considerably, and it only makes sense that people buying "cheap" power would want "cheap" repair. Not a problem. The more options the better!

I would just hate to have an under performing supercar, whether too soft of springs or broken ABC, it's just not right for the vehicle.

(Not saying your springs are ACTUALLY too soft, just the things I'd consider if going that route)

blownM156

I would deff do this... to my cl55, I like how it uses oem parts

fxrs1955

I'm going the coil over route the first time I have to spend major money. I'm not a big fan of ABC.

JadAwada

@BlownV8, those guys didn't sell any of their kits for the SL55. What I can tell you is that they used the same parts I used. You can buy all the parts for 2500 USD, and still sell your original parts or keep them.

This is good news for all the ABC system cars, this system is the nightmare of those cars.

I have contacted both Mercedes AMG, and Mercedes Benz to make sure those parts will work well. Mercedes AMG felt sorry that its customers are having troubles with this system but they didn't recommend such a change, however they asked me to contact Mercedes Benz as they are the manufacturers of the coilovers, and that's what I did. Mercedes-Benz reply was that the parts will fit the SL55, and the suspension is able to handle the weight of the SL55, they applied it to SL350 and SL500. They only said that such a changed might make the car harsher.

The SL65 Black series suspension costs around 18-20K. I recommend that you get the SL350 sway bars, and use KW or Bilstein Coilovers, with their springs if you don't want to pay more than 4K.

You have too, saves you too much troubles.

Hopefully you will not, but in case you have to spend major money, yes do this conversion and good luck with it

Thomas668

i knew this conversion since last year

you guys are lucky in the US

unfortunately i am in Hong Kong which no mechanic will do this for me

suck.............

m-svt-amg

Well i hope it goes well and i wish i could get a chance to experience the difference in ride feel. I just paid 2400 for abc struts with lifetime warranty, 600 for consumable accumulators, and 1000 in shop time to take care of the rebuild the valveblocks and swap the parts.

Same 4k spent.

i would be very interested to compare results as well as future maintenance required