SL65amg

Renntech officially states 650 horsepower and 840 lb/ft of torque for an ECU reprogrammed SL 65 or CL 65, but dealers are dynoing these cars at well over 700 horsepower I've been told ......

Seems Renntech is being conservative in their estimates .....Just like how Benz claims their standard 600 V-12 engines produce only 493 horsepower but they're being dynoed stock at 580 to 600 .......

The tuners might already be hard at work on having internal upgrade packages for the 65 engines .... this should indeed take them to 800 or more horsepower ... but still don't know if the transmission will be able to handle it .... even though the 65 trans has been significantly strengthened over the standard 600 transmission. Atleast there are now Benz dealers out there with strong ties to Renntech and have dealer & Renntech backed full 4 year 50,000 mile warranties on all aftermarket work, so even if you have a 700 horsepower SL 65 and you keep blowing the transmission every couple of months, they'll just keep putting in a brand new one for you every time no charge.

Also, so far I have not seen ANY auto magazine really seriously gun out any CL 65 or SL 65, I mean really put it through the whole works, put them through the paces with measuring gear and get some solid numbers down. .... every article I've read so far just states official conservative factory numbers .... which everyone knows are extremely conservative in their estimation .....
I can't wait for Car & Driver to gun the s**t out of an SL 65, since the standard SL 600 is doing zero to 60 in 3.6 seconds already .... also I'd really like to see them post up their best 1/4 mile and zero to 100 and zero to 150 and zero to 200 times for the SL 65 .... I have a suspicious feeling that not only will the SL 65 absolutely destroy any previous SL 55 or SL 600 times ... but that the time might be competitive or better in some cases than many ultra super cars that cost well over $400,000 each.
It's already really getting fishy and weird that nobody has tested the 65's thoroughly .....

Any thoughts? Comments?

blueSL

The SL65 certainly makes the SLR look like a bit of a white elephant...

Twinturbo

anyone know exactly what 650hp and 840lb translates to in kw and nm? Dont know exactly how many nm in one lb or vice versa. I thought these cars are restricted to 1000nm for transmission purposes, so more power might be pushing it for reliability. I think it was CAR that recently tested the SL against some other supercars, cant remeber if it was 55 or 65 though. I havent read it, just saw it in a newsagent but couldnt but it. Anyone here read it?

blueSL

1 metre = 39.37 inches and 1 newton is the force which when applied to a mass of 1 kg produces an acceleration of 1 metre per second per second. 1 kg = 2.2 lb. Take the acceleation due to gravity to be 9.81 metres per second per second and you end up with 840lb feet being (840 * 12 * 9.81)/(39.37 * 2.2) = 1141 nm = 1 broken gearbox.

It's the torque which breaks gearboxes, not the power, though the two are related by engine speed.

Torque in nm * 2 * PI * Revs per Second = Power in Watts,

so if the engine develops the torque at 3000 rpm, the power output at that point will be 1141 * 2 * PI * 50 = 358 kW. Peak power comes at higher engine speeds where the torque will have fallen away a bit.

Schiznick

What dealer has had an SL65 on a dyno? I would like to chat with them.

Thanks,

Schiznick

SL65amg

Atlanta Classic Cars had someone do it for them I think, for a customer's 65 with Renntech ECU upgrade.

I also heard from them that the standard 600 models with the Renntech ECU upgrade are producing anywhere from 626 to 650 horsepower easily over and over, so the 65's should easily put out more than 700. And the Atlanta Classic Cars customization department ( I think they're like in the top 3 largest Benz dealers in the world !!!) has close ties with many tuners, and they do custom interior/audio/security/radar&laser jamming & diffusing systems/custom colors/wheels/tires/custom wide-body kits/ custom exhaust systems/scissor-door upgrades for SL & CL's, custom made racing-grip steering wheels and other fabrics for interior, etc.. They said they back up ALL custom work with full 4 year bumper to bumper warranty, which is absolutely awesome and unheard of !!! Because I asked about what would happen if the trans kept on failing, and they just replied that due to the full warrranty backing, they would keep replacing it with brand new ones for free as many times as needed !!! Very cool people over there .......
They can take your SL 65, make it have well over 700 horsepower, put a 6-Tip racing exhaust system on it, an SLR type hood and nose upgrade, Lamborghini-style scissor door upgrades, complete custom interior with custom colors, racing steering wheel with extra wide grips and custom audio system and 360 degree radar/laser detection with radar jamming and Laser diffusing, put a wide body kit on it so that you may put gigantic Lambo-size rear tires on it (maybe 345/30/ZR-20) with any wheels imaginable, and then put on humongous StarTech 405 !!!! Millimeter Brakes with Brabus 12-Piston Calipers !!! The resultant car would be an absolute road predator beast, which could handle and stop on a dime, stop traffic with it's otherwordly looks, and yet be completely warranty backed which would keep the customer relaxed and confident in gunning & redlining the crap out of the car every minute of every day & even take it everywhere like to the grocery store, shopping, out of town long trips, etc.. while being as comfortable as anyone in any other S-Class or Bentley due to the fact that the car can be loaded with every conceivable luxury and high-tech feature imaginable.

And the tuners are most likely at work on internal engine upgrades (upgraded pistons? More?) that should take the car way past 800 Horsepower..... anyways, the next generation 7-Speed AMG transmissions that are currently under development (and probably won't be used in production for a couple more years) will be able to handle much more Horsepower and Torque. I've even read in one or two European magazines that the next generation S & CL & SL 65's (2007 or 2008 models perhaps?) will have 922 lb/ft of torque !!! That is a good bit more than the 738 currently ... and, coupled with the 7-Speeds more advanced construction (exotic alloys) and faster gear changes & smarter logic, the next gen 65's should be absolutely devastatingly fast indeed. Since there are bone stock SL 600's on stock tires putting out 3.6 second Zero to 60's now, I wouldn't be surprised if someone in an SL 65 got 3.3 seconds Zero to 60, and for the Renntech upgraded SL 65 I wouldn't be surprised to see 3.2 or 3.1 seconds, and for the next generation SL 65's with the 7-Speed, there might be some magazines which will hit UNDER 3 SECONDS for a Zero to 60 time .... Steady progress is lately being redefined by Benz to say the least .... the current SL 65 is already way too fast for most people on public roads, the Renntech SL 65 is just crazy ultra fast, and the next gen 65's are going to defy logic to the nth degree.

The price is kinda steep though for the SL 65. I've had one on order for a very long time, it should come next summer, but maybe I should sell it when it comes, because I was told that by the time it comes I'll be able to pick up a 2004 model SL 600 with serious price depreciation, like for around $80,000 or more, and by then there will be upgrades that will put it easily at 700 or more horsepower, and then for $1,900 dollars I can put the Renntech 65 transmission software upgrade with steering wheel shift controls, drop bigger wheels & tires on it, racing exhaust, and I'm good to go, all for around $100,000 to $115,000 versus probably $240,000 for a fully loaded & customized SL 65.

russjr

the figures car and driver published for that sl600 were not from a stock 600, but rather one that had been chipped.

Schiznick

Thanks for the info, I will stop by Atlanta Classic Cars this week. I never realized they had a department that specialized in custom Benz work like you are talking about. I also didn't realize we had so many custom mercedes running around in Atlanta.

I am very interested in the warranty work that you are talking about. Do you live in ATL?

Schiznick

Sleestack

Not really, b/c despite MB (and my) obsession with ridiculous hp and torque, I think alot of people realize that MB performance is somewhat one dimensional and suited for the Autobahn. The SLR actually puts up great numbers in a straight line and on a more demanding track. I love the power as much as the next guy, and certainly understand that one doesn't buy a SL65 thinking they are buying a sports car, however, I would sacrifice some of the sheer power of a SL 65 for the more balanced perfromance of an SLR.

430

Not sure who your source is but I am going to call BS on this one. Before they moved I used Atlanta Classic Cars and there was no customizing department that I ever saw. Sure they would order and install a remus or brabus exhuast and slap on some wheels. But they were not installing RENNtech pulley's, ecu's, Kleeman SC's, etc. Funny is they are such a huge customizer and have great relationships with all the Tuners then why didn't RENNtech mention them when I inquried about dealers in the Atlanta area? They do look like a GM dealership with the large number of Cars sitting on their lot. But I would be very surprised if they were in the top 10 dealerships in the US let alone the world.

I would love it if someone proves me wrong. But as of right now I am sticking with my call of BS.

SL65amg

http://www.caranddriver.com/article....rticle_id=7782


The above link is for the article from Car and Driver Magazine from the March 2004 edition which talks about a bone stock SL 600 hitting zero to 60 in 3.6 seconds .... it was NOT chipped.


As for Atlanta Classic Cars, when the new dealership was being built new I was told by people at the dealership that the sheer physical size of the place puts it at near the top of the list of biggest Benz Dealers. I mean jeez it has an area to smack Golf ***** around, a gym to work out at while waiting for your car (not that you have to since they have hundreds of Mercedes loaner cars) a lounge area with big comfortable leather couches and flat screen T.V.'s to watch T.V. with your bottled water while watching the gigantic service bay area through the glass, or visit the accessories boutique. And they have had a customization department for many years, in the old smaller dealership in duluth off of Church Street it was just a small corner in the new car showroom, and back then a gentleman by the name of Brian Moyer was in charge of aftermarket work. He had previously been with Butler Tire, and as many people know, Mel, the owner of all the Butler Tires in Atlanta, has very very close ties to CEC, so Brian and Mel had all the inside scoops and got all the latest Renntech, Lorinser, Brabus, TechArt, etc.. stuff constantly. Even back in the day at the old smaller dealership, Brian still had alot of contacts and men on site to do a large variety of aftermarket work to Benzes. Brian has many many years experience and goes every year to the annual Las Vegas tuner show to check out and get contacts for all the latest tuner gear on the Market for Mercedes. A While back he left the dealership to go out on his own and start his own customizing shop ..... The guy in charge now at the new Atlanta Classic Cars is a really knowledgeable and friendly guy by the name of Nash. He is also a certified Mechanical Engineering Graduate from Georgia Tech, so he knows these cars inside out, not just cosmetically. Brian trained him also before he left so Nash is very competent. He has the best prices I've ever heard of for custom work. He can put any custom color interior change for an SL for a fraction of what you'd think. He has guys on site that do a lot of work plus he utilizes MB AutoWerks which is a certified Renntech and Kleemann dealer and specialist shop to do some dynoing and engine upgrades and to tune engine ECU's, since MB AutoWerks is so experienced. He also utilizes the guys at Panoz (the people who make the Panoz Roadster) for custom wide-body kits .... but most interior & audio & security & wheels, exhaust, chips, window tinting, radar/laser/ custom racing steering wheels (which Nash designed himself !!! Quite impressive & definitely the best steering wheels I've ever seen for a Benz) are done on site. And regardless of who does the aftermarket work, all aftermarket and/or custom work is fully warranty backed. Anyways, it can't be the only dealership in the U.S. who does these sorts of things ... so maybe there are other dealerships out there who do this stuff too .... who knows

430

You have a very valid point about size. I was reading it as number of units sold, not physical size. I have heard they are not doing as well as expected at the new location.

I have only heard great things about MBAutowerks. I have talked with Donny (the performance guy) out there and he was very nice and helpful. Unless they have added one in the last year MBAutowerks does not have their own Dyno. They go down the road to another shop. It would be nice if one of the shops in town could install the RENNtech software instead of having to ship the ECU out.

Have you seen the MB 'El Cominoes' they have at Atlanta Classic cars? When I first saw them I asked if it was a joke.

I wonder how much to have the vinyl head liner replaced with leather or alcantera.