Regular readers will know that I do not like the SBC braking system, specifically that in my car, the brakes lack feel and progressiveness. The brakes instead feel over-servoed so that when used at low speeds, there's a variety of clonking noises which sounds as though the brake calipers are loose on their mountings.

My car has just been in for a list of warranty work, including "the brakes clonk". Turns out there is a modification available - brake pressure modulator was how it was described to me - which it turns out improves the progressiveness of the brakes and makes driving on congested roads much easier. Others have reported that current year models are better and have software functions like SBC Hold. This modification does not go as far as that but does improve SBC from its pretty dreary beginnings. If you have an early R230 and are unhappy with the brakes, you may find this modification worthwhile.

 

Do you think it is now as good as the current models with SBC? I suppose you are still against SBS, but do you think that with refinement and improvement SBC will be as good or better than conventional brakes in the future?

 

I've driven the car some more and the improvement is real. The brakes are more progressive, it's much easier to bring the car to a halt without it rocking. I expect the braking performance is now similar to current models with the exception of the functions like SBC Hold introduced in the 2004 model year.

A welcome improvement then, even if the pedal feel is artificial and lacks the feedback you get in a true sports car. They are probably appropriate for the kind of car the SLxx sets out to be.

As for the future of SBC, what we know is that it's been expensive to develop and use in production and is unlikely to appear in new cars in its current form. Whichever way you look at it, a simpler system makes for greater reliability over a large population and the owners of the SL and E are likely to baulk at the cost of fixing SBC when it goes wrong as it inevitably will.

Many owners on this forum will be shot of their SLs long before the problems appear but if you look forwards 10 years to someone who's bought an SL55 with 120K miles, say $15000, it's going to be a bitter pill to swallow when the service receptionship says "your SBC control unit has failed. That'll be $6000 (by then), plus fitting at $200 an hour".

 

BlueSL, when does your DB9 arrive and what options did you order it with? Did you see the EVO article which roundly criticized the DB9 for not being well sorted out? I am due to place my order soon for a DB9 and wondered if you heard of any engineering changes they have made to improve braking, steering, handling and ride quality?

 

It's said the DB9 is the best car in their history but there's some pretty stiff competition out there. My slot is mid 2006 so I have more than enough time to make up my mind though reports like the one in Evo will tend to shorten the waiting list. I'm promised a test drive at some point which will make me decide.

The Aston is a stunning car to look at and listen to - much better looking IMHO than the SL which is necessarily compromised by the need to fit the roof in and also better to listen to, the engine is not so "big bruiser". The Aston has the most amazing presence when you stand next to it but I do not know what the Volante (convertible) looks like with the (fabric) roof up.

But, and it's a big but, there's a long list of things I don't like in the Aston which I gleaned from just a few minutes in the car, starting with the door handles, the headlamp switch, the centre console (which is as tacky as the instrument panel is a masterpiece), claustrophobic cabin, lack of trunk space, useless rear seats, poor forwards visibility and so it goes on. If it's this bad after 20 minutes, what is it going to be like after a week, a month, a year?

What Aston have in their favour is their PR guy, Tim Watson, who used to head up Ferrari UK PR. I spent 3 or 4 days with him and other Ferrari owners on a factory trip and I can say for sure that he will be listening to what people are saying about the car and feeding that back in to the development process. We'll see!

The car which had grabbed me by the lapels is the F430. I'm just wondering whether the Aston is too close to the SL55 (which has reprieved itself by the brake fix) in function and isn't the F430 the most gloriously extravagent toy to have for someone looking 50 in the face?

 

Good analysis of the DB9, appreciate your thoughts as always. Since I am looking at 50 in my rearview mirror, I tend to be looking for more of a gentleman's GT rather than a true sports car, hence my CL600. I worry that the DB9 as well as the Ferrari have a ride quality that is better suited to someone with more youth in their rump.

There is no question that Aston has crafted one of the best looking bodies ever and the exhaust note is glorious, but so far, that seems to be its only selling points (they are good ones though).

Do you find the SL55 a bit boring sometimes?

 

The SL55 thrills with it's performance, it's all I could ever sensibly use on UK roads. It is an anodyne driving experience though compared to something which puts you more in touch with what the car is doing. Those sorts of cars are not good for the long trips where the SL55 excels, 300 miles on the freeway? No problem. Scorching down my favourite country roads at 6am on a Sunday morning in summer, no thanks, that's for my Ferrari.

The feature of the SL which I have always admired is the ABC which does a miracle job of disguising the weight of the car and providing the sort of ride on a cruise which broadens its appeal.

As for the Aston, I need to drive it to find out. If there are issues, I'd rather wait for them to be fixed before I do and make the go-no-go decision. That's why I'm in no hurry. As I've found with the SL55, if you are first on the block, you miss out on the refinements made early in the design's life.

What's certain is that the Aston needs a light interior; ones of the ones I saw was dark green with a darker green interior, it was like climbing into a coal-hole.

 

I managed to see the other day the Brabus 15 inch x 36mm 12 pot set up on a awesome black SL55 in Vegas.
I think it was the car they used on the Michelin add in the US that shows the black SL driving around a race track driving in all conditions and never loosing control.
Now that Brabus set up will slow down 4,500lbs, and slow down $18,000 out of your back pocket.
22

 

I took these pictures of a black SL55 that was on display in Vegas the other day.
http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=3181760093
The not as "adjusted" SL55 is the wifes in the last few shots.
My plan is to get a set of the Brabus wheels just like the car I spotted, and maybe a Evo Sport exhust.