SL63 AMG & SL65 AMG (R231) 2012 to 2020 (in US launched as 2013 model) Facelift from 2017

R231 SL63 vs SL65

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Old Jul 12, 2016 | 09:38 PM
  #1  
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R231 SL63 vs SL65

Now that I have your attention, I'm in the market for a SL63 or SL65, and I plan to install performance bolt-on upgrades. At minimum an ECU & TCS tune, intake and valve actuated exhaust. I can get a 40k mile SL65 for relatively the same price as a low mile SL63. My question is, what is going to be the better deal?

It looks like modding a 63 will not gain much more performance than a stock 65. I'm not sure what the longevity is of the v12 engines or how well the ECU responds to modifications. I would like to end up north of 900hp/TQ. What is going to get me there the quickest and most reliably? I've been looking into combination of mods from Weistec, Brabus, Kleeman, AMS Alpha. I would appreciate any guidance from someone experienced with the R231 platform of how to "do it right the first time". I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel, I've had my turn at trial and error modifying cars, this time around I would rather "cry once" over the price and get a result that I can thoroughly enjoy.
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Old Jul 12, 2016 | 09:43 PM
  #2  
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2014 E63S; AMS 100 octane ECU dyno tune; EDOK TCU tune; BB intakes; sprintbooster
Originally Posted by Joseph11
Now that I have your attention, I'm in the market for a SL63 or SL65, and I plan to install performance bolt-on upgrades. At minimum an ECU & TCS tune, intake and valve actuated exhaust. I can get a 40k mile SL65 for relatively the same price as a low mile SL63. My question is, what is going to be the better deal?

It looks like modding a 63 will not gain much more performance than a stock 65. I'm not sure what the longevity is of the v12 engines or how well the ECU responds to modifications. I would like to end up north of 900hp/TQ. What is going to get me there the quickest and most reliably? I've been looking into combination of mods from Weistec, Brabus, Kleeman, AMS Alpha. I would appreciate any guidance from someone experienced with the R231 platform of how to "do it right the first time". I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel, I've had my turn at trial and error modifying cars, this time around I would rather "cry once" over the price and get a result that I can thoroughly enjoy.
I think the m157 will be more reliable and you can get the power gains you can want with a custom tune, down pipes, exhaust, new turbos ...

The v12 is reported to be sweet but problematic and more "high maintenance"....
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Old Jul 13, 2016 | 02:47 PM
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https://mbworld.org/forums/cl55-amg-...t-my-cl65.html


Read this thread

A lot of information

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Old Jul 13, 2016 | 06:50 PM
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Porsche guy who drives SL63 w/ perf pkg AND perf suspension
youre looking at everybody except renntech. they are probibly the most reliable and knowledgeable of anybody in the world. I would trust their results over anybody. And they answer questions. From the start, all the v8 engines were considered more drivable than the v12s. and more affordable to tune and modify. It wasnt untill 13 untill the v12 got the 7 speed mct speedshift trans because the kept the old 5speed in all the v12s. the new trans is a big performance improvement to the v8s
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