Hi,

Just placed an order for a 280. I'd like to convince my wife to upgrade to the
350. Problem is in her mind, better accelleration and cooler wheels ( my opinion )
is not worth the extra $4K. However, better breaks might persuade her.

I know the 350 has a stronger break system, but its also a little heavier. Does
anyone know what Mercedes publishes for the stopping distance of the two?
Once again, my dealer has been no help in tracking this down.

Thanks,

Mike

For the 350, 114ft from 60mph from Road & Track, I have not seen any reviews for the 280, I'm sure you could find something on google. There's a few members here that regrets getting the 280, so if you can, get the 350 to start, even so, you might regret not getting the 55, 350 is in the middle so you can't go wrong.

Tell her they have to make everything on the 350 stronger to deal with the extra horsepower, not just the brakes.

wassup fellas.. i hope i wont offend anyone who purchased the 350, but i think that if u gotta' plan on fixin up ur SLK, then i think u better off buying the 280... use the 4k that ur goin to the items that ur goin to add on it.. but if ur just gonna keep the 350 as it is, then i say it's the better choice..

Is the 350 heavier than the 280? The engine block is the same. What would make the 350 heavier?

Yes,
280 with manual T, curb weight 3210 lb/1455 kg
280 with automatic T, curb weight 3255 lb/1475 kg

350 with manual T, curb weight 3255 lb/1475 kg
350 with automatic T, curb weight 3295 lb/1495 kg

You could tell the wife that the brake rotors on the 350 are ventilated, i.e., with ventilating perforations for brake performance.

The additional weight is the result of the bigger braking system and engine on the SLK 350.
SLK 280 engine: 2996 cc
SLK 350 engine: 3498 cc
The bigger braking system is the result of more horse power.
SLK 280 228 hp
SLK 350 268 hp
The SLK 280 brakes can handle an extra 40 lbs, but it can't handle the extra hp.

I haven't regretted getting the 280 for a nanosecond. Its awesome.

9moon, why would you save the $4000 if you plan on fixing it up? The extra 45hp and upgraded brakes is more than worth that $4000 if you're a tuner. Kompressor systems cost upwards of $10,000 just to get you 1000 horsepower. Comparing apples to apples (NA to NA, FI to FI), there's no replacement for displacement. Just ask the SLK55'ers.

Bakerdbl26, I don't think that the 350 engine is larger or heavier than the 280 The displacement is larger but I believe the block, heads etc. are the same.

^^^^^^^^^^
That's what I thought. In fact, if it is actually just bored out, would that make the 350 engine lighter?

If any SLK55 owners want to save some weight, I'd be willing to pay for you to swap your HEAVY 5.5L engine for my LIGHTWEIGHT 3.5L engine!

Not true, headers alone cost $4K and maybe give NA engine a 20hp gain if you are lucky. Bigger brakes will cost more, you could easily spend $6K and not get to the 350 standards.

headers = 4K
exhaust = 2K
ECU = 1.5K
$7.5K = maybe 40hp and w/o bigger brakes. Not exactly a bargain.

Bigger displacement will have bigger pistons, this will add a little weight, not much, but some.

My suggestion is buy the highest end vehicle that you can afford and are comfortable with instead of buying something less and wishing that you had this or you had that.