IanZ63Q1

Hey mates,

I LOVE my C63AMG... But I've read the downshift blips and response of the 7speed gearbox on the CLK55AMG are slower and your downshifts may be ignored more often. Is this true?

I wanted to get a convertible for my wife but she fell in love with AMG performance, experience, sound and even changed her mind about 4 seats to make that possible

Any advice on what I should expect from the SLK55 AMG? Some reviews make it sound like ESP is horribly invasive + confusing during slides... but I'd think my C63 had the same system, right? I love driving my c63, so I hope the slk will be great too... They are rare here so I haven't seen one in my area (nashville, tn) for a test drive..

Thanks so much!

Ian

BiH430

i live in nashville and c63 is rare car here. i saw few slk55 around but only saw c63 once it was black maybe it was u lol.

zer0t

I bought an SLK55 yesterday for my wife, and me to be honest, so i can give you a better view after I drive it a bit more. This 2nd auto trans sports car as I traded an 06 vette for this car. My other fun car is a GT3 which is not a well mannered road car.

The corvette was the slowest ever gear changing transmission I've ever had. I even had it tuned and trained for sport mode but it still shifted like my dads 80 Cadillac Fleetwood....bad. The 7 speed in the SLK seems much more positive and the downshifts are noticeable. I dont recall a huge difference compared to my c63 experience other than the noticeable 100 HP difference.

I plan on getting a few perf mods and perhaps the kleeman supercharger. I know there is a TCU tuning available and will prob go for that.

If you can wait I can give you driving impressions or perhaps someone who has more experience with both can chime in.

IanZ63Q1

I haven't seen another black one besides mine - couple silver cars though. Maybe it was me! haha What do you drive? F430? O_O

@zer0T: Thanks for the insight. Does the SLK blip on downshifts or do you just feel engine brake?

Maverick1975

I have a C63 and have driven the SLK 55. I had high expectations for the feel of the SLK given the its much lighter and i have to tell you the responsiveness, while impressive, is just nothing like the 63 engine. I got back into my C63 and gave it a god flogging on the way home from test-drive and it confirmed for me that having experienced the 63 engine there can be no going backwards. It just didnt feel anywhere near as powerful as the heavier C63. There is no supercharger in the SLK and i feel that it really needs one. There is no throttle blipping either.

zer0t

I thought it did when I was driving it. It was an obvious RPM jump and then a noticeable downshift. A previous poster disagrees.

IanZ63Q1

Zero what year was the one you drove?

IanZ63Q1

Ok I'm very embarassed but I edited my original post before because I was tired and thought I had made a mistake and that I was really thinking of the CLK55AMG, when in fact, my original post about SLK55AMG was accurate...

I'm talking about the roadster, so SLK55AMG.

Does THAT blip on downshift? CLK is discontinued right???

zer0t

I bought a 2008 SLK and test drove. 2009 C63 back in the fall. They are two completely different cars. The real decision was I need a convertible at the end of the day and I was surprised at how no quick the SLK was with the V8 and I thought there could be a bit more power lurking with an exhaust and tune or perhaps a kompressor.

BiH430

i drive E430 black on black. it was on west end ave the one that i saw.

zer0t

You can get a CLK AMG in a rag top in case that's an option. The car isn't made anymore as it was replaced by the E coupe. If they make that an AMG that'll be killer.