SL 55 general questions- which tyres? no dip stick? and what wheels?

[laurensparsons]

Hi all, I wanted to rack your brains as to what the 2006 SL 55 was intended to run in regards of tyres in the UK? which model and what dimensions were fitted as stock please?

My second q is iv had a look underneath the bonnet of a few of these and attempted to check the oil via the obvious spot and all iv pulled out of engine is a plug a few inches long, hence no dip stick - do these cars have a separate dip stick to poke in the hole, where is this?

Finally, iv been thinking of buying some new wheels when i get my car, I like the stock solid five spoke amg branded ones common of 2006 models, what i want is to buy some brand new genuine mercedes ones but of course not pay £3k, so my question is iv found various sources that will sell them for about a grand brand new, are these going to be replica fake ones made in a chinese factory out of insuperiour alloy compounds that will likely crack? or fracture easier? or will all wheels that actually have AMG imprinted on them be genuine? can you suggest a place i can buy these genuine wheels and how can i check that they are real merc ones? dont fancy running over 500bhp through some soft metal chinese fakes... should i look for a set of numbers on the inside of the wheel which indicate a genuine merc part number perhaps?

thanks so much for your thought?:bannana:

Thanks Laurie

 

[daveenty]

Can't help on the wheels but there isn't a dipstick as standard on these.

Oil is checked via the steering wheel buttons. Can't remember the sequence but it'll be in the manual.

 

[SL350_SWINDON]

I have a set of genuine SL AMG 18" 5 spoke wheels for sale. They will need a refurb to bring them to as new condition though.

 

[laurensparsons]

Blimey! I guess merc is more confident in their sensors than most cars! I'm sup prised that there isn't a mechanical check as sensors can fail, thus write off engines...

one other questions - these SL's have TVs, however i think they are on a modulated analogue signal, not freeview DVB digital, well the analogue signal in the UK has now been turned off, so is there anyway to get TV working in these cars now?

thanks

 

[SL350_SWINDON]

Yes you can get media players or digital tuners. Plenty of info about just search on here or google

 

[TDE1]

In same boat as you Lauren. A few threads on this, eg

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/electronics/168045-what-command-unit-freeview-receiver.html

Not sure it's worth the effort though. Watching events through the big window at the front of the car usually provides enough entertainment for me

 

[laurensparsons]

Great, so whats merc swindon like?

thanks

 

[laurensparsons]

and what are the best tyres to run on these cars? thanks guys

 

[RAJ55]

Don't buy replica wheels, they are likely to crack/buckle if you hit a pothole. Replica wheels DO have amg stamped on them these days. The only way to tell if they are real is if they have the mercedes part numbers cast into the back of them. Ebay vendors like mad-on-motors and wheel-doctor sell replica wheels but you need to read the description very carefully they never mention word 'Genuine' which is what you want to look for. Another word of advice is that vendors will sometimes say they are genuine and have come straight from the factory so don't have the mercedes part numbers on the back which is totally untrue!

Edit I run;

255/35/19 front
285/30/19 back

On amg III 19"

 

[laurensparsons]

Thats great advise, thanks so much, so what tyres brand/ make would you suggest? thanks again

 

[SL350_SWINDON]

They are ok Lauren, I don't really rate them to be honest. Expensive but you can haggle on price. I know oxford are cheaper in the local area. Where are you based?

I'm running Pirelli P-Zero tyres. To be honest I don't drive my car hard enough to notice any difference in tyres. Had dunlops before and they were fine also.

 

[RAJ55]

It's all down to personal preference really, I'm currently running continental contisport 5p all round and I'm very happy with them but tbh there are so many brands to choose from.

 

[laurensparsons]

great that all makes sense thanks for explaining, one other thing, if I wanna change wheels, are the tyre pressure sensors easy to swap over? are they actually screwed into the tyre valves?

 

[daveenty]

One more thing about the electronic "dip stick" by the way: -

If it tells you to "add 1 litre" just put half in initially. Then try it again a bit later when it's been run and rested a bit.

I remember my E55 telling me to put a litre in, then asking me to remove half a litre the next day. It's a lot easier to put it in than take it out...

 

[cb1965]

Another vote for not running replica wheels especially if you go to 19s as they will crack as soon as they see a pothole as the SL is a pretty heavy car. Also a 55 shouldn't really be running around on replica wheels ... perish the thought.

Tyres - Continentals seem to be the most popular, but any decent tyre will be fine, read reviews on Tyre reviews, tests and ratings - TyreReviews. Stick to recognised brands and not cheap budget brands.

The SL is an expensive car and cutting corners on tyres and/or wheels is only going to end up in tears IMO!