s600 really bulletproof? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

getonit · #1 02-04-2006, 10:55 PM

i have heard that my car is bulletproof. anyone ever tried to find out or been unfortunate enough to have been the object of bullets?

Ali Al-Chalabi · #2 02-04-2006, 11:01 PM

I am sure for the right price, people have made modified armored versions of it. Don't think the stock version is literally bulletproof.

iwrock · #3 02-05-2006, 12:20 AM

Nope, sorry. Someone did a writeup, testing the materials used, and it slowed the bullet durastically. However, it was not able to stop a bullet. They did this on a wrecked S500, so it is pretty much the same automobile. I will look for the link to the story, but I dont know if I will be able to find it.

Bill Wood · #4 02-05-2006, 12:59 AM

It is bulletproof only if ordered with the "Guard" option.
The S500 Guard, for example, can be ordered right from Mercedes with factory armor.

Here's a test picture of one of the Guard models. Note the glass!

Bill Wood · #5 02-05-2006, 01:11 AM

The S500 Guard's armor meets the international ballistic protection standard of B4. The B4 rating certifies that the occupants are safe from all acts of mechanical violence (such as hammer or baseball-bat blows) and handgun rounds up to .44 Magnum in caliber. Mercedes does offer the S500 Guard with higher levels of protection, but only in other markets. Buyers in Russia, for instance, can get an S500 Guard that offers B7 protection, a level that is certified to stop all types of military automatic rifles and most hand grenade and bomb attacks.

Mercedes outfits the S500 Guard with a variety of components to make sure it meets B4 certification. Extensive steel armor plating is used for the entire occupant shell, including the doors, the A-, B- and C-pillars, the roof, the firewall and the rear bulkhead. Armoring prevents bullets from passing through door locks and the gaps where the doors are shut. On the doors where metal adjoins window glass, a meticulously tested labyrinth system prevents bullets from entering the cabin.

The windows themselves are composed of thick multi-layer polycarbonate security glass that does not splinter when hit or shot at. The glass is amazingly distortion free, and looks completely like normal glass until you power down the front windows and see that they are about 1 inch thick. Additional security upgrades include run-flat tires with a tire pressure warning system and an optional self-sealing fuel tank that resists fuel leaks when punctured by small-arms fire. To compensate for the additional weight that the armoring adds, the S500 Guard has reinforced suspension components and upgraded brakes.

Because of the aforementioned purpose of being an escape vehicle and not a tank, Mercedes does not provide armor protection for the engine or the trunk. The S500 Guard weighs 802 pounds more than a regular S500, a weight equal to carrying four or five adult occupants. Mercedes says more weight would degrade handling and acceleration too much. Additionally, it is highly unlikely a bullet fired into the engine compartment would disable the engine immediately.

The rest of the S500 Guard is surprisingly stock. In fact, from the outside, it is exceptionally hard to tell the difference between a regular S500 and the Guard edition. External dimensions and body panel styling between the two are nearly identical. About the only cues are the Guard's special wheels for the run-flat tires and its lack of a sunroof. No sunroof is offered on the Guard because it is considered too much of a security risk. Tele Aid, Mercedes' emergency calling system, is standard equipment.

Hatterasguy · #6 02-05-2006, 10:54 AM

Very cool!

Once in awhile some armored W140's amd W126's pop up on ebay.

I am pretty sure a stock S600 would provide very littler protection. The sheet metal isn't that thick. AK-47 rounds would go in one side and out the other!

Just like the shoot out in LA a few years back. The Crown Vic police cars didn't offer much protection.

getonit · #7 02-06-2006, 10:24 PM

ok...so on the s600, stock, the windows are bulletproof? there seems to be some discrepancies here???

Bill Wood · #8 02-06-2006, 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by getonit

ok...so on the s600, stock, the windows are bulletproof? there seems to be some discrepancies here???

No!
The stock S600 has absolutely no bulletproof features whatsoever.

Hatterasguy · #9 02-07-2006, 12:13 PM

It takes a lot of ballistic glass to stop a bullit. I bet even though the W140's had double pain glass something as small as a .22 will still go through and cause damage to someone on the other side.

If anything larger is fired at it like a 7.62 out of an AK-47 it would provide as much protection as a t shirt.

Lee Scheeler · #10 02-17-2006, 07:17 AM

The only thing that would stop a centerfire rifle round in a non guard S600 would be the engine block, major driveline bits, and maybe a couple other odd spots where the frame is particularly thick. "Bulletproof" is a term used metaphorically on these cars! Handgun rounds are likely going through most of the vehicle as well. You might get some deflection or deformation (slight slowing) but odds are the round would still be potentially lethal by the time it found the passenger compartment. Your glass/windshield can be taken out by freeway rocks so not much luck stopping a bullet. These care are designed to take a hit from another vehicle or large solid object....NOT a bullet. Waaaaay different physics involved. If anyone ever gets themselves hurt/killed testing this I nominate for Darwin awards on general principals...

Sorry...

PS hatterasguy..."crown vic cars didn't offer much protection" Neither do the vests unfortunately. 7.62x39 (standard fmj, to say nothing of AP) goes right through.