Anyone Changed Suspension on W or S203?

[airbag]

Hello, I have a S203 2001 C320 Avantgarde Estate.
Suspension is terrible on it, had it checked out and all seems fine with it,... still it wobbles all over the road and feels not planted at all.
I have changed the wheels and put on wider tyres, which helped a tiny amount.. but not much.
Car has done 46,000 miles. Front bushes are slightly split, but the car feels like your are turning the steering wheel right, then left, then right again and making it wobble over the road. This happens after hitting bumps, and also in windy conditions.

If I fang it into a corner... the suspension almost feels tighter and better than on a general A road type surface.

I would consider fitting new suspension kit to help, or perhaps just shocks.. whatever is required as besides this the car is great.

Thanks for any help or experience you have had with this. If anyone knows what I am talking about and has successfully upgraded their suspension I would be very interested in details thanks.
Regards, Airbag

 

[whitenemesis]

The 203 Avantgarde has lowered, stiffer suspension. Add to that the larger, lower profile tyres and you have a very firm, slightly twitchy setup. Mine is the Sport Pack version with bigger wheels/tyres and big brakes and even stiffer suspension.

On poor roads it will tend to move about a bit. At low speeds, particularly in towns it can feel very crashy and unsettled.

But

Once the speed increases and you push hard into corners the whole car takes on a different feel. It feels well planted and very secure through the corners. It is stable under even the hardest braking. At higher speeds it tracks straight with little deflection by bumps, it becomes almost fluid over the rougher stuff.

All-in-all the set-up is very good for what it is designed for. High speed handling. (Yes even the load-lugger!).

It doesn't compromise well, with the slow speed toodling about just not it's forte.

 

[Rory]

It's certainly an issue - you just can't drive in the UK at speeds which suit the car.

I've found mine (54reg S203) is perfect in very heavy rain, when the roads are streaming wet. I can only assume that's because the extra drag loads up the suspension.

 

[airbag]

Your words ring true whitenemesis,
Problem is, the majority of roads and speeds I do is mucking about on "A" and "B" roads, with people, dogs and luggage on board. Then we head off to "Wales"for a weekend... and she wobbles a bit more around the corners.

Its strange, as I agree with what you say.. that it certainly does feel tighter when pushed a bit... and on local roads when hitting bumps ,it feels exactly like I said "turning the steering wheel left, right, left, right, etc... so the car wobbles down the road with every bump........do you know what I mean by this sensation? Have others it also?

I have driven in a 2004 E Class avantgarde estate, which seems like its on rails compared to mine. Also an A3 Audi sportback, which is just sweet all round in its suspension setup. Its tight, but still planted on every bump and corner.

Do you think that the investment of fitting aftermarket suspension parts will be a waste of money and not really provide any benefits to handling and solving this issue?
I love the merc.. perhaps I am in the wrong country then? lol.

 

[whitenemesis]

I can't say I notice what you say about the wobbling with every bump. The car feels very firm and it can be difficult hitting the correct button on COMAND when reaching over (thank heaven for Linguatronic!). But the steering is straight, like any wide tyred set-up it will follow white lines etc.
To me wobble conveys an uncontolled movement in reation to a bump. My car is very controlled, perhaps too controlled for ultimate comfort.

There are many after-market suspension set-ups available but without actually riding in a car thus fitted it will be difficult to assess what might be better. I'm not sure on the suitability of fitting Elegance springs and shocks to the Avantgarde. Might be worth the ask?

 

[airbag]

Strange... I think I might try to head off to a 2nd hand car yard and take a similar model for a test drive... just to see if its the C Class model in general. I have sat in numerous C Class sedan taxis, and they felt different.

It sounds from your comments and Rory's that perhaps mine being an early model and estate has different properties again?
End of the day, the car feels "skatty" when hitting bumps, as though it skips over the road rather than taking the bump and feeling "planted".
It also feels like it takes a bump and then "trampolines" a bit too much afterwards... this is what it feels like when driving anyhow.
Other passengers have commented also on the ride, so something up I feel.

If anyone has changed their suspension to an aftermarket kit.. please let me know.
For the "£650 or whatever" involved for a spring and shock kit .. it may be worth the work to try to resolve. I am just really needing to know if it will feel any better having done this work, hence posting up here.
Besides this suspension issue, the car is a very suitable for my lifestyle at present.

Thanks for your posts so far guys.
airbag