My suspension is too high

[andrewheaney]

I drive a 2001 e320 elegance with 17'' wheels. My dad has a 2002 e220 classic with the same wheels. My car sits about 25mm higher than his and is like a bus to drive, very wobbly round corners. What can I do to lower the suspension without making the ride rock hard?

 

[television]

I drive a 2001 e320 elegance with 17'' wheels. My dad has a 2002 e220 classic with the same wheels. My car sits about 25mm higher than his and is like a bus to drive, very wobbly round corners. What can I do to lower the suspension without making the ride rock hard?

Though you both have the same size 17" are the tyres the same, it is the figure in the middle that counts

A tyre 245 x 45 x 17 means that the 45 is 45 percent of the 245mm width.
A tyre 225 x 40 x 17" would be thinner, making the car sit lower.
Check them out first.

Malcolm

 

[maddog]

Is there a difference in the suspension between the elegance and avantgarde specs??

 

[maddog]

Is there a difference in the suspension between the elegance and avantgarde specs??

The 17" wheels should have 245/45/17 tyres if ones with a smaller sidewall are fitted the speedometer will be altered also

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

I decided to buy the Avantgarde speced car as it sits a good inch lower than the elegance. The wheel size doesn't make any difference to the ride height of the car, what you gain in rim diameter you should loose in the tyre profile ratio, 65, 55 or 45.

The only way to change the handling characteristics of the elegance is to fit avantgarde springs which will lower the car and I think the spring compression ratio is higher to give a slightly firmer ride.

I like the set-up of my E320CDi in avantgarde spec, its not a Golf GTi but its a vast improvement on my 124 series 300TE (I often wished I'd bought the sportsline version similarly set-up to the current avantgarde).

I'm not very keen on taking the tyre profile below 45 because of the harshness created by even stiffer sidewalls. MB should be able to help, I wouldn't consider using any other supplier for springs.

Hope this helps.

 

[television]

I decided to buy the Avantgarde speced car as it sits a good inch lower than the elegance. The wheel size doesn't make any difference to the ride height of the car, what you gain in rim diameter you should loose in the tyre profile ratio, 65, 55 or 45.



I'm not very keen on taking the tyre profile below 45 because of the harshness created by even stiffer sidewalls. MB should be able to help, I wouldn't consider using any other supplier for springs.

Hope this helps.

I know that this is a little off topic but people do change tyres
When I bought my Volvo new it came with 205 x 45 x 17. after loosing two wheels in pot holes within 2 weeks at a cost of £1000. I now have 215 x 50 and have lost no more wheels. the ride is beter though as the car is the racing version the ride is still hard but much better.

Malcolm

 

[maddog]

I decided to buy the Avantgarde speced car as it sits a good inch lower than the elegance. The wheel size doesn't make any difference to the ride height of the car, what you gain in rim diameter you should loose in the tyre profile ratio, 65, 55 or 45.

The only way to change the handling characteristics of the elegance is to fit avantgarde springs which will lower the car and I think the spring compression ratio is higher to give a slightly firmer ride.

I like the set-up of my E320CDi in avantgarde spec, its not a Golf GTi but its a vast improvement on my 124 series 300TE (I often wished I'd bought the sportsline version similarly set-up to the current avantgarde).

I'm not very keen on taking the tyre profile below 45 because of the harshness created by even stiffer sidewalls. MB should be able to help, I wouldn't consider using any other supplier for springs.

Hope this helps.

I thought i remember something about the avantgarde having different springs

 

[andrewheaney]

Thank you all very much. I took my car to a mercedes specialist in belfast and explained my problem to him (that i wanted the car to sit lower) and he quoted me £265 for new shocks and springs in the front I left the car with him and when I went to pick it my bill was £387! He had changed the shocks and springs, fitted a new steering arm and new links. I told him to call me should anything extra need doing - and he didint. Also I have original e class mats in the car and both the front ones are covered in oil. The car now sits higher than what it did before I took it in and he says thats the way it should be. Its like a ****** tractor! My dads car is a classic and sits lower, do you reckon it has avantgarde suspension. His tyres are the same as mine 225-45-17. Any advice?

 

[Bolide]

Ride height

Andrew


There's no absolute link between ride height and the way a car handles. The Porsche Cayenne is an example

If you want the car to handle differently to how it does now, or if you want the car to sit lower for aesthetic reasons, look at the alternative suspension types Mercedes produced for that car, locate & test drive a car and make a decision based on that. Avantegarde and AMG specs spring to mind

Obviously lowering the car reduces available suspension travel and generally implies a stiffer suspension setup but lowering per se won't improve the handling as you expect

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[Bumper]

Thank you all very much. I took my car to a mercedes specialist in belfast and explained my problem to him (that i wanted the car to sit lower) and he quoted me £265 for new shocks and springs in the front I left the car with him and when I went to pick it my bill was £387! He had changed the shocks and springs, fitted a new steering arm and new links. I told him to call me should anything extra need doing - and he didint. Also I have original e class mats in the car and both the front ones are covered in oil. The car now sits higher than what it did before I took it in and he says thats the way it should be. Its like a ****** tractor! My dads car is a classic and sits lower, do you reckon it has avantgarde suspension. His tyres are the same as mine 225-45-17. Any advice?

Was it genuine Mercedes springs that he fitted or was it after market springs, the shockers wouldn’t make any difference to the ride height. I remember putting 2 rear springs on my 190 that were after market ones; I needed a step ladder to get into the boot. I removed them and ordered the originals for the car from Mercedes they needed the chassis No to get the spec of the car it now sits perfect and @ a cost of £15 more the pair than what the after market ones were.

Also do you know if it still is the original spring pads that is in your car because these are different thicknesses and the only cost a couple of quid each.

 

[andrewheaney]

i just want my car to handle on the road as my dads does, and the only visual differebce between his and mine is that fact that his sits lower!

 

[Bumper]

The only two things that alter the height on the front of a merc is the spring pads and the springs.

Here is a picture of the spring pad which is fitted at the top of the spring note the No of nipples on it
they have got l. ll. lll on them check with your local dealer for the ones for your car and compare.

 

[maddog]

Andrew


There's no absolute link between ride height and the way a car handles. The Porsche Cayenne is an example

of course there is , if you lower the car you reduce the centre of gravity

 

[malcolm E53 AMG]

Hi Andrew,
Did your father buy the car new or secondhand. It may be that his car was ordered with the sports suspension package.

You may be able to tell by looking at the back of the Service book where the list of abreviations are for the spec and extras.

If not, to get to the bottom of this take his Chassis No to MB and get them to provide you with the suspension details.

 

[Bolide]

Deep suspension debate #1

of course there is , if you lower the car you reduce the centre of gravity

But lowering the centre of gravity does not necessarily make the car handle better!

Instinctively you would argue that lowering the C of G would "improve" handling but it depends where the roll centres are front & rear compared with the centre of mass

The maths & geometry are complicated and I don't understand them all. But saying that lowering a car and/or lowering the C of G of a car "improves" the handling is just not correct

It's possible to define specific areas of car dynamics that make up "handling" and show how lowering a car affects them in theory. But in practice lowering a road car just moves you off the optimised balance between comfort, grip, turn-in, body roll, resistance to understeer & etc and improves one area at the expense of the others

That's not improving handling. If it were, Lotus would have been out of business years ago


Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[clive williams]

Thank you all very much. I took my car to a mercedes specialist in belfast and explained my problem to him (that i wanted the car to sit lower) and he quoted me £265 for new shocks and springs in the front I left the car with him and when I went to pick it my bill was £387! He had changed the shocks and springs, fitted a new steering arm and new links. I told him to call me should anything extra need doing - and he didint. Also I have original e class mats in the car and both the front ones are covered in oil. The car now sits higher than what it did before I took it in and he says thats the way it should be. Its like a ****** tractor! My dads car is a classic and sits lower, do you reckon it has avantgarde suspension. His tyres are the same as mine 225-45-17. Any advice?

Andrew,

Your dad's car may be sitting on tired old springs. It's not unusual for new (straight) replacement springs in a car to raise the ride height by 15-25mm. Have a look at the new springs they should be colour coded (marked with paint), which should identify what they should be used for. Check the coding for Avantgarde springs as this spec does actually sit 25mm lower than the Classic or Elegance. Remember that you can't compare the 320CDI with the 220 springs as the 320 have higher spring rates.
One of the other things I would do is locate a good chassis alignment garage - check out Ears Motorsport, they might have one or know who has - and have the car checked. It may be that the camber/caster are wrong, which will be exagerated by the low profile tyres and could account for the handling.
We have an E320CDI Avantgarde and I wouldn't call it the best handling vehicle I have driven and it certain ain't sporty. However, the spring rates are not bad and I was toying with the idea of fiddling with the anti roll-bar(s) to improve things

Clive

500E
E320CDIT210

 

[andrewheaney]

My dad had new shocks and springs fitted 3 months ago - I should really just find out exactly which springs are in his car and put them in mine!!

 

[maddog]

That's not improving handling. If it were, Lotus would have been out of business years ago


Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

If lower the C of G didnt make a difference Shumacher would need a step ladder to get into his car, yes there are other factors that come into play but a lower c of g has a postive effect on stabilty and handling.

 

[clive williams]

My dad had new shocks and springs fitted 3 months ago - I should really just find out exactly which springs are in his car and put them in mine!!

Andrew,

Don't just put the same suspension on your car it is likely to be different! the 220 motor is much lighter than your 320 motor and you will end up with a wallowing pig with its nose on the ground if the spring rates are different.

Clive

500E
E320CDIT210

 

[Kully E220 Coupe]

I would just like to add my two cents here, as i`ve been reading quite alot on this forum how people are against lowering their mercs. Well i own a 96 Mercedes E220 coupe, and it has the sportsline running gear with aftre market blistein lowering springs and shockers, in al it is sitting 100mm lower than an average e220 coupe, all i can say is that its the best handling coupe i`ve driven this thing can take a corner at 50 mph and handles the A40 elevated section (in london) like a dream i also own a Astra mk3 which is also lowered and had performance enhacining modifications done to it and i can say my merc handles the A40 better than it does considering also the size of the coupe. the only draw back to having a lowered car in Ealing is the ****** speed bumps, you have to take them at 2 mph but i`m ok with that even if the people stuck behind me aren't lol. So anyone asking whether its a good idea to lower your merc (as they all Sit 500 feet in the sky) then i say go for it, it will be the best thing you have done to your car, unless of course you like the grandpa friendly ride of the standard merc

PLEASE note this is my opinion and i am not trying to force it upon everyone as i am well aware that there are different strokes for different folk.

Kully