topsider

yeah I had a loaner with 17's and the same suspension as me and I think the smaller wheels make a big difference in ride comfort on the base and luxury models - felt less harsh than my setup

Mike5215

We'll see how the NRF BFG Comp TA affects the ride quality. The car is in the shop for the next few days getting tint, an Audison DSP amp, Focal speakers, and I'm having them Hushmat and foam all 4 doors and the front footwells which will have an effect on road noise independent of the tires.

PeteInGilroy

Yes, I unloaded mine and took a hit. But I've never bought a vehicle as an investment. I had the engine rebuilt and didn't have the patience to work with the incompetent dealer to resolve the issue (lack of power and hesitation). The rebuild was addressed at the one year service and I didn't have any issues prior to that. They also replaced the front window seals and ordered the acoustic glass for the wind noise.

I was never really comfortable with the ride quality though...maybe that prompted me to an early exit. Even with the luxury & airmatic options, it was never the right ride for me. I think the run-flat tires really ruin the ride and I never got around (couldn't find anyone) to change them to conventional tires.

I've bought several cars over the years looking for that perfect ride and I think I finally found it. It's the smoothest, softest, best riding car I have ever been in. I only have 300 miles on it although reliability may be an issue. (2016 Genesis AWD Ultimate).

Today I saw my C300 being driven around town with big numbers on the windshield....$37,000.00. I took a $6k hit according to that. I told the dealer that a part was on order from Germany and the car had issues. But I guess they are willing to sell it before it's repaired. It only has 7k miles, so what the heck. Lot's of warranty left (it was a January 15 build).

Mike5215

The Genesis is a nice piece, and the Asian builders know how to make a suspension soft and a cabin quiet. They benchmark the S (more so in the Equus) and it's amazing how much stuff they outright copy from the S Class.

I was watching a YouTube review of the new Equus in Korean, so the only phrase I understood was "S Class!". They must have said it thirty times as they ran through the features

I will say the Genesis does sacrifice some handling for ride comfort, but overall it's a lot of car for the money and a very handsome design. For the C300, I like the precision of the steering and how light and athletic it feels, so I'm okay with the AirMatic ride on the 18" wheels on run flats but I suspect I can squeeze a little more comfort by swapping in conventional tires.

Sorry about your crappy MB experience, and enjoy the new ride.

PeteInGilroy

Thanks Mike. And I definitely left out the "Quiet" part of the Genesis. Whisper quiet to be exact.

der_Wolf

I keep flip flopping on this car, because some of you guys seem to love them and some of you seem to really dislike them. The only thing I am concerned about at this point, is the one I am looking at was manufactured in 2/2015. It seems the cut off date for the wrist pin issue is 4/22/2015. However, it was a company fleet vehicle and only has 4k miles on it and is under warranty until 2020. In the case something goes wrong, it will be covered (even though the resale will take a massive hit - but cars are not investments). Thoughts on this? Would rather go to Mercedes than get a 328, but my mind is not made up yet.

Thanks again for the help my friends!

StanNH

My guess is that the wrist pin issue is not very common. Several cases have been reported here and on other boards, but MB has not released detailed information, nor has the problem escalated to a recall. An engine with this problem does not sound normal, so it should be easy to hear.

I had an early build, 8/14, that was awful and required many trips to the dealer. It was replaced by my current 3/15 build which has been excellent with only a few very minor issues. The 2015 was not rated as particularly reliable by any reporting organization I know of, and certainly had its share of problems.

A 2/15 build is beyond the MBTex bleeding issue, so that's one problem you wouldn't have to deal with. If the dealer checks the engine for abnormal sounds and finds none, that car likely does not have a wrist pin issue. Check the car's service records and see if there are any red flags there. Drive it at highway speeds and listen for wind leaks around the front doors. If everything looks okay, you probably will wind up with a good car; and one still under warranty if anything does come up.

The C300 is a good car, and it does everything well. If you like it, and you think you have a competent and supportive dealer to work with, buy it.

Mike5215

Look at a different 205 if you like the car but are wary of that particular one. Mercedes made like fifty million of them.

I will say that it was not "love at first sight" for me with the C Class. I had one first as a loaner and I was probably in it for a good week before I realized how much I liked driving it. I believe what got me considering it was when my wife got in and expressed how "gorgeous" the interior was vs my S550. I was like WTF...it's a little loaner fleet car. I knew I was screwed when I was disappointed that the S was ready to be picked up. And I had a really nice looking S:



My experience is unique I guess since most guys don't get a two week long test drive though.

ashok abraham

I have a 2015 Mercedes C300, and i would say I dont like the suspension at all. I felt it was better initially, even though not very nice. Now i feel horrible, even in many normal roads. Especially the people on the rear seats, were always mentioning this. I felt that one of my friend's Camry was having a better suspension

Mike5215

Yeah, the Sport steel suspension is too stiff. It's a common complaint. I'd highly recommend swapping 19" for 18" ( if you're on 19), and swapping run flats for Michelin Pilot Supersports. You'll see a huge improvement in ride quality.

PieAitsch

My C250 was also delivered with Standard Sport Steel Springs. Too Stiff and quite too high ride-height for the stiffness... i´ve swapped out the standard springs for KW Coilovers - what a huge difference in ride quality. additionally to that i´ve also replaced the 19" runflat Pirelli´s with nonRunFlat Dunlop Sport Maxx RT MO´s - so much better now - also the lowered look with the KW is much better imho

topsider

Looks good

Mikey53

As an alternate view, I love the ride of the sport suspension. I did have the dealer swap out the runflats for all-seasons on the 19 inch wheels.

JBMCL

+1

Mike5215

Yeah, I think "harsh" or "stiff" have a negative connotation and are subjective. The right term is firm. Depending on what you want out of the car, more or less firm is your call as an owner. There is always a give and take between a compliant suspension with duller handling and vice versus.

Basically if you find your Sport suspension to be stiff, it's probably too firm for you and you should take steps to make it less so. If you find your Sport suspension to be damn near perfect then you my friend made a smart choice.

KimandJang

One thing
Mercedes is expert at is the ride quality.
Unless you get some crazy AMG.

Mike5215

When MB wants to deliver a smooth ride, nobody does it better. The S Class is unlike any car I've ever driven in that regard. I think with the C they were going for a sport sedan with less cush and better driving dynamics.

gfmohn

Just a reminder, because I know StanNH is aware of this. The check for the chatter of the wrist pin issue has to be done with the engine cold. I think it also should be a chilly morning, or at least not warm. So you have to leave your car overnight.

As for the ride. my 2015 Luxury 4W with 17" stock wheels and original Pirelli MOE run-flat tires rides fine. (If this combination signifies spiritual death to you, stop reading. But remember, the engineers in Germany are designing family sedans and chauffeured executive transports, not sports sedans. When Germans think of sports sedans, only BMWs come to mind.) For details, see "Mercedes-Benz Original Extended Tires (MOExtended or MOE) at tirerack.com. When new, the ride was okay. It has gotten better, with 10,600 miles of wear making the tires that much thinner. It got even better just two weeks ago. After my C300 received its recent "B Service," I found that tire pressures had been reset to 40/45 PSI. I had been running 38/40. Higher pressures actually made the ride better! I can't explain it, but I once had a Mazda Protégé that did the same thing. When my local roads are less than smooth, it is usually rough surfaces and small bumps, not large bumps or potholes. My theory is that the tires respond to bumps more quickly, passing more energy into the shock absorbers.

chicago-guy

+1

ashok abraham

I use a 17". Which one is better, 17" or 18"?

Mike5215

17. You're trading more sidewall for less rim size. A taller sidewall absorbs imperfections in the road surface better than a short one.

Trancebolt

I switched from run flats to michelin a/s 3 on 18s but it was very similar in terms of translating harsh road conditions to the driver. What made the biggest difference was using the 36 all around psi; i was trying the full load 39/45 before and it was a touch more sensitive to cracks and holes in the road

I sat as a passenger for a 120 mile round trip in it and you cant feel the same stuff you do when driving. On flat road the car is sweet; its when youre on bad patches of ground that it comes through the suspension.

On the upside, ive never been in a car that corners or handles as well with the sport steering ratio and the firm suspension components. Its not just the height/springs, its also different hardware i believe... Anyone whos driven an AMG will tell you its definitely a notch more soft than that.... They can be punishing on the 405 expansion plates!

I think Mike was the most correct, and others who reported: if its too harsh for you, you shouldve got luxury or airmatic. I drove a luxury c300 for a long time and people thought my shocks/struts were worn but it was just like that from new.... overly soft. The softer setups do sacrifice a tad of handling......More/Less road bounce, better turn in; Just up to you whether its a good trade off or not; I imagine it will require maintenance on the suspension sooner than a regular one too.

ALl mercedes are great, but not all configs are for you; 5 suvs, 5 cars, etc etc... all very different in spec and options. You may just have picked the wrong combo.

ashok abraham

That was another question i had. I usually have 4 people in the car.
When you say 36psi, you mean 40psi (+4 psi for warm tire)on a warm tire? Or you still maintain 36 psi on warm tire?

Mike5215

Yeah, I think a lot of buyers test drive a base car and the harshness isn't obvious, then they want the look of the Sport and don't realize it isn't entirely a cosmetic package.

Both the C43 and C63 ride hard regardless of setting, more so with the 19" wheel package. Most automotive press on the AMG 205s, while being overwhelmingly positive, usually dings them for an excessively hard ride vs other cars in the class.

I'd have gone for a C450 if Air was an option.

Trancebolt

I keep my tires at 36. they go up to about 39 when hot after 45 mins of driving. I'm always driving alone with an empty car tho. my girls car is the travel car


I drive the canyons home everyday. not a really crazy one at all but it isn't the freeway. as I've put more of those miles on the car the suspension has been setting nicely. I could see this car feeling nicely worn in at 70k. despite already having rattles 0_o

I see soccer mom's and young women with sport c classes and the 19 inch "upgrade" and I wonder... hmmm.. is she miserable? my girl hates it enough on 18s...lol

the old s classes were on 16s I believe. 55h. or something. super squishy. 18 is f1 size of choice.
any higher is all visual and certainly worse ride.

I'm very interested in the airmatic I might get my next one with it despite potential repair costs in late life.

it's remarkable how much steering and suspension from the sport package changes the feeling from the lux/standard. drove a loaner without sport pack and was like "wtf is this"

I think weirdly enough a 400 is the one I want. just enough extra motor/sound,and I think it cones with 4matic(something I really want on my next one). not the same suspension as the 450/43 either.