harperb

Years ago I used to own an Audi A6 4.2. For US cars, they shipped a little module that lightened up the steering, and when you removed it, you got the european steering (much tighter/sharper, more force needed to steer the car).

Does anyone know if there is a way to tighten up the CLK's steering so it's not as light? Switching to Sport mode only does but so much...

SchwarzesAMG

Switching to S does nothing actually!
When i installed a PSS9 there was a huge difference in steering wheel feel (heavier i could say) and now that i am back on a more soft setup steering wheel is much softer but nowhere near the stock setup ( i had the sports package)
Maybe you could try with some stiffer springs by the time the steering is hydraulic in our cars!

Recently i retroffited the parametric steering but i do not recommend going through these expenses even though you will notice a huge difference!

Rudeney

My guess is the OP has parameter steering. I thought all CLK550's came with it. You can check your VIN here to see:

Russian MBZ Club VIN Decoder

Put your VIN in the field, press the button, and then on the next page, choose "Data Card" on the far right top of the page.

My CLK550 has parameter steering and it does feel very light at low speeds, but it does firm up well at highway speeds. It's also supposed to vary the feel depending upon how quickly and tightly you turn the wheel, hence the "parameter" nomenclature as opposed to "variable assist". My kid's C240 doesn't have it and the steering is very heavy. We swapped cars last week when I went out of town (no sense parking the CLK550 at the airport when she can enjoy it) and I found the heavy steering on the C to be "annoying".

Yalin

İts really interesting cause my steering wheel is really heavy even at low speeds. One of my friend drove the car tonight and he has the new c and he told me that the steering wheel was really heavy...

İs there something wrong with my steering wheel?

Rudeney

If you can't turn the wheel lock-to-lock at a standstill using only one finger, then you have a problem. If it just feels "firm" with one finger, that's normal.

Glyn M Ruck

I have the parametric steering & it does a good job of giving you the best of both worlds. My C240 had the standard steering but I grew up with the heavier European feel so I liked it.

Remember that tyres, tyre width & pressures all play a role.

Yalin

To be honest i am happy with the steering wheel but every friend of mine told me that the wheel was really stiff... That made me kinda suspicious about it. İ am used to it anyway since my mazda 6 was nearly the same.

As Rudeney said i tested it and i can turn it with finger even its a little bit firm. There is no problem with it i guess

xsever

I drove my friend's 2004 US-spec CLK 320 yesterday and the steering feel was much lighter than my 2005 European-spec CLK320.

I had changed the steering fluid during the summer with the MB-spec Pentosin CHF 11 along with full replacement of all suspension parts in the front (control arms, ball joints, shock absorber links, etc..)

My VIN is WDB2093651F136567 and I couldn't find "parameter" nor "variable assist" in the data card.

Can someone please chime on this matter? Is the steering a bit heavier because I don't have the parameter option? If not, where should I start looking.

The heavier feeling has been like that since I bought the car 1.5 years ago with 100,000 km on it and it now has 134,000 km.

Rudeney

Yes, the "parameter steering" option realty makes the feel very light. I have it on my CLK550 and I hate it. The old C240 without it has such better steering feel, even on the original suspension with over 150K miles.

xsever

What is the feature code for it in the Data Card? 213? The Russian VIN decoders are not the best even with Google Translate.

Are there any English alternatives now that we're talking about it?

floridawriter

The code is: 213 SPEED-SENSITIVE POWER STEERING/VARIO STEERING

Rudeney

Here's your data card from EPC:


http://benzbits.com/WDB2093651F136567.pdf


And yes, "parameter steering" is code 213 (which yours does not have).

xsever

Thank you gents! Much appreciated.

Konstantin79

Hello Rodney,

I have W209 CLK 270 CDI. And the steering of my car is permanently heavy. I can`t turn it with one finger. Where its better to start to look.
How to check fluid level in steering system?

Thank you in advance!

Rudeney

The power steering reservoir cap has a built-in fluid level dipstick. Start by checking that. If the fluid is low, then you have a leak that will need to be repaired. If not, then I'd check the rack. They rarely have problems, but it' still a possibility.

Konstantin79

Can you please send me a schematic where it is located as i couldn`t find it?

Rudeney

A schematic for what? The dipstick? Just open the reservoir cap and you'll see it.