560SEL

I bought a 08' GL 450 last year. It now has 60k miles. It's got the 19 inch wheels. It came with a set of hankook tires on it. I had new rear arnot rear air bags installed as well as new front arnot air struts and a new compressor with the new relay etc installed. Also a front end alignment at a tire store and a set of sway bar links since they were making noise.

So - the car rides nicely overall. It's very mercedes/floaty over undulations and small imperfections which I like. But over sharp bumps (think a 90 degree angle) it's rather harsher than the rest of the ride would suggest and as an extension of the same problem, the rear can move around just a bit over bumps. This is amplified by the plasticy sounds in the back (which I will try to address with some stick on felt etc...).

So the rear is harsh over bumps that cause significant wheel compression and rebound. I'm happy to get rear shocks as I've heard the oems could be done @ 55k miles. But doesn't a worn shock result in a loose ride, not a harsh one??

I will be putting better tires on when these are finished and I'm sure that will help a bit. But any other suggestions on improving the ride over harsh bumps? I understand this is a subjective complaint, but do over owners believe this is normal for the GL? I should go drive a cpo car with lower mileage to make a comparative assessment.

Thanks for any suggestions.
DRP

alx

it is just how they ride... your description is pretty spot on.

a set of toyo versado tires will help a bit

560SEL

Do you run the toyos? I'm a bit skeptical of the asian tires although the versados have been well reviewed.

My Hankooks are very good in the snow and decent in the wet. But they sound like pickup truck tires on the highway and they're apparently hard to balance (been done twice and still a tiny vibration at 75-80)

Not to convert this to a tire thread, but I'd like to do Contis. I've heard they stink in snow but if they're OEM they're obviously suited to the car. I hear the Pirellis are great at first then get noisy (deal breaker).

Thanks for the response.

drp

YodaSyrup

I've got the Versados and like the ride. They also do well in moderate snow.

alx

I have seen them on few trucks and they ride very quiet and soften the ride significantly. The hankooks are excellent too, but they are a little stiffer...

KrustyKustom

For me I put a set of Dunlop 5000s on my gl350, totally transformed from the Goodyear run flats. Even my kids noticed!