zerocover

Are there any companies that make chassis upgrades for the w203.

I’m looking for a trunk brace, lower tie bar, a ladder bar, or at the very least a strut tower bar. I know Carlsson once made strut tower bars but even they seem hard to find now.

GT spec makes some amazing products for the JDM’s, are there any companies that make parts for the EDM?

timmynabenz

PM'd!

howardyudoing

custom roll cage.

splinter

There is virtually nothing to be gained from reinforcing our strut towers, as they’re already quite stout.
All due respect, the W203 is nowhere near as weak-kneed as the various German and Asian offerings of yesteryear.

The majority of our C’s front suspension compliance --excluding that from its woefully flaccid torque and thrust arms’ bushings-- emanates from within the upper strut mounting bearings/bushings. Have you witnessed their massive underhood articulation and deflection while an assistant cycles the steering from lock to lock?

Several links and their bushings in the rear are in need of upgrading before the aft end’s subframe proves suspect, too. An upper tie bar will accomplish nothing, as the damper mounts are merely along for the ride.
If you’ve already fit pillow blocks, ala the CLK63 Black Series, a strut tower bar might then prove a worthy upgrade.

To your initial query, GLK4MATIC fabricates excellent hardware.

TVT_DESIGN

We offer adjustable rear aluminum arms. Does 0 for stiffening, but adds a ton of adjustability. Well I guess it does make it more stiff, but not it a chassis bracing sense.

Milkm4n

To your initial query, GLK4MATIC fabricates excellent hardware.[/quote]

agreed, op talk to this guy

NegroC230

bump on that...i feel like my front end is mad looosey at high speeds, even though i have bars...i think strut bars would help alot

splinter

Something is likely seriously askew for yours to feel “mad looosey at high speeds.”
Could your dampers, bushings, and/or rack have already exceeded their useful service life?

When my then-stock C32 had 45,000 miles, or even driving mom’s showroom fresh '07, they feel rock steady well into triple-digit (off highway) velocities. By that I mean a few ounces' worth of grip on the steering wheel are all that’s required to point them in their intended direction. They’re not sports cars by any stretch of the imagination, but they certainly don’t lack directional stability when functioning as engineered.

Must admit that after having installed and massaged several upgraded damper/spring/anti-roll bar combinations --among other chassis tweaks-- a stock C rides and goes around corners like a wet dishrag. The Mrs. (it’s her daily driver) exclaims it now “holds the road like a magnet!”

Next time you’re out this way, you’re welcome to experience how composed it ought to be -
without any additional structural reinforcements.

TemjinX2

Since our w203's have independent suspension in the rear, i doubt it would make a difference in the rear. It might help in the front, since it runs on struts.

You would get more of a noticeable improvement in handling if you went to larger sways or upgraded to coil overs. Even on the civics it barely made a difference.

zerocover

I have no idea what cars you guys are driving, but I feel the chassis flex in the rear if I tap a pot hole in a turn. Mind you this is the NYC area, so the pot holes outnumber the cars. Its very possible my chassis has loosened up with time.

Now I dont know if the chassis is made of butter or the car is just so heavy it causes flex. But it is a problem that needs attention.

I know there will be little in the way of preformance upgrades, but it will make me happy to not have reverb through the chassis if I tap a pothole. For anyone tech savy that means increasing the modal frequency (stiffness).

This is the greatest analogy of all time. I intend to use it for everything. My 4matic makes options limited, so no change of front bar, is possible, and there is only one set of coilovers, I would prefer to only upgarde the struts but that is not an option.

GLK4matic does not make parts for the w203, he is busy with other projects at the moment. Or rather thats the last I've heard of it, I could be misinformed. Has anyone purchased or more importantly installed a strut tower bar form GLK4matic for the w203?

Do you have any part numbers or sources for these upgraded bushings? It might be just what I'm looking for. Are there any after market manufactuers?

NegroC230

NYC here aswell...my car had seen Jenny Craig, which helped alot, got biggest sways available, and its lowered about an inch....im considering upgrading my stock dampers to Konis/Bilsteins soon...but i am really itching for a tie bar front/rear...

FrankW

if the chassi's any stiffer I don't think i'll make it into any shopping plaza...LOL

went to change oil for the 203 and the first thing the mechanic said "your car is really stiff huh? saw you three-wheel up that ramp" lmao.

TemjinX2

The chassis is made out of steel. I doubt it would loosen over time. Splinter is probably correct. Your brushings are probably cracked given the fact you live in a snow belt state. The extreme colds tend to crack and wear out the brushings more quickly. Cracked or wore brushing would give a feel of loose or sloppy turning ability and a floaty feeling at high speeds.

zerocover

Important note, chassis stiffness and suspension stiffness are two different things.
Swaybars, springs, and struts contribute to suspension stiffness.
Roll cages, strut tower bars, and tie bars contribute to chassis stiffness.

If your car 3 wheels, it is because the suspension is too stiff for every day use. If however you hit a pot hole and the back end of the car vibrates separately from the front that is because the chassis is too soft, and the frame is not stiff enough to transfer the impact. It has nothing to do with the suspension and will not make cornering better.

zerocover

What you described is exactly how the car feels. Are there simple ways to check the bushings. Any idea's which ones are probably shot? Is it possible to take the car to the dealer and have them just start replacing things. (yeah right)

johnand

Are you still under warranty? If so, just tell them the front end feels loose and makes popping and creaking sounds. They will likely replace the control arm bushings or control arms completely. I had mine replaced TWICE under warranty. I had loose feel and popping. The last time they replaced them, they put the W204 arms on. They are a newer part, but not necessarily better. Time will tell.

I agree with the others, if your car feels loose and unstable at high speeds, SOMETHING is wrong. This car is one of the best I have owned for high speed stability. When it comes to the suspension/chassis, I believe John (Splinter) 100%. Listen to what he says, and follow his recommendations.

DrgnflyZ28

All due respect, I'm not quite sure what you mean here. If the vehicle "3 wheels" up a ramp, I would consider that significant structural rigidity. I added a shock tower brace to my Z28 which helped a good deal with chassis flex on corners and overall front end rigidity. When I added the weld-in sub-frame connectors it made a night and day difference in overall rigidity of the chassis. If I jacked up the car from behind the front tires (when stock), it would lift the corner then eventually the rear tire. With sub-frame connectors, as you jack up the front, the rear end goes up with it.
IMHO, a weak suspension would make chassis flex more pronounced whereas better tuned dampers would absorb more of the impact reducing the effects of a weaker chassis. The combo of dampers and chassis stiffening can make a world of difference as it did on mine.
With that said, my Z28 can't touch the MB even with all the aftermarket mods. The C's frame seems to be solid as a rock and the sport suspension is a pretty well tuned match with the exception of the built in understeer!

TemjinX2

I would just jack up the car and remove the wheel. Just examine all the rubber pieces of the car. Usually the brushings in the control arms go first, especially the ones in the front. If you see cracks then they need to be replaced.

Once you replace them, the car will feel tighter on the turns and the floaty feeling should go away.

Also if the front brushings are bad, you'll also hear a clanking sound when you go over speed bumps.

You can take it to any indy shop with a press and you can press out the old ones and put in the new ones. Most shops are lazy and will make you buy the control arms so they can just swap out the pieces without a press.

FrankW

3-wheel into a plaza because of the suspension is stiff is a given, however that is when you feel the chassis flex which it just doesn't do. as much as you want to blame it on chassis being soft, it is just not a fact. there is a reason why no one other than Carlsson made some limited production strut bar.

going over pot holes and the rear end vibrates separately simply tells me something is wrong with your rear suspension and not the chassis. The most obvious sign of when chassis flex is listen to the creaking sound of the interior trim pieces when a car gets old. going over a simple pot hole and causing your rear suspension to go haywire pretty much tells you that either you have bad shocks or bad suspension bushings or sway bar end links.

the point of the strut bar is to evenly distribute the forces applied to the shocks and springs during cornering. it's not going to help you solve the rear end vibrations.

FrankW

it's not 204 arms, but they basically share the same part in which the part number gets updated to the 204 one. I just replaced all four arms and two tie-rods with 204 part number. lol

Milkm4n

just confirmed GLK4MATIC (MBArts) is still fabricating tower bars rear braces and rear camber kits for the w203's