paul-the-limey

Hi Everyone,

I have a C240 Auto and have an odd problem. At motroway speeds of 80-100Mph my car seems to "wallow" / "duck & dive" / wander right and left a bit. It is not in a single direction but I do have to keep my wits about me to correct it all the time.

Not sure if this is the cause but I had the following done recently:

1) Bushes were de-squeeked (actually didn't stop them groaning and creaking)

2) replaced 2 rear tyres. Tyres on front are Conti Sport Contacts and the new tyres on the rear are Conti Premium contacts

The problem is that I know I will be fobbed off when I take it in to the dealer and I wanted some ammo prior to my sceduled visit for a "b" service next week.

The car has approx 55000 miles on it (i.e. 2nd "b" service). Are the C240's prone to wallowing at high speed. I dont seem to reacall it being a problem prior to having the above done. I took the car back to the tyre place and got them to re-balance the tyres just in case and I have also checked my pressures and they are okay. Not sure what they sprayed onto the bushes but could this have made them too loose and this causing the problem (probably silicone spray)?

The only other thing I can think of is excessive cross wind. Is the C particualrly susceptable to this?


Cheers,

P

Damian L

what tire pressure are you running with?

Martin

At 55K miles the shocks will be quite worn. I would install new shocks and upgrade the springs at the same time.

Enze6997

Would this be a good opportunity to get the hr cup kit?

Vince

i had a 240 loanercar once. i noticed that it did not handle well at all at high speeds. the car felt really unstable at high speeds.

Mercedes101

My C240 is very stable at 85-90 mph - i havent gone any faster in it but it doesnt feel like its at its limits. The kind of motion your describing sounds like there's something wrong with your car.

Buellwinkle

I don't have a sedan but the coupe I have is pretty tight at 80-100 mph, even before any suspension mods. But going with a cup kit will certainly help with new shocks/springs in one neat package but see if lowering it 2" will be more than you want. If you go with coilovers instead you'll have the choice to lower it to any height within it's range.

paul-the-limey

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the advice and comments. I'm not really into mods but I will ask MB to check the shocks out to see if they are worn.

I run my tyres at: 34psi rear and 32psi front

Cheers,
P

Mike T.

I'd say have the toe setting checked. That sort of wanderiness is unusual in my experience. The two different tread patterns may also be having some influence here. I'd always stick to the same tread pattern on all 4 wheels. Also, I don't like Continentals, try a different brand next time.

Considering the car is capable of over 230 km/h, this cannot be normal behaviour. Oh and if your dealer says they can't deal with it because the speed limit is 70 MPH in the UK, tell them the speeds were reached in Deutschland.

lars

Hard to believe the tires are the cause. I'd want to put the car on an alignment machine, front and rear.

BenzC240

yeah u dont need mods for this problem, as someone said before check the tire pressure, make sure the shocks are good, get a balance, try to rotate the tires and see if maybe bad luck and u got another bad set of tires. if all those fail for sure take it to the dealer

by the way, i have a C240 and i have taken my car up to 130mph on a track and the car does not wallow and is built to be a stable car. also its a heavy car. no the car should not wallow at all period.