jamaicakevkev

C300 High speed handling, slow speed handling... it just isn't there and I am rolling on 18's. I truly miss my Evo VIII wanted a X but couldn't get over how cheap the interior looked. Kind of hard going from a car that stayed glued at any speed and in any weather to one that feels like its trying to kill you.

Glyn M Ruck

D - They are all progressive springs - But ROW have higher spring rates, firmer damper settings & less boost dialed into the PS. ROW like them firmer than America - It was not your imagination. The cars we export to you are not the same as SA setup. That's the way the Americans like them so that's what they get. Even Toyota do this. Drive a Camry in America & it's a lot softer sprung and IMHO under damped.

TB5...

all i know is i tell myself to drive slower... but in this car it's hard...

FrankW

tossing the stock 300 on stock 17 with stock touring michelins at 85mph into a 45mph marked on ramp? you got ***** bro. I'm curious how wide is this ramp?

stock michelins or contis are touring tires. don't mistake it for performance tire or you will get yourself into a lot of trouble.

there's still too much body roll on the stock chassi btw not to mention the firm dampening trying to cope with the softer springs on the US cars.

C300Sport

Well, to be fair the ramp could probably be posted 5 or 10 MPH more than it is and is probably 20 feet wide... It became pretty apparent that the Michelins were not fast and furious qualified...kinda get that little voice talking to ya saying "is this what it feels like just before ya buy the farm"...
I don't drive like that very often and runs like that remind me of why it's best to keep hard driving on the track...

08w204

I've found that the MB was performance-tuned for driving in Europe. I bought my C300 sport in the US and brought it here with me. I didn't feel as if it had great cornering capability in the US, however, I feel it handles exceptionally well here.

So, what's the difference? In town, the streets are arguably narrower here and with tighter turns. You can't help that and you drive slowly. However, their autobahns, while having narrower lanes, are also designed with much longer on/off ramps and very gentle and banked curves once you're on the autobahn. The car handles like a dream at 120-130 mph.

That said, I also didn't feel as if it were the best-tuned auto on the on/off ramps in the US. If you think that the car was tuned and developed for the US market: think again. I checked into it and they're the same underpinnings in Europe and in the US. I think MB understood that we don't push our cars in the same way and are severely limited in rate of speed and therefore did not make changes due to our roads specifically because of the speed.

I may not be all into the technical lingo and knowledge of aftermarket tuning of a vehicle, but I CAN tell you my subjective experiences haven driven the same car on both continents.

Glyn M Ruck

I can assure you that SA produced W204s for the US have different spring and damper rates to those sold on the SA market. They are firmer here. But then most cars on this market are supplied with suspension tuned for SA eg VW & Toyota - Our two top sellers.

AMGTTV8

What awful news...I live in the US but I drive like I'm in Europe...

AkaSigFreak

I can't speak for all but the high speed handling of my C300 Sport saved my life 2 weeks after I bought it. It's my first European sports sedan but I truly believe if it wasn't for the incredible handling of this car- I would be dead. Just because someone is deciding to exceed speed limits on off ramps where the condition of the road is unknown doesn't accurately determine the handling of a car.
Just my $.02

AMGTTV8

I agree whole-heartedly. This car got me out of a situation last week on the highway that I would not have been able to avoid in my previous 07 e350...

that's not to say that I don't agree with the guys arguing that there is more wheel hop and chassis disturbance when hitting an imperfection in a turn's plane than i'm used to, but the car is phenomenal when it needs to be.

i think we are all guilty of focusing too much on the outlying complaints than on the beauty of what lies under the preponderance of the bell-shaped curve!

If you really want to improve stability, throw some 18's on like I did and widen the track by using marginally wider tires - worked for me!

Glyn M Ruck

+1 - This is absolutely correct - It is a good, solid, secure handling - Very, Very Safe vehicle over a broad set of true on-road circumstances - perceived/actual handling is a compromise. Changes from standard will generally give you a gain in one area & slightly take away in another on a well set up chassis. Our 204 is stock but my 203 has but one change - a move from standard 205/55/16 Conti tyres to the optional (in Europe) 225/50/16 Pilot Exalto PE2s - even with the increase in unsprung weight the improvement was substantial in turn in & general handling. Next move is to 17" AMG wheels - and no larger for comfort reasons.

FrankW

first thing I did.