stallion150

Hi all, I've had a brand new 2009 C350 for three weeks now. It drives very different from my previous car (2005 C230)--in terms of looser (some would say more responsive) steering and harsher ride.

I touched on the steering elsewhere.

Question I have for people--Has anyone else noticed that the ride on the C350 is harsh...i.e. you feel every bump and crevice in the road? My car has the 18'' AMG wheels---When I went to my dealer about this issue, they said that the new sport suspension and the 18'' wheels are likely what are causing a stiffer, less comfortable ride.

I'm wondering if anyone else has felt this way?

Oh, and I just test drove a loaner 2008 C300----that drives MUCH more like my previous C230, firm steering and a very smooth, comfortable ride. I'm thinking that I unfortunately got some characteristics that other people would like in their cars (more sporty), but at the expense of comfort?

.Simplex

i test drove the c230 before i got the c350, i would say the c350 is a better ride, it dont feel as hard and heavy as the c230. but yeah i do feel bump because of the wheels. but the handling is pretty amazing very responsive.

TB5...

yea i tend to feel the smaller bumps and get scared cause you get that "damn i hit a pothole" feeling...

but when you look back at the bump it's usually nothing...

it does keep me paranoid tho when i drive i'm always swerving to avoid anything holes or bumps on the ground. :\


edit: driving the c300w4m (sports mode)

.Simplex

^ ahah thats true. and dont the tire pressure always low? like the red light keep popping up saying tire pressure is low.

stallion150

Yeah, when I drive i get that feeling that the car moves with every bump and fissure in the road....It doesn't seem to track straight like other smooth driving cars....like if there's a bump in the road, the car veers a bit. Does that sound familiar too?

stallion150

I'm also beginning to think the 18'' AMG wheels are a big culprit in making the ride harsher....I'm wondering if I should drop town to 16'' wheels when these tires expire...though what sucks is i'll have to get new rims

.Simplex

no not really. the car stays in a straight line, but maybe youre just afraid of some bumps so your mind makes you move the steering a bit and not notice.

.Simplex

um 16" would look ugly for the car. id stay with the 18" amg style rims. just get some Track Competition Tire!

micropower99

I have 17's on mine and the ride is really soft. I doubt a 1 inch difference would make it that bumpy (like you described it).

TB5...

yea i don't think i've seen this error before... maybe once after my tires were slashed and i put the new ones on...

but yea im running amg 17's on conti's so i dunno if it's the 18" thing... and don't get my wrong the drive is quiet as hell and smooth for the most part... it's just those smaller bumps that give it a harsh drive.

and yes 16" would look terrible... like simplex said probably the actual tires that are the issue.

stallion150

Good Call---I'll need to sort out whether its the suspension (which I can't do anything about) or the wheels that contribute most to the harsh ride.

.Simplex

if you drive anything sport its going to feel like that. if you didnt like that feeling you should of got the lux instead of the sport. its like driving a porsche, it would feel bumpy to because of the sport suspension and the wheels. its normal.

len56

I thought there was a big difference when the car was in sport suspension mode (feel every bump but tighter handling) and with sport mode off (comfortable ride)

[sport suspension on/off on 2009 C300 C350]

... thats what everyone here told me :P

Is it still bumpy with the sport mode OFF?

stallion150

Yeah its still bumpy in comfort mode---what the MB technician told me was the difference between the two was in gear shifting and fuel economy, not so much about softness of ride.

I probably would have liked the luxury ride much more, but the sport model looks so much better..lol....I'm still a little uncertain, though, if the harshness of my ride is appropriate for the car (even though the technicians said they couldn't find any fault).

dmatre

First, check your tire pressures.

Most dealers set way more pressure in the tires than the recommended pressures.

Dropping from 50psi down to the recommended pressures makes a huge difference in the ride quality.

tehc300

^ When I first got my car the tire pressure was real high and made the ride feel a lot more uncomfortable then it should have.

Dropped down to the recommended psi and felt better right away.

But I also think the H&R coilovers made the ride seem more comfortable then the stock suspensions :P

len56

That's the gearshift sport mode.... it's on the center panel in front of the armrest, right next to the gearshifter...

I'm talking about the button that is on the dash, do you have it? it says 'Sport'
I just thought you had a canadian car for some reason... (US models dont have that on C350's)

stallion150

Hi len, its a US model. There's no button on the dash, its right next to the gearfshifer (says C->S).

len56

Okay, then you don't have the sport suspension on/off option.

I thought you were canadian because you were talking about C230's, my bad

justthinking

stallion150, what brand of tires are on your 18" amg?? if it has conti sport contact3 on there, then they are summer tires and maybe the reason you are feeling your car rides harsh..

as far as steering wheel, it does feel light at first, but once you are used to the new feel, you will become much appreciate how precisely the control is..

Krytech

Was the C300 you drove a lux model? That could explain it. Or maybe it had 17" wheels?

I just upgraded to from the stock 17's to 18" C63 wheels. When I had the dealer install them they noticed my rear shocks were bad and replaced them. I think it's mainly due to new rear shocks that to me it seems the car drives smoother even with the 18's on. I won't know for sure until next winter when I put my 17's and snow tires back on.

All that said, I think my C350 drives really nice for what it is. It is way harsher than our Toyota Avalon was but much smoother than the BMW's I test drove before buying the C.

My complaint is that I wish it had better handling in the corners when going over uneven pavement.

stallion150

Hey guys, thanks for the input! I'll check the tire brand out in a sec--but the C300 I drove as a loaner today was the sport model...I expected it to drive like my C350, but it was a completely different experience! I was definitely surprised.



I just checked the tires: They are the Contisport Contact 3. You guys think they are part of the issue? I'd love to replace them, but need to find tires of similar size that ride "softer"

Glyn M Ruck

Fit 17" wheels & Michelin PS2 tyres & all will be right.

RLE

Which will make the ride worse.

JimPap

I own a 2008 C300 with original rims and tires. For my taste, it rides a bit firm. It has the Michilin tires.

The 2009 C300 loaner I drove, road softer (the part I liked) yet seem less precise in steering. It has the Contra tires.