superangrypenguin

I love my car. Quite honestly, it's all I have ever wanted from a car, but there's one thing that does bother me, and it's the suspension.

I have the C300 4matic sport, and while i'm not that old, I do have medical problems which means that I prefer a plusher ride.

If there was AirMatic on the vehicle as an option when I bought it, I would have, but there wasn't.

If I could do it all over again, I would have bought the C300 4matic luxury, but I didn't, and well, life's about moving forward.

What are my options to get a plusher ride? I'm running 17" tires (grand touring) and have them at 30psi front, 34 rear (the lowest that I can run them at given MB spec for the same vehicle in 2008).

I'm willing to look at a plethora of options - including ditching the current suspension setup. I'm not an expert in this stuff, but if I wanted to go for an air suspension ride, any idea what that would cost?

Thanks!

Carsy

The cheapest & most noticeable option would be to go to 16 Rims.

Before purchase I test drove a 17" rim model & I discarded the idea of buying vehicle at once because of the hard ride.

The dealer then went to extraordinary lengths to have me test drive a 16" rim version & the ride was much more compliant & I bought the car.

You may be able to do a swap with someone who wants a sporty ride & is of the opinion that they look better.

superangrypenguin

Wow, really? I would have thought 17" vs 18" was a big deal, but 17 vs 16"? I would have never thought.

Thank you. Any of you swap out suspension components instead?

Just204

This is why I wanted to buy a car like this while I'm young and have fun, I think the ride is real nice even with 18s . But then again I've been in cars that make the merc feel like a sofa, forget Honda... I'll buy something soft riding when I fall apart... smaller wheels are probably the easiest thing but make sure they will work with the car with fitment.

superangrypenguin

That's a fantastic point. I have the sport model with the bigger rotors. I'm fairly certain that it won't fit the 16s, but I'm looking into it, that's for sure.

At least you're not the idiot kid in the room who hasn't turned 16 with more medical problems than he'd like (no, i'm older than 16...it's a self deprecating joke)

Cough, me. Anyways, that's why I'm after an older man's car style ride...

Just204

Well, I wouldn't really call myself a kid anymore 😉, grew up some time ago and just had my 2nd baby. But I am relatively young with a quirky sense of humor... don't get me wrong though, I like the large butter smooth cars as well, my first car was a Lincoln with air ride, but I love a sporty tight car more. I'm a big fan of the w140 and w220 S series love the classic look of the w140 and sleek w220. Plus they're relatively cheap now as well. I'd like to pick up one in a couple years as a cruiser. There are some things that can be done with the 17s to soften up the ride. I would look for a tire that has a soft sidewall to absorb bumps, I'd give tire rack a call and see if they can help find the best one.

superangrypenguin

Yeah I think? i've done the best that I can with just tires. I drove ~0km on the OE tires. I immediately swapped them for the Michelin Primacy MXM4s. They've done pretty well.

(I'm a Michelin *****. Have tried other tires but they haven't worked out well). Because the rears are staggered, it's hard to find tires that are 240 55 17? (IIRC). I saw the Toyo Versado Noirs and I got excited, (as well as the Michelin Defender tire) but none of them have tires in the size for the rears.

Yes, I could buy new rims for the rear, but is it that big a difference for the front passengers? (I'm assuming no...)

I'm not sure what else I can do. I mean, I run the tire pressures at bare minimum...

Little known fact. MB improved fuel mileage for the W204s over the 2008 to 2013? by just jacking up the tire pressures. I have the official documentation if anyone wants to see it.

So I set my tire pressures to what they called for for the 2008 model year. 28 front, 33 (or 34?) in the rear. I'm a bit conservative on the front and set it to 30, which is much better than what my car calls for. (33?)

But yeah, I'm fairly certain i'm out of options outside of swapping out the suspension.

And to reply to your point, man those S classes were fantastic. Buying one sure is cheap, but owning one over a period of time is like having a *********. Fun, exciting, but hella expensive :p

Just204

Yah, if you can't stand the ride find the suspension on eBay used as its 10x less. Not terribly worried about repair costs as I work on my cars, have enough in tools to almost buy a new c300, I'm a tool horder lol but use them.

Carsy

Another fix could be the fitting of softer shock absorbers .They will probably be the less expensive ones .Try the rear first.

superangrypenguin

Would this not upset the balance of the car if executing an emergency maneuver? Even so, would this make a big difference from a comfort suspension for the front passengers?

Just204

Simple answer is yes it will. If you put different suspension on do it on all 4 corners.

Carsy

Are you on the race track or pottering around on the roads picking up the groceries?.

superangrypenguin

Usually the latter, but I'm also driving pretty quickly on the highways. How a car behaves in an emergency is a pretty big deal.

I'm with Just204, if I'm going to do so, I'm going to do it on all four ends.

Carsy

Excellent