RTX

C220 BlueTech AMG Line (18" rims), with the standard lowered sporty suspension (and tons of other options).

Entering a narrow/long corner at < 50-60 km/h, and accelerating, the car wobbles/sways/wiggles even in S+, custom individual (sporty settings)

The road is a tunnel (flat & silky smooth).

Also tried this on different roads/corners, same observation.

I have already concluded that “Agility” setting has minimum/zero impact on suspension.

The car is brand new, done less than 1500 km in 3 months.

I find the suspension relatively "too soft" (to my taste at least); any suggestions? What do we need to minimally alter here to get notable results (dampers/shock absorbers/sway bars)?

Can the dealer do anything (stiffen stuff), or do we need to look elsewhere?

I haven’t tried to reproduce the issue with traction control off (given that the aim here is not to drift the car out of the corner).

ManiacGT

So we're all going to ask of course if you drove the spec of car you wanted before purchase because it sounds like you didn't. Like most its quite a surprise to read people buy cars without testing them to their satisfaction, its a lot of money after all.

That aside, you'll have to go aftermarket to get the suspension the way you want it. Its all subjective of course because some may consider the suspension perfect or too harsh for their desires.

In the end, it might be called a sport, but its no sports car. I have a sports car and the new W205 (s205) one for fun and one for comfort and practicality.

MASSC450

This is exactly why I ordered the 19" AMG wheels for my 2015 C300 Sport w/the 486 Sport suspension. I was afraid of the steel suspension being too soft in the curves.

When I test drove a C300 at the dealership, all they had in stock were base C300s, and since I'm used to driving BMWs, I made sure to order the sport suspension & large wheels. I've also read the 19" wheels/Summer tires helps in the handling dept. over the 18" wheels & A/S tires.

RTX

Indeed, it's not a sport car, it's a "modest" diesel.

This was a preloaded stock car during a promo period in January 2015 (so I couldn’t pre-customize it), and even with that, there is only one suspension option with AMG line (the sporty lowered by 15 mm, which I have fitted in as part of the package).

The car balance is ok in straight lines, and on the highway.

My only so-called "requirement" is to enhance (stiffen) the ride a bit throughout hard corners.

That said, I'm just being "too picky" - but that's alright, what can I do to get a notable benefit? bigger wheels, lowered suspension (Brabus/Carlsson, someone else... who?).

StanNH

Agility only affects the suspension if your car is equipped with Airmatic.

vic viper

Correct, Agility Select does nothing if you do not have Airmatic or ADS (Adapive Damping System)


I am pretty confident that the tires are the issue here, I have driven all of the 205 setups and never had any problems in any of them other than smaller wheels with higher tire walls that could feel somewhat spongy in hard cornerings.


If you dont want to replace your wheels I would suggest a H&R lowering kit.

StanNH

A while ago another forum member also complained about the rear end of the car feeling loose during sharp turns. Other than that, there have been no complaints about the stability of the W205 with any steel suspension option. None of the professional tests of the car have complained of any handling anomalies either.

I just spent 7 months with the base suspension on 18" tires, and just picked up a C300 with the Sport Package and lower sport suspension. I haven't had enough time in the Sport to comment on the handling, but even my base handled well and never felt anything but solid. My daily driving is on very curvy two lane roads, with lots of inclines and declines, and some stretches of rough pavement. While the car certainly doesn't have the handling acumen of my Porsche, it does very well for a sedan. It feels as solid through the turns as any of my past BMW, Audi, or Volvo sedans.

The unstable handling you're experiencing is not a normal condition for this car. I would have the dealer look at this and check the alignment, the suspension components, shipping spacers that may have been left in the suspension, tire pressures, or even a bad tire. This just doesn't sound right.

whoLEEoh

Im running the steel springs not airmatic but for me the only complaint i had with the stock suspension is at around 100-110mph the front end felt like it had too much lift. with the drop it feels a lot more stable now at high mph. The agility setting at comfront the car felt like a boat but on sport,sport+ it handled pretty good considering its a luxury car and not a sports car.

StanNH

Agility has absolutely no effect on a steel suspension. It can change throttle response, shift points, and steering weighting, but not the steel suspension.

whoLEEoh

I'm like 99% sure it stiffens the dampers.

StanNH

I'm 100% sure it doesn't.

It works with Airmatic only.

whoLEEoh

Then you are more sure than I am lol. It feels like less body roll on sport/sport+ than comfort. Don't know why then

IstvanC

I also have a c220 amg-line. But a s205 and 19". Now my car has been lowered with H&R. But before that I thought my standard suspension was kinda harsh for a oem part Have you checked you're tyre pressure?

RTX

I had the car checked, "there is nothing wrong with it" according to the service engineer. The standard so-called "sporty" suspension is v.good in normal conditions, my only remark was in tight/narrow cornering. There are obviously several options here to make it even better, still uncertain though on the best way to go.

Glyn M Ruck

Stan is absolutely correct. The W205 does not have the Advanced Agility Control magnetorheological dampers, sensors & controller like the W204 had with steel suspension as an option. Two way switchable on the 204 ~ Comfort & Sport.

According to Benz SA this will be available on the C450 but with greater adjustability than the 2 way W204 setup.

RTX

Gilyn
Docs either generic or misleading.
Regardless, I'm already beyond this point.

All,
Anyone has enough experience tuning this aspect?

MASSC450

Have you looked into suspension products from Brabus...coil overs for the W205 for instance?

http://www.brabus.com/raster.php?page=8&sub=3&id=47063

Glyn M Ruck

The way Benz words it's promo material is indeed confusing to say the least. The standard dampers are passive intelligent in that they do react to road surface input by frequency & amplitude.

You are going to have to learn from other's experience on this forum. In SA the biggest complaint about the lowered sport suspension is ~ too hard & crashy. Presume you have tried raising tyre pressure. Tyre selection also makes a difference. Michelin PS3 is the best tyre on this chassis IMHO.

floridadriver

On our patchy roads here with expansion joints on the highway, the sport suspension lets you feel it.

Glyn, any experience in Michelin Premiere a/s with this chassis? More forgiving tire but similar grip? I hav no experience with it on w205,'but in an A6 it sounded and felt good.

Glyn M Ruck

No ~ sorry I don't. Very few A/S tyres sold in SA due to our mild climate. We mainly run high performance summer tyres in your speak all year round.

StanNH

I guess I won't ask you for snow tire recommendations then.

Glyn M Ruck

Nah! You would be asking the wrong person. My only real experience in that regard is with the Canadian portion of our family where Blizzak tyres seem to be the preferred option. I have experience driving with Blizzak's but not the pleasure of making comparison with other brands. My first experience with black ice was when I moved to Dallas & took a rental skidding across an intersection on the Belt Line & fortunately did not hit anything or hurt anybody.

ManiacGT

Placebo effect. You think it does therefore you make yourself believe it.

hummerhealey

Over here in the Netherlands the sport suspension is called Agility control. So I thought too the Agility select would effect the suspension. But after reading the description more carefully, it doesn't. Thank you very much Mercedes for being so transparent.....

vic viper

As I mentioned above you need either Airmatic or ADS in order to affect damping through Agility Select.