13TSCC

So I purchased a 2003 C32 AMG and It has a consistent shake starting lightly from 70 to noticeable at 100.I checked the front end and everything seems tight.. It's a very slammed C32 might i add with H+R Springs and swaybars, It has 6\4 Pot calipers on it and front wheel spacers that I'm leaning towards as the culprit.They don't look stock and are made of cast aluminum maybe 3\8"-5\16" thick Are these needed for the brake upgrade? Or just for looks maybe.Is there a common part that wears out on these models that causes a shake? This is my first Mercedes I've even touched well besides an older s-class.

Bill Bryce

Do you have split rims.my R129 with big AMGS did the same I changed back to normal sized wheels and tyres problem solved overnight cost £1300 but sold the AMG wheels and tyres for £1000

C230 Mulac

Without trying to be mean, please search before creating new posts...

Shaking could be a number of things, spacers could be an issue yes, are they hubcentric or generic spacers? If not hubcentric then yes that's a problem. Judging from your brake upgrade, you should be able to see for yourself if it's needed for the brake upgrade. Take the spacer off and see if the wheel clears the caliper, if not then you need a spacer. Get a hubcentric if it's not one.

If your rims are bent it can cause shaking.

If your tires aren't balanced properly it can cause shaking.

If your control arm bushings are shot it can cause a little rougher ride.

Certain brand/models of tires will actually cause a rougher ride if they are worn out. My Hankook Ventus rears were starting to wear out and the ride was so bad I thought something was up with some of my control arm bushings.

If the car is slammed it will be a stiffer ride than a stock car, define what you mean by "shaking"

Lenin

Everything Petar said above. OEM 18" C55 or CLK55 should clear the usual 6/4 brake upgrade without any spaces.

13TSCC

From reading my post I didn't seem competent enough to understand what causes shake's.I for some reason left out the part of it being intermittent sometimes, That's why i posted and that's what's got me confused.

I was Very tired after working 16 hours and couldn't get what i was trying to say.All I was looking for was if the spacers had any purpose, and if the intermittent shake was something common and obvious.

I have 100% Pirelli sottozero serie II Runflats 225/40R18 - 255/35R18
and no the spacers are not hubcentric

Saaboteur

I'm betting your issues are due to the spacers. If they are not hub centric, you are asking for vibration related issues. Also, I don't think any C55s ever came with run flats. I'd go back to a regular tire too.

91RS

95% of vibrations are tire and wheel. If it is intermittent, I would lean towards the tires. What kind of tires are they? I have some Coopers on my Cadillac that sometimes vibrate in the morning when they're cold but the vibration smooths out about half way to work. Usually happens are the car is parked more than a day or two so the tires are flat spotting.

C230 Mulac

If the spacers are not hubcentric, it's 100% your spacers that are causing this problem. I went through this when I put non hubcentric on my C230, the vibration is horrible.

As far as the function of the spacers, none of us can answer for you unless we lifted the car ourselves, took the wheel and spacer off, and try to put the wheel back on with no spacer. If it clears the caliper without the spacer, you can just remove the spacer. If not, then you'll have to get some new hubcentric spacers in the same size. OR, go back to OEM wheels. As Lenin said, the OEM wheels should clear those brakes no problem without spacers.

Also, keep in mind if you remove the spacers you'll have to get shorter lugs. For the front, if they're a little long it's no big deal. For the rear, they can't be too long or they will strike the parking brake when the wheel is spinning and you'll just hear a repetitive clicking sound.

I know that Eibach and H&R both make quality hubcentric spacers for our cars. There may be others but you can't go wrong with either of these manufacturers.

Lenin

Just to clarify what Mulac said. I was referring to OEM C55 or CLK55 wheels. They are 18". The C32 OEM are 17" and will not clear larger brakes.

C230 Mulac

Yes, I forgot those important details...thank you Lenin