superstar

Hello guys,
I have got a stock 2001 CLK 320 springs & shocks . and i am experinceing very rough and harsh riding . there is no comfort at all . i feel every single bump on the road. My brother got 99 CLK 430 ,and he is running smoth and soft.
My question is : Do you guys recomand changing my stock shocks to Bilstein or koni? which one is softer?
I need something softer than the stock . i will not change my springs.
I do not care about performance .All i need is very soft ride. i am sick of this harsh ride.
Please help

TD430CLK

I did this before for the alpine which requires hand-break and foot brake twrice to activate DVD. Here is what I did and it works:

Go to Radio Shack and buy two type of switches (this costs you about $5 or less):
A. A regular on/off switch. This one connect to the ground to simmulate the hand-brake.
B. A "push/realese switch . This one connect to the hot wire (normally it's 12V from the battery) which simulate the foot-break.

So after you're done with those connections, all you need to do is turn "A" switch on and then press "B" switch twice to activate your DVD.

Hope this help,

TD430CLK.

J Lucas

Is your post a joke? It has absolutely nothing to do with the original posters question.
As far as the OP, OEM shocks are as soft as your going to get. You need to have the car diagnosed by a dealer to see why the ride is rough. Off the top of my head it could be your tires, ball joints, steering shock, sway bar bushing, control arm bushings.. Any combination of these can result in a rougher ride. Oh also check your oil..

CLKBSVegas

Did you car ride better before or did you just get it? The Interesting thing is that normally shocks and springs get mushier if they wear out, not tighter (ie causing a stiffer ride). If you put aftermarket springs and shocks your ride will get stiffer then stock, not softer. The softest set up is stock (well I guess you could find some aftermarket that rides like a Towncar, but I doubt it.)

Check your tires for proper inflation. What size rims and tires do you have? If your bro has 17/18 with regular sidewalls and you have 18/19 with small sidewalls that will make a big difference.

Finally, take it to a reputable shop (ie look for the issues in the previous post or)..you may have something wedged btn the engine compartment and the suspenstion. My wife happened to run over a 1 foot piece of a 4x4 that somehow got wedged in there (in her old 530i). Man did the car ride like crap all of a sudden! But w/o taking the tires off, I could not see it!!!

good luck

superstar

Well, i did change the steering shock,ball joints,and the drag link. because i had some sounds coming from underneath the car when i go thrugh rough roads . now all that sounds got fixed, but the car feel very stif and rough . the mechanic told me it could be the shocks . the car has already 50k mile on it , so maybe it is time for new shocks.

superstar

well, i did not notice my car is rough tell i drove the 430 which has the stock AMG 17. My 320 has the famous ugly 16" stock. the mechanic checked my car , and he told me that my shocks are getting old , so mabey that the case? new shocks? Also i noticed , when you move the steering wheel while the car is on , and not in motion ,there is a clicking sound coming from underneath,and that if you move the steering wheel fast to the right and to the left in a quick movement . the mechnic told that sound is normal.but i do not belive it is normal couse the 430 do not do that .any ideas what it could be? now my car is out of warnty and if i go to the dealer they well charge you big $$$$$ for that.

TD430CLK

opsss..sorry.. wrong post to wrong topic.

gorgerider

Relax. It was entertaining.

dlbehrns

FWIW: DON'T GO TO THE DEALER!!!!! TRUST ME!!!!! I recently took my car to the dealer to get an alignment. I installed Vogtland springs, Bilstein Sport shocks, MB camber bolts, thinner spring pads and rear adjustable camber arms. I had a coupon for $100 so I thought the alignment was gonna cost me $99.95. Well...they called me to say that my front control arm bushings were shot, I needed a new fuel filter and a value cover gasket was leaking and it needed tightening and the work would only cost me $1195.00. NOT! I took the car to an indy/sprint car race shop my son recommended and I watched as they looked over the front end. The tech asked me if the front end popped when I turned and it did. He said it was the bearings not the control arm bushings. They are going to replace the front bearings, with my parts install new Porterfield brake pads front and back as well as put my Brembo rotors on and do a sport alignment for $650.00. Now that doesn't address your rought ride issue; my point is that MB dealers, given what one might think the typical profile of MB owner, would charge exhorbitant prices for parts and labor thinking that their clients are wealthy and don't give a damn, mechanically uneducated or just plain stupid and they can charge their own bookrate and parts costs. The control arm bushing that were not bad according to the indy, when I asked the MB service mgr what the parts cost was he said $450.00. Probably their entire control arm cost. My response, "that's absurd! I can buy bushings online for under $100 a side. (I found polyurethan bushing for $50.00 a side) I will be out to pick up the car." When I got the car the srvc mgr had a grin on his face like "ya got me." I will still buy parts from the dealer because they are fairly competitive depending on what they are but I will never take my car to the dealership in Lincoln, NE for any repair reason unless it is for a Star diagnostic that I can't find anywhere else. Lesson learned.
DISCLAIMER: I'm sure not every MB dealership operates in this manner. Just relating my experience.

CLKBenz

What is your tire pressure? On my CLK 430 the tire pressure has to be 36psi on the rears and 32psi on the fronts. Anything higher and the ride feels as you have described above.

Aaron68

You may want to look into replacing the bushing on the rear spindle where the lower control arm connects to as far as the rear of the car goes. Picture attached.

maxxwell22

so did you fix the rough ride?

superstar

Man that was long time ago!
I recall replacing the 4 shocks to Bilstein heavy duty and got new spring pads in all 4 corners I do not remember what the numbers on the pads was, but I think it was the thickest pads available for the application,
All of that had changed the ride quality dramatically and removed the stiffness.

gorgerider

Yeah, they do. At least the ones in the Pacific Northwest do.

Replace lower control arm bushings
Replace engine mounts
Replace lower ball joints
Re-pack front wheel bearings
Replace outer tie rod ends
Flush transmission fluid and change filter
Change engine oil and filter

The stealership wanted a modest $2,975. They wanted almost $1,000 just to change the engine mounts. Ther repair book called for the parts to cost $160 each and the labor time to be 1.5 hours. I bought engine mounts for $160 for the pair and did the job myself in an hour and fifteen minutes. When I mentioned that to the service mangler he offered me a job.

The rest of the work took me (a relatively slow mechanic) most of the day and cost about $350 in parts. The way I see it? I haven't made $2,500 a day for a long, long time.

And the M-B service departments can, for the most part, pound sand.

maxxwell22

Why heavy duty, and not regular shocks? I would think heavy duty, more stiff? Just asking.

maxxwell22

i do definentley need new ball joints, i can feel the car follow grooves sometimes.

dlbehrns

this brings up an interesting point: which Bilstein shocks are stiffer, the HDs or the Sports? I have the Sports and my ride sucks on bumpy roads however, I also have Vogtland springs.

maxxwell22

Well im pretty sure all is stock on the car. My mechanic says the car ran so long without any major issues the previous owner didn't change much, and things are just stating to wear out, so new shocks are a start on the ride ,along with new tires. Just bought some Continental tire,s on my mechanics advice, for a quieter ride. havent asked him yet about shocks. Wanted some input from the forum before i ask him.

superstar

As far as i know, Bilstein Sports shocks are stiffer than HDs

superstar

The Bilstein HD's are noticeably firmer than stock .You definately have a lot more road feel, but nothing I would consider harsh. The HD's soak up medium and large road bumps and pot holes better than stock...nothing crashes through like it did before...just a nice firm damp and a muted thump. The HD's are slightly harsher than stock on small bumps and ruts at low speeds.

maxxwell22

Hey just changed tires to Continental Extreme contact DWS, and the road noise has improved significantly, to almost none. I couldn't believe the change so much, now time for the shocks in about a month. My mechanic was right, all 4 tires for $670.00. Balanced and all w/a 60,000 mile warranty.