I have noticed the steering on my CLK (2000 230k on 225/40/18's all round lowered 30mm) is slightly "wild" in that the car seems to follow any uneven ground and pull the whole car in the direction of imperfections in the road, e.g. if there is a dip on one side of the road and one of the front wheels goes over it, the whole car gets pulled in that direction!

The car will not pull eitherway on a flat motorway and i can take my hands off the wheel and still travel in a straight line so what is causing the "drifting" on small uneven roads?

This cannot be expected as a result of the alloys, it seems much too serious for that, and it seems as if i could easily crash the car if i dont hold on tight!

Any ideas would be much appreciated!

Cheers

 

Check your Steering Damper underneath . if this shock is loos, the car will go or get pulled in the direction of imperfections in the road.I had the same problem, and i replaced the part with a new one , and the problem is gone. Only 2 bolts holding that . it will take 10 minute to change it. here is a pic of the steering Damper:

 

Ok thanks where exactly is it on the car, is the just one or one per side?

Also how can i diagnose if this is actually faulty?

Thanks

 

Steering damper?? I thought that was the shock as it sits next to the spring? Was it loose or broken? Eitherway, I have the same problem, and an alignment helped it quite a bit, but it slowly got worse.

 

It is under your engine , it is only one part . You can inspecte it if it is broken or loose

 

Ok i got this from the part list cat. It is between your front wheels, underneath your engine .

 

ah, I see now! Thanks for the visual. Do you remember how much you paid for it?

 

Thanks for that superstar, is there anything else you can think of that i should replace/check to help with my problem while i am under there?

Also does anyone know what psi should be in my tyres? i have 225/40/18 P-Zero Rosso all round.

Thanks again

 

Around $50 .

 

You should follow the manufactuer's recomendated settings....even if you've gone +1 or +2 tires sizes. That's what tirerack.com told me.

As far as anything else being wrong, if your car is lowered, then negative camber can make your car "squirrely."

 

Cool, thats what i though and i have put the same PSI in as specified unter the fuel cap, just seen people on here putting 40psi in and it worried me!

 

i have the same problem with the steering... if it only costs 50$ and takes 10 mins of my time.. well worth the time and money to fix

 

True. i just hope it really is that smple!

Nothing ever seems to be!

 

You may also put it in consideration that, the way the tires are being worn. Let me put it this way,the direction of the grooves in the tires that cause that.The grooves design of the tires cause it also to follow all the cracks and ,imperfections in the road such as those lane markers or asphalt expansion joints.and the more larger wheels you have the more you feel it but in my case, my steering damper was out, after i replaced it 90%of the problem was solved .

 

lots of change unless your car has lots of miles. My car has less than 10k miles, with short springs, koni's, and 18" Brabus wheels with pilots. Been aligned by the best guy around, with camber bolts in the front too. Still tramlines on less than the best surfaces, and sometimes under braking has a mind of its own on uneven surfaces. I will say that when my SO3's were beginning to wear out, it was worse. Tires did improve it. If your car is 5-6 years old with 70-80k miles, the steering shock might help.

 

Well the car is a 2000 model with 55,000miles on it, so it has moderate wear levels.

What i dont understand is why this would happen due to the wheels etc, i have the same size wheels/tyres on my 1995 M3 and there is not a single problem.

Surely when you order a new CLK and a set of 18" AMG's from the factory the car does not drive like it has a mind of its own does it???

 

This site rocks!!

 

even for the W208 CLK55 still only comes with 17's, not 18's, and the suspension changes, while they claim them to be more agressive, are in more agressively valved shocks and bushings. The springs are very slightly shorter, but only about 10 MM or so. Also, the alignment settings are designed for tire wear/comfort and not performance. My only gripe with the 208 setup in general is the numb, heavy steering, which is primarily the fault of the old style worm and roller, not a rack/pinion like the M3 or the W209. If you want to run it low and look really good, that's part of the price I'm afraid you'll pay. Hope this helps...

 

Cool, i see what you mean, could a decent alignment shop tweak the settings to help me then or is there just a right or wrong way to do it, not varying degrees of comfort and grip etc?

 

SuperStar, I am going to order the part today. The pic is kinda fuzzy..

Is the part number 124-463-0432?

Hopefully, this will take care of my wheel "scuttering" problem when ever I take slow, sharp turns.

 

there is very little adjustment in any of these late model cars. The only thing I would like to try on my car is the Renntech subframe upgrade for the rear, but you can buy a good many tires for the $2k or so it costs installed.

 

yup! that is the correct part #! I found it for $33 Free Shipping!!.check this link:
http://pa.partsandaccessories.com/pa...teering+Damper

But before you order it .make sure to Inspect your current damper if it is loos or broken.

 

waiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!!! maybe before you buy.. we could do a small group buy since i know i am gonna buy one too.... let's see if anyone else is down.
:p

 

Ill take one. Let me know the details.

 

I had this part replaced before and mine wasnt broken. Its like a shock so after a while it gets weak and doesnt absorb the shock as much. You cant see this, you have to compress it to feel if its good or bad. Hope that helps.