Hi. Compared to other performance cars I've owned, this steering feels kind of "loose". I wouldn't think there is a way to do it, though, without swapping out the steering pump for a less powerful one (if there even is such a thing that fits).

 

The steering should feel fairly light but not loose. If loose you need to check everything from rack bolts for tightness to ball joints, bushes & tie rod ends for play.

This chassis is quite tyre fussy. Michelin PS2's or PS3's improve turn in vastly over some tyres.

 

Your CLK550 likely has the "parameter steering" option which really deadens the feel. And as Glyn says, check the suspension components. It seems that north of 50K miles and the control arms get some slack.

 

I agree with the others, for myself I have just replaced the control arms, outer tie rods and sway bay links since they were worn. A world of difference!!!

 

I took the OP's point not to be about worn parts, but about what my main complaint about my car is - the steering feels over-assisted and vague.

 

yes. control arms and all other bushings look fine. no play in tie rods. i do seem to have parametric. now i also have mbstar. i wonder if theres a way to tune the, 'vagueness'.

 

It is almost as though we are talking about different cars. Models destined for SA do have firmer sway bars, spring rates & damper rates. My steering does not feel overboosted or in any way vague & very similar in weighting to my old C240 but handling in a whole different class.

I sometimes think that the sway bar calibration on my car is borderline too stiff. It can shake your head from side to side on some bad pavement & it will lift a rear wheel clear off the ground if you cross a bad depression diagonally.

That said it is the best handling Benz I have ever owned & highly chuckable. Yes it only has 18,600 miles on the clock so dampers etc are as new.

My car is pretty much fully loaded other than a sun/moonroof that I did not want. I must check to see if the car has parametric steering. There were no steering options offered when I bought the car being a final production unit. You took much of it as it came which is why I have all sorts of things fitted like heated mirrors, heated seats, heated screen & headlight washers etc. etc. that are not required in SA. It does have other nice to haves like Nav, Parktronic, BiX, Neck Pro, Dark Ash wood etc. etc.

 

The parameter steering option is it I think. I drove the C240 today and it is a world of difference on steering feel over my CLK550. Although being able to parallel park using my pinky finger is great for the CLK, I much prefer to tight, road feel of the C240. And it's been a while since I've driven the C240 and I forgot what a pleasure it is. Of course having been driven by the kid through high school and a year of college, it hasn't been treated well, but it still drives nicely.

 

Especially if you came from a BMW, the CLK550 steerings feels over boosted and vague. The steering takes some getting used to, but I don't notice it now.

My best friend has a CLS63 with P30 and I'm amazed how much different the steering feels - very tight and quick.

 

I'm glad you guys are discussing this issue. I have a '99 C230, a '12 C250 and my '08 CLK 350 Convertible which I bought a couple of years ago as a CPO. The two C-class sedans have tighter, heavier steering than the CLK, and I've always preferred more of that 'Go Kart' feel. At first I was concerned that the CLK steering had been somehow compromised because it is so light feeling. Mercedes did a complimentary custom alignment for me, and the car tracks perfectly. It just feels different than the others, but I've found that on long trips I adjust to it. The discussions of how the steering is configured have eased my concerns about there being any adverse issue.

 

I absolutely HATE the steering on the clk550. Mine has the sport suspension which is a joke.
if I have to replace shocks and bushing for stiffer ones to improve handling it might just be worth getting a new car. It’s a shame because I absolutely love this car. I just hate the suspension. Every time I drive it I am gripping the steering wheel tight when going over the slightest bumps it feels like the car bounces and loses control slightly. Had it checked out by Mercedes and all suspension components passed. One mechanic said to just replace the sway bar to the clk63 sway bar and replace control arm bushings to clk63 bushings. Would that help? Thanks

 

Car feel is a bit subjective thing, but I can share my experience: my clk started its life as clk320 and when I got it with 78k miles entire suspension was worned out and handling was absolutely terrible, especially since my other car at that time was 2016 Camaro SS with magnetic-ride socks.
I did a lot to the car, but the main contribution to the handling were stiffer shocks/struts (Bilstein B8), lowered H&R springs, upgraded swaybars (h&r adjustable rear and clk63/black Series front, honestly I'd go with h&r for the front as well, but no one had one in stock at the time, btw black series one is made by eibach) and smaller tiers sidewall height (I had stock 16" wheels). After all of those modifications there car was feeling much, much better, I wouldn't call it a sports car, but at least fun to drive (especially after swapping v8 and manual transmission :-D ).
But there were two problems: the ride quality become a bit too harsh (again it's subjective). The other problem is that the w209/w203 (we are not talking about black series and dtm amg) chassis is not rigid at all which make steering feel vague. Also higher weight is not helping w209 in general, for its size it's about 200-300 pounds heavier that it should be

 

Interesting. New cars today in general are much more advanced I think compared to my 09. I drove my friends Hyundai Accent 2020 and that steering felt more like a sports car than mine. I do plan to upgrade my sway bars but the question I have: isnt the sway bar on my car the same thickness as the clk63?

 

It's a general trend nowadays making cars handle better/sportier. Take a look at S-class.... w222 handles like a freaking sports car but my w140 is a boat :-D
Nope clk550 and clk63 have different swaybars (at some point all clk63, convertible and black series started using the same swaybar) part # 2093200410

 

Do I need new sway bar brackets too?
Dont plan on selling this car anytime soon. Still looks new but would definitely enjoy it more of the handing was improved!



2009 clk550

 

Nope, brackets are the same.
Looking good, silver is the best color for w209
Nice, my car now leaves at my friend's place near you

 

The CLK isn’t really a sports car. It’s a Grand Tourer. You should of gotten the SLK instead or another brand. The CLK is a long distance kind of car. The car is never going to have that real sporty feel to it no matter what you do to it. Best to just sell it and move on.