d35dabull

I've had a number of convertibles before ( now 06 clk) so I know that they are not as stiff as coupes etc. been reading a lot of threads about tower braces and the like. So my questions has anyone put front and rear upper braces and front lower on a cab? if you have what was the difference. Stiffness, handling, ride etc. Rest of suspension stock. Thanks

Rudeney

I doubt that will help. The weak point is not between the shock towers, but the fact that the connection of the frame between the front and rear axles is the floor pan under the front seat. Park your car and open the doors and then see how thin this is. Of course the driveshaft "hump" helps, but it's still not much.

This is one area where my R230 SL is much improved. It feels totally solid, probably more solid than any sedan I've driven. But, the way they improved it is by increasing the thickness of the door sills. The sills are much wider and taller. While that greatly improves chassis stiffness, it makes it harder to get in and out of the car.

eteller

Me thinks Rodney is right. I had a 4th gen Trans Am that was so flexible lots of drag racers would actually get distorted rear quarter panels from repeated hard launches. Adding subframe connectors, which amounted to long bars under the door sills would remedy the problem. The chassis could be further stiffened with X braces similar to what's underneath my wife's Z3.
I used to know a guy who raced a GTI in showroom stock and did the One Lap of America with one on several occasions. He actually filled the door sill cavities with Great Stuff foam, claimed it helped quite a bit. His analogy was to think about a cardboard tube that was hollow versus a cardboard tube filled with foam, try to bend the foam filled one.

Rudeney

Don't get me wrong - the W209 is one of the more solid cabriolets in terms of chassis stiffness. Drive any old 1970's muscle car convertible or even a more modern Chrysler 200 or Toyota Solara and you'll see. But he R230 is just simply incredible in terms of chassis stiffness. There is just zero flex. Riding around in the W209 with my hand propped on the top of the A-pillar and I could feel some slight cowl shake. The R230 has none. But, you pay for it in needing a chiropractor after a few weeks of entering and exiting over those wide, tall door sills! :-)

CDM Motorsports

We have a few braces for the CLK. Rodeney is correct the "weak" point would be under the center of the car. But the front brace does make a huge difference. It completely changes how the car handles. There are reviews from some people on here that we have sold them to.

megacrazy

I have to agree. The braces do make a difference. I would look at all the different subframe braces there are out there and install all of them. The front and rear shock tower braces don't help with stiffness much but they do improve handling. Compared to other cars the clk seems very flexible to me and I have a coupe. I can only imagine the convertible.

tery

How do you attach the front brace to the shock tower ? There are only one stud each side and the holes on the shock tower metal is thin? Any detail how you install them ?

CDM Motorsports

You use the one stud and there is a whole in the shock tower you thread a bolt into. Its an easy install. Id have to find it but 1 of our customers wrote a thread on it in here.