Simbad

Ok it's a new car so i posted 3 things in one day- soooo many questions.
Sorry for the overlooad but this is the last ask (for today)

W208 seems a little nervous even at low speeds on bumpy or uneven roads especially when trucks have grooved the road slightly etc. The front end seems to want to skip about a little in your hands as it hits any bumps. kind of like it squirms maybe an inch to one side when riding a bump or groove in the road.

If the road is flat then she drives beautifully and steering feels bang on.

Now i think i had an issue a few years back with a Jag with a similar issue when ever i got the tyes in a rut made by the trucks in the lane the car seemed to hop in and out of it rather than drive through it, and if i'm right new tyres fixed it.

I took her to the tyre outlet today but they had no idea (18 year old female looking greasy- but that's another forum ;-) ) and just tested the tread which was ok'ish 4mm on inside up to 5.5mm on the outside.

Any ideas, could this be just the tyres or is there something else with the greasy bits that could be my problem?

Chappy

This is a known issue, generally involving the tires. What tires do you have on the car at present?

Simbad

I just went out in the pouring rain to check !

Pirelli P Zero 225 45 ZR17's
it's on the standard AMG Rims.

i bought it this week privately and the guy told me he changed the tyres that morning, but they are definately used and he later told me he has a friend that sorted him out for £50 a tyre, though he was making out they were brand new. so i guess they are part worn used tyres.

Thoughts?

Learso

At what speed to you feel it most? Does this occur when you are turning or going straight? I have never experienced this problem so I am interested to learn more. Did you give the car a good once around before/after buying it? Did you check the springs/shocks for damage. If not, do it...you will get a peace of mind. This is, for the most part, a high performance car and yours being a year 2000 model you should assume that it has been driven as such.

Let us know what happens nonetheless.

Learso

--- Pirelli is a good tire, what size is on the back, 245 right?

Simbad

i only had it 2 days and the weather is terrible so only been at low speeds on any road with a bump so difficult to say which speeds most noticeable.

I'm going to get the steering and suspension checked over for peace of mind. but there's something that makes me think it's the tyres even though they are pirelli's and have ok tread, maybe the mis balance of inner and outer side being out by 1-2mm ?

Learso

I have an 01 CLK55 and in a routine check-up this year my mechanic did notice a crack on one of the springs and other issues with the suspension.

My guess is that you will find something not entirely right there and that after a quick service the car will be 100% again. It concerns me that you mention there is an issue even at low speeds. There should be nothing at low speeds.

Learso

Chappy

This may help...

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=47

AMG_55

r all the tires the same brand?
the rear size should be 245/40/17 not 225, make sure it is
make sure that the correct wheels are on each axle, ive seen mercedes cars that come staggered from the factory running the wider wheels up front (tire rotation, i guess) , i guess some people dont know any better.
also if u enjoy spirited driving i suggest u put 235/40 front and 255/35 rear, they will fit on the stock wheels, i would go w/ michelin ps2

hope that helps

Simbad

Brilliant article, mine has done 70k miles so i think a chaeck of all suspension parts will fix it.

thanks, and yes it is 245's on the back !

Simbad

Posted this a few weeks back and i'm back with the same problem but more detail. sorry for the long post but i'm drawing blanks....

I took the car to a local perfomance tuner. they suggested a 4 wheel alignment followed by a full check of the front end- told me all was fine.

2 weeks later i sought a 2nd opinion (same problem) at a merc Specialist- They also gave it a full bill of health- but I KNOW IT IS NOT RIGHT!!

Symptoms-
Cold in the morning- reverse out of drive on lock, as i pull off on full lock it feels like the front wheels are dragging and sounds like it too. If the car is warm it seems not to happen ?

Grooves and bumps in roads, suffers from tramlining pretty bad.. but the worst...

Driving along in a staight line and suddenly feel the car pulling to the left quite hard, almost feels as if the wheels suddenly turned 3-4 degrees to the left without the steering wheel moving. correct it and it does the same but pulling to the right by a few degrees (hands off the wheel and i'd be in the oncoming lane!) Correct it and it's happy again. This happens periodicly but not all the time but i do feel like i'm continualy applying light pressure to the wheel to keep it straight. (again seems less frequent but does happen when car has been drive a while.)

Maybe related- If i'm on say 3/4 lock and i play the wheel from left to right about an inch each way it's not moving the wheels- in other words there is play there.

The wierd part is handling wise, outside of the wandering, it's spot on and you could throw it into corners hard if you like.

My thoughts are that it's steering box related- but i have no technical knowledge- Can anyone help?

Chappy

Are you getting any vibration when driving normally?

Stiggs

And you didn't bring a camera why?? I need pics to see what a "greasy looking girl" actually looks like. Does it mean she was hot and slutty?

Simbad

No vibration at all.

Chappy

Seems as though you've exhausted most potential issues. I'm not familiar with any steering box problems on the W208. Do a search here to see if you can dig up any additional problem-related threads.

Good luck