Benzo

Greetings all,
I was looking for a little advice. I replaced my existing amg srpings when I added my 19"s. The ride is a little too harsh and would like to prop the car up a bit more... How can I do this? Should I get the springs that came with the car and reinstall them? (They never gave them back to me so I would have to re-buy) If so, where should I buy them and what should I spend. All in all I just want a better ride but would rerally like to keep my 19's. Thanks ain advance!!

x-tian-230k

Go with either Renntech springz or Brabus springz....they are as close as you gonna get to stock ride.....about 420 for the brabus springz and 550 for renntech springz...

Harris

WHAT???? You never got back your original spings??? What are you going to put on the car when you sell it? Dont you think you should ask the shop for it?

Is it too high all the way round or just the front or rear? By how much?? You might be able to raise it up by using thicker spring pads. You dont need Renntech springs for a W208, a bit costly. Get either AMG, Eibach or Brabus springs.

Chappy

100% agree with this advice.

theine

You replaced your existing AMG springs with which brand and do you kept your original shocks?

Benzo

No I didn't. I know that is ridiculous but it slipped my mind. I do normally keep all of my part in order to return to stock before selling. The back is the main concern, however, I would like the front up a bit as well. I want to be able to see the whole tire in the rear as well as the front. I am sure this would also improve ride quality as well.

Benzo

h&r sports with origional shocks.

AMG///Merc

But rather it the harsh ride may be the result of using the oem struts with the lower springs. If the car is lowered let's say, an inch and one half, that's an inch and a half of suspension travel that's gone. I don't know if the oem struts have "progressive" compression damping, meaning that the struts get stiffer as the strut compresses further, but if that is the case, you may be just using too much suspension travel. Ideally, you really want to get a set of coilovers, or at least struts that are matched for the lower ride height. Springs do effect ride quality, and that may be the trouble, but it would be a real shame to change the springs if it's just the stuts. Irregardless, I'd suggest getting coil-overs. I hope this helps...


Best regards,
Matt

Benzo

Thanks for the input- much appreciated! I am at such a loss b/c I have been given so many suggestions I don't know where to begin. I am litterally waiting to see a car driving with the proper set up and I am going to flag them down like a mad man!

theine

In reality what happened is that you went from your standard setup of 17'" wheels/tires and springs to 19" wheels with very low profile tires, probably 35's front and 30's rear in combination with H&R's, this setup alone is very harsh if you are not used to it. You definitely will need shocks like Koni or Bilstein, because they will worn out quickly, but that won't improve the "harshnes" of the ride. For softer ride you need suspension travel, and high profile tires, like standard cars, otherwise you will need to spend the bucks and go with something like Kleeman sensitive suspension.
Now let me tell you, H&R's with Koni Sport Adjustables is a great setup for most people.

AMG///Merc

But I get the impression that Benzo already had the wheels when he had the springs installed, and the aforementioned ride harshness came on after the springs were installed...


Best regards,
Matt

AMG///Merc

I just re-read Benzo's first post, and it does seem that he had the wheels installed the same time as the springs, so the lower profile tires are surely adding to the harshness, if not the entire cause of it...

Assuming that you want to keep the 19"s, (That's part of the reason I chose 18"s), an option that you might have is to try a different brand of tire that is known to have more sidewall "cushion". Absolutely avoid run-flat tires, as they all have signifigantly stiffer sidewalls in order to be able to "run flat". I can't say that I know of any particular tire that offers more sidewall give over another, but I bet that if you check the TireRack, and the owners testimonials in particular, you may be able to find a tire that is known for it's better ride quality...

I'd still suggest that you get coil-overs or a matched spring/strut set, specifically the Kleeman speed-sensitive suspension like Theine suggested. Most aftermarket coil-over kits offer compression adjusters**, but even at their softest settings, they still may be a little bit stiffer than stock. Unfortunately, it's generally a matter of fact that there's a trade-off between handling and ride quality, although some of the newer "reactive" suspension are going a long way to eliminating this trade-off, but until they become more available, the compromise is still there. What you may want to do ideally, is to try to frequent some of the local MB Club get-togethers or similar event, and try to get a ride in CLK55 that's had suspension work done so you can get an idea about ride quality before hand...

I hope this helps...


Best regards,
Matt


** If you decide to go with a coil-over kit, try to find one that offers both high and low speed damping adjustment. JFYI, by "speed", it's meant for the shaft velocity versus road speed. The benefit is that with both high and low speed adjustments, you can tighten up the low-speed adjustment, that generally handles weight transfer and body roll (Slow shaft movement), and soften up the high speed adjustment, which occur when you hit a sharp bump (Fast shaft movement). The dual adjustments will allow some degree of body control while still allowing for bump absortion. Also note that by "dual adjustment", some companies are refering to having both compression and rebound damping, so you would want a set that has high and low speed adjustments for both compression and rebound damping...

Having said all of that though, and not to confuse you any further, but it's just occured to me that most kits that offer high and low speed damping adjustment are most likely going to be more track oriented with an emphasis on handling over ride comfort, so I really can't say for sure one way or another. You're best bet if you decide to go this route is to call the companies themselves!