Airmatic question
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2022
Posts: 8
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CLS
Airmatic question
Howdy… perspective buyer here just have a quick question about the suspension.
I’ve read the four-wheel-drive models handle very well in the snow provided there’s enough clearance and you have snow tires. The road up the mountain to the ski area parking lot is plowed regularly but during snow storms I’ve seen some sedans with lower ground clearance struggle between plowing‘s even with four-wheel-drive because the snow is accumulating so quickly. Is it safe to operate the CLS with the ride height at the maximum setting for the 3-4 mile trip up with max speeds no more than 20 MPH?
Thanks.
I’ve read the four-wheel-drive models handle very well in the snow provided there’s enough clearance and you have snow tires. The road up the mountain to the ski area parking lot is plowed regularly but during snow storms I’ve seen some sedans with lower ground clearance struggle between plowing‘s even with four-wheel-drive because the snow is accumulating so quickly. Is it safe to operate the CLS with the ride height at the maximum setting for the 3-4 mile trip up with max speeds no more than 20 MPH?
Thanks.
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2020
Posts: 29
Likes: 14
From: Chicago, IL
'14 CLS550
"Is it safe to operate the CLS with the ride height at the maximum setting for the 3-4 mile trip up with max speeds no more than 20 MPH?" --- I would say yes. Proper winter tires and 4matic do very well in the snow, especially with the suspension lift engaged. Don't expect SUV-like performance, but the W218 550 has more than enough torque to navigate winter roads with proper setup. My two cents, driving a RWD W218 550 around Chicago in the winter, lowered ~1", on Pirelli Sottozero IIs, never had a problem. Only caveat is obviously there are no mountains in Chicago, but I can't imagine a 4matic 550 with snow tires being anything worse than middle of the bell curve for winter performance. If you're dead set on the CLS and daily driving it in your environment, you could always load up the nicely spacious trunk with some sandbags or dumbbells in suitcases.
