another suspension question
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 8
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From: san francisco
another suspension question
Hi
just inherited my wife's 95 E320, 106k miles,stock. Although i like the comfy ride, i wish it had more control. Was thinking about just changing the shocks first and see if that would "cure" it. Idont want to lower it if possible. Question is should i change to new OEM shocks or get some stiffer bilsteins/Konis?
Norman
just inherited my wife's 95 E320, 106k miles,stock. Although i like the comfy ride, i wish it had more control. Was thinking about just changing the shocks first and see if that would "cure" it. Idont want to lower it if possible. Question is should i change to new OEM shocks or get some stiffer bilsteins/Konis?
Norman
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 27
Likes: 0
W211 E55
More "control"
You need to be a bit more specific in terms of "control". You have four basic options
- Springs: these will firm up the handling without degrading the ride. You'll notice this the most in cornering. Aftermarket sport springs will lower the car about 1.2" while OE Sportline springs improve the handling less but with less lowering.
- Shocks: these will help the car feel more in control over rough pavement, swales, etc. They tighten up the ride but do the most to degrade the ride comfort.
- Swaybars: You have two upgrade options: i) Sportline or ii) 500E swaybar packages. These include front and rear swaybars and the three sets of bushings that go with them. These will really help keep the car more flat in turns and reduce roll. Again, no degradation in ride comfort.
- Wheels/tires: If you're still running stock wheels/tires, you're experiencing significant deflection in the tire tread as well as roll in the sidewall of the tire. Even if you stay with the same size tires, upgrading to a higher performance tire will help. The best move is to go up to 17" or 18" wheels and tires. There is some increase in road noise and loss of dampening from the thicker tires but it's not much.
The sport shocks or even the Bilstein Heavy Duty shocks are quite firm on the W124 and will do more to degrade the ride than improve the handling. It's probably the worst tradeoff of the above options. That said, at 100k miles, you're due for some fresh shocks. It's all a matter of how far you want to go in firming up the suspension.
- Springs: these will firm up the handling without degrading the ride. You'll notice this the most in cornering. Aftermarket sport springs will lower the car about 1.2" while OE Sportline springs improve the handling less but with less lowering.
- Shocks: these will help the car feel more in control over rough pavement, swales, etc. They tighten up the ride but do the most to degrade the ride comfort.
- Swaybars: You have two upgrade options: i) Sportline or ii) 500E swaybar packages. These include front and rear swaybars and the three sets of bushings that go with them. These will really help keep the car more flat in turns and reduce roll. Again, no degradation in ride comfort.
- Wheels/tires: If you're still running stock wheels/tires, you're experiencing significant deflection in the tire tread as well as roll in the sidewall of the tire. Even if you stay with the same size tires, upgrading to a higher performance tire will help. The best move is to go up to 17" or 18" wheels and tires. There is some increase in road noise and loss of dampening from the thicker tires but it's not much.
The sport shocks or even the Bilstein Heavy Duty shocks are quite firm on the W124 and will do more to degrade the ride than improve the handling. It's probably the worst tradeoff of the above options. That said, at 100k miles, you're due for some fresh shocks. It's all a matter of how far you want to go in firming up the suspension.
