cntlaw

Friend of mine bought my E320, a 2001 W210 E320 Advantgarde (facelift) which is supposed to have stiffer suspension system than the Elegant version of same model. Now, he found the ride quality is too stiff and want to change the suspension system to the stock Elegant version as well as higher profile tires.

Questions:

1. He is currently using stock 17" rims , 235/45, I suggest 225/50 which keeps the same diameter; if he uses 235/50 will the wheel diameter be siginificantly affecting trip meter?

2. With the heavy weight of W210, would 235 width is always better than 225 , or just insignicant?

3. Has anyone change the stock springs of 2001 W210 Advantgarde version to Elegant version? DO you feel the difference? are theyt only the shocks are different and springs are the same?

4. Any suspension system you would suggest to improve ride quality? Please provide model , and actual user experience is preferred.

5. A friend recommends Toyo tires, please provide your user expereince of Toyo on E320 and what model/spec do you use?

many thanks for your help

lexrex

225/50/17 is just a little bit (2.1%) taller than 235/45/17. 215/50/17 is a closer match. 235/50/17 is way off. Don't expect ride improvement since the sidewall heights are basically the same. Instead, expect the ride to be a little bit harder. The narrower tire will be stretched more and therefore have less sidewall deflection. I suggest buying softer tires, not buying the wrong size.

Also could switch to 16" rims.

I understand your friend wanting a smoother ride. I have 235/45/17 tires and the factory "elegance" suspension, and I already find the ride to be a bit harsh.

cntlaw

my friend finally fixed the 'problem'.
He replaced the old shocks to new but still the stock Advantgarde shocks.
Also, he replaced the tires to some Toyo 235. No rims have been changed.

tks

t

Musikmann

Toyo tires? Sorry, but what a joke! What does he THINK he has, a Honda?

Did your friend bother to call MBUSA to ask "what are the MB recommended tires for my year/make/model Mercedes?

I did this, and they are very helpful. I bought a used MB that had Fulda tires. The rep there thought that was UNACCEPTABLE. He told me what tires they recommended for that model year, and I went with the closest current alternative. BTW, Fulda is owned by Goodyear, and it is a european brand of theirs.

Why do you think that Daimler suggests using Goodyear, Michelin, Continental, and Pirelli? My guess is that they feel their cars handle the best with these brands. NOT BECAUSE some "tire *****" gave them the best price.

cntlaw

Myself only takes Michellin PS/2 for my Benzes. Pity this friend of mine was concerned about the PS/2 price and we both know an old friend who runs a garage and where this E320 used to be service there.

I know very well about a garage, they make more profits only if a job involves intensive labouring, so replacing the shocks plus PS/2 will be a huge bill , and I think if the customer (my friend with my ex320) asks to lower the bill, the result is to get cheaper tires and my garage friend wont reduce the labouring cost of installing the shocks.

I heard about Toyo tires , they are good in overall performance but as you pointed out, I aint sure if these Japanese tires will be very reliable for a heavy car like the W210. ( actually the previous Bridgestone S03 were already being fcked up in less than 2 yrs ~15000km )

Musikmann

I see the problem now, thank you for the explanation. I also didn't know the difference between Advantgarde and Elegant suspensions. I think all W210 Mercedes as of 2000 are considered to be "post-facelift". In the USA, I believe we would say that your friend's auto has the "Sport Package".

I also have a 2001 E320 and until I find out differently, I will assume that I have the Elegant. It does NOT have the sports package.

I do not think Bridgestone is an MBUSA-recommended tire either, but I am not sure. I will call them today to see what they recommend for mine. I have Continental "ContiTouringContact" 215/55/R16 93H that the dealer put on - brand new - before they sold it to me. I think they are good tires.

scorpo

It is called Avantgarde and Elegance

cntlaw

yes, elegance !


i think Advantgarde is equal to "sports package" in USA.
Locally here, it is very easy to recognize Advantgarde because the wondows tint color is blue.

scorpo

Oh man, it is Avantgarde! without letter D

And here in Europe, i have an avantgarde version and it is lower then any elegance versions, and i guess it is stiffer then elegance.
Also we have Classic version which does not have any extras at all and suspension it has like from an SUV.

scorpo

And yes the windows tint is blue only on avantgarde and also avantgarde has a black wood trim, which i really like, especially with black leather

cntlaw

Yes, we do have exactly the same variants of avantgarde, elegance and classic for C class, E class and CLK class .

Avantgarde is still the more expensive version representing a sportier chacacteristic denoted by blue tint glass and black birdeye wood trim.

Not sure if I remember correctly, for W211, the suspension for avan and ele are the same.