Quadcammer

The 430 that I bought seemed to ride a bit rougher than the other ones, so id like to replace at least the rear shocks. The ones that I've found at my parts supplier are the Bilstein Hd's. I DO NOT want better handling or anything. The main reason I loved this car was the soft ride. Therefore, Id like the softest set of shocks possible.

Any recommendations?

Anybody have low mileage stock take offs?

thanks

uberwgn

Boge/Sachs might be the OE part. I think AZAutohaus sells those.

KONI produces adj shocks. I've got a set of these and they're pretty nice...far more "street-friendly' than a Bilstein.

You could also order the OE pieces from a dealer.

Quadcammer

right you are.

good price too

Thanks

lexrex

Were the other W210s you drove also 4matic? I've heard some anecdotal evidence that the 4matics ride harder than non-4matic. I'm inclined to believe it since I'd hardly call the ride on mine soft. (And I have new OEM Bilstein front shocks.)

Quadcammer

I drove a 320 4 matic that rode soft. Maybe its just the cold.

KINGGLORY

Dont forget about tires. The tires can change the cars comfort and handling greatly. I just changed to a new Conti and noticed a softer ride and much smoother. The down side was I lost some of the sport feel for comfort. You may want to look into this and tire presure as well.
Good Luck

Air Marshall Eldritch

Good point about the tire pressure. If you don't have one, get a nice digital pressure gauge. If you want to trade mileage for comfort, let a few pounds out of each tire.
Also, the soft rubber tires will feel nicer but wear faster. Everything is a tradeoff.

In addition, NE roads just suck. You will be punished going over frost heaves no matter what you do.

CQHall

What make/model tires are you running?

As others have stated before, as a rule of thumb:

Sport tires are made of a softer rubber compound which don't last very long but are quiet, sticky, give a soft ride.

The all-season, 50,000 mile type tires will be made of a harder rubber which will prove louder, less sticky, and give a more harsh ride.

So, tell us which tires are on the car and someone will tell you if it's the tires or not.

Quadcammer

The tires are a big part of it. Right now its on brand new Michelin Alpin 2 snows and they are at about 38psi cold. Obviously thats not helping matters.

I plan to switch to a set of Yokohama Avid H4s which should be a good balance.

CQ, I agree with a lot of your post, but some things I disagree with.

1. While sporty tires may use softer rubber, the sidewall will be much stiffer to give better response. That will affect the ride much more than the hardness of the rubber.

2. In my experience, tread design is the number 1 contributor to loud tires. Usually the all season tires have simple, parallel treads that aren't fantastic for traction, but provide a quiet ride. You want a loud tire, look at the wild tread pattern on the BFG KDW 2. They are extremely noisey. Also, don't discount that sticky tires like to throw rocks and debris into the fender wells.

I realize the snow tires have a lot to do with it, and those will get changed, Im just looking to have the softest ride possible.

lkchris

Shocks from dealer will be softest.

Quadcammer

trouble is that I don't want to pay dealer prices.

The link mentioned above does have the oem boge/sachs pieces

CQHall

Well, outside of tires, I'll suggest: Koni Externally Adjustable shocks.

Huachipato

I read this article on TireRack. Seems like the weight of the wheel/tire combo can affect the ride as well (Heavier=smoother).