Rottley

I have a 2000 E55. I had a 540 BMW before. The bimmer had much less body roll. I know Mercs have more roll even while still handling well esp. AMG models. I want less roll and was considering H&R springs with Koni adjust shocks. Any one on this board including Vic done this. What are the pros ie. ?lee roll, VS the cons ie. bumpy ride. Also should I go with lower spring pads.
Thanks for helping me make this $1200 decision. ($800 + 400 labor).
MarkO

E55MKB

Mark:

Before you spent all that money, at least try this first.

Inflate you tires (especially the front) to at least 38psi.

Try again your car and see how you like it during cornering.

MB recommends only 33psi front for "normal" driving.

Some of the preceived "body roll" might be caused by the outside front tires scrubbing the outside shoulder.

I personally uses 38psi all around which I feel improves significantly the response/cornering behavior of the car compared to the 33fr/35rr setting.

JamE55

Hi Rottley!

Actually Vic is running H&R's with Bilstein shocks. And our webmaster mr. v is using this setup up H&R's and Koni. Either one of these setups if you do decide to have this done on your car will give you very less body roll and the handling much better! Although it will also give you a firmer ride. Hope this helps.

mbmb

There is a sticker inside the driver door of my E55 that mandates 41 psi front / 48 psi rear in the Dunlop 9000s. With the pressure at 38 front and rear, there is marked instability at speeds over 115 mph.

Vic55

I run 36psi cold all the way around and the ride is just fine but I have 19 inch wheels. I have the Bilstein/H&R setup and it suits my daily driver needs- not too firm but not too soft. I actually would like an even firmer ride but dont want to give up anymore comfort.

Rottley

Thanks for the info. I'll try to inflate to 38 front and back. If that doesnt do it I may have to do the shock and spring upgrade. The guys at renntech said that only anti-roll bars would make a significant difference and no larger ones are available for the E55.
They also said a E55 pulled 1g on a course in Europe so why would I want to upgrade the suspension anyway. I just want to feel the G's.
MarkO

mikE55

I'd suggest going with 41psi (front)/48psi (rear). The dealer had mine set to 33psi (per the gas cover) on delivery. The car felt way to comfy, and I thought what's up with this? I checked the tire pressures, and saw the AMG spec 41/48 tire pressure label on the driver's inner door. The difference was night and day! At 41/48 the car handles like a precision tool, with good road feel and feedback. Just as a proper super sport sedan should!

oresama99

to address your questions regarding the koni/H&R set-up, i am running the shocks at their stiffest setting and the ride is still very compliant. prior to the E55 i had an s4, and eventhough it was completely stock i would say the E55 with koni/H&R's handles transitions/bumps/expansions joints much more smoothly than the s4, while providing more flat cornering. overall the set up is very compliant and (i'm assuming you are ordering the evosport kit) will provide a nice amount of drop to your ride height. under hard cornering the front will rub, but as of yet this has only happened to me twice (parking lot at airport going down roundabout ramp) and i have never come close to scraping the front oem bumper. for me, the koni/H&R set-up is ideal, i'm sorry i don't have any info on billstein set-up for a comparo. but i think that for $1200, that price included alignment for me, the koni set-up is a pretty good deal.

bkc

Rottley

On a related topic, if I go to a 19 inch tire on the E55, will that decrease the gap between the fender and the top of the tire. I know with the right tires it will enhance the grip but will ride comfort decrease?
MarkO

MikeC

41 psi front/48 psi rear is going to wear the center of the tires and it's going to happen pretty quickly if you maintain those pressures. Somewhere around 34 psi to 36 psi is optimal for everday driving providing more rubber contact area to the asphalt.

oresama99

plus sizing to 19-inch with the correct aspect ratio, 245/35 front and 275/30 rear (i think), shouldn't increase/decrease the overall diameter of the wheel. you may have a slight change in overall diameter, but it shouldn't be practically significant.

19's are big *** wheels. depending on what brand of tire you get the ride stiffness will vary. but stepping up from 18-19 will certainly make the ride a little harsher. combine that with the koni/H&R set-up and you will certainly have a significant degradation in ride comfort. it all depends on your preference. i ran coilovers and 17's on an A4 1.8t and i loved the kidney jarring ride.

mbmb

As always, YMMV. In my experience, 34-36 is not optimal for everyday driving in an E55. But a) my everyday driving includes runs well over 100 mph (and over 150 at every opportunity); b) I don't like my steering wheel shimmying at those speeds; and c) I really don't like the idea of my tires coming apart at those speeds.

How do you account for AMG telling us that 41/48 is the correct pressure? Is AMG in cahoots with Michelin and Dunlop, helping them sell more tires? It is certainly possible. It is also possible that the soft compound in the Z-rated tires will suffer from the excess heat generated by running the tires soft.

Maybe one of us should ask Luke.

MikeC

Mbmb,

35psi front/ 35 psi rear works for me without any shimmy or drifting even at 145 (front windows open). Most modern cars will do 100 without any issue of stability, it's even more of a non event in a E55. If 41/48 makes you feel comfortable that's ok, because the only times I will use those higher pressures are: 1. If I am going to be a considerable distance from home (say 200+ miles) 2. On a racetrack etc. where most likely I will be heating up those tires pretty well. I have learned this from previous experience with my M5 which recommended similiar tire pressures and it devoured the tires in 7-8 months.
Most forum members use somewhere between 34-38 psi (this was a post last year).
I drive my car depending on road conditions and it is impossible to do 150 everyday in a traffic tieup.

mbmb

I'll be happy to get 7-8 months (i.e. 15-17k miles) out of this set of tires.

When you run 35 psi cold, what is the hot pressure?

I get to drive on straight freeway with light traffic at least a few of times a week. I don't see 150 infrequently. Don't tell my wife.