Andrew88

Hi,

I am from Thailand and I just bought an used 2004 E240 Avantgarde (Uk Spec) with 245/45/17 Michilin Primacy tire / Benz Avantgarde 5 Spoke 17" Wheels. The problems are the ride is very hard, and the steering is very heavy. It seems to pickup every small imperfection on the road, and bottoms out on larger bumps continuously. The steering is so heavy that I have to constantly apply force to turn in and turn out, especially at low speed.

I also have a 2002 E280 Elegance (Local Spec) with 225/60/16 PZero tires, and the ride is much softer. The steering is much lighter as well.

I suspected perhaps the electronics of the Speed Sensitive Steering of the E240 have some problems, but after I brought the car to a Benz dealer for a complete check, they didn't find any defect.

So my questions are:

1) Does anyone else have similar ride quality / steering problems with E2401 Avantgarde (probably compatible to the Sport Package in the US)?

2) Do you think if I change the wheel/tire combinations to 225/50/17 or 225/55/16, it would solve the ride quality / steering problems?

3) Or it is natural that the W211 rides harder and steers heavier than W210?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have been loosing sleep over this

Thanks in advance.