Smoltz

Hello Group,

Taking delivery of an 06 E350 w/ Apperance & Premium Shortly. Having driven the car I'm not entirely thritlled with the handling of the car. I have seen some E500s with the AMG sport package at the dealer and they appear to ride a bit lower. Is the suspension on the E500 AMG made up of different components or simply calibrated differently in Software.


Thansk,
Adam

MB Fanatic

Yes the cars that have the AMG Package have a different suspension setup. They ride lower, have better handling, and different springs and what not. Also as you stated the the software for the Airmatic DC system is configured differently over the Appearance package and the stock version.

ATS

Are you sure about that? From what I have read the AMG package is all cosmetic.

alewifebp

I always thought it was more cosmetic, and different tires, which can certainly make a difference handling wise.

avb777

AMG Package includes Front bumper (new fog lights), Rear bumper with dual exhaust and 18 AMG wheels.

jameson75

I am going to have to concur. The AMG sport package is merely cosmetic. Perhaps the car looks lower because of the sculpted side skirts. Or possibly the airmatic. I have the appearance package and airmatic on my E500 and it looks lower than the others without this package. My E500 handles very well with the airmatic on Sport II and in "S" mode. My other car is a MR2 Turbo (its a two seater, mid rear engine sports car). So I am use to driving a car that handles very well. Which is why I am so impressed with my E500's handling.

avb777

AMG package doesn't have sculpted side skirts it has standard ones.
It probably looks lower because on the front and rear bumpers plus 18" wheels

Bode

My E350 has DC Airmatic and in my mind and experience the best of both worlds. In Comfort Setting it takes uneven roads like a "Lincoln Town Car", however with harder cornering, acceleration or braking it hardens the suspension as required. In the sports modes it lowers the body by 15 millimeter (around 3/4 inch) and uses more stiffer suspension controls for springing and damping. The AMG suspension is probably close to what is achieved in Sports Mode II, however DC Airmatic probably has the edge due to its construction and more extensive use of light alloy (see detailed desciption below). The automatic leveling under varying loads is another road handling enhancer which the "normal" AMG suspension does not have.

The new AIRMATIC DC system therefore basically offers sports suspension and comfort suspension in one. By adjusting the springing and damping according to the given situation, this system solves the familiar conflict between perfect comfort and high dynamic handling when it comes to suspension tuning -- and hence meets the most diverse of customer wishes.

For those who enjoy knowing all about it please read on:

AIRMATIC DC: computer-controlled air suspension

AIRMATIC DC is a development of the air suspension system featured on the Mercedes-Benz S-Class since the end of 1998. It is standard equipment for the new E 500 and available as an option for the other models of the new E-Class. The suffix "DC" stands for "Dual Control" and emphasises the new dual function of the system, which now, for the first time, controls springing and damping using cutting-edge microelectronics:

• For the damping Mercedes-Benz uses the familiar Adaptive Damping System (ADS II), which constantly regulates the force of the shock absorbers according to needs, taking into account the state of the road surface, the style of driving and the loading of the Saloon.

• Special rubber bellows in the spring struts are responsible for the springing.
Inside them is compressed air, which ensures softer -- and hence more comfortable -- suspension of the wheels and body. Under normal driving conditions, the pressure in the E-Class's AIRMATIC DC system is between seven and nine bar.

A new feature of this system is the opportunity to control the air volume actively while on the move. When cornering at speed, for example, or where other dynamic handling requirements are high, AIRMATIC DC briefly deactivates a proportion of the air volume, ensuring a harder spring rate. The effect is to reduce pitch and roll, which has a positive influence on the ride stability and cornering stability of the Saloon. Under normal driving conditions, on the other hand, the entire air volume remains active so that maximum comfort is achieved with softer basic suspension.

In other words: the new AIRMATIC DC system offers sports suspension and comfort suspension in one. By adjusting the springing and damping according to the given situation, this system solves the familiar conflict between perfect comfort and high dynamic handling when it comes to suspension tuning -- and hence meets the most diverse of customer wishes.

Springing and damping adapt to the current driving situation

The rapid activation or deactivation of the 'comfort' air volume and the automatic adaptation of the force of the shock absorbers is controlled by a microcomputer on the basis of various sensor signals which supply information on, for example, the steering and yaw angle of the body, forward and lateral acceleration of the vehicle, the level of the body and the driving style. The control unit compares this up-to-the-minute data with stored set points and starts a programmed arithmetic process (algorithm) which determines both the optimum characteristic of the adaptive shock absorbers and the control of the air volume. The computer commands are then implemented in various ways:

Springing: with a dynamic driving style, control valves in the spring struts separate off the proportion of the air volume which determines comfort, which is directly integrated in the spring struts at the front axle. At the rear axle the additional air reservoirs are attached separately, for reasons of space, to the
front cross member of the subframe and connected to the spring struts by fabric hoses.

The pneumatic springs and shock absorbers are housed separately. The AIRMATIC DC system at the rear axle of the new E-Class

• Damping: selectable solenoid valves in the shock absorbers allow the rebound and compression damping to be altered to suit the situation so that movement of the body is significantly reduced. The so-called skyhook algorithm regulates the damping forces at each wheel in such a manner that the forces resulting from the wheel movement which act on the body are reduced.

Thanks to the precise regulation for each individual wheel, for example, both front wheels can be dampened harder on braking than the rear wheels in order to prevent the bodywork from diving. Depending on the control command, the valves can set one of four characteristics in an extremely short time of less than 0.05 seconds:
Stage 1: improved road roar and tyre vibration characteristics with less movement of the body and lower acceleration values as a result of soft compression and rebound stage.
Stage 2: skyhook mode -- soft rebound setting and, at the same time, hard compression stage.
Stage 3: skyhook mode -- soft compression setting and, at the same time, hard rebound damping.
Stage 4: hard rebound and compression setting to reduce deviation from tyre uniformity on dynamic cornering.

Where there are small movements of the body,the new E-Class uses ADS stage 1.

If the speed of movement on the part of the body exceeds a certain level, the system switches to the skyhook algorithm and, with the aid of its rapid solenoid valves, permanently switches back and forth between the second and third damping stages to compensate for pitch and roll of the body.

The adaptive damping and the variable air suspension of the new AIRMATIC DC system always work simultaneously on the basis of common algorithms to produce the ideal damper characteristics and spring rates.

The driver determines the chassis characteristics at the touch of a button
In addition, the driver can influence the switching thresholds between the four ADS stages and the spring rate by pressing a button on the chassis switch in the centre console. The driver can move through three stages, from comfortable to sporty: normally (switch position 0) the comfort map is active and the system only changes relatively late from the softest damping stage to a harder configuration. Where the spring rate is concerned, the comfort setting also dominates.

With switch position 1 (one LED lights up on the push button) the driver selects a slightly sportier map, in which the harder springing and damping stages are activated earlier than in position 0. In addition, AIRMATIC DC lowers the body by 15 millimetres.

With the second switch position (two LEDs light up on the push button) the sporty configuration is immediately selected and automatic shifting to softer maps is blocked. Damping and springing remain constantly hard so that a sporty suspension characteristic is always available. In this position too the body is automatically lowered by 15 millimetres

At a speed of 140 km/h the body is lowered by 15 millimetres

Further performance features of the new air suspension system include automatic all-round self-levelling suspension. This ensures that, even with a heavy load, the same spring travel is always available. Furthermore, while the vehicle is on the move this system works in a speed-sensitive manner and automatically lowers the body by 15 millimetres at both axles from a speed of 140 km/h in order to reduce drag and enhance ride stability. Below a speed of 70 km/h the body is raised to the normal level again.

On country tracks or potholed surfaces the driver can also raise the body manually by 25 millimetres at the touch of a button. If the speedometer needle remains above the 80 km/h mark for a set period of time, or if the new E-Class reaches 120 km/h, the self-levelling suspension automatically returns the body level to the normal setting.

Front axle: four-link system with a host of advantages

Improved road roar and tyre vibration characteristics, safe handling up to the critical limits, sporty agility and precise directional stability -- these dynamic driving plus points of the new E-Class are due not only to the innovative AIRMATIC DC but also in considerable part to advancements in axle technology.
At the front axle the Mercedes engineers have replaced the double wishbone system of the previous model with a sophisticated four-link system which allows further improvements in terms of wheel location, steering precision and comfort.

For precise straight-line stability and superlative comfort: the new four-link front suspension with AIRMATIC-DC suspension struts

Two separate links (torque strut and spring link) take over the tasks of the lower wishbone and allow even better axle kinematics and even more precise location of the wheels. Vibrations as a result of tyre imbalance or fluctuations in the braking force can be compensated for more effectively in this way than with the rigid lower link level at the front axle found on the previous model.

The safety specialists at the Mercedes Technology Centre also provided an important reason for opting for the four-link system: in a head-on collision it offers greater deformation in the area of the lower link level. Because the individual axle components demonstrate a better deformation capability than the conventional triangular control arms, the kinetic energy in a collision can be absorbed more effectively.

The lower spring link and the torque struts share responsibility for wheel location with triangular control arms in the upper area of the front axle. The two link levels are connected to one another by steering knuckles. The fourth component, which gives the four-link axle its name, comprises the track rods.

The steel-sprung model versions of the new E-Class are fitted at the front axle with coil springs, single-tube shock absorbers and a torsion bar stabiliser. The Mercedes engineers have increased the size of the rubber bearings for the springing and damping elements, creating even further reductions in road roar and tyre vibration compared to the previous model.

jangy

so what?

jameson75

Take a look at a bone stock W211 look at the side skirts that run along the car (under the doors). You will notice that it is "smooth" and does not have any contour. Now take a look at a w211 with either the appearance package or the AMG package and you will notice that the skirts on this same area is contoured, sculpted if you will. The AMG side skirts is more sculpted then the appearance package. But both are sculpted nonetheless.

jhh

I'm not sure if this is relevant to your original question, but the current E-Class brochure clearly says that the Airmatic DC is NO LONGER available on the E350, and is NOT INCLUDED in the Appearance Package for the E350. I got this brochre at the dealership about 2 weeks ago. On the other hand, as of this Friday (7/29/05), the model configurator at MB-USA still INCLUDES the Airmatic DC as part of the Appearance Package on the E350. Because the brochure doesn't list prices, I have no idea whether the price of the Appearance Package on the E350 has been adjusted. Not sure if this is a case of the printed brochure being out ahead of the web site, or the other way around.

In any case, if you haven't taken delivery of your E350, you might want to make doubly sure it's on your car when you get it (assuming you're expecting it to be there).