ericjburd

Well I got rid of my porsches and chose to go for a four door, I wanted some comfort and technology. Many of my co-workers drive mercedes e55's and cls 55's and the man at the top of the food chain just dropped over 400k on the 2009 CL Brabus, 950hp at the wheels are something insane. I'm not quite ready for that...one day....I got a great deal on a new 2008 e350 sport last month, 12k off sticker and gave me too much for the trade, couldnt refuse. I was bored with generic look, I found the link to kleeman from this site, 50% off wheels, couldnt pass that up. I put on DS11's 19x8.5 up front and 19x10 in the rear. I lowered the car with h&r's. I am happy with the look but I sure hope the front settles more, the rear is tucked, and the front, well, isnt. I hope I dont regret not waiting for the full adjustable coilovers.

SPNJHockey

Very nice, Cuz. Good luck with, and enjoy it. Don't stop moddin'.

220S

Congrats. The car sits nicely. Looks good.

What P-cars did you let go? I was going to sell my 993 but changed my mind. I enjoy driving the MY09 E350 I just bought, but it's not exactly an exciting drive; a pokey go-pedal and numb steering. But it's a great cushy cruiser as a DD. The best choice out there for that kind of car, imho. Enjoy!

btw, how is the handling with the 19" and the H&R setup compared with the stock 18" and AMG sport package? I find these cars have a lot of body roll and are kind of sloppy when hard pressed.

p.s., curious as to what they gave you as trade-in on the Ps. You mentioned "too much for the trade" as part of your motivation. 996s and 997s seem to be sitting on the lots at the moment and not selling privately either. That's partly why I'm holding on to mine; prices are stagnant and the cars that are out there aren't moving, including 993s.

ericjburd

Thanks guys. oh yeah one other mod, once I realized I didnt have HIDs I had to change that, my eyes are bad so I need good lights, I went with the 12000k 55w, they are like laser beams, yeah both arent too street legal but I think ill be fine as im not driving a 87 civic. The projectors keep the beam low.

220S...the car handles much better, its actually far from harsh, still quite cushy but not too much anymore, and the body roll now feels like that of a "sporty" car. I stuck with the stock shocks as they only have 2000 miles on them. Its funny though my Infiniti FX35 that my gal drives most of the time still feels much sportier and stiff with virtually no body roll. Crazy for a cross over. Its funny though how our perception changes, when I had the Boxster S and the FX, it felt like the fx handled like a boat. My problem with the porsches and I just had two boxsters over the last 2 years, is that they are fun when you drive them hard...crappy stereo, plain interior, noisy ride, but damn no car does 70 to 120 like a p car. And that boxster was too much fun to drive, I just found my self going over 100 too often, I'd like to make it to 27. I was test driving 2008 C4s though it was hard to walk away. Then I actually bought a 2006 Maserati quattroporte, and bailed on the deal after a few days, for various reasons, mainly because the clutch can go every 8000 miles depending on how you drive them, and with my 20k miles plus a year, that wont work. But all in all I'm happy with my cushy ride, and I love all the technology, that logic 7 sure sounds alot better than that garbage stereo in the boxster, any bass would make the doors rattle like a tin can. I do think my next car will be the Porsche Panamera, four door pcar, count me in.

Viper786

wow very nice i love the wheels a lot

155

Wow those wheels are really nice!! Great pick up. Quattroporte?? One of THE most sexiest cars of all time...

ericjburd

hey thanks again guys. appreciate the feedback. I still cant believe the deal i got through kleeman for the wheels, i was originally going to wait until my stocks were ready to go. If the kompressor kit was half off too I dont think I could have refused. That will be next year.


Yes the Maserati I think is the best looking car period. The fit and finish, and the technology has nothing on the Benz. Its just damn sexy. Its like having the hottest girl youve ever seen but shes crazier than a **** house rat. Is it worth it? 5k clutch and 2k tune per year, plus the 1100 monthly....Yikes...That engine sure sounded good for those few days. The tranny was awful but I guess they fixed it for 2007.

locomercedes

looking good

gaazmon

Congrats on the ride. Hey, let me know if they give 50% off the kompressor packages, I'll come get one too

Ya, not worth it in my opinion the maintenance on a maserati. I've never liked maserati's either. The only Italian car I'd buy is a Ferrari, not even a lambo.

ericjburd

Ok guys I think that I want to go for either the AMG e55 or E63 body conversion. The lower of the car just didnt make it look aggressive enough. How many of you have done this? Before and after Shots? Challenges? Any feedback, pointers, would be great. Thanks

acuteperformance

Sick man it looks good.

desert-boater

Very nice wheels!

DMW2

Yeah that Cambiocorsa is what keeps a lot of QP's circulating right back to the dealerships.

In NY there are alot of used car lots that have them. Its always funny to see these guys buy the car, ride them for about 5 months, then you see them walking for like 6months!!! LOL

Saving up for that clutch change I guess! lol

Nice job with your mods. You will probably end up going with the coilvoers though, the springs just don't have that aggressive stance you want.

155

Hey eric what was the issue with the tranny? I'm actually quite serious about picking one up but i'm also deterred from the high maintenence. Crazier than a ****ing house rat?? haha, I'm married to one!!

BTW the e63 conversion is dead easy. Just need to order all the right part numbers, paint, install and enjoy. The front bumper is a bit of a PITA because of the amount of parts required:
https://mbworld.org/forums/w211-amg/...arts-list.html

The skirts, rear bumpe and muffler is as easy as can be. I also bought updated LED tails, trunk finisher and grill to get the updated look as I have a pre-07.

It's not cheap though, the full conversion (all parts bought new from MB) and used exhaust (1300, i overpaid) is running me 7-8k. But GOOD GOD does is look sexy as hell. Next for me is HRE M40's.

mmartinez

hey eric I want to lower my E class. did you have to change the shocks too? did a shop install the springs? how much? thanks. you're ride looks really sweet.

DMW2

I used to have a 7series, and I was really hot and heavy on the QP before I decided on the CLS.

There is actually no 'issue' with the tranny. On the 05 and 06 cars, the transmission is a electro hydraulic acutuated 6speed manual. This means that its a normal 6 speed manual with a automated clutch pedal.

Under full throttle and hard driving the automated clutch is great. But in part throttle conditions (think creeping up a hill, or squeezing into a tight parking space), the automated clutch just constantly slips to keep the movement of the car smooth.

Also when you drive the car in automatic mode, the clutch is slipping in and out of the gears (this is what helps the car emulate the feel of the torque converter equipped car).

This all conspires to wear the clutch really quickly. So its actually no 'problem' with the tranny. People just don't understand the way it works, thus they put extra wear on the clutch, which costs somewhere in the 6-8k neighborhood to replace.

Still a great car, just make sure you know how to drive it, I have a whole list of do's and don'ts from another forum if you want them.

OP: sorry for the long off-topic rant, back on topic, still loving those wheels on your car. Almost look OEM.

alashram

IMO the E63 looks the best. Congratulations on your new car

ericjburd

Thanks bro...

Yes I had a shop in San Diego do all of the work. I found them through tire rack actually, they had by far the best reviews. They charged 85 per corner, for the springs. I kept the original shocks in as they only had 2000 miles on them. I have read if they have too many miles on them they end up blowing out fairly quickly due to drastic change in pressure (i'm sure someone here can be more scientific than that) , thats why if youre paying for the labor and your shocks have a lot of miles on them you might as well swap those out too. The ride was a little boucy for the first 100 miles, now its leveled out and I can dive into corners like it did with my Porsche, the body roll goes to a certain point then just stops.


One thing I actually wish had not changed is the differnet sized spring pads, I was told by a mercedes mechanic that in 2008 they no longer go with variable pads. Bummer because I would like to have the front a little lower and the back a little higher. Youre in luck with your model year. I believe there are 4 pad widths to slightly adjust ride height.

Has any one tried to fabricate thier own for 2008 and later models?

ericjburd

Thanks for all of the great information. 7-8k......this site is really going to put a damper on my 2009 travel plans. Is there a solid company that is making a good e63 replica kit?


Just get a 2007 or later QP i haven't read many reliability reviews, but the original road tests of the new automatica transmission were rave. You can get some serious deals right now, these car salesman are starving.

ericjburd

thanks bro..


As for the QP, It for sure was fun to drive, but it was really weird feeling the car feather the clutch like you had a robot doing it for you. The main problem is when I was driving with my girl or some friends around town, having to rev every single shift, I dont care how good of a driver you are, it will never even be close to as smooth as any german 4 door automatic. I either want a clutch with a gearbox, or a real automatic.

mmartinez

Hey Eric thanks for replying back bro. Someone in the forums recommended a mb mechanic down in Huntington beach. I was impressed with all his knowledge, he also mentioned the spring pads. It makes me feel safe knowing that you mentioned the spring pads and he also did too. I wouldnt want just any joker touching my mercedes. He was charging $300 for labor. That sound about how much you paid. Thanks

j_belll

clean

shardul

iTrader: (1)

nice looking wheels more pics would be nice

ericjburd

Good Idea I think I'll head downtown


Nobody with before and after pics for the e63 conversion? When I look at pics side it doesnt seem like that huge of a difference except for the front end, how much lower is the front? an inch or so?

ericjburd

didnt come out as good as I hoped but here are a few more...