RickP330

Hello all,
I am still shopping for my E550. I drove one last week and it seemed a little soft for me in the turns. I had seen it was the airmatic suspension version and the salesman couldn't tell me very much about it. He told me the Sport tuned suspension would feel more like my Sport C300 and I could order the sport package that would have it, but I would still like to know what the difference is.
Can anyone send me a link or offer me a brief description of the differences? Much thanks in advance.
Kind regards,
Rick

Diesel Benz

Did you drive the E550 at Sports II setting? Sounds a bit like the salesman was confused with the sports steel spring suspension which is not available for the E550. Or he might have been talking about the AMG Sport package. I assume it has mostly the same Airmatic suspension but some tuning included. Of course the AMG package has all sorts of other stuff like bigger wheels and brakes.

zaxxon

Airmatic in W212 E550 doesn't have Sport II mode... only Comfort and Sport....

Diesel Benz

Sorry, I was thinking about the 211. But it still leaves it open if the car was tested at S or C.

emilner

Can you get a non sports package in the 212? I know in the 211 you had to order the sports package (or later AMG package) which firmed up the suspension on the 550. If you can get a non sports package on a 212 E550 and that car was a non sport then that was the reason or the vehicle might have been in comfort (not to be confused with the C/S button which only affects the transmission).

Do keep in mind that even with a sports package and in sport mode the car will still not be very firm. MB errs on the side of comfort over at the limit performance, IMO it is a near perfect balance (I do wish they had a second sport that would really firm things up for that rare occasion).

RickP330

Guys,
Thanks for the responses. To clear it up I only drove it in C mode.

I have an appointment to go back and re test drive the 550 next tuesday. I will put it into S mode and see what a difference that makes.

I got a call back from the Call Center gal and now she really confused me. She told me that the Sport option, besides the AMG wheels etc, came with different sport suspension. And this option was free of charge.

From what I researched Diesle Benz is correct, the sports steel spring dosen't appear to be an option for 550 so what are you getting with the sport option? Perhaps the Luxury option doesn't have the S setting for the suspension?

If I can get this figured out right and get the 550 that handles reasonable well it will be a done deal.

Confused as ever - thanks guys.

Rick

konigstiger

No cost AMG Sport Package (code 951) will add sculpted body cladding; perforated front brake discs/painted calipers, AMG steering wheel, lowered suspension, 18” AMG 6-spoke alloy wheels, and contrasting interior color choices to your e550.

gaazmon

the lowering helps out a little in the "sport" dept.

you guys don't have sport 1 and sport 2? only comfort and sport for the suspension? yes, i see it now in the pics online, comf or sport. that's weird? maybe people were getting confused? the ABC system only has default (off) and sport mode, but ABC's sport mode is really sporty IMO. I drive my E in sport 2 and our CL i usually leave the sport off.

Diesel Benz

This info (from the pdf files mainly) is quite confusing to me, partly because I'm always confused with the use model options.

In Europe we have the Avantgarde line with lower and sportier suspension. But this is for the steel spring cars. According to EPC the 350 CDI Avantgarde (or not) with Airmatic has the exact strut part as an E550 (A2123202238 for the left front strut). I did not find an Airmatic strut with the 951 option code.

To me it looks like the Airmatic suspension would be the same irrespectively if the car is Classic, Elegance, Avantgarde or Sport or Luxury (what are the US options?).

The suspension could be tuned lower and the valve control program could be different between the models but would it be significant? Or have I missed the strut with an option code 489 + 951?

emilner

Rick, as I mentioned earlier the C mode only has to do with the transmission, not the suspension. You need to change the suspension setting to sport.

Gaaz- yes they changed the suspension to only two choices from 3.

konigstiger

489 – Airmatic
951 – Sport package USA lists on data card (no physical difference in suspension parts other than tweaking the height)

RickP330

Konigstiger,
Where did you get that PDF file? I'd love to see the whole thing. Can I download it from somewhere?
Kind regards,
Rick

gaazmon

+1, as emilner said, it's not the C <-> S button, but the COMF / SPORT button with the picture of a strut (or something like it).

RickP330

Yes,
My bad! I knew the C/S settings from my C300 so I didn't even bother to fool with it. I didn't realize the difference with the suspension settings. here is what I have read so far:

E350: Conventional coil springs with "Selective" damping. Basically an upgraded shock damper that has a bypass to soften "small" displacments - non adjustable. A more conventional type suspension.

E550: Airmatic Springs / "Infinitely" adjustable dampers. No coil springs, but air springs. Dampers that are controlled electronically. There are two fixed settings C and S. There is also some logic that provides support for emergency manuvering.

I am less sure of this but:
AMG: Conventional coil springs in front (Adjustable Dampers or not? I can't tell) Rear Air springs and adjustable dampers.


Other then that the chassis, suspension links and components appear to be of the same type between the two. The benifit of the air is supposidly to be able to control the ride height.

The question is really that I want the V8 with the extra options. I'm not so sure I really want the Airmatic though. Could be a deal breaker - I have some testing and thinking to do. I think I need to try the 350 and see how it handles compared to the sport setting of the 550.

Kind regards,
Rick

Rowrbazzle

That seems odd. Why would MB put full Airmatic on the 550, but only "half Airmatic" on the AMG? The AMG costs, what, 30k more? I know you get other things (like an AMG engine obviously), but why would the suspension on the AMG be not as good as the suspension on the 550? Or am I just overvaluing the benefits of the Airmatic?

gaazmon

^^^ +1, i also wondered why they got rid of air suspension up front.

QuadBenz

The suspension isn't necessarily better on the 550 vs the 63. They got rid of Airmatic in favor of conventional springs to increase the handling, and so far from different reviews, the change really really helped and is almost/IS considered an M5 beater.

RickP330

Well that was my concern. The AMG is the benchmark in my opinion. The fact they returned to conventional springs in the front made me wonder if the Airmatic is really a performance oriented suspension.

My suspsion is that they couldn't get a stiff enough spring rate with the air spring (it would have to be too big) so they got rid of it. If that's true then I wonder if the 550 is sprung softer then the 350. and if so am I going to be happy with that.....

RP

220S

fwiw, here's my 2 cents based on driving the W212 and W211 E550. And driving the W212 E63 hard on a track at an AMG invite event. Plus currently owning a 2009 W211 E63. And just last year I owned a 2009 W211 E350 with conventional steel springs and gas shocks.

It's long-winded, sorry. I'm really picky when it comes to chassis dynamics.

The AMG Airmatic and the E550 Airmatic are set up very differently, you notice the difference. Also there is a P030 package (an $8k option) for the W211 E63 that includes an even much stiffer Airmatic than the standard AMG Airmatic. The E550 is much softer and the steering is a lot less precise feeling.

The W212 E63 dropped the Airmatic on the front. The argument on the street is that it's for "better handling" as "competition with the M5" although it could be as easily argued as cost cutting. Note the the W212 E63 has dropped Nappa Leather (S Class leather) and Alcantara headliner as standard. Those are now options.

I could compare the W211 E63 with the W212 E63 easily because the W211 is the car I own and I drove it to and from the AMG event at El Toro Airfield. I've also had my W211 E63 at the track during PCA DE events.

There's a difference between the W211 E63 and the W212 E63 but it's not night and day. And it's not different than the W211 E63 with the P030 package other than being a little harsher feeling on streets.

As you know, handling (i.e., lateral g) requires stiffer suspensions (whether it's steel or air) at the cost of comfort so it's always a trade off. Interestingly the numbers are not widely different on the AMG Airmatic version versus the new combination of steel springs and air. R&T or C&D (can't remember) has those numbers published on their website somewhere, iirc. Handling can be subjective if it's comfort you're talking about. As a comparison, my previous 2009 W211 E350 (with basically the same suspension as the current W212) was stiffer and harsher on the road and also handled much worse than my current 2009 W211 E63 with Airmatic on all four corners (the steering was way too soft, too.) Although the E350 is much softer than some of the other brands (e.g., BMW 3 series; I also have a 2002 E46 330i. And a Porsche 993 but that's in a bone jarring league of it's own. )

Noting the P030 option, a pneumatic system can be tuned specifically for handling. It's more expensive technically and so the cheapest route is to use conventional steel spring and gas shock systems which also "feels" stiffer to the driver. Interestingly, my car handles really well if I push it hard (i.e., on the track) but it doesn't give that feeling of confidence of a steel spring system. And so it only feels less capable than it actually is. Once I get over that feeling, I can really point the car into corners hard (but it's still a heavy sedan with understeer and weight shifting no matter what OEM suspension it has.)

Here's a quote from C&D about the W211 E63 when it came out in 2007:
"Okay, lots of power, lots of go, no surprise there. But the surprise — a pleasant one — lay in the distinction between the standard Mercedes Airmatic suspension and the AMG-tuned Airmatic suspension. Wow. With the stability control turned off, the Benz could be pitched and tossed and power-oversteered without intervention. Think high-end drift car. Think, as Larry Webster remarked in the logbook, "best Mercedes sports sedan I've ever driven."

A disadvantage is any consumer options in using the variety of aftermarket conventional suspension components like Bilstein's PSS-10 coilovers, etc.. We can't tune our suspensions ourselves on a strictly OEM pneumatic system. Arnott Industries has designed a conventional replacement system for Range Rover and may do the same for Mercedes if some people want to go to steel springs. The downside to Airmatic of course is the high cost of an air strut replacement.

If you're looking for a smoother ride, the E550 Airmatic will be a better choice, imho. Range Rover also uses the system, and the BMW X5 has an optional air suspension leveling system. It's been used by many car mfgs and most buses and trucks use pneumatic suspensions. The S Class uses either Airmatic or optional ABC (a system somewhat similar to Citroen.) The S Class has one of the best rides in the industry.

Plus you'll have ride adjustment at your fingertips. You'll also get a raise adjustment which comes in really handy with bad driveways, etc.. Although I'm not sure why the W212 E550 now only has two settings instead of three (Comfort, Sport I and Sport II on the W211.) Maybe more cost savings.

Good luck with your purchase, and enjoy what ever model you end up with

Edit: a final note and then I'll shut up: If Airmatic struts were not so expensive from the dealership, then people would not be complaining about Airmatic. Conventional gas struts and steel springs fail, too. But they're less expensive to make and when they fail, the car doesn't collapse (although it can sag dangerously and not handle at all.) An Airmatic failure can mean towing (if it fails completely rather than a slow leak; full failure is rare, it's normally a small leak that doesn't get attended to and then the pump burns out from pumping and it fails completely.) But if MB didn't charge so much, people wouldn't be complaining so voraciously. Arnott Industries has OEM rebuilt ones with Goodyear rubber bellows that are warrantied for a lifetime for less than 1/2 the price of OEM struts.

Also an issue with earlier Airmatic are the protective covers and the rubber bellows. The covers and bellows have since been improved. Slow leaks would go unfixed and the pump would then burn out. So people maligned the entire system. Maintain the system properly and it will function properly.

K-A

To throw in a little .02.

I agree, if it weren't for $$ costs in the case of Airmatic failure, it's no contest I'd want Airmatic, or better yet even, ABC. If Leasing a car, and money not being such a big worry in regards to the difference between an E350 and E550, I'd go Airmatic all the way as well.

Interesting the E63 isn't as harsh as the E350 with Sports Suspension. Although I find the ride in my car to be a nice balance of comfort and Sport, and it is pretty confident and low in body roll on turns (to me at least, I haven't pushed a true Sports Car in the turns in a while), it is pretty harsh on bumps, surprisingly actually. I couldn't imagine some "older" people, per-se, being happy with it.

gaazmon

man, ABC is the most amazing thing. i love it.

mg-E550

out of morbid curiosity - what does it cost to fix this system if a bellow and pump go? is there recommended maintenance not shown in the manual

QuadBenz

On my ML63, a strut needed to be replaced and it was around $1400... just one. I've had the system completely fail on a brand new GL (don't remember the cost but it was pretty high). (luckily both times were covered under warranty). Hope if anything were to go wrong, it happened during the 4 year warranty period. Usually though, the newer Airmatic vehicles won't have any/as many issues vs. the older vehicles with Airmatic.

220S

Yeah, they changed the bladder material and protective cover with the newer models. Interestingly, Arnott Industries (who sell the struts for under $400) use a Goodyear rubber bladder that is warrantied for life. Apparently it's the same stuff used on GM truck and bus air suspensions. Note that Arnott rebuilds the OEM Mercedes struts and then warranties them for life. Airmatic struts are expensive no matter what. Same with ABC components.

The pump will only need to be replaced if the strut leaks and then goes undetected or unaddressed. It keeps pumping to fill a leaking strut and eventually the pump burns out. The pumps can last well over 100k.

(I've never checked the Range Rover forums to see what they think about their air suspensions and repair issues...)

DCist

Airmatic is the way to go...imho

I completely agree with 220S:

I drive E550, and I swear, the more I push it the better it handles. At lower speed it feels less confident.

I would go with Airmatic because it will give you options when you need them - higher curbs, high snow, etc.