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Most new Mercedes-Benz vehicles usually come standard with steel-spring suspension. It is the most common type of suspension in passenger and commercial vehicles because it is inexpensive, simple, and has been known to outlive the cars it is put in. When the comfort mode is chosen, Mercedes-Benz vehicles will raise the vehicle up a few millimeters and loosen the suspension to absorb any bumps in the road. This mode is great for long trips on the highway, bringing Grandma to her pottery class, or saving a glass of milk in the trunk.
Mercedes-Benz DIRECT CONTROL Sport Suspension
Sport is the other option Mercedes-Benz gives to DIRECT CONTROL owners. It increases the amount of damping, making the suspension stiffer and lowers the ride height just a little bit. This mode is made for weekend track participants, street racers, and fugitives. It may not seem like there is much of a difference between the two modes, but trust us when we say it is more than enough to notice an improvement when in the appropriate mode.
that is from a dealership and i dont even think there is something called direct control suspension. you can go to MBUSA.com and check for yourself which suspension your car comes with. plus it doesnt even mention which models it applies to.
The e300 4 matic, does not rise and drop suspension on the fly. you can check for yourself, easily. Just have someone stand outside.
That dealership is where Konigstiger is located. He and his dealership have always provided accurate and timely information.
Here are some definitions I got while searching several Daimler/Mercedes-Benz sites. If you don't want to believe it that's fine with me. I'm done.
Mercedes-Benz DYNAMIC SELECT Driving Modes
All vehicles are now fitted with DYNAMIC SELECT, technology that enables drivers to select a variety of driving modes.
Each changes the car’s response to driver inputs, tweaking its sensitivity to:
throttle inputs
gear changes
suspension height and stiffness
steering sharpness.
Comfort
This is the standard setting that you’ll get when you turn on the car. Featured on all models, there’s no ‘normal’ here; this option cleverly optimizes the car’s settings for smoothness and refined driving.
ECO
Perfect for long-distance driving, this setting adjusts throttle, climate control and various other settings to reduce overall fuel usage.
Sport
This sharpens up your car’s responsiveness, making steering and throttle inputs more direct.
Revs are allowed to run up to higher RPMs before gear shifts - making greater use of high-rev torque in naturally-aspirated petrol models. Suspension settings also become firmer, helping the car to corner more flatly at higher speeds.
Individual
This option gives you the chance to create and save your own, bespoke driving setting. If you prefer Sport steering settings, but Comfort throttle and suspension, so be it.
Sport+
Takes the Sport mode’s settings to their very extremes, further enhancing the car’s responsiveness and packing a powerful punch.
"Air springs and adaptive dampers are optional, but the standard coil springs and passive dampers are up to some fun should the mood strike. The body will roll into corners, and the steering is a bit light in Comfort mode. Switch it to Sport mode, however, and the E350 still has enough poise to tackle decreasing-radius turns and curvy back roads"
once again if i recall correctly, there is no suspension setting for comfort, sport or sport+, you only get one switch and its related to ESP - which is traction control. Your brain might tell you your suspension is changing only because the steering wheel feels heavier - thus you think your suspension is stiffer.
Below is a post that Konigstiger responded on. Even Konigstiger explained that it is a passive system and not controllable.
"Not as standard, selective damping is only available with the options Airmatic or ADS Changing the dynamic drive mode will do nothing to the chassis on a vehicle not equipped with the above mentioned systems"
funny part is you even acknowledge it yourself in the post, 2nd from the bottom. if you changed your mind since 2017, i have nothing against it. but this is what i know from my research. Once again, its MBs fault for not being clear and very misleading in their product description!
"It is my understanding the capability is built into the struts themselves and is passive, e.g., not driver adjustable."
In the USA I built a E just now and found the selective dampening feature. It’s not controllable by any computer. It’s simply a bolt on shock absorber. It’s the shock absorber that has 2 valves inside that reacts to hard cornering and pushes the fluid through a smaller diameter valve to slow the shock from moving, hence the term stiffening. There is no adjustable feature inside the system. This YouTube video describes it.
As far as this W213 goes in the USA, this is what it says on the MB website. Nothing is said about user controlled or software controlled dampening.
11-06-2020 | 11:52 AM
