I have got the e53 hybrid on 20 inches with lower tire pressure but I still find the dampers very hard in the city and much more uncomfortable than my cla45s which surprised me. What did you do to improve thjs

 

it’s heavy….

 

Yup very heavy in fact, I guess it is physics, certainly doesn't help coming from go kart like 45 S, give it time and you will get used to it, I thought about your idea of lowering tire pressure but worried about too low causing road noise and/or rim damage. Use the lowest tire pressure on the fuel cap door, and uh, do you have run-flats I forgot if the W214 E 53 comes with run-flats if so getting rid of them would help too. PS4s might help too unless there are PS 5 sizes that works with this car. Last but not least downsizing wheel size but be mindful of the rear axle steering.

 

The 214 E53 does not come with run-flat tires. It comes with a kit to seal puncture holes.

What is the concern with downsizing wheels with the rear axle steering?

 

Thanks for confirming
As for the RWS, it was an issue on the S-Class but likely only because it was on the 10 degree equipped cars.

 

I am not an expert, but I am thinking the comparison/difference is the weight of the car, as well as the actual frame, build, size (length/width), etc. My E was very different than my C.

 

Sharing My Experience — The New E53 Actually Feels More Comfortable

Just to offer another data point that might help: in my time with the W214 E53, the ride has actually felt softer and more settled than the previous-gen 53 models. Obviously comfort is subjective, and everyone’s roads and wheel setups are different, but here’s what I’ve noticed that might reassure you:

1. The base damping is more compliant than before
AMG Ride Control on this generation seems tuned with a smoother initial response. Over the smaller bumps and seams, the car feels more relaxed, especially in Comfort.

2. The hybrid system changes the ride character in a good way
The added weight from the P2 hybrid sits low in the chassis, and that mass actually helps the car feel calmer over uneven roads. It doesn’t float, but it does take the edge off sharp impacts.

3. Tire setup plays a surprisingly big role
Some owners running 21s at the higher factory PSI are reporting harsher impacts. On the OE 20s with recommended pressures, the ride has been very easy to live with. If you haven’t already, it might be worth double-checking your pressures — even a small adjustment can make a noticeable difference.

4. Sport modes will naturally feel firmer
But even then, in my experience the car doesn’t cross into “uncomfortable.” It still behaves like an AMG, just a more refined one.

Every car and driver is different, so your experience is totally valid — just wanted to share that for some of us, the E53 has actually trended toward the softer side. Hopefully that helps give a fuller picture and maybe a few things you can check or try. If anything feels off mechanically or unusually harsh, it’s always worth having the dealer take a quick look as well.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. Which tire pressure are you on. And does someone can recommend 19 inch wheels which also looks reasonable good

 

I’m just running the factory-recommended tire pressures from Mercedes-Benz, and that’s honestly the best baseline to start from. The pressures are set by MB’s chassis engineers specifically for the E53’s weight balance, hybrid system, suspension tuning, and the load sensitivity of the OEM tires. When you stray too far from those numbers, you can unintentionally introduce more harshness, noise, or instability — which often gets mistaken for “suspension stiffness.”

Sticking to the MB pressures keeps the damping, sidewall flex, and suspension calibration working together the way they’re designed to, so you’re getting the most comfort the car is capable of delivering before changing anything else.

As for 19-inch wheels:
They’ll definitely add a little more sidewall, which can help take the edge off sharp impacts, and still look good on the W214. A few owners have gone that route already. Just make sure whatever set you choose has the right load rating and offset so you don’t introduce new harshness or vibration.

 

Might also wanna check that they didn't forget to remove the shipping blocks from the suspension. It's not uncommon for them to be overlooked. However, I see that in your profile you are located in Germany, so not sure if they put shipping blocks on for local transportation. It's primarily for when they go on their ocean journey, to keep the cars from swaying about and crashing into each other during rough weather. You never know, though. The car could be in transport mode.

As said above, comfort is subjective, but Germany has very smooth roads compared to some of the roads one encounters here in North America. Weight doesn't necessarily make a suspension less comfortable. Take Rolls Royce. Some of them weigh over 6000 lbs and they drive like on a cloud, but they are not sporty, so a suspension is always a compromise between handling and comfort. That's what we have the three modes for to at least tailor it a little bit based on the type of driving one does.

As for the tire pressures, there are two major ones. Normal load and max load that you may or may not be aware of. Normal load is for normal driving when you have few passengers and cargo. The max load pressure is meant for when you load the car up to the gross weight. Having said that, speed also matters. For highspeed driving on the German Autobahn, the recommended pressures are higher to make sure the tires do not overheat, but that then makes the car more uncomfortable at lower speeds. I did European Delivery with my C63 and I struggled to find the right pressures. As said, the higher pressure that were recommended for speeds over 250 kph made the ride in the city rough, so I ended up using the normal load pressures and just kept an eye on the tire temperatures at higher speeds. Slowing down if they started to get hot and let them cool down before getting on it again.

 

I'd say it is extremely uncommon that they are overlooked. The car looks and drives like an ox cart when they are in.

 

I brought it up, because there are recent threads about comfort issues that turned out was due to the shipping blocks left in. Sometimes it's not that they leave them all in, but forget one or an entire axle.

 

Can you get run flats for this vehicle? I have 20" rims and wondering if that was an option out there. Not having any luck finding them.

 

Ride would be punishing. There is a reason Mercedes does not offer them.

 

What temperature is considered high for the tires? Is the high mark different for Summer and Winter, or do lower ambient temperatures make tire temperature less of an issue?

 

Understand them being harsh, but no brands seem to offer them.

 

In the display the temps go from white to orange to red, so that's a general indicator, however it seems to be fairly conservative, because it doesn't measure actual compound temperatures. It measures the temperature of the air near the valve. The chart below is one that I've posted a few times. It gives you a good idea of tire compound temperature vs grip. So yes, the temperatures very much depend on the type of tires. One reason I use only summer performance tires is because I get my tires regularly in the temperature ranges above the peak of all-season tires when I hit up a canyon, and it doesn't get cold enough here that I have to worry about grip for normal driving during the winter.



This one is also informative. It goes to show just how good an all-weather tire such as the CrossClimate 2 can be these days and that a full winter tire only really has benefits in deep snow and/or ice, so choosing the right tire for one's environment is important.

 

Is the CrossClimate 2 available in appropriate sizing for an E53? I didn’t see it on a search of TireRack and Michelin’s site.

 

No, typically not available for large wheel sizes and performance cars. The CrossClimate 2 is a touring tire. Michelin came out with the CrossClimate 3 Sport for performance vehicles, but no plans yet to offer this tire in North America. It's only available in Europe for now.

 

Hi. Can you tell me:

1) How were the quantitative “Performance” values determined for the y-axis of the graph? How is “performance” defined for the conditions of dry, wet, and snow?
2) What is the source of the graph?

Thanks!

 

It was posted by another member a while back, so I can't answer these questions. May guess would be the y-axis indicates how they perform relative to each other driving in those conditions. For example a winter tire will handle poorer in the heat as it gets very soft, so lap times for example would be higher.

If you look at how they compare tires, they typically test dry and wet handling/grip, braking distance, noise, comfort and subject impressions. So using a point system you could come up with an average performance number across these disciplines in the various conditions.