kattanh3

Hi, I've been looking around for a while for a used R class. While mainly needed just as a 2nd car (for the family - making comfort a priority), I know that chances are that I'll personalize as many aspects of it as I can as long as it retains serving its purpose. This includes lowering the car and swapping to conservative bigger wheels.

I am looking for 2008+ r350 4matic as searching the forum left me assuming that '08+ are more reliable. I was initially looking for an Airmatic equipped car as they provide smoother ride and of course the benefits of a lowering module. I've found a car that I like, it's equipped with everything I was looking for... except airmatic.

These are the issues I'm wondering about at the moment. Your input will aid me with the decision:
1. In general, would you recommend an airmatic equipped R over a none airmatic taking comfort and maintenance cost into consideration?
2. If you were in my shoes, would you get an airmatic equipped R or a none airmatic given that I want to lower the car? The reason I ask is because I've had disappointing experiences with lowering springs (and I can't seem to find coilovers for the w251).
3. Given that I need a relatively comfortable ride for my family and that I will be driving on snow, slippery slopes, and inevitably pot holes (Greater Boston area), would OEM 21" wheels retain reasonable comfort that would keep a comfy ride or should I go down to 20"?

Many thanks

xxGenericSNxx

RE airmatic:

I've got an aftermarket Wald Black Bison front bumper with stock (AMG) ride height on the stock airmatic. I NEED airmatic so I can get that extra 3.9" of clearance for some steep driveways otherwise my front will scrape. If you plan to lower your ride and you're worried about clearance airmatic will definitely be the way to go. But note that my aftermarket bumper severely impedes front ground clearance over the regular AMG bumper. If you don't plan to change bumpers it may not be a big deal.

I've got OEM 21" rims on my R and even with the AMG tuned suspension I find the ride to be fine. I don't notice it being any more bumpy than the 19" rims that were on the car when I bought it but I feel like it can corner better due to it having less sidewall. (I went from a 50 series tire on the 19s to 40 series on the 21s.)

I don't know what lowering solutions are out there for cars without the full airmatic (in terms of front spring replacements). But it's pretty easy to lower a car with airmatic. I lowered my rear with the STAR diagnosis tool.

I've owned my R for 2.5 years and have put on 13k miles and haven't had any issues with airmatic yet. **knocks on wood**

kattanh3

Thanks xxGenericSNxx. Clearance isn't mainly an issue, it's just reasonable ride comfort that I am most concerned about. Looks like 21" will be the way to go. Worst case scenario, I could use them as a summer/all year set.

I have H&R Sport Springs + thin pads on my w203 and they are a bit harsh. But the lack of availability of common aftermarket coilovers and upgraded shocks/dampers for the w251 might be justified after all. Looking at Koni for example, they have applications for the GL and Sprinter but not for the R which leaves me thinking that they concluded that the OEM dampers handle the extra load adequately.

xxGenericSNxx

Keep in mind there's not a lot of 21" tire choices compared to say 20s or 22s. The OEM spec 21" tire is 265/40/21. A couple years ago there were only two summer tires in that size but today there's a couple more options since Porsche Macan and Bentley Mulsanne now use the same size tire but still no all seasons that I saw.

kattanh3

Thanks xxGenericSNxx, that's certainly something to keep in mind. Conti CSCII seems to be available in the OEM size and I personally have found them to be great all-year tires (minus snow of course). I've had them on a 30/35 profile previously with no issues at all, great grip, wear & very very quite. Makes sense to plan on keeping the std wheels as a snow set.

Sending someone through TaskRabbit to verify the listed car for sale LOL reading some of the dealer reviews indicate that their online inventory tends to be off sometimes, so it might save me from a disappointing trip

kattanh3

I forgot to update this. I'm now a happy new owner of a blk/blk '08 R350 4Matic.

First impression is that the car has honestly exceeded my expectations especially in terms of equipment & interface. Sport exterior package, Navi, Pano, Reverse Cam, OEM iphone + Aux kit, Harman Kardon sound system, and finally proper map lights. This is my 4th MB (w203, w215, r129) and it is the only one so far that combined most of the features I like across many cars including the Oddessey's cabin flow for the family, Lexus's Mark Levinson sound system interface, quality, & its map lights which are better than the typical MB amber ones at night drives. It looks like its offering me most bang per buck so far and suites my growing family perfectly. The car's material is not too delicate that we would damage it quickly nor too plasticky that it feels flimsy. A well balanced combination of rigidity & durability overall and selectively luxurious touches in the right places. The all black interior certainly helps keeping the cabin cleaner. The only drawback so far is really just me getting used to how the car drives due to its weight. But overall I was looking for a minivan that I wouldn't hate and instead found a car that I love (so far) everything about it... a perfect match

I think I stole this one for a bargain price especially that it's in a solid condition, only minor exterior chips and scratches, damaged trunk MB logo, a broken headrest, and one of the compartments in the center console is jammed. Almost all scratches will buff out, all replacement parts have been ordered with ample of my initial budget spared. What was saved will go towards minor mods and upgrades... I'm really liking where this is heading so far

xxGenericSNxx and the rest of the forum have been invaluable resource for researching so special thanks for sharing your info and experiences.

ghenry

Enjoy! Forum is full of info on DIY maint items and will keep your upkeep costs at a min. Parts are not cheap but as you will find out the MB relpacement parts are "quality".

xxGenericSNxx

Enjoy your new car and let the mods commence!

kattanh3

Thanks, still in restoring mode for now. Replacement parts are showing up HID, badge and all four headrests arrived (I was missing the 3rd row pair!!!).

If anyone is interested, the previous 2nd/middle row headrests are up for grabs https://mbworld.org/forums/interior-...ml#post6234787

kattanh3

Has anyone tried to swap the tint on the car?

I'm not too keen on how the tint looks now; covers just the rear portion of the car, black and too dark for my taste. Unfortunately my car came with the green tint (on the front windows at least) and since every single W251 that I've seen in the US looks like they come with the rear tinted anyways that leaves me unsure of whether the rear windows match the front ones or not. I've always enjoyed the subtle blue OEM tint, heat was never an issue over here but I find it classier and it brighten up cloudy days which we get more than a fair share of. MA DMV/RMV allows up to 35% all around except windshield so ideally I would get Llumar Air 80 but might be better off getting Suntek HP 50 due to the green base.

Not sure what to expect! both are UV rated and $$$ so please share if you had any experience dealing with this. thanks