Jayhawk

Thanks Jack,

It is a testament to MB's fit & finish, because when those pics were taken in September the car was nearly six years old and I had only had it detailed/waxed twice (at a car wash no less), several years earlier. And it is my daily driver!

I recently found a professional detailer and he is going to "winterize" it for my next month. It will be the first real detail since I bougt her in 2000.

sprink49

Ramp...your car is as sharp as they get and still get driven. I have a lot of fun detailing mine...gives me a lot of satisfaction as I'm sure your's does.

I really like your rims...if I come accross $3k+/- for the wheels and tires, I might change. I'm afraid I might loose some ride quality over my 17" OEM set up. What do you think?

Nevada...your car should be in the S Class brochure!!!

Jayhawk

I was afraid I would loose ride quality too, but I can honestly say that my ride quality has NEVER been better. Those F1's are really amazing. My OEMs were not nearly as soft and sticky as the Eagles. And my OEM Michelins were only good for about 30K anyway, so I am very happy!

I know that a lot of folks find detailing their cars relaxing, but I prefer a single-malt scotch for my peace of mind.

sprink49

I'm a Johnny Walker Black man myself.

Jayhawk

Black's good but have you ever tried Oban?

sprink49

No......tell me more...my neighbor works for Southern Wine and Spirits....this could be an adventure, I have however "sampled" JW Blue.

Jayhawk

Check it out:

http://www.scotchwhisky.com/english/...malts/obab.htm
http://www.scotchwhisky.net/malt/oban.htm

Oban is one of the smoooooooooothest scotch whiskies you will ever sip. You have to drink it neat to really appreciate the flavor.

Edison_Chen

fkong777

Just changed my ride height.. for me, I think it is perfect right now for family hauling use.

Jayhawk

What wheels & tires? Any rubbing?

Good looking ride!

Vader55

I think he actually raised it up a little ramp.. He had it lower then that before..
I like it both ways, A nice clean ride

fkong777

No rubbing at this height.. If I go lower I have to bend the bumper/fender clip.

running 235/40/19 and 255/40/19
I wanted to get the best ride possible with 19's & some drop.. I notice if I drop the height more the ride do suffer.

with my DIY linkage, In 1/2 hour I can drop it as low as I want.

Notice the 03 mirror Led update. :p Next 03 tail update. Not sure about 03 headlights (it a big chunk of $$$ and only S-class owners notice them)

Jayhawk

It might be cheaper to just buy an '03...

sprins

Hi folks. Here's my S430 with AMG package. 1st two pictures with summer tires, rest with new winter tires and new wheels.

Jayhawk

Good lookin'. So refined...

sprins

Thank you. As you may have noticed it is an european 'short' (=not long) S-Class.

FYI, I'm thinking about changing the 'summer' rims to your S55 AMG style rims. Either that or I'm buying an actual S55 Kompressor.

Jayhawk

I didn't realize that was a short body. I really like the AMG double-spoke wheels. If you get them you can tell your summer tires from your winter tires. =)

sprins

Do you have 245 R18 all around or 245 R18 front and 265 R18 rear?

My summer/winter wheels look alike on the pictures, but are quite different IRL. I do agree that the double-spokes are real nice.

Jayhawk

Here is what I run:

Summer wheels & tires (staggard/front & rear):

18x8.5 AMG Double Spoke Bright Sil
18x9 AMG Double Spoke Bright Sil
245/45WR-18 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 XL
275/40YR-18 Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3

Winter tires on OEM wheels:

225/60QR-16 Michelin X-Ice

sprins

Does the staggering give you any added value other than that it looks good?

Jayhawk

It improves car's stability and handling. Very functional and not just cosmetic. But it does look good too.

newton22

You also say that it decreases aerodynamic drag. You have to sacrifice some ride quality though correct?

MoCL600

Jayhawk

I don't know if it decreases drag: The S-class is already very low--.27 drag coefficient, I believe. But I am sure it doesn't increase drag. What it really does is make the car look a lot better, improve handling, traction, and overall capabilities, and it does NOT hurt ride quality at all. I really expected ride quality to decrease w/ the lower profile wheels/tires, but, believe it or not, these tires have better ride quality than my 16" OEM wheels/tires. I am very impressed w/ the improved ride and handling I get w/ this setup.

I do get an occasional bzzzzzzt when I hit a major dip in the road at high speed and the tire rubs the rear fender a little. It causes no noticable wear or damage to the tires, so I do not worry about it at all.

sprins

Didn't you have the fenders rolled by Mercedes? I believe that with staggerd wheel setup they recomend (as per the AMG catalogue) to 'have some work done' to the car.