Im thinking of changing my current rims to 20", but the tire shop advised me that without ABC the ride quality is harsh.

Any comments to this? Can I add ABC afterwards?

thanks in advance

 

S550 w/o ABC is a rather dynamically inept car....has sloppy chassis characteristics of any BMW/Audi/Lexus...yet costs some ?$15K more than those lesser brands' competing models....

ABC is a must-have option on any 550 to have a dynamically competent chassis....

Even if one seeks "optics" of perf-look wheels, would consider that 20" wheels will only advertise fact that 550 has puny, girlie brakes w/C300-look brake calipers....some brakes are better left hidden behind smaller, codgerly wheels....

 

Not really harsh, but you feel clearly the difference to 18". Next time I would go with 19" for a compromise

 

So the lesser brands of BMW/Audi provide their 7/A8 class with "sloppy" chassis characteristics? Sloppy as in ?wallowy/soft/spongy? From my comparatively limited experice as a repeat $100k+ buyer who has wheeled his way around large tracts of SF/BH/Manhattan, for their size both copies handle on a par with an ABC-equipped S... but as a repeat leasee drvng a CL (confusingly "ComfortLight") I'm sure you realize that there are limitations for near-5000lb vehicles w/regard to body control...physics is physics after all my dear chap

And this weight while good for passive safety does negatively impact active safety....itself limited by the relatively "puny" rear discs on even God's own CL63.

With panoramic roofs now in vogue...and their unhelpfulness w/re: to center of gravity and the assoc rollover encouragement/survival etc... it's a wonder darwinian selection hasn't punished what is tantamount to suicide by running its wicked rule and prematurely removing many repeat CL63/65/F/P buyers from the face of this ramshackle earth before they can be described as codgers...

 

If anything, I think the non-ABC suspension is softer than the ABC one, which means what your tire shop told you would be incorrect.

And no you cannot add ABC afterwards.

 

i'm not too worried about the harshness. But the car is occasionally used to haul company clients around and my father (64yrs). I have 20" on the M5 and SL500, so i'm use to the ride quality.

Thinking of mixing the Wald Black Bison kit with AMG/brabus rear for the car and rims to go with it :P

 

Very nice!

Nothing like reading great penmanship..... one of the perks of being a mbworld member.

 

....itself limited by the relatively "puny" rear discs on even God's own CL63

 

You're awesome!