Anyone replaced W221 Airmatic with coilovers?
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Joined: Dec 2015
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From: Tampa Bay, FL
2014 E350 Wagon, 2009 SL550 no ABC
Anyone replaced W221 Airmatic with coilovers?
And if so, what are the results? My two objectives are reliability and comfort. The first one is for sure going to improve, but how badly will comfort decline? In the past I have been against that idea, but I'm open now to changing my mind if someone has data to support it.
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W115, W140, C209, W221, W163, W164, W166, X166
Do you want reliability OR comfort?
Usually the only complaints about switching to coilovers is the harsh ride. Especially over bumps.
and you have to replace all corners whereas with Airmatic, you can replace one side at a time (though I recommend replacing in pairs) and calibrate.
any air suspension system isn’t really that complicated and are much more affordable with aftermarket replacements. I use Arnott rebuilt (their new ones don’t have adaptive damping. Only the rebuilt ones do).
Usually the only complaints about switching to coilovers is the harsh ride. Especially over bumps.
and you have to replace all corners whereas with Airmatic, you can replace one side at a time (though I recommend replacing in pairs) and calibrate.
any air suspension system isn’t really that complicated and are much more affordable with aftermarket replacements. I use Arnott rebuilt (their new ones don’t have adaptive damping. Only the rebuilt ones do).
Last edited by MBKev; Mar 31, 2023 at 08:01 PM.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Dec 2015
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From: Tampa Bay, FL
2014 E350 Wagon, 2009 SL550 no ABC
"AND" that's why I'm looking for feedback on how badly the comfort suffers in W221 to see the trade off
In R230 its clear and obvious, loss of comfort is minimal and increase in safety and reliability is gigantic.
In R230 its clear and obvious, loss of comfort is minimal and increase in safety and reliability is gigantic.
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W115, W140, C209, W221, W163, W164, W166, X166
the ride should feel like it’s permanently on sport mode and depending on the brand (strutmasters for example), a bit more harsher than that.
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S500
And if so, what are the results? My two objectives are reliability and comfort. The first one is for sure going to improve, but how badly will comfort decline? In the past I have been against that idea, but I'm open now to changing my mind if someone has data to support it.
comfort is subjective - but in my mind airmatic has NONE
its not even a floaty feeling, its just always wrong - like the car isn't securely attached to the road or providing much in the way comfort either
mine rides like its too stiff and too soft all at once, then you press on and you get a wild lurching dangerous mess,
real springs and dampers never provide any of these failings - if we step back and stop pretending I'm exaggerating, Merc themselves knew it wasn't up to much as they went ABC as the engineers preference
But I can see a heavy load on just coil springs is going to land an issue - the fact NONE ref the longer wheel base that comes with a higher spec (heavier) toy count and a foot longer, makes me worried that they don't know what they are doing
.
Last edited by BOTUS; Apr 1, 2023 at 07:40 AM.
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a like for like
and $300 upgraded set up with totally different later tech damper units - got to be the way to go if we can't get air assisted real springs that would be so simple (as the car has all the rubbish to do the assistance)
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From: Tampa Bay, FL
2014 E350 Wagon, 2009 SL550 no ABC
Thanks guys, as the car is over 10 years old now I'm thinking the best way could be to send the struts for rebuild to Rebuild Master Tech, put new valve block, put new (or keep a spare) compressor/relay, get some air line with quick connect kits. That should be reliable for another 10 years and if a line starts to leak in the middle of nowhere, a repair section could be spliced in.
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2018 S560, 2004 SL500, 2014 S550 (SOLD), 2012 S550 x2(SOLD), 2007 CL600 (SOLD), 2007 S600(SOLD)
I did and ended up going back to the air ride. I used the newer Arnott conversion kit. High quality springs and dampers, fitment was perfect. Felt it was over-sprung resulting in a bouncy ride at lower speeds. Once you were at highway speed and the dampers started working I enjoyed it. Just missed the glide of the air ride so I went back.
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Thread Starter
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Joined: Dec 2015
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From: Tampa Bay, FL
2014 E350 Wagon, 2009 SL550 no ABC
@joeshannon095 thanks, that is a good feedback which reinforces that I should stay with Airmatic.
I prefer Comfort to Sport and going to stiffer than Sport would be bad (I have a few other cars for the Sport experience). I also stay with stock 18" wheels. I tried large wheels with low profile summer sport tires on W221 and it rode much worse from a comfort point of view.
Plus Airmatic is quite simple for DYI fixes in case those are needed in emergency. Air spill is not as messy as ABC fluid spill and if some air spills, there is plenty of new air around to top up the system :-)
I prefer Comfort to Sport and going to stiffer than Sport would be bad (I have a few other cars for the Sport experience). I also stay with stock 18" wheels. I tried large wheels with low profile summer sport tires on W221 and it rode much worse from a comfort point of view.
Plus Airmatic is quite simple for DYI fixes in case those are needed in emergency. Air spill is not as messy as ABC fluid spill and if some air spills, there is plenty of new air around to top up the system :-)
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W115, W140, C209, W221, W163, W164, W166, X166
comfort is subjective - but in my mind airmatic has NONE
its not even a floaty feeling, its just always wrong - like the car isn't securely attached to the road or providing much in the way comfort either
mine rides like its too stiff and too soft all at once, then you press on and you get a wild lurching dangerous mess,
real springs and dampers never provide any of these failings - if we step back and stop pretending I'm exaggerating, Merc themselves knew it wasn't up to much as they went ABC as the engineers preference
But I can see a heavy load on just coil springs is going to land an issue - the fact NONE ref the longer wheel base that comes with a higher spec (heavier) toy count and a foot longer, makes me worried that they don't know what they are doing
.
its not even a floaty feeling, its just always wrong - like the car isn't securely attached to the road or providing much in the way comfort either
mine rides like its too stiff and too soft all at once, then you press on and you get a wild lurching dangerous mess,
real springs and dampers never provide any of these failings - if we step back and stop pretending I'm exaggerating, Merc themselves knew it wasn't up to much as they went ABC as the engineers preference
But I can see a heavy load on just coil springs is going to land an issue - the fact NONE ref the longer wheel base that comes with a higher spec (heavier) toy count and a foot longer, makes me worried that they don't know what they are doing
.
My current one (11 S550 has 19” and needing front control arms done soon (I’m waiting for the rest of the parts before I replace the whole front end). It drives much more harsh on bumps and feels rougher like I’m in sport mode.
Have you inspected the bushings on your front end?
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W115, W140, C209, W221, W163, W164, W166, X166
@joeshannon095 thanks, that is a good feedback which reinforces that I should stay with Airmatic.
I prefer Comfort to Sport and going to stiffer than Sport would be bad (I have a few other cars for the Sport experience). I also stay with stock 18" wheels. I tried large wheels with low profile summer sport tires on W221 and it rode much worse from a comfort point of view.
Plus Airmatic is quite simple for DYI fixes in case those are needed in emergency. Air spill is not as messy as ABC fluid spill and if some air spills, there is plenty of new air around to top up the system :-)
I prefer Comfort to Sport and going to stiffer than Sport would be bad (I have a few other cars for the Sport experience). I also stay with stock 18" wheels. I tried large wheels with low profile summer sport tires on W221 and it rode much worse from a comfort point of view.
Plus Airmatic is quite simple for DYI fixes in case those are needed in emergency. Air spill is not as messy as ABC fluid spill and if some air spills, there is plenty of new air around to top up the system :-)
They generally last 10 years/100k km or 60k miles but I have seen them last longer.
Even if you went ahead with the swap, you will also eventually need to replace your coil springs as well because nothing lasts forever.
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S500
i drove an 08 S550 with 18” (low mileage) and it felt like i was driving on a cloud.
My current one (11 S550 has 19” and needing front control arms done soon (I’m waiting for the rest of the parts before I replace the whole front end). It drives much more harsh on bumps and feels rougher like I’m in sport mode.
Have you inspected the bushings on your front end?
My current one (11 S550 has 19” and needing front control arms done soon (I’m waiting for the rest of the parts before I replace the whole front end). It drives much more harsh on bumps and feels rougher like I’m in sport mode.
Have you inspected the bushings on your front end?
car is like new - I'm a motor vehicle tech - grew up working on real cars by people that knew what they were doing - many german cars only come to life once the speedo goes past 130mph, till then mine drives like a tank
the 221 originally came with 17" wheel and they just about work - it was a faster, more agile fun car to throw about with some ride comfort.... going to the OEM option 18" wheels and tyres might work after 140mph but elsewhere its a disaster and its now more effort and much slower to drive
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Joined: Dec 2022
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From: Massachusetts
2009 W221 S550 4matic
Don’t make that switch. The ability to raise the car for rough roads at the press of a button is great. Plus, coils ALWAYS put a dent in resale value (although W221s these days typically don’t have much to spare to begin with). I’ve had excellent luck with RMT parts. Their remanufactured struts seem to be of very decent quality, and equally affordable compared to Arnott units with cheaper dampers and a much bigger price tag.
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From: Atlanta
W222 AMG S63
Don’t make that switch. The ability to raise the car for rough roads at the press of a button is great. Plus, coils ALWAYS put a dent in resale value (although W221s these days typically don’t have much to spare to begin with). I’ve had excellent luck with RMT parts. Their remanufactured struts seem to be of very decent quality, and equally affordable compared to Arnott units with cheaper dampers and a much bigger price tag.
I swapped out the Airmatic in my W211 E55 to coilovers and I got really good money for mine when I sold it. If anything, it raises the value if you choose high quality coilovers. One of the first warnings you hear about these cars when people are considering getting them used is, "Oh the air/suspension failure isn't a question of 'if' but 'when', and when it happens it costs $2,000 per corner to fix!". That really does scare people away.
Personally, I prefer coilovers for most cars. But, the ABC II suspension on my S63 is sublime. The Airmatic on my E55 felt god awful...and the bags were fresh.
