Confused about what direction I should go? (Coilovers)
#1
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Thread Starter
Confused about what direction I should go? (Coilovers)
Just bought an S55 with 178k miles..... I don't know if that was a mistake but I think I'll find out in the coming (enter any period of time)..BUT it has a Designo Mocha interior. I had to have it. I used to have a C32 and a Designo ML55 that I dearly miss. Not trouble-free but not unreliable. The important things (drivetrain, AC, windows, doors/locks,radio) worked. Everything else I could tolerate living without. But then again S55 is a whole different beast. I scanned it during the inspection prior to purchasing and so many codes for so many little things but nothing for the most important stuff.
Anyway...
It still has ABC. One friend says "SWAP IT ASAP AND SELL THE WORKING SYSTEM"; my other friend says "RIDE THAT **** OUT". I'm going with the latter.
I plan on doing a conversion to coilovers when it craps out BUT, I'm confused about which kit is best. I have read that strutmasters is the go to BUT I've also read that its not that great. I haven't seen much about ceika and yellowspeed is seems to be the most common but also people have mentioned it not lasting or being that great. Anyone here still rocking any of these setups for an extended period of time (2 years+)? Can you share some insight in late July of 2024 what you would have gone with? Maybe you're really happy with one of the brands or maybe you've tried them all and can shed some insight on what is actually the best option.
Maybe you still have ABC and you found a way to keep it going aside from fluid and filter changes?
Are you DIY? tips?
Also, is it possible to install coilover setups from non ABC airmatic as long as you swap the control arms or what needs else needs to be swapped? I've been scouring the forum posts but they always seem to stop when it gets good or leave out minor things. I want to be able to make a solid post where I can try to explain most of what it takes to do a proper swap (DIY) with few corners cut and if possible on a budget.
Lastly, I was reading about how running the stock powersteering pump with dry lines that power the hydraulic system will basically wear out your pump, does having the line plugs counter this or does swapping to an S500 power steering setup solve this?
I plan on doing very minor healthy mods to this car to keep it going for a while like split cooling (an unfortunate issue that plagued my C32 and SLK32) and ..really thats it maybe some cooling mods. '
Anyway, I hope I can get some love from you guys even though most of this has already been covered. I hope you guys can drop some links and really give me some details so that in the future I can write a post that will help others get it done like I did in the C32/C55 community.
Anyway, heres my new ..car? whip? baby? Benz.
(Put my old custom plates from my C32 onto it for now)
Anyway...
It still has ABC. One friend says "SWAP IT ASAP AND SELL THE WORKING SYSTEM"; my other friend says "RIDE THAT **** OUT". I'm going with the latter.
I plan on doing a conversion to coilovers when it craps out BUT, I'm confused about which kit is best. I have read that strutmasters is the go to BUT I've also read that its not that great. I haven't seen much about ceika and yellowspeed is seems to be the most common but also people have mentioned it not lasting or being that great. Anyone here still rocking any of these setups for an extended period of time (2 years+)? Can you share some insight in late July of 2024 what you would have gone with? Maybe you're really happy with one of the brands or maybe you've tried them all and can shed some insight on what is actually the best option.
Maybe you still have ABC and you found a way to keep it going aside from fluid and filter changes?
Are you DIY? tips?
Also, is it possible to install coilover setups from non ABC airmatic as long as you swap the control arms or what needs else needs to be swapped? I've been scouring the forum posts but they always seem to stop when it gets good or leave out minor things. I want to be able to make a solid post where I can try to explain most of what it takes to do a proper swap (DIY) with few corners cut and if possible on a budget.
Lastly, I was reading about how running the stock powersteering pump with dry lines that power the hydraulic system will basically wear out your pump, does having the line plugs counter this or does swapping to an S500 power steering setup solve this?
I plan on doing very minor healthy mods to this car to keep it going for a while like split cooling (an unfortunate issue that plagued my C32 and SLK32) and ..really thats it maybe some cooling mods. '
Anyway, I hope I can get some love from you guys even though most of this has already been covered. I hope you guys can drop some links and really give me some details so that in the future I can write a post that will help others get it done like I did in the C32/C55 community.
Anyway, heres my new ..car? whip? baby? Benz.
(Put my old custom plates from my C32 onto it for now)
#2
Member
Cooling - Replace OEM Inter-cooler pump with upgraded Bosch 010 pump. That's it. S55's don't seem to suffer the overheating issue.
Coil Overs - Don't know much about them but it's said you'll need sway bars to combat body roll.
Coil Overs - Don't know much about them but it's said you'll need sway bars to combat body roll.
#3
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'06 MB S55 AMG; '04 Audi Allroad 4.2; '05 BMW M3 Conv.; '92 MB 500E
Read PhillyJoe's Build Thread here -- https://mbworld.org/forums/s55-amg-s...ld-thread.html
Most of what you need to know is there and it's pretty new, I think less than a year old.
GL and Enjoy!
Cheers,
maw
Most of what you need to know is there and it's pretty new, I think less than a year old.
GL and Enjoy!
Cheers,
maw
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PHILLYCLSJOE (08-02-2024)
#4
here is my opinion based on my experience with s55 with ABC VS coilovers
i own S55 2004 with ABC, my car has 252,000KM
i drive mine daily to work and back about 55km per day)
i have a friend with S55 who bought his car with coil overs ( was swapped prior to him buying it )
i drove both and from a driving experience , i will take the ABC all year long....
now lets talk issues and maintenance:
- mine needed 2 accumulators ( the front and the back one ) cost for both 250$ ( the reason for changing them is ABC red warning shows for a fraction of a second when i drive above 100km/h over an air pocket on the road) that is it..
- 2 hydraulic pipes between the front and back valve body exploded and had to be compressed with new special pipes and connection to handle up to 300 bar of pressure
never had any other issue with the car
- i change my ABC oil + filter every 30,000KM with 9L of oil every time ( the full system takes 11L of oil ) ( cost is 100$) and 30 minutes of my time.
my advice is drive this system and enjoy it while you can... it is in my opinion, the best compromise between comfort and sporty.
i own S55 2004 with ABC, my car has 252,000KM
i drive mine daily to work and back about 55km per day)
i have a friend with S55 who bought his car with coil overs ( was swapped prior to him buying it )
i drove both and from a driving experience , i will take the ABC all year long....
now lets talk issues and maintenance:
- mine needed 2 accumulators ( the front and the back one ) cost for both 250$ ( the reason for changing them is ABC red warning shows for a fraction of a second when i drive above 100km/h over an air pocket on the road) that is it..
- 2 hydraulic pipes between the front and back valve body exploded and had to be compressed with new special pipes and connection to handle up to 300 bar of pressure
never had any other issue with the car
- i change my ABC oil + filter every 30,000KM with 9L of oil every time ( the full system takes 11L of oil ) ( cost is 100$) and 30 minutes of my time.
my advice is drive this system and enjoy it while you can... it is in my opinion, the best compromise between comfort and sporty.
Last edited by ls1_mast; 07-24-2024 at 09:33 AM.
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#5
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'06 MB S55 AMG; '04 Audi Allroad 4.2; '05 BMW M3 Conv.; '92 MB 500E
here is my opinion based on my experience with s55 with ABC VS coilovers
i own S55 2004 with ABC, my car has 252,000KM
i drive mine daily to work and back about 55km per day)
i have a friend with S55 who bought his car with coil overs ( was swapped prior to him buying it )
i drove both and from a driving experience , i will take the ABC all year long....
now lets talk issues and maintenance:
- mine needed 2 accumulators ( the front and the back one ) cost for both 250$ ( the reason for changing them is ABC red warning shows for a fraction of a second when i drive above 100km/h over an air pocket on the road) that is it..
- 2 hydraulic pipes between the front and back valve body exploded and had to be compressed with new special pipes and connection to handle up to 300 bar of pressure
never had any other issue with the car
- i change my ABC oil + filter every 30,000KM with 9L of oil every time ( the full system takes 11L of oil ) ( cost is 100$) and 30 minutes of my time.
my advice is drive this system and enjoy it while you can... it is in my opinion, the best compromise between comfort and sporty.
i own S55 2004 with ABC, my car has 252,000KM
i drive mine daily to work and back about 55km per day)
i have a friend with S55 who bought his car with coil overs ( was swapped prior to him buying it )
i drove both and from a driving experience , i will take the ABC all year long....
now lets talk issues and maintenance:
- mine needed 2 accumulators ( the front and the back one ) cost for both 250$ ( the reason for changing them is ABC red warning shows for a fraction of a second when i drive above 100km/h over an air pocket on the road) that is it..
- 2 hydraulic pipes between the front and back valve body exploded and had to be compressed with new special pipes and connection to handle up to 300 bar of pressure
never had any other issue with the car
- i change my ABC oil + filter every 30,000KM with 9L of oil every time ( the full system takes 11L of oil ) ( cost is 100$) and 30 minutes of my time.
my advice is drive this system and enjoy it while you can... it is in my opinion, the best compromise between comfort and sporty.
It's literally not a real question IMO.
maw
#6
Senior Member
Thread Starter
That will be my first step outside of ABC maintenance. Thanks for the advice. I think I will be sticking with ABC for now
#7
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Thread Starter
Read PhillyJoe's Build Thread here -- https://mbworld.org/forums/s55-amg-s...ld-thread.html
Most of what you need to know is there and it's pretty new, I think less than a year old.
GL and Enjoy!
Cheers,
maw
Most of what you need to know is there and it's pretty new, I think less than a year old.
GL and Enjoy!
Cheers,
maw
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maw1124 (08-02-2024)
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#8
Senior Member
Thread Starter
here is my opinion based on my experience with s55 with ABC VS coilovers
i own S55 2004 with ABC, my car has 252,000KM
i drive mine daily to work and back about 55km per day)
i have a friend with S55 who bought his car with coil overs ( was swapped prior to him buying it )
i drove both and from a driving experience , i will take the ABC all year long....
now lets talk issues and maintenance:
- mine needed 2 accumulators ( the front and the back one ) cost for both 250$ ( the reason for changing them is ABC red warning shows for a fraction of a second when i drive above 100km/h over an air pocket on the road) that is it..
- 2 hydraulic pipes between the front and back valve body exploded and had to be compressed with new special pipes and connection to handle up to 300 bar of pressure
never had any other issue with the car
- i change my ABC oil + filter every 30,000KM with 9L of oil every time ( the full system takes 11L of oil ) ( cost is 100$) and 30 minutes of my time.
my advice is drive this system and enjoy it while you can... it is in my opinion, the best compromise between comfort and sporty.
i own S55 2004 with ABC, my car has 252,000KM
i drive mine daily to work and back about 55km per day)
i have a friend with S55 who bought his car with coil overs ( was swapped prior to him buying it )
i drove both and from a driving experience , i will take the ABC all year long....
now lets talk issues and maintenance:
- mine needed 2 accumulators ( the front and the back one ) cost for both 250$ ( the reason for changing them is ABC red warning shows for a fraction of a second when i drive above 100km/h over an air pocket on the road) that is it..
- 2 hydraulic pipes between the front and back valve body exploded and had to be compressed with new special pipes and connection to handle up to 300 bar of pressure
never had any other issue with the car
- i change my ABC oil + filter every 30,000KM with 9L of oil every time ( the full system takes 11L of oil ) ( cost is 100$) and 30 minutes of my time.
my advice is drive this system and enjoy it while you can... it is in my opinion, the best compromise between comfort and sporty.
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maw1124 (08-02-2024)
#9
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'06 MB S55 AMG; '04 Audi Allroad 4.2; '05 BMW M3 Conv.; '92 MB 500E
You will need to do the ABC fluid, filters and accumulators if you can't see they've already been done. Fluid and filters every 30k thereafter, accumulators every 10y/100k miles thereafter.
The reason the Sonderklasse don't have the cooling issues that the E class have is because the S, CL and SL all have a second heat exchanger. That got nixed in the smaller engine bay of the E.
GL and enjoy!
maw
The reason the Sonderklasse don't have the cooling issues that the E class have is because the S, CL and SL all have a second heat exchanger. That got nixed in the smaller engine bay of the E.
GL and enjoy!
maw
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ls1_mast (07-24-2024)
#10
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Good luck
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#11
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2002 CLK55 AMG: 2004 S55 AMG
Hey Josh, Welcome Aboard!
Beautiful car and color combo, i'm jealous of that interior. You'll remember i was the "Joe" who responded to your Facebook post with the Accumulator video, however I'm glad you found your way over to the forums. Theres a ton of guys in here with a wealth of helpful information, and they don't get too bothered about topics being brought up more then once (Which is nice).
Take a deep dive through the system and get a good understanding for it. Once you familiarize yourself you'll understand why the old timers and myself included are so hell bent on ABC. It's a great system and far superior then coilovers.
Good luck and post back some progress. It's always enjoyable having a fresh take in the W220 community.
- Joe
Beautiful car and color combo, i'm jealous of that interior. You'll remember i was the "Joe" who responded to your Facebook post with the Accumulator video, however I'm glad you found your way over to the forums. Theres a ton of guys in here with a wealth of helpful information, and they don't get too bothered about topics being brought up more then once (Which is nice).
Take a deep dive through the system and get a good understanding for it. Once you familiarize yourself you'll understand why the old timers and myself included are so hell bent on ABC. It's a great system and far superior then coilovers.
Good luck and post back some progress. It's always enjoyable having a fresh take in the W220 community.
- Joe
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#12
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Thread Starter
Hey Josh, Welcome Aboard!
Beautiful car and color combo, i'm jealous of that interior. You'll remember i was the "Joe" who responded to your Facebook post with the Accumulator video, however I'm glad you found your way over to the forums. Theres a ton of guys in here with a wealth of helpful information, and they don't get too bothered about topics being brought up more then once (Which is nice).
Take a deep dive through the system and get a good understanding for it. Once you familiarize yourself you'll understand why the old timers and myself included are so hell bent on ABC. It's a great system and far superior then coilovers.
Good luck and post back some progress. It's always enjoyable having a fresh take in the W220 community.
- Joe
Beautiful car and color combo, i'm jealous of that interior. You'll remember i was the "Joe" who responded to your Facebook post with the Accumulator video, however I'm glad you found your way over to the forums. Theres a ton of guys in here with a wealth of helpful information, and they don't get too bothered about topics being brought up more then once (Which is nice).
Take a deep dive through the system and get a good understanding for it. Once you familiarize yourself you'll understand why the old timers and myself included are so hell bent on ABC. It's a great system and far superior then coilovers.
Good luck and post back some progress. It's always enjoyable having a fresh take in the W220 community.
- Joe
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2002 CLK55 AMG: 2004 S55 AMG
It all depends on how loud you want to go and how much you want to cut up. The older I get the more quiet i like it.
Hop on eBay and type in "W220 fox exhaust". German company who sells a bolt on kit and they sell both the mufflers as well as the mid section. It's a little pricey but i rather pay the extra dime to know i can bolt back up the stock exhaust at anytime.
Theres a few different options to gradually increase the growl, however i'll be honest i haven't gone down that rabbit hole just yet. I was looking at the fox kit as a solid option.
- Joe
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Oshkoshbigjosh (08-09-2024)
#14
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'06 MB S55 AMG; '04 Audi Allroad 4.2; '05 BMW M3 Conv.; '92 MB 500E
But no, these cars aren't to make noise around town doing stoplight derbys.
Keep in mind a pulley and tune will give you more boost and therefore more bark.
But Dodge Chargers, BMW M and Corvettes these are not. They announce their presence with silence.
maw
Last edited by maw1124; 08-08-2024 at 10:30 AM.
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#15
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Turn on ABC Sport, turn off traction control, hold the wheel with both hands and put your foot into her ... she'll bark at you alright.
But no, these cars aren't to make noise around town doing stoplight derbys.
Keep in mind a pulley and tune will give you more boost and therefore more bark.
But Dodge Chargers, BMW M and Corvettes these are not. They announce their presence with silence.
maw
But no, these cars aren't to make noise around town doing stoplight derbys.
Keep in mind a pulley and tune will give you more boost and therefore more bark.
But Dodge Chargers, BMW M and Corvettes these are not. They announce their presence with silence.
maw
Last edited by CICBarkeep; 08-08-2024 at 12:21 PM.
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#16
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'06 MB S55 AMG; '04 Audi Allroad 4.2; '05 BMW M3 Conv.; '92 MB 500E
I remember playing around with a W221 S63 on I-75S on my way to FL... kids were in the back asleep except my son (always awake back then) who spotted out his rear passenger window, "AMG!"
Two families having fun in the family limos on the way to Christmas vacation.
These things are fast and nimble at any speed.
maw
Two families having fun in the family limos on the way to Christmas vacation.
These things are fast and nimble at any speed.
maw
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#17
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The only silver lining to my most recent ABC leak is that it was just an o-ring. The 3 breakdowns that I've had in the past 2 years and only 6k miles of ownership have all been ABC related. These were all after performing the typical preventative maintenance.
The first was a cracked pulsation damper (PO induced).
The second was the tandem pump on its way out.
Most recent was an o-ring failure.
I haven’t had a hose or strut failure yet and I’m growing tired of working on it, so I can sympathize why people go for the conversion. My car is not pristine, nor a complete turd so I’ve contemplated it myself.
The first was a cracked pulsation damper (PO induced).
The second was the tandem pump on its way out.
Most recent was an o-ring failure.
I haven’t had a hose or strut failure yet and I’m growing tired of working on it, so I can sympathize why people go for the conversion. My car is not pristine, nor a complete turd so I’ve contemplated it myself.
#18
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We need someone to make a decent set of coilovers for this car.
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Oshkoshbigjosh (09-09-2024)
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#21
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Gorgeous car btw that interior is stunning!
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maw1124 (08-24-2024)
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2002 CLK55 AMG: 2004 S55 AMG
I understand your frustration at times, but there are plenty of companies that make coilovers for our cars. However thats not the issue, its the ride quality, no sway bars, not designed originally for a system like that.
The ABC system i agree can be cumbersome to work on, however once its properly sorted you shouldn't have a single issue with it for 100K miles. Simple flushes and accumulator replacements at intervals should keep the system working flawlessly.
- Joe
The ABC system i agree can be cumbersome to work on, however once its properly sorted you shouldn't have a single issue with it for 100K miles. Simple flushes and accumulator replacements at intervals should keep the system working flawlessly.
- Joe
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maw1124 (08-24-2024)
#24
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I understand your frustration at times, but there are plenty of companies that make coilovers for our cars. However thats not the issue, its the ride quality, no sway bars, not designed originally for a system like that.
The ABC system i agree can be cumbersome to work on, however once its properly sorted you shouldn't have a single issue with it for 100K miles. Simple flushes and accumulator replacements at intervals should keep the system working flawlessly.
- Joe
The ABC system i agree can be cumbersome to work on, however once its properly sorted you shouldn't have a single issue with it for 100K miles. Simple flushes and accumulator replacements at intervals should keep the system working flawlessly.
- Joe
The previous owners had the car(s) and neglected the system hence all the threads in here all the time with the same questions.
I've worked on cars for over two decades and have owned other Mercedes but I was unaware of how this system worked. So yeah, jokes on me because I didn't know everything about the car I was purchasing to make sure I could have the spare finances, time, etc. to repair something somebody else decided to throw in the towel on.
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'06 MB S55 AMG; '04 Audi Allroad 4.2; '05 BMW M3 Conv.; '92 MB 500E
They are Sonderklasse for a reason.
maw