When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Does anyone know what dampers come stock on US market SL550? On the Bilstein website there are two different sets one is standard suspension the other is sport suspension. I was hoping to swap mine to standard with swift springs to get better ride quality in comfort mode.
swift springs to get better ride quality in comfort mode.
I don’t see R231’s in their (Swift Springs) catalog. Are you getting custom springs made? You will be hard pressed to find a softer spring than comes on the US R231’s. Your car will have the B4 equivalent shock/valving already. You probably know already but tire choice can also make a substantial difference in ride quality on these cars too.
Good Luck.
Last edited by crconsulting; Nov 13, 2023 at 09:26 PM.
[QUOTE=crconsulting;8876396]I don’t see R231’s in their (Swift Springs) catalog. Are you getting custom springs made?
I was looking at the BC Racing website and they have some options but not sure if they will work without getting the coilovers. I do have the 19 inch AMG wheels with Continental DWS tires.
I was looking at the BC Racing website and they have some options but not sure if they will work without getting the coilovers. I do have the 19 inch AMG wheels with Continental DWS tires.
With those tires that car should already feel as soft as an old couch. Can't imagine the car would have any decent drive dynamics with a softer suspension. The other option maybe to go with 18" wheels for some more rubber.
I was looking at the BC Racing website and they have some options but not sure if they will work without getting the coilovers.
Yes, they only make adjustable coilovers for the R231's
I have seen those kits for other cars. Outwardly they look pretty decent. I think BC gets them directly from Taiwan. I don't have any experience with BC Coilover's but have pretty extensive experience with coilover's in racing applications. I can't speak of the quality or longevity of their (BC) dampers. As with everything internet, there are many opinions.
But, I will say it will be VERY difficult to obtain a better ride quality thru the BC components than the factory tuned coilover's and dampers that came equipped on your car. If you were looking for lowering and performance, maybe this would be a different matter.
BC Racing (or their Taiwan mtg'er) make coilover's for a large variety of application and cater to the performance crowd. While one can get close on spring rate by measuring your current springs and some math. The adjustability of the dampers and coil material/wind will be variables that will need to be fine tuned for the ride qualities you're seeking. In short, that will mean dropping the struts and swapping springs several times. If you're a DIY'er this will be less of an issue, but still a pain with no guarantees you will achieve the ideal ride you're looking for. Then there is the damper valving variables. Not sure if the BC racing has adjustable shim stack's for the dampers. I know they are "adjustable", but shim stack tuning is also something that will probably require tweaking. In short, it will be difficult task to dial the suspension in for a plusher ride and keep the car from bottoming or worsen the handling characteristics.
Originally Posted by mokrishte
I do have the 19 inch AMG wheels with Continental DWS tires.
How old are the tires? What pressures are you running?
Tire pressure on the these low profile sidewall 19" tires can make a huge difference in ride quality. Also age of rubber can be detrimental to ride quality.
With those tires that car should already feel as soft as an old couch. Can't imagine the car would have any decent drive dynamics with a softer suspension. The other option maybe to go with 18" wheels for some more rubber.
Old people like old couches
I find handling characteristics are very subjective when we are talking about street cars on the internet.
I do think the non-ABC cars are under dampened for my personal tastes. The Bilstein B6 is a better fit for the R231 (but with the stock springs).
Old people like old couches
I find handling characteristics are very subjective when we are talking about street cars on the internet.
I do think the non-ABC cars are under dampened for my personal tastes. The Bilstein B6 is a better fit for the R231 (but with the stock springs).
Well, people complaining about a R231 being too stiff are a rarity here. Given the demographic this car was designed for a compliant ride was essential.
We only had our R231 SL on springs for 6 months or so before the car was totaled so I have limited experience, but a disappointing one vs ABC.
A month or two with stock springs and then lowered via H&R sport springs. Dropping the car was a poor choice. Drop was too much and made the car unpleasant to drive.
Well, people complaining about a R231 being too stiff are a rarity here. Given the demographic this car was designed for a compliant ride was essential.
That’s why I believe OP’s issue is tire/or pressure related. Most of the ride complaints are characteristics of low profile sidewall stiffness. It can be hard to differentiate between tire sidewall stiffness vs springs stiffness. The natural tendency is to blame the spring. But the reality is no matter what vehicle, jarring impacts of low profile tires remain a constant complaint for some owners.
Originally Posted by Wolfman
A month or two with stock springs and then lowered via H&R sport springs. Dropping the car was a poor choice. Drop was too much and made the car unpleasant to drive.
The 1-1/4” drop shortens damper travel by quite a bit, the corresponding spring will have to ramp up the rate quickly to compensate. The mistake I’ve seen some installers make, is using the original bump stops (the b6’s have an internal stop). With the weight of these cars, I think the sweet spot is the Bilstein B6 with stock springs. The car is already low enough for urban driving. And ramping up the spring rate obviously ruined the ride quality for urban driving.
It will never be a sports car like the AMG GT’s
nor do most SL owners want this…
Last edited by crconsulting; Nov 14, 2023 at 06:50 PM.
That’s why I believe OP’s issue is tire/or pressure related. Most of the ride complaints are characteristics of low profile sidewall stiffness. It can be hard to differentiate between tire sidewall stiffness vs springs stiffness. The natural tendency is to blame the spring. But the reality is no matter what vehicle, jarring impacts of low profile tires remain a constant complaint for some owners.
The 1-1/4” drop shortens damper travel by quite a bit, the corresponding spring will have to ramp up the rate quickly to compensate. The mistake I’ve seen some installers make, is using the original bump stops (the b6’s have an internal stop). With the weight of these cars, I think the sweet spot is the B6 with stock springs. The car is already low enough for urban driving. And ramping up the spring rate obviously ruined the ride quality for urban driving.
It will never be a sports car like the AMG GT’s
nor do most SL owners want this…
Edit: By bump stops you mean the rubber spacers? The SL was tall like an SUV. But with new springs just too low (more than 1 1/4")...
Here are some pics in an old thread: https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-...50-no-abc.html
Edit: By bump stops you mean the rubber spacers? The SL was tall like an SUV. But with new springs just too low (more than 1 1/4")...
Here are some pics in an old thread: https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-...50-no-abc.html
Bump stop is #4 in illustration below. There are upper and lower rubber spring pad isolators too.(#3 & #7 below). The bump stop is typically made from more of a foam material.
Bump stops are integrated in the B6’s and (#4) should be removed from inside the dust boot. They would alter ride characteristics, especially on a lowered car, if the outer unneeded bumper bottoms first. I’ve seen several cars that had both bump stops installed
That being said, the B6s typically take some time to “settle”. Every car I’ve put them on eventually settles in a few weeks (sometimes longer). Unfortunately, that can be tough to explain to customers.
FCP takes a B6 apart in this video and explains how the internal bump stop works. (some B6’s do come with new lower stops)
That’s why I believe OP’s issue is tire/or pressure related.
Tires are pretty new 4 months. I keep the pressures around 38psi front and 40psi rear. The ride is a bit harsh at slow speeds around town maybe because I drove a 2010 CLS550 previously with airmatic and was used to a softer suspension.
That’s why I believe OP’s issue is tire/or pressure related.
Tires are pretty new 4 months. I keep the pressures around 38psi front and 40psi rear. The ride is a bit harsh at slow speeds around town maybe because I drove a 2010 CLS550 previously with airmatic and was used to a softer suspension.
Seems slightly high on PSI, but not unreasonable. In the end it depends on how hot it gets in your area (or not, UK?).
But your CLS550 probably had 18’s. The r231 did come with 18”s too.
I will probably get some 18 inch AMG monoblock rims in the future. But both of my cars came with the AMG sports package 19 inch wheels.
Those both look very nice!
As you mentioned, The SL by the nature of the springs, will have different characteristics than the Airmatic.
But the SL shouldn’t be “harsh” by any stretch. Potholes are a different matter…
Mercedes did a poor job setting a consistent ride height on US-bound SL's. You will see lots of cars that simply have uneven height f/r. Stock height was not ok and the H&R sprint springs lowered it more than desired.
Speaking of the past of course as this was more than 10 years ago... There weren't a lot of options like coil overs available.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
The r231 did come with 18”s too.
