AMG Rider

i've had this car for close to 4 years now..and i love everything about the car except handling. it feels way to heavy when i take hard turns..there are not many parts out there, so i was wondering if anyone has done some suspension upgrades...i was thinking about getting rid of air suspension and try to put coilover instead...would it work?

AMGfan

Check out this thread...

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...78#post2389678

I'd be interested in upgrading the steering rack in my car...

AMG Rider

Thanks...i already checked that thread...but, i want to get rid of the air suspension and put a coilover...is it possible? and would it be expensive?

dc63er

hoe about a strut tower brace.

BenzoManNY

I agree the airmatic sucks, i wish they put coilovers like the CLK Black edition.

lowering does little to the cars handling on these cars it seems.

I spoke with some tuners in Germany and never got a solid answer if this can be done. To be honest i wont keep my car that long to go crazy over it

but hands down the M5 outhandles the 55 and 63 by a long shot

KW makes a coilover for the V6 cars but i wonder how the airmatic can be electronically disabled

jangy

Apparently, the Brabus beast went to coilovers due to stability at high speeds. It can be done, since we have E classes that don't have it. You will need to trick the ECU.

I'll tell you know that the Airmatic isn't the issue. True weight is. and also the angles on the hook up points in the suspension make for a dead ride.

Swapping out coils for airmatic will at best give you a little better transition grip, but that is it.

CynCarvin32

You can do that but it is very costly and it also would destroy re-sale value. Brabus takes airmatic off cars and puts on a coil-over kit for their very powerful top of the line cars. Airmatic cant take the stress created by going 210 mph plus and it does not offer enough stability.

No one here has done it simply due to the insane cost.

BenzoManNY

this must be why they havent gotten back with a upgrade for me. Brabus takes the bottom of the line chassis and guts them anyways so they already must start with a non airmatic car.

rkao

Exactly!

To quote Colin Chapman: To make it go faster you will have to add lightness - that's as true for going around a corner as it is for going in a straight line.

There is added weight EVERYWHERE in these W211s...from the engine to the electronic and electric gizmos in the car.

DFW01E55

I've heard that if you put a BMW center cap on each wheel, you pick up .4g's on the skid pad.
Or maybe not.

Vadim @ FD

Yes, it is possible.

I have a client looking into doing spring conversion.

SS3E55

So how do we add lightness :-)

What weight saving swaps have folks tried ? - I saw a CF hood on some threads - but looked expensive and saved a trifling amount (something like 35lbs I think - hey if I dieted...I might save that much ha ha)

Unless we get hundreds of pounds out of the car its not going to be that different from stock in feel...so what choices are there...

remove back seats anyone (yuk!)
swap hood for CF
trunk too
other body panels ? Doors ? Can we get rid of any glass (not really)

just imagine you could do all that work, spoil the whole darn car and even then still the car would be heavy - its weight ,like some women, is in its bones...and not easily removed !

Its only the truly enormous power of the S/C 55 that makes our cars anything like "high performance" - Lotus long ago knew the truth just as really all tuners do...
Although you can overpower weight to get acceleration; you can't overpower the laws of physics....handling and braking (yes and acceleration in the limits) need less mass if they are to work well. Period.

Even Audi Jag and Aston with Alum cars don't get their weight numbers that low...basically better buy an Exige !

jangy

Add tire patch size by getting wider wheels and tires. Also consider compound.
Reduce as much UNSPRUNG weight as possible by replacing wheels and rotors.
Adjust the alignment by swapping out current (heavy and solid) arms with adjustable ones.

CynCarvin32

An M5 tips the scales at the same figure as an E55 and maybe even more. But it drives very well and will leave an E55 in a ditch. So I have to disagree that weight is the ONLY thing causing the issue. But yes it is a heavy car any which way.

jangy

It isn't the only thing at all, but neither are the Airmatics. We need to setup a ride with one of your M5 boyz. I already know about ditches all too well, but I'd still love to see what one can do.

rkao

It's true, not cheap to add lightness.

Take the Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera for example: so many interioe and exterior panels and surfaces replaced with carbonfiber and polycarbonates, and they only managed to save ~150 lbs. And added 10 whole bhps to the motor - and the MSRP is some $70,000 above the normal Gallardo and even accounting some of that difference in the marketing, it still is a palpable sum.

ItalianStallion

As cool as the car is, the interior to me is very "plasticy." I mean, everything is total carbon fiber, but it has a very cheap feel to it. Don't get me wrong, I love the car...but if you sit in a normal Gallardo it has a rich feel to it, very solid and even enough for me to say its luxurious. The Superleggera feels more like a race-car and as cool as it is, that type of interior just ain't for me.

So, same goes for the E. If you strip it down and start to replace the door with cf pieces and remove sound insulation, etc, it'll start to lose that classic Benz feeling. For weight savings, you can remove the spare, get lightweight rims, lightweight rotors, etc.

But Joon, I know you have the rotors and rims already. I'm not sure what else you could do ...these cars are more focused on straightline acceleration rather than all around like the M cars. Goodluck though, take care.

AMG Rider

so swapping to coilover is not gonna help much...
i still wonder how much it would be....its gotta be very expensive!!!
anywayz, i already have Evosport slotted rotors and HRE C20s...what else could be done with resonable price? to me, steering rack is way too expensive...would rather put cams for that money~

AMG Rider

i go up to Bear mountain every Sunday with my buddy in his M5 and that thing handles!!!!!

CynCarvin32

I just sold my E55 so cant do any comparo drives any more. Shes being picked up today or tomorrow. Shes off to a good home!

I just think an M5 drives a lot better than an E55 but weighs the same. So with that in mind I bet a well sorted coilover kit would make the E55 a much more nimble beast. Upgrade wheels, brake rotors, and put a coilover kit on and I bet the E55 would be a pretty mean car. It has to all weigh a lot less too being that you save on valve blocks, pumps, lines, and computers etc once yanking out AirMaritc.

cte430

Interesting post above about the Lambo superlegera. Same goes for the upcoming F430 Scuderia. All that tech. and I think they shaved off abour 150 pounds or so? I forget the exact number but I think everyone gets the point.

Read an interesting article on Ferrari the other day and their focus is now on weight and efficiency. Not on HP and torque.

Forget about trying to make these cars light. You'll spend a fortune trying so just enjoy them for what they are. Buy a Lotus or something for weekend fun.

AMG Rider

How about u give me ur 997 turbo Chris? love ur car man!
i think thats gonna be my next car~it just solves every problems that i have right now....

cte430

sure, no problem! LOL. I love my TT but not sure I would have it if I had to use it as my DD - especially with our crappy roads. I have a company car so can get away with it.

No matter what car you buy there are compromises to be had but trying to make the E55 handle like a sports car will just turn into a never ending money pit.

Even the ClK black, with all it's weight savings still weighs nearly 4,000 lbs.

jangy

Wider tires up front, if you do not want to get the steering rack, front arms, and shocks.

rkao

It's true, the curb weight of an E60 M5 is probably around the same and an E55, but I thnk the difference is in the original design and engineering philosophy.

BMWs are built to be more sporty - less cosseting ride but better handling. From the SMG II transmission to the M Differential, the car is geared for a higher plane of driving dynamics than the W211 E55/63. I've read many reviews which have said the Airmatic II on its Sport 2 setting is still softer than the M5's ride stiffness, that tells me a lot about the differences between the two cars and, more tellingly, between the two marques.

I think you'll find that the suspension dynamics of an M5 from its caster and toe settings to its damper valving are geared towards a more track oriented handling trait and ride than the E55. That difference starts from the moment the engineering brief is completed for the two cars and no amount of money can make fundamental changes to that unless you are a manufacturer like Brabus or Alpina and re-engineer the cars.