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I see someone really wants to damage his car. You think MB set the temperature where it's set to just for fun? Don't you think they would have lowered the threshold if this would be better for the engine?
AIRmatic lowering beyond the OEM specs is bad for the struts. If the manufacturer would have wanted the car lower they would have fine so. Internally there will be so much more pressure to balance this out. I hope you will never have an accident with fatalities caused by this. There is a reason I deny every request to lower cars no matter what method (SD, washers, control units piggy backed to the system to override settings,...)!
Want to try lowering my 2003 SL55 with my recently acquired C3 Star/DAS. Should the same inclination angles be used as posted in post #1 or are there different angles that should be used for the R230?
2003 E55, 2003 SL55, 2014 CLS63, 2018 q50 Redsport, 1968 Camaro SS, 1999 Trans am Firehawk
Originally Posted by B Feelgood
Want to try lowering my 2003 SL55 with my recently acquired C3 Star/DAS. Should the same inclination angles be used as posted in post #1 or are there different angles that should be used for the R230?
there is a completely different procedure for the ABC in the R230 compared to the airmatic in the w211. Here is a link to a thread on how to lower an ABC car, which sounds like a PITA
with the lowering module you can then program it so that the car is only lower under a certain speed (say 5 mph) but will then return to stock ride height at speeds over that so that the stock alignment specs and handling characteristics (and tire wear) are still maintained, but you then still get the lowered look you want when the car is going low speed or is parked
You guys know that lowering it without getting your whole suspension recalibrated will only cause your AIRmatic go berserk trying to keep it leveled. This causes your ride to stiffen more and more until you think you're driving a tractor. Worst mod ever that you can do to your car.
2004 E55 AMG, 2006 CLS63, 2004 ML55, 2014 E350 sport
Originally Posted by Mackhack
You guys know that lowering it without getting your whole suspension recalibrated will only cause your AIRmatic go berserk trying to keep it leveled. This causes your ride to stiffen more and more until you think you're driving a tractor. Worst mod ever that you can do to your car.
What do you mean calibrated?
Have you been inside the airmatic computer and can see the values its putting out or something?? Is it stiffening the suspension because of these settings above??
I just find it hard to believe thats how it works..... And if it is I WANT to do it. (not to extreme levels obviously).
So your saying if you use the washer method it cant go beserk but if you use the star lowering method it can go beserk!? It can only get readings from the three level sensors then the abs and yaw sensors etc etc. I dont think theres any active communication with the shock itself is there?
Last edited by austingtir; Mar 18, 2016 at 03:28 AM.
2004 E55 AMG, 2006 CLS63, 2004 ML55, 2014 E350 sport
The only thing id add is IF I was doing a star lowering id be putting the thing on a set of corner weights with perfectly level ground and doing it RIGHT that goes for coilovers aswell.
Last edited by austingtir; Mar 18, 2016 at 07:17 AM.
You guys know that lowering it without getting your whole suspension recalibrated will only cause your AIRmatic go berserk trying to keep it leveled. This causes your ride to stiffen more and more until you think you're driving a tractor. Worst mod ever that you can do to your car.
Originally Posted by austingtir
What do you mean calibrated?
Have you been inside the airmatic computer and can see the values its putting out or something?? Is it stiffening the suspension because of these settings above??
I just find it hard to believe thats how it works..... And if it is I WANT to do it. (not to extreme levels obviously).
So your saying if you use the washer method it cant go beserk but if you use the star lowering method it can go beserk!? It can only get readings from the three level sensors then the abs and yaw sensors etc etc. I dont think theres any active communication with the shock itself is there?
Changing the ride height will not affect the dampening.
Yes it will bc the pitch angles will change the way you guys do it here in this thread. Don't believe me. Don't care then and drive your car lowered and wait until AIRmatic stiffens more and more.
If you really know what needs to be done you can a) avoid calibration and b) you would know what tools are needed to calibrate it.
But by simply changing the voltage of the sensors is a guaranteed a stiffen of your AIRmatic.
I changed my coding to 'rest of world', which lowers the ride height a small amount. Although the in car button to increase ride height still brings car to same full height (and it lets you drive on the highway with jacked up height for longer period before it auto deactivates).
Correct. It auto deletes raised level at 120 km/h or whatever the equivalent in mph is.
On the other hand, change AIRmatic country to Azerbaijan or Afghansistan and you get raised levels for comfort, sport 1 and 2 good for Cowboys in Texas
2004 E55 AMG, 2006 CLS63, 2004 ML55, 2014 E350 sport
Originally Posted by Mackhack
Yes it will bc the pitch angles will change the way you guys do it here in this thread. Don't believe me. Don't care then and drive your car lowered and wait until AIRmatic stiffens more and more.
If you really know what needs to be done you can a) avoid calibration and b) you would know what tools are needed to calibrate it.
But by simply changing the voltage of the sensors is a guaranteed a stiffen of your AIRmatic.
I see what your saying BUT airmatic cant go infinitely stiff theres only so much adjustment in airmatic the airbags have the chambers which they close off to stiffen the airbag. The shocks use a voltage to change the stiffness of the shock (id love to know how stiff they can actually go is it not just as stiff as sport two setting??). But then I have heard stories of peoples suspension on here being rock hard due to a fault.
But does using the washer method by pass this? As theres no way the car knows that anythings been changed.
I am very interested in what your saying about inclination angles adjusting the characterics of airmatic because I track my car and by track i mean actual racetracks not 1/4 mile. I could use a stiffer ride and im sure alot of others on here would be interested in that aswell.
I really wish you'd be more forthcoming with info rather than just outright saying something is a crap way of doing it. I certainly dont see things this way. Problem..... SOLUTION.
BTW I am not star lowered so dont go getting your knickers in a knot about this.
I would love to see a proper solution to airmatic tuning like an actual airmatic computer tune like we do to the TCU and ECU. To me if the shocks can go stiffer than airmatic sport 2 setting I want a piece of that action.
Last edited by austingtir; Mar 18, 2016 at 05:15 PM.
My suspension is rock hard since the replacement of both rear AIRmatic struts. 3 dealerships are unwilling to calibrate it. I heard from a brother of one of the mechanics that they are not really trained by MB and are scared to **** it even more up and that's why they won't touch my car.
I have yet to find a dealership with a pitch calibration tool to do the work. I even went the extra mile and printed the corresponding WIS document for them so they don't have to tell me they cannot find it.
The story goes since last year May. One might argue my problem is different from the lowering by its really not. And it stiffens gradually. At the beginning it was all fine and over time you could feel it. Now all three settings are as stiff as a brick.
2004 E55 AMG, 2006 CLS63, 2004 ML55, 2014 E350 sport
Originally Posted by Mackhack
My suspension is rock hard since the replacement of both rear AIRmatic struts. 3 dealerships are unwilling to calibrate it. I heard from a brother of one of the mechanics that they are not really trained by MB and are scared to **** it even more up and that's why they won't touch my car.
I have yet to find a dealership with a pitch calibration tool to do the work. I even went the extra mile and printed the corresponding WIS document for them so they don't have to tell me they cannot find it.
The story goes since last year May. One might argue my problem is different from the lowering by its really not. And it stiffens gradually. At the beginning it was all fine and over time you could feel it. Now all three settings are as stiff as a brick.
I suspect it must be high voltage that makes these things go full stiff or they close off a valve or something.
I remember I had an airmatic shock out of the car in my hand and I could push the shock down no problem so this makes me think they need a higher voltage to go stiffer rather than no voltage like the plug disconnected....
I have two airmatic shocks in my shed. Does anybody know the pinout for them and what each wire does? Im keen to get a variable voltage source and plug the thing into it to see what happens?
Has morning to do with high or low voltage. Not calibrated is the problem.
I would say just lower it and deal with it accordingly. I would never do it on my own for the given reason. At the factory they calibrate it on the assembly line after it's been put in and the values that are being written into the control unit are the perfect ones for your particular car with yoir components and the deviation of the components specs. No two of the very same car will ever be the same.
2004 E55 AMG, 2006 CLS63, 2004 ML55, 2014 E350 sport
Originally Posted by Mackhack
Has morning to do with high or low voltage. Not calibrated is the problem.
I would say just lower it and deal with it accordingly. I would never do it on my own for the given reason. At the factory they calibrate it on the assembly line after it's been put in and the values that are being written into the control unit are the perfect ones for your particular car with yoir components and the deviation of the components specs. No two of the very same car will ever be the same.
What I was pointing out is if you disconnect the plugs on the shocks you most likely will still be able to drive it but without the hard ride until you figure a solution.
And I personally want to know how they work so I can modify how stiff the shock is over and above sport 2 setting. I dont really need to be lower as my car is a "rest of the world" car anyway.
I see what your saying BUT airmatic cant go infinitely stiff theres only so much adjustment in airmatic the airbags have the chambers which they close off to stiffen the airbag. The shocks use a voltage to change the stiffness of the shock (id love to know how stiff they can actually go is it not just as stiff as sport two setting??). But then I have heard stories of peoples suspension on here being rock hard due to a fault.
But does using the washer method by pass this? As theres no way the car knows that anythings been changed.
I am very interested in what your saying about inclination angles adjusting the characterics of airmatic because I track my car and by track i mean actual racetracks not 1/4 mile. I could use a stiffer ride and im sure alot of others on here would be interested in that aswell.
I really wish you'd be more forthcoming with info rather than just outright saying something is a crap way of doing it. I certainly dont see things this way. Problem..... SOLUTION.
BTW I am not star lowered so dont go getting your knickers in a knot about this.
I would love to see a proper solution to airmatic tuning like an actual airmatic computer tune like we do to the TCU and ECU. To me if the shocks can go stiffer than airmatic sport 2 setting I want a piece of that action.
AIRmatic control unit swap would do the trick. They stiffened it in the later facelift models.
Or HiLo Tec module. But I believe that company went out and you would need to find a used one. They have a PC software to setup the different heights. You transfer it onto the module and plug it in. If you wanna change it you take it out, connect it to the PC and change it again.
Last edited by Mackhack; Mar 18, 2016 at 09:31 PM.
2004 E55 AMG, 2006 CLS63, 2004 ML55, 2014 E350 sport
Originally Posted by Mackhack
AIRmatic control unit swap would do the trick. They stiffened it in the later facelift models.
Or HiLo Tec module. But I believe that company went out and you would need to find a used one. They have a PC software to setup the different heights. You transfer it onto the module and plug it in. If you wanna change it you take it out, connect it to the PC and change it again.
Really!? so that would be 05/06 and up or is that w211 e63 models only? CLS55??
I can probably source me one of those if someone can tell me where in the car the airmatic computer is and what it looks like?
My car is an 04.
Are any w211/w219 airmatic computers interchangeable without coding?
Really!? so that would be 05/06 and up or is that w211 e63 models only? CLS55??
I can probably source me one of those if someone can tell me where in the car the airmatic computer is and what it looks like?
My car is an 04.
Are any w211/w219 airmatic computers interchangeable without coding?
No coding, but initializing required. All E55 are interchangeable. Don't use E63 as they have other characteristic curves programmed. That is also the case with the later W211 AIRmatic control units which I stated earlier.
Passenger side foot well. Remove floor mat, fold back flooring/damping material, remove three 8 or 10 mm nuts holding down the aluminum plate, flip over the plate and your AIRmatic control unit is the biggest silver shiny one. Others in that plate is SAM passenger and TCU.
Takes 2 minutes once you did it a couple of times.
Last edited by Mackhack; Mar 20, 2016 at 11:23 AM.
2004 E55 AMG, 2006 CLS63, 2004 ML55, 2014 E350 sport
Originally Posted by Mackhack
No coding, but initializing required. All E55 are interchangeable. Don't use E63 as they have other characteristic curves programmed. That is also the case with the later W211 AIRmatic control units which I stated earlier.
Passenger side foot well. Remove floor mat, fold back flooring/damping material, remove three 8 or 10 mm nuts holding down the aluminum plate, flip over the plate and your AIRmatic control unit is the biggest silver shiny one. Others in that plate is SAM passenger and TCU.
Takes 2 minutes once you did it a couple of times.
What do you mean by e63's have other characteristic curves programmed? As in other functions or just further refined??
Do you think a E63 one might work?
I want to buy all three W219 cls55, w211 E63 and late E55. Curiosity has got the better of me.
Machack, where'd you buy your DAS from? Would one recommend buying the China clone version or the ones posted in the previous page going for $500 and $600 odd?
I am in need of a diagnostic module for my W209 as I needed to repair my SRC light but somehow after 10 months of ownership and having vacuumed the car the other day, I somehow put it off. I need to see what the CEL is that comes on now and then though I am sure it has something to do with my cats being removed as well as my parktronic no longer working.
I did consider an MBII Icarsoft one but now I am confused and think it best to save up and buy the legit tool.
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