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Coilovers on an E55
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 394
Likes: 2
From: Knoxville, TN
E55, Supercharged Z4 (sold)
I'm interested as well. Would be nice to have someone with a STAR system. My guy in Knoxville has one (I think) and he is pretty damn handy.
Unfortunately I can't donate my car for any significant amount of time and can't afford to pour a lot of money into an experiment right now but if anybody in this area wants to look into it further let me know. We can at least try the "steel suspension" setting thing and see what happens and go from there.
Unfortunately I can't donate my car for any significant amount of time and can't afford to pour a lot of money into an experiment right now but if anybody in this area wants to look into it further let me know. We can at least try the "steel suspension" setting thing and see what happens and go from there.
Last edited by Luke_M; Feb 9, 2010 at 07:09 PM.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,555
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From: Fairfax,VA
06 E55
well, if the holes are the same and it is possible to disable the settings in the STAR then it is possible, but I am not ready to jump on this bandwagon. KW states that they sell coil-overs for non Air matic, if they knew that it fits the Air matic suspension they would say so. Imho, we are missing some info on this one. Also, we can all say good bye to the adjusting ride. It is so easy to press the up button to lift my car so I can make into my driveway. good idea, but not E55, but that is my .02 again
Last edited by Karlson; Feb 9, 2010 at 07:56 PM. Reason: mistype
Thread Starter
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Joined: Dec 2008
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3-five-five/ TUNDRA/ 07 997 cab
I also had a long dicussion with my AMG mech. at MB. He said he sees no real issues. He had an E63 in there and was pointing out the direct fit. He said he is also aware of the setting in the Star for Aluminum shock settings. We need a sponsor here to chime in on where we may be able to source these.
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Joined: Sep 2008
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Porsche 991S, Cayenne S, 1972 BMW 3.0CS E9 Coupe
fwiw, I called Arnott Industries a few weeks ago and asked if they plan on making a steel system for the airmatic E class. They now make a replacement steel suspension for air suspension Land Rovers. They guy said, "we're looking into it."
Question is: if airmatic was failure proof would you still want coilovers? Or do you just want stiffer and more precise handling but at the expense of comfort? I got the E63 over the M5 for ride comfort (and SMG) because right now I actually wanted a softer ride. We still have a big heavy sedan to deal with anyway on both of them.
If it's just to get out of the air system and possible failures, that's one thing. But as some people have already mentioned is what will it really do for the ride? The steel spring E350 is still a sloppy ride and numb steering compared to BMWs, etc. It needs aftermarket suspension to get it up to par, but the steering rack needs to be tossed too. The air ride has big advantages with ride on bad roads, etc.. plus on the fly adjustments. Even with PSS-10s you have to crawl under the car to make changes.
It's always going to be a trade-off.
Funny thing is, that the E55 and E63 handle different. The E63 is tighter (and the steering, too), and with P030 it's even stiffer. I'm guessing air can be made for better performance and more fail proof. They say the later airmatics (07-09) have better protective covers and bellows(?)
The fact that Arnott warranties their air struts for life says something (they use what they claim is a much stronger Goodyear bellows.)
Question is: if airmatic was failure proof would you still want coilovers? Or do you just want stiffer and more precise handling but at the expense of comfort? I got the E63 over the M5 for ride comfort (and SMG) because right now I actually wanted a softer ride. We still have a big heavy sedan to deal with anyway on both of them.
If it's just to get out of the air system and possible failures, that's one thing. But as some people have already mentioned is what will it really do for the ride? The steel spring E350 is still a sloppy ride and numb steering compared to BMWs, etc. It needs aftermarket suspension to get it up to par, but the steering rack needs to be tossed too. The air ride has big advantages with ride on bad roads, etc.. plus on the fly adjustments. Even with PSS-10s you have to crawl under the car to make changes.
It's always going to be a trade-off.
Funny thing is, that the E55 and E63 handle different. The E63 is tighter (and the steering, too), and with P030 it's even stiffer. I'm guessing air can be made for better performance and more fail proof. They say the later airmatics (07-09) have better protective covers and bellows(?)
The fact that Arnott warranties their air struts for life says something (they use what they claim is a much stronger Goodyear bellows.)
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,347
Likes: 1
From: Dallas, TX
2007 E63, 2005 Dodge Ram Hemi
fwiw, I called Arnott Industries a few weeks ago and asked if they plan on making a steel system for the airmatic E class. They now make a replacement steel suspension for air suspension Land Rovers. They guy said, "we're looking into it."
Question is: if airmatic was failure proof would you still want coilovers? Or do you just want stiffer and more precise handling but at the expense of comfort? I got the E63 over the M5 for ride comfort (and SMG) because right now I actually wanted a softer ride. We still have a big heavy sedan to deal with anyway on both of them.
If it's just to get out of the air system and possible failures, that's one thing. But as some people have already mentioned is what will it really do for the ride? The steel spring E350 is still a sloppy ride and numb steering compared to BMWs, etc. It needs aftermarket suspension to get it up to par, but the steering rack needs to be tossed too. The air ride has big advantages with ride on bad roads, etc.. plus on the fly adjustments. Even with PSS-10s you have to crawl under the car to make changes.
It's always going to be a trade-off.
Funny thing is, that the E55 and E63 handle different. The E63 is tighter (and the steering, too), and with P030 it's even stiffer. I'm guessing air can be made for better performance and more fail proof. They say the later airmatics (07-09) have better protective covers and bellows(?)
The fact that Arnott warranties their air struts for life says something (they use what they claim is a much stronger Goodyear bellows.)
Question is: if airmatic was failure proof would you still want coilovers? Or do you just want stiffer and more precise handling but at the expense of comfort? I got the E63 over the M5 for ride comfort (and SMG) because right now I actually wanted a softer ride. We still have a big heavy sedan to deal with anyway on both of them.
If it's just to get out of the air system and possible failures, that's one thing. But as some people have already mentioned is what will it really do for the ride? The steel spring E350 is still a sloppy ride and numb steering compared to BMWs, etc. It needs aftermarket suspension to get it up to par, but the steering rack needs to be tossed too. The air ride has big advantages with ride on bad roads, etc.. plus on the fly adjustments. Even with PSS-10s you have to crawl under the car to make changes.
It's always going to be a trade-off.
Funny thing is, that the E55 and E63 handle different. The E63 is tighter (and the steering, too), and with P030 it's even stiffer. I'm guessing air can be made for better performance and more fail proof. They say the later airmatics (07-09) have better protective covers and bellows(?)
The fact that Arnott warranties their air struts for life says something (they use what they claim is a much stronger Goodyear bellows.)
Super Member
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 557
Likes: 1
From: Laramie, WY
E55 AMG
Quick question on this. Even if a coilover kit for an E350 would bolt up, wouldn't it be too weak to support the weight of the V8 effectively since it was most likely designed for the wieght of the V6?
I am a noob to this, but to me it seems like a relivent concern.
I am a noob to this, but to me it seems like a relivent concern.
