Maximise ride quality

[Delboy]

Hi,
I have a '99 C230k.

The ride has been a little rough, and I took it to my mechanic. He checked out the suspension and said that he could find nothing wrong. He suggested I put slimmer tires on: 195/60/15.

Right now the car is wearing 205/60/15, which is the stock size according to tirerack.

Anybody else out there found that they got better ride quality with slimmer tires on their cars?

thanks

[Logic]

define what you ar saying. is it swaying or is it bouncy? . as far as the rough ride has it always been like that? did you add anything to the car like a box ? more weight? if your describe it better in detail maybe we can find a answer

[anf6789]

im pretty sure that the stock size for the 15 inch wheels is 195/65/15. this tire has a thicker sidewall. check to see what size you have.

[Nelson Lago]

ya and a slimmer tire is going to make the ride stiffer, so I don't know why he would say that

[Cru328prod]

lmao......how old are the tires 1st of all?

because stock tire size...its pretty good...try having low profile tires buddy then complain......

whens the last time you have shocks and springs replaced in it also?

[xvvvz]

>>Right now the car is wearing 205/60/15, which is the stock size according to tirerack.<<

Yes, that is the correct size for the tires that came stock with the non-sport version of the '99 230k. Mine came with Goodyear LS or something, but some came with Continentals.

Check out these pages:
http://www.mbusa.com/overview/1999/C230K.do?category=chassis&modelCode=C230K&preModelCode=C230WZ&preClassCode=06_C&preAccClassCode=C

[Delboy]

By a rough ride - I mean that I can feel every bump in the road, especially on the freeway. But then again, LA freeways are pretty bad.

It's not bouncing, or swaying - just seems like I'm driving a truck more than car. A little jarring is probably the best way I can describe it.

I first thought that it was the shocks that were gone - and I had them replaced a couple of months ago. But alas, the problem was still there, although slightly improved.

The ride was not always bad, but I have not changed anything on the car. My tires are probably about 10,000 miles old. Kumho Ecsta's?

The car's mileage is about 78k.

thank you all for the prompt replies.

[benzonline]

I had stock tires/rims and now have AMG monoblock and both felt like I was driving a truck.....I love this car but one thing about it is its not a relaxing type of drive!

[Proven Guilty]

Originally posted by Delboy
By a rough ride - I mean that I can feel every bump in the road, especially on the freeway. But then again, LA freeways are pretty bad.

It's not bouncing, or swaying - just seems like I'm driving a truck more than car. A little jarring is probably the best way I can describe it.

I first thought that it was the shocks that were gone - and I had them replaced a couple of months ago. But alas, the problem was still there, although slightly improved.

The ride was not always bad, but I have not changed anything on the car. My tires are probably about 10,000 miles old. Kumho Ecsta's?

The car's mileage is about 78k.

thank you all for the prompt replies.

here's a few possibilites to consider when overhauling your suspension to made the wheel shake end, and the ride comfort more compliant:

1) regardless of mileage, tires are your only contact to the road. its possible for them to have defects, broken belts, unevenly worn tread and flat spots (if you've ever had to lock up brakes to avoid an accident, or spun out on a sandy stretch of freeway etc).

2) shocks make the ride more compliant. regardless of mileage, you're looking at the age of the valves, and the wear they've had dependant upon the spring rate. they stop your wheels from having the up and down rattle when driving, and 90% of their functional range is only within 0.5-1.0 inches (cracks, lane reflectors, uneven road surfaces in LA etc).

3) springs do wear out. they work together with the shocks to ensure the ride height doesn't deviate from the height the car is at while sitting still. if you hit a series of bumps and uneven road surfaces, worn springs can cause the car to feel bouncy and kinda "float" between the bumps amplifiying them.

4) our cars are equipped with a steering dampener that helps to hold the wheel firmly in place and hide some of the wheel shake and keep it in a straight line. a leaking or dry steering shock can cause the opposite to happen of its intended purpose.

lastly, you can always check out the ball joints (much like the shocks with their range of movement typically wear out from very small basic movements) tierod ends, and probably most importantly your lower control arm bushings.

if the LCA bushings are cracked, or worn, there's a chance they're just banging metal to metal with some rubber just floating around in there giving the appearance there's still bushings. this will probably make the most noticeable change when overhauling your suspension. if you like the squishy compliant stock ride the car had when it was new, i'd recommend keeping it OEM, but order the W208 (CLK) bushings that are a solid 1-piece fluid filled design and they're much more durable and a little firmer than the W202's hollow ribbed design. they're a perfect fit and last much longer.

good luck!

edit: to summarize, i would change the LCA bushings and tires at the same time. that will eliminate the ride quality issues with 90%certainty since you've already changed the shocks.

p.s. what brand shocks did you replace them with?

[Denlasoul]

Originally posted by Proven Guilty
p.s. what brand shocks did you replace them with?
Sounds like you may have replaced the shocks with a stiffer one. Also if you bought shocks with shorter shafts (for example, to be used with lowered cars) then you may be hitting your bumpstops.

[Delboy]

thanks for the advice

I changed the shocks with KYB-Gas-Adjusts

I'll look into the bushings also.

[Logic]

Originally posted by Proven Guilty
here's a few possibilites to consider when overhauling your suspension to made the wheel shake end, and the ride comfort more compliant:

1) regardless of mileage, tires are your only contact to the road. its possible for them to have defects, broken belts, unevenly worn tread and flat spots (if you've ever had to lock up brakes to avoid an accident, or spun out on a sandy stretch of freeway etc).

2) shocks make the ride more compliant. regardless of mileage, you're looking at the age of the valves, and the wear they've had dependant upon the spring rate. they stop your wheels from having the up and down rattle when driving, and 90% of their functional range is only within 0.5-1.0 inches (cracks, lane reflectors, uneven road surfaces in LA etc).

3) springs do wear out. they work together with the shocks to ensure the ride height doesn't deviate from the height the car is at while sitting still. if you hit a series of bumps and uneven road surfaces, worn springs can cause the car to feel bouncy and kinda "float" between the bumps amplifiying them.

4) our cars are equipped with a steering dampener that helps to hold the wheel firmly in place and hide some of the wheel shake and keep it in a straight line. a leaking or dry steering shock can cause the opposite to happen of its intended purpose.

lastly, you can always check out the ball joints (much like the shocks with their range of movement typically wear out from very small basic movements) tierod ends, and probably most importantly your lower control arm bushings.

if the LCA bushings are cracked, or worn, there's a chance they're just banging metal to metal with some rubber just floating around in there giving the appearance there's still bushings. this will probably make the most noticeable change when overhauling your suspension. if you like the squishy compliant stock ride the car had when it was new, i'd recommend keeping it OEM, but order the W208 (CLK) bushings that are a solid 1-piece fluid filled design and they're much more durable and a little firmer than the W202's hollow ribbed design. they're a perfect fit and last much longer.

good luck!

edit: to summarize, i would change the LCA bushings and tires at the same time. that will eliminate the ride quality issues with 90%certainty since you've already changed the shocks.

p.s. what brand shocks did you replace them with?

well said:D

[Section 8]

i went from 225 front and 255 rears
to 195 all round and its so shit
o cant wait to get of them every corner the car fills like its going to flip and im lowered!!!

also i have spun it in the wet with hardly no accelration

so 195 is shit and im looking at 225/40 all round i reckon