Which shock?

[Vetruck]

Jesus, Vetruck. My head is spinning. I consider myself a relatively smart guy, but you just made me dizzy with all the info you just dropped!

I drove an all-original, all-stock 1994 C280 on factory bilsteins for 13 years and 250k miles and thought the handling/ride were great! Now, I'm in the C43 and the suspension is pretty worn out but it feels like a "race car" by comparison. I know I hit some interstate on/off ramps a good 15mph faster than I could in my old C280, without even a slight squeel.

I guess it's all perspective. i bought this car for simple prestige- Something a little more classy for the lady and I to go out in to dinner and such so I did not have to lug her around in one of my noisy sports cars. I would not consider a Mercedes a decent handling car at all. I consider them a decent riding car, but not handling- they are engineered for luxury.

The Eibach package and Konis alone should make even a 230 Sport model feel like a station wagon, never the less this crappy little C220 trying to stay on the road in a corner. I have mentioned on here before in another post that I have even tracked a few AMG63's and they are even trerrible in foactory form. most cars sold to the public are set up for the typical old lady driving down the freeway. If the cars were set with better reactive rotation and alignment specs, the typical sunday driver would ass around the rear of the car in a panic situation and hit something sideways or backways. All of the DOT safety standards (airbags, crumple sones, etc) are prety much designed for the occupants to take a frontal impact for the safest crash situation. Thus, they make the car tight in blance from the factory so as not to react to fast steering imputs.

You want a car that handles? you have to tweak these setting and balance the chassis to better balance and geometry.

Just be glad I have not gotten into discussing roll centers, instant center migration,and yawed roll axis. I could teach most of you this for several years and 99% of people never fully grasp the skills it takes to put the proper imaginary image in their head to see it. I am one of those 1 in a million- its partially why I was a NASCAR crew chief on a Supertruck team- I can figure this stuff in my sleep. Don;t ever feel bad not understanding this stuff, most racing teams never fully do.

Dean