2 threads in one day about wheels

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seb414

Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2010
Messages
34
Car
CLK 63 cab
This one is about noise.

I have a CLK 350 Avant-garde with 18" wheels and continental tyres.

When I drive over bumps I hear a thud noise.

My mechanic changed the front left shock and anti roll bar which made no difference.

So my question is: Are these cars noisy over bumps or is it something else?

My mechanic wants to change the other three shocks and said that the 18" wheels have hammered the suspension.

I am about to change to 17" wheels higher profile tyres but I need to know if I am wasting my time doing this.

Many thanks.
 
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17" wheels with higher profile tyres will ease the load on the suspension as the higher tyre side-wall will cushion any shock loading. This won't help the existing 3 shock absorbers much if they are already damaged. It's always a good idea to change them in pairs anyway to keep the handling level. I would certainly let him change the other front one. The fronts tend to take greater punishment on speed bumps anyway since they tend to bear weight of the engine.
 
I had a similar problem on a BMW M-tec coupe some years ago...changing the offending shock was the only way to solve the problem.....it was very obvious which shock was at fault!

I have a CLK 500 convertible with sports suspension ans 18" wheels and that is quiet over bumps (no "thuds" anyway)
 
Do you hear anything? every bump sounds like driving over the warning lines you get before some roundabouts.

It might just be the tyres and I might be hyper sensitive as it a new car to me.

Anyone know where I can get some shocks at a reasonable price?
 
Do you hear anything? every bump sounds like driving over the warning lines you get before some roundabouts.

It might just be the tyres and I might be hyper sensitive as it a new car to me.

Anyone know where I can get some shocks at a reasonable price?

No dont hear anything like that in my CLK500
 
Any noise at all?

The car has only done 28000 miles
 
Any noise at all?

The car has only done 28000 miles

No nothing at all (apart from normal "thump" from the tyres when a wheel drops into a pothole I managed not to see!!) Some minor road noise from tyres, but no more than any other car....
As it is a convertible, do get a little shake from the body from time to time, but nothing to write home about.
Have you looked at springs.....they can break....

Changing to 17" wheels will not make a great deal of difference.....I also have a C270 with the sports suspension set up and 17" wheels....to be honest, not a lot of difference between the tow cars.....maybe the 17" are marginally better at soaking up bumps, but its very subjective.

One problem I did have was a loose under-tray just to the front of the rear axle...the plastic under-tray is touching the roll bar joint on one side and, come to think of it, this made a noise a little like you are describing....I fixed it by tying the under-tray to the roll bar with a hefty cable tie....you will need to jack the car up slightly to check this, but may be worth doing.
 
If your mechanic has changed one shock absorber (!) and the ARB, and the car is still thumping over bumps, I suspect what you need is a new mechanic - not three more shocks

Nick Froome
 
Your mechanic is a twit. Find a new one before he costs you a fortune.
 
erm not really. Its a weird fault that now looks like it could be a top strut mount.
 

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