C207 ride comfort

[Nick12]

I have a 2013 C207 E250 coupe with 18" wheels. I have never been totally happy with the harshness of the ride and I don't really want to change the car.

I know some E Class saloons are fitted with 16" wheels does anyone know if I could change to 16" wheels as I remember from my old CLK it improved ride comfort beyond recognition.

I would be grateful for any advice or suggestions. Many thanks, Nick

 

[grober]

Iirc the SE version of the C207 was fitted with 17" wheels. The C207 coupe chassis is based on the W204 chassis which can run 16"wheels in its SE version so it might be possible? the only likely problem might be disc brake clearance at the front if bigger discs/calipers are fitted and wheel offset at the rear if the same size of wheel + tyre are fitted all round/ Someone like forum member Wheels Inmotion should be able to help/advise?

 

[SmartAmg]

Hi, Nick, I've had a quick look on the www wheel-size.com
site and 16s should fit, your 18s should be 8x18 ET45 with 235/40/18 tyres
it lists 7x16 ET 38 with
255/55/16 tyres for your car
year and engine size.
It's funny though how people have different views I've got 19s on my c207 and I think the ride is great, no problems at all.

 

[Nick12]

Many thanks for the replies. Think I must be getting old lol, prefer my comfort to style there are a few wheel companies that list 16" that they show as being compatible but I was worried if it would upset the speedo reading or cause other problems as suggested by Grober.

 

[SmartAmg]

Have a look on,
willtheyfit.com it will work out for you circumference, diameter, wheel arch gap,
if the wheel is closer or further from your suspension and how far the wheel will stick out from your arch, and the speedo reading, it's a great site.
But from what I've learned over the years from changing countless wheels, in my case
usually bigger, as long as you get the correct size tyre for the wheel the overall size of the wheel stays the same.
Also have a look at the Wheelbase, Oldham site it will tell you what size fits your car, it's listing 16s for your car,
from £499 for wheels and tyres, unless you want genuine Merc wheels, then it will be second hand.
Hope all that makes sense.

 

[400ixl]

You will have staggered rims if it is an AMG Sport model which is usually on the 18's. It has a different set of springs and shocks to the SE model which runs on 17's as standard which I don't believe are staggered. On 18's the C207 isn't harsh and is more like a cruising barge than a nimble sports car. It will be even more so on 17's ket alone 16's. I assume you have checked you are not running them at too high a pressure. The OEM recommendation is on the hight side, and often just dropping a few PSI can make a real difference.

If pressure does not work I would go and test drive a similar aged SE model on 17's and see how you like that. It wouldn't be much different to an AMG model on the same wheels so will give you a good reference as to whether you really want to drop as low as 16's. The smaller the rims the less it will handle very well.

As for the speedo, it is a case of adjusting the tyre size to the rim to get the rolling circumference as close as possible to the original (offset also needs to be considered). The SE and AMG models have different sized rims and tyres which are matched to a common rolling circumference, so everything else on the car stays the same. If you want to go to 16's its just about getting that width and profile correct again, obviously checking they fit over the brakes.

Think the sizes below are correct but need to validate it.

Make Model Front & Rear Rear where staggered setup
Rim Size Rim Width Offset Tyre Size Rim Size Rim Width Offset Tyre Size
Mercedes-Benz SE 16 7.5 45 215/55R16
Mercedes-Benz SE 17 7.5 45 235/45R17
Mercedes-Benz AMG Sport 17 7.5 45 235/45R17 17 8.5 49 255/40R17
Mercedes-Benz AMG Sport 18 8 45 235/40R18
Mercedes-Benz AMG Sport 18 8 45 235/40R18 18 8.5 48/49 255/35R18
Mercedes-Benz AMG Sport 19 8.5 44 235/35R19 19 8.5 44 255/30R19

 

[Scooby_Doo]

You will have staggered rims if it is an AMG Sport model which is usually on the 18's. It has a different set of springs and shocks to the SE model which runs on 17's as standard which I don't believe are staggered.

Neither my 2013 , facelift model, E220d AMG line or my 2016 E220d AMG line C207s had staggered alloys and running on factory fit 19" alloys. Even on 19's I found the ride to comfortable.

 

[Nick12]

Firstly, thank you all very much for all your advice and taking the time to answer I really appreciate it. I am beginning to think it is me going by the replies but the car definitely crashes it's way over pot holes and drains and my partners MX5 offers a far smoother ride over rough surfaces. I will try letting some air out as they are currently at 32psi and try and test drive a 17" wheel variant. Thank you all again. Nick

 

[grober]

Are the tyres runflats as some makes get the reputation for having stiffer sidewalls?

 

[Nick12]

No not run flats.

 

[Smart320]

You sure you do not have a broken Spring on one of the rear wheels?

 

[slade1]

I changed from 17 to 16 inch on my W209 CLK. Did not make much difference to the ride, steering better and for road use no difference in handling, less likely to aquaplane in the wet. Tyres around 30% cheaper and last longer. I think you need softer springs.

 

[190]

Perceptions of ride comfort is as much determined by noise as by actual compliance so any fault in the suspension components that result in more noise over pot holes might make the ride seem worse than it is. I find some of the BMWs with a good ride can be better in this respect being firm but quieter than a similar MB. I despair of modern car suspension in general though, it's a damning indictment when an MX5 is more comfortable. Even my 40 year old motorcycle is more comfortable over the bumps than many modern cars. One thing in particular that irritates me is if you read a road test report in Autocar or where ever, 9 times out of 10 the manufacturer will have supplied a version of the car with sports suspension. The only way manufacturers will change tack back towards more comfort, is if we refuse to buy their cars.

 

[Nick12]

I agree 190, it has become a popular trend. Although my 250 SE was registered in 2013 it has only just done 30,000 miles and no there's no suspension fault. I just long for the ride of my previous 2003 CLK 320 which had 16" wheels and glided over everything but obviously drank petrol more than I enjoy my beer lol.

 

[400ixl]

Maybe we don't want to go back to wallowing suspension.

 

[grober]

The effectiveness of any tyre/suspension is dependent on its relationship with any road surface it finds itself on. On a billiard table/ autobahn smooth road surface a stiff suspension is likely to yield better handling and cornering characteristics than a softer sprung car. However if the road surface is not smooth a more compliant setup may actually prove better by keeping the tyres in better contact with the road.* A stiff car suspension may "bounce" a car down a rough road in effect moving the entire car rather than the suspension resulting in less overall tyre grip not more. Some folks argue a slightly more compliant suspension is more suited to the majority of current UK roads for that reason. Rarely do you hear the description "forgiving" applied to a car's suspension in reviews now but its still appropriate particularly with the state of today's roads.

ps this was one of the guiding principles behind the legendary Colin Chapman's car suspension designs which proved superior to the rock hard suspension of many of his rivals -that and a reduction in unsprung weight another aspect of suspension todays manufacturers might take heed of.

 

[190]

Maybe we don't want to go back to wallowing suspension.

Of course not, the point is they have gone too far the other way. Ford suspension engineers can eliminate wallowing while still providing comfort and now we hear that Toyota engineers can do it to with the MX5. I can accept that there is a place for stupidly hard suspension if a particular group of customers want it but for an Executive car to ride badly is a mockery of it's title.

 

[Nick12]

Well said 190 I completely agree. I am seriously considering trading my car in and buying an old Merc as they were so simple and luxurious in the 1980's and before any of the Class range was slapped with a pointless AMG badge. If I wanted a sports car I would have bought one but really thought my E Class would be an improvement on my lovely on CLK

 

[slade1]

I gave lift to a pal of mine who has never been in an old car and commented how well the 1960 190 rode over speed bumps at 30mph.

 

[Nick12]

That's the answer then I need an old 190