E320 cdi handling - any one else think it's rubbish?

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richard grigsby

New Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2004
Messages
28
Location
Hilperton, Wilts
Car
e320 cdi estate, 500SEC
My 2000 E320 cdi gets right out of order when tramlining in the slow lane - very disconcerting. Any one got a cure. I'm running alloys and reasonably wide tyres.
 
It's the wide tyres causing tramlining, they always do.

To tidy up the general handling fit new springs, dampers and have a 4 wheel alignment.
It wont get over the wide tyres issue but normally these cars are Ok for this issue.

How wide have you gone?
 
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It could also be the type of tyre that you've got fitted. My old Impreza used to tramline like no-one's business when fitted with Bridgestone Potenzas (oddly enough, the OE tyre).

I swapped them for Goodyear GSD-3s, following the advice of the wise folks on the scooby forum I used to frequent, and they completely transformed the car - it drove beautifully after that. Something to do with sidewall stiffness (oooer, missus).

Don't know what would be best for yours, my C is riding on Conti Sports and they seem fine. That said, we've got the same tyres fitted to our Mondeos at work and they're evil-handling pigs. :confused:

Cheers,

Gaz
 
My 2000 E320 cdi gets right out of order when tramlining in the slow lane - very disconcerting. Any one got a cure. I'm running alloys and reasonably wide tyres.

Get the tracking checked, duff toe in angles would be a major contributor to tramlining.

Rgds

Jim
 
No, Tramlining is where the car follows ridges in the road surface. The original poster (OP) says it follows the depressions left inthe Motorway lanes by HGV traffic.

Crabbing is where the car drives skew-wiff. The front and rear wheels don't follow each other exactly.
The rear Thrust angle will cause crabbing.
 
No, Tramlining is where the car follows ridges in the road surface. The original poster (OP)
OP = Old person? :D
OP = Observation Post
OP = Operational Procedure
OP = Order of Precedence
OP = Office Professional

:D
Regards
John the obstinate person (OP) or old patient?
 
Original Perpetrator .... ;)
 
I test drove a 54 reg E320 CDI. I thought it was appalling. It drove like a big oafish cumbersome tank and felt slow. I later drove a C320 CDI and it was like a rocket ship. It even sounded nicer. Then again I'm sure the gearbox display showed "C" which I think is comfort mode ? I wasn't sure what it was at the time.
 
I test drove a 54 reg E320 CDI. I thought it was appalling. It drove like a big oafish cumbersome tank and felt slow. I later drove a C320 CDI and it was like a rocket ship. It even sounded nicer. Then again I'm sure the gearbox display showed "C" which I think is comfort mode ? I wasn't sure what it was at the time.
Didn't you think it strange that the performance was so bad? Being in Comfort mode will make the car pull away in second gear and if I were test driving a car I would very quickly have queried the lack of acceleration. It is understandable that you might not be familiar with the gearbox setting, but strange that you accepted the lack of performance?

Can we discount your criticism or do you still have the same opinion regarding an E320CDI?

John
John
 
Didn't you think it strange that the performance was so bad? Being in Comfort mode will make the car pull away in second gear

Does it pull away in 2nd or a higher ratio 1st.?

It stands to reason that the C will feel more wieldy than an E due to mass and bulk.

Was the E an Avantgarde or was it mobile sofa trim?
 
Does it pull away in 2nd or a higher ratio 1st.?

It stands to reason that the C will feel more wieldy than an E due to mass and bulk.

Was the E an Avantgarde or was it mobile sofa trim?
Definitely a higher gear than 1st :) You can floor the throttle and it will kick-down.

As far as I am aware the engine\gearbox on the more comfortable Elegance is the same as the bone shaking Avantgarde?

When we tested the Avantgarde I thought the suspension was excellent. When my wife drove over a five pence piece I told her the year the coin was produced solely by the vibrations from the suspension. :devil: :devil: :D

Regards
John
 
I test drove a 54 reg E320 CDI. I thought it was appalling. It drove like a big oafish cumbersome tank and felt slow. I later drove a C320 CDI and it was like a rocket ship. It even sounded nicer. Then again I'm sure the gearbox display showed "C" which I think is comfort mode ? I wasn't sure what it was at the time.
The gearbox display was probably showing D, W or S, but had missing pixels!

Yes I know, newer MBs don't suffer from 'W210 pixels'
 
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Does it pull away in 2nd or a higher ratio 1st.?

It stands to reason that the C will feel more wieldy than an E due to mass and bulk.

Was the E an Avantgarde or was it mobile sofa trim?


Sort of off topic, but in an attempt to placate Mrs M - who after having the slk is bemoaning the clk's handling - I called Mercedes Manchester (where we bought the car from) and asked the gimp.... sorry guy on the service desk if there was an aftermarket shock/spring set that they could fit that would tighten things up a bit. He asked me which one we had - Avantgarde or Elegance - stating that as we had the Avantgarde, that was why it felt wallowy as that was the comfort option, and that the Elegance had the Sportier set up.......................................... (is there a smilie symbol for smacking our own forhead and weeping?)

Sorry - off topic I know but it triggered something..................
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
 
The Elegance I had was as fluid as a jelly having extra wobble in a vat of custard :D

The Tit X I have now, in sheer contrast, is like a go-kart, esp on its 225 40 18's :rock: (it does make the fen roads a bit tiresome however; tramlining? Pah!! Fine(ish) on a motorway, not so clever when being pulled off (ahem) into a dyke - if you pardon the expression)
 
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Kind of my point - the service dept did not know that the Avantgarde has the sportier set up and the Elegance is the sofa on wheels.

Maybe I said that badly. Mrs M - beautiful though she is, understands even less than I do about the finer points of suspension set up. I have tried to explain that pretty much anything will feel softer and bouncier than the SLK and that because she has never had a big car like the clk it will feel different (she had a Mini one before the slk)

So it was just a moan at the ineptitude of the service dept at the dealer.:mad:
 

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