E43 AMG Estate Ride & Comfort

[rockits]

No not on runflats on Conti Sport Contact 6 or the rear and Conti Sport Contact 7 at the front. Was the same on the previous 20" alloys that weren't runflats either.
I have spent a few days on some long journeys this week. Done about 500 miles and got to experience the car across a variety of roads in short succession including tons of motorway time. About 12 hours driving time the last 2-3 days.

It is really odd and I can't quite put my finger on it. On the motorway it does everything you expect and does it very well. When the road surface is decent it rides really well and damping is very good. All in ECO mode mainly so all settings in Comfort. When the road surface is lacking it picks everything up regardless of how small. Hard to explain but it is like there is no air in the tyres or they are solid tyres kind of feel.

When you hit a pothole and I know every car will do this to an extent but it just feels much much more emphasised. To the point you wince and the noise it transfers through the whole car is bonkers. I have a few other cars and have had many sports cars with suspension tuned for sports driving but none were even close to the harshness the E43 shows on most A/B roads and lanes. It was a joy to run on the motorway and amazingly relaxing, doing that job for hours on end really well. Just seems to be anything less than perfect or very good roads it really seems to struggle more than any other car I've had.

 

[HB]

How’s all your suspension components?
Are your bushes ok etc?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

How’s all your suspension components?
Are your bushes ok etc?

It does sound as though there may be an issue somewhere…

 

[rockits]

Does sound odd. It had a brand new MOT with no advisories just before I bought the car from the dealer. Maybe I'm just getting old!

 

[rockits]

Well I took the Alfa out tonight over the same roads, and bumps that the E43 made a bit of a mountain out of last week. What a joy in the Alfa. Feels like it has tyres and compliance. Chalk and cheese. Progress between a 2005 Italian sporty Coupe and 2017 German Wagon. Bonkers really.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Well I took the Alfa out tonight over the same roads, and bumps that the E43 made a bit of a mountain out of last week. What a joy in the Alfa. Feels like it has tyres and compliance. Chalk and cheese. Progress between a 2005 Italian sporty Coupe and 2017 German Wagon. Bonkers really.

it would be interesting to try another E 43 on the same roads. I’d expect them to be noticeably stiffer than the Alfa, but the difference you describe makes it sound like there’s a problem.

 

[rockits]

it would be interesting to try another E 43 on the same roads. I’d expect them to be noticeably stiffer than the Alfa, but the difference you describe makes it sound like there’s a problem.

Yes, you may well be right but for the life of my I cannot understand what would be giving the symptoms it seems to display. It drives very well, handles really well and does all the things you would expect it to do very well. Just feels like on anything less than a decent road surface that the tyres are solid.

It has been in to Welwyn Merx for many weeks straight after I bought it to resolve some issues from when I bought it. I got them to do a full inspection to find all/any issues. Nothing has come up over and above the issues they raised that have mainly been resolved. Certainly nothing is left that is fully or partly related to the symptoms.

The Alfa does have only 17" wheels with 225/45/17's all round. The XJL I had also were 45's so I don't think I have ever had a car with 30's or 35's. The lowest profile I think I have had is 45's. So maybe I'm just feeling that extra difference between 30's/35's and 45's. Also getting old!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Runflat tyres?

 

[rockits]

Runflat tyres?

No RFT's, just standard Conti Sport 6 on the rear and new Conti Sport 7 on the front.

I think they were Yokohama Advan Sport on the original 20" wheels so also a non-RFT.

 

[badgx]

Maybe try some smaller 18" alloys with taller side walled tyres? How old are you buddy?

 

[rockits]

Maybe try some smaller 18" alloys with taller side walled tyres? How old are you buddyyou can't

Maybe try some smaller 18" alloys with taller side walled tyres? How old are you buddy?

You can't go smaller than 19's on the E43 and even then they need a different offset to the rest of the non-E43 213's as they won't clear the brake callipers otherwise.

I'm not that old only 50 but not a teenager anymore!

 

[badgx]

You can't go smaller than 19's on the E43 and even then they need a different offset to the rest of the non-E43 213's as they won't clear the brake callipers otherwise.

I'm not that old only 50 but not a teenager anymore!

Your still young buddy, only a few years older than me Maybe try 19", the smaller size wheels with taller side walls should help soften the ride a bit.

 

[rockits]

Your still young buddy, only a few years older than me Maybe try 19", the smaller size wheels with taller side walls should help soften the ride a bit.

Yes, I've already tried dropping it down from the optional 20" alloys with 30/35 series tyres to the stock OEM 19" alloys with 35/40 series tyres. It does help but still not quite to the comfort levels I was looking for.

 

[MMCC]

Yes, I've already tried dropping it down from the optional 20" alloys with 30/35 series tyres to the stock OEM 19" alloys with 35/40 series tyres. It does help but still not quite to the comfort levels I was looking for.

Hi there,

I would be grateful if you could let me know some more about your car as I’m currently looking for an e43 and may be interested in yours . I’ve driven one in the last few days and was very happy with the way the car drives, and it’s just a matter of finding the right car in the right spec for me.

Regards

Mark

 

[Londonscottish]

Well I took the Alfa out tonight over the same roads, and bumps that the E43 made a bit of a mountain out of last week. What a joy in the Alfa. Feels like it has tyres and compliance. Chalk and cheese. Progress between a 2005 Italian sporty Coupe and 2017 German Wagon. Bonkers really.

I must be getting old. To me, that's an example of things getting worse not better. What ever happened to the art of engineering a compliant ride?

It's a bit like home audio. Manufacturers encourage you to connect a shit music source through a Bluetooth connection (gah..) to some sort of overpriced active speaker setup and call if "hifi". The magazines fall over themselves fawning over which ones sound better than the others whilst completely omitting to mention that they ALL sound awful compared to traditional separates. Backwards progress at its finest.

 

[ALFAitalia]

Anything with an AMG badge is clearly aimed at the sporting end of the range and I think most people would expect it to be more firmly suspended than say the Elegance models and the like. Otherwise the keen driver would be finding it a bit vague during enthusiastic driving (my dads phrase of "handing like a pig on stilts" comes to mind!!). That said I've never driven a E43....but the 63 I find firmly damped but not bone jarringly so.....and certainly not enough that I would call it uncomfortable. Maybe you bought the wrong car. Did you not notice during the test drive?

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

That said I've never driven a E43....but the 63 I find firmly damped but not bone jarringly so.....

Are you comparing W213 E 43 and W213 E 63, or W212 E63? Each generation of E class AMG has become more firmly damped than the last, just as the standard modes have. The ride of a regular E class is a world away from it’s equivalent of 25 years ago.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

The W211 generation is likely to be a sweet spot for those of who are in our more senior years because the more compliant ride reminds us of how cars used to be, but also it’s also genuinely more comfortable and that becomes more important to us as we get older.

Firmer suspension can of course improve handling, but more importantly it feels like it should handle better regardless of whether it does or not, and regardless of whether the driver gets anywhere near the limits of it’s ability when driving.

Image and perception is important to buyers - especially younger buyers - and with speed cameras and congestion the opportunity to genuinely push a car is reducing: so feeing sporty when going to the supermarket or driving to work helps to sell what is otherwise a normal and un-sporting car.

Thy of course means that the 43 must be firmer; and the 63 needs to be firmer still, and the next generation needs to feel even former!

 

[ALFAitalia]

Are you comparing W213 E 43 and W213 E 63, or W212 E63?

...Ive driven both......never noticed the 213 as being much harder than the 212 (but it was a customers 213 and I only drove it about 5 miles)....but the damping characteristics felt very different, just more modern I guess. YMMV!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

...Ive driven both......never noticed the 213 as being much harder than the 212 (but it was a customers 213 and I only drove it about 5 miles)....but the damping characteristics felt very different, just more modern I guess. YMMV!

I would say it’s not a dramatic difference - especially if it was a facelift W212 - but noticeable when compared to a pre-facelift 212, even though I don’t remember the facelift suspension being changed (I’d have to check).