E63 W212 Hard Ride & Noisy Cabin

[ChrisCLS55]

My E63 has a very hard ride regardless of what suspension setting I have, you feel every bump and it’s also quite noisy in the cabin. No rattles or shakes regarding trim, just you can here the outside a lot. I’ve come from a CLS55 which was like driving on air at times and very quiet inside, although the trim did rattle and creak. The E63 seems and feels much better built inside so I don’t think it’s that. Could it be the 19 wheels and tire choice which are Pirelli P zeros I think. I’ve also read because it has the panoramic roof, that’s a source of cabin noise too. I love the car, but the hard ride and cab noise especially around the doors is annoying. Anyone else experienced this and done anything to rectify it? I’m assuming it could be the tires/wheel size. Any recommendations? Would like to here from fellow W212 E63 owners if they have had the same issues. Thanks.

 

[st13phil]

My experience of the ride in the W212 E63 is that it's firm, even on the softest suspension setting, but it's never a crashy ride. Do you feel a distinct difference in ride firmness as you select the different suspension settings? I've found that the difference is more pronounced on my facelift car than it was on my pre-facelift one.

I'm not a lover of the P-Zeros which I found to be fairly harsh riding, noisy, and in cold weather once part worn have damp road grip levels roughly equivalent to ketchup on a fried egg. Conti 5P's give a better ride and much better cold weather grip, but are equally noisy. Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3's are my current favourite summer tyre. They have grip characteristics and ride quality similar if not better than the 5P's and are much quieter. FWIW, the best ride quality and quietest drive is on my set of winter Michelin Pilot Alpin 4's (they really are very quiet by comparison to the Pirelli's or Conti's; the Eagle F1's are not quite as quiet), but I've not tried out Michelin summer tyres on the E63.

Something else to note is that the ride quality is very sensitive to tyre pressure. Run them even a couple of psi higher than the minimum for light-load normal speed driving and the ride becomes significantly harder.

 

[JDL60]

Can’t add much more to above really almost identical experience. I don’t like the P Zeros and will be changing them for either the GY assy 3 or the Michelin PS3 so far my thinking...
I run Uniroyal winters at this time of year which give a nice ride but are noisy...
On the panoramic roof there is a huge difference I notice when the blind is closed
The other point for me is in the summer I’m happy with listening to the AMG track mostly!

 

[MOR8A]

Had a W211 E55K and the difference to the E63 is significant. The E63 has a much firmer ride. Obviously this is partly down the suspension setup being different (E55 Air all round and E63 only being air at the rear). I think the E63 is more ''sport'' focused and that the E55 was more of a cruiser/long distance machine. My suspicion is that this was driven by AMG's being referred to as ''wallowy'' and lacking the precision of their ''M power'' rivals, so they chose to do something about it. Just my opinion.

 

[jayboy222]

I find my W212 E63 can feel a bit lumpy or unsettled when asked to deal with multiple crests or bumps in succession. But it handles bad road conditions in isolation very well though imo.

As others have said I think the Pirelli P Zeros I have on mine do add to lack of suppleness and also the road noise. I am changing to Goodyear Asymmetric 3s in the summer and am quite confident, the ride will become more supple and the road noise reduced....although I don't find the road noise too bad unless on poor road surface.
Having had the P Zeros on mine for over a year, I have to say I'm very surprised at the glowing reviews....I think they are pretty poor all round.

 

[c_200k]

I found my W212 Pre Facelift E63 wasn't as comfortable as the facelift. Much preferred the facelift E63 felt much nicer all round overall.

 

[John]

Had a W211 E55K and the difference to the E63 is significant. The E63 has a much firmer ride. Obviously this is partly down the suspension setup being different (E55 Air all round and E63 only being air at the rear). I think the E63 is more ''sport'' focused and that the E55 was more of a cruiser/long distance machine. My suspicion is that this was driven by AMG's being referred to as ''wallowy'' and lacking the precision of their ''M power'' rivals, so they chose to do something about it. Just my opinion.

Didn't know the E63 was air at the rear only!

I think this too. I suspect the E63 has been more targeted towards a Nissan GT-R than a comfy GT.

My previous W211 E55K had an amazing ride compared to the 14 plate E63 I drove. It wasn't crashy but it was a lot firmer in comfort, which was way harder than my E in Sport II, and I don't think that was the direction I wanted to go.

 

[Alps]

As above W211 E55 i had was much smoother ride even in Sport 2 mode lowered on the renntech module!

The E63 is alot harsher and noticably so, i also have pirellis on the front but will soon be replacing these, these do seem common on all the posts above.
Comfort mode is noticiably softer but rear doesnt feel as planted so you can feel the differance.

 

[AlexM]

I agree about the road/tire noise - I think it's a bit too much. I'm trying to source enough Dynamat or similar to do the front and rear wheel arches, rear seat base and rear footwell, rear boot lit, inner door panels, firewall and front wheel arches. I think it would reduce interior noise quite a bit - nothing sporty about tyre noise - it's just annoying!.

I'm also running P-Zeros at the moment, and they are quite a noisy tyre - I'll be putting on Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3s next because they are a lot quieter and give a better ride, great wet grip while still having plenty of dry grip.

 

[AlexM]

I agree about the road/tire noise - I think it's a bit too much. I'm trying to source enough Dynamat or similar to do the front and rear wheel arches, rear seat base and rear footwell, rear boot lit, inner door panels, firewall and front wheel arches. I think it would reduce interior noise quite a bit - nothing sporty about tyre noise - it's just annoying!.

I'm also running P-Zeros at the moment, and they are quite a noisy tyre - I'll be putting on Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3s next because they are a lot quieter and give a better ride, great wet grip while still having plenty of dry grip.

I think the ride is ok though. A two ton car is always going to need hard suspension if you don't want it to be rolling and pitching all over the shop. The anti roll bars on this car are huge!. I think the valving isn't very progressive on these shocks/springs. In some ways I find the ride better on sport 1 as the dampers feel better matched to the springs and there is less side to side head toss on rough roads.

Overall i find it firm but pretty well damped. Comfort is quite reasonable on good roads, but I feel 18 inch rims would be much better. I may get a set for winter use


The w213 is even worse from what I read, probably too much for a saloon car.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk

 

[mwstewart]

Whilst not the same model, the difference between my W209 CLK55 and CLK63 is significant. It seems this was the point MB really started to take a different direction with their AMG models. In my opinion the CLK is worse off for it - it's never going to be a sports car and shouldn't try to be one. I am thinking about going to 55 springs and dampers.

 

[Alps]

Not sure you can swap with CLK 55 components as the weight of the engine would be different hence the springs would compensate for that.

 

[mwstewart]

Not sure you can swap with CLK 55 components as the weight of the engine would be different hence the springs would compensate for that.

Believe it or not there is only 40kg between them - coupe/cabriolet difference not withstanding which is 120kg. The 55 is also higher to begin with by approx 25mm so the end result is pretty much in the right ballpark.

 

[ChrisCLS55]

Thank you for all your replies. Maybe I was expecting too much and need to stop comparing it to the CLS. When the tires are due a change I’ll see if the noise and ride will improve. Again many thanks.

 

[SukySangha]

My E63 has a very hard ride regardless of what suspension setting I have, you feel every bump and it’s also quite noisy in the cabin. No rattles or shakes regarding trim, just you can here the outside a lot. I’ve come from a CLS55 which was like driving on air at times and very quiet inside, although the trim did rattle and creak. The E63 seems and feels much better built inside so I don’t think it’s that. Could it be the 19 wheels and tire choice which are Pirelli P zeros I think. I’ve also read because it has the panoramic roof, that’s a source of cabin noise too. I love the car, but the hard ride and cab noise especially around the doors is annoying. Anyone else experienced this and done anything to rectify it? I’m assuming it could be the tires/wheel size. Any recommendations? Would like to here from fellow W212 E63 owners if they have had the same issues. Thanks.

Hello Chris, i too am selling my CLS 55 AMG to get a E63 AMG very soon. How do you feel about both cars as in comparison? which one do you prefer? do you miss the CLS? your answers will be most appreciated. Thank you

 

[ChrisCLS55]

I do miss the CLS as I had it for 4 years and done a few tasteful mods via MSL with a smaller pulley, x-pipe and d-cat and a remap which made it more of an animal when flooring it. Not that it needed any of that, but my word... That and it was my first AMG. I miss it but I don’t regret selling it and if you are planning on moving up to an E63 I’d say go for it, totally different cars I find. With the E63 I’m still getting used to it, bearing in mind I rarely drive it. What I have done recently is drive it in Sport + and on suspension setting 2 or whatever it is and I’ve found the ride a bit more comfortable and the car, well, like an animal in that mode. The noise changes, the torque, the power and the way it handles. I’ve been driving it in eco comfort mode pretty much since I bought it as my main runs in it are school runs, the odd 200 mile round trip on the motorway and to Tescos. In sport + mode it’s a different car and together more fun and kind of like the CLS, raw, scary and a beast. But it’s packaged better, more tech, better interior, seats aren’t as comfy, but it’s a better invironment to be in. The driver in me prefers the CLS, but in terms of the full package, the E63 is a notch above I regretfully feel. My ideal AMG would be the E63 estate in 4matic guise and if they did it with 7 seats... sadly out of my price range at the moment, but one day. My car, despite the hard ride and noise, I think it’s about accepting what it is and what it isn’t. The original CLS for me is one of the best deisgns Mercedes have ever come up with and I really do believe in 10-15 years time an unmolested CLS55 will be fetching 20-25k or more as they are becoming rarer and again, for me, they are probably the best car Mercedes have made in terms of everything for decades. Looks, interior, build quality, that supercharged V8 which is so robust yet so tuneable and even the tech is first-class. I will definitely go back to one, when I have a garage to keep it in because it was my dream car when I bought mine and always will be. For a 2005 car mine drew lots of looks and admiration, from old women to charv boy racers. It’s an iconic car for me and I’m proud to have owned one, learned my AMG experience in that car and thankful that it’s given me the desire to go with an AMG probably forever now. I’ll always drive different cars from different marques, but I’ll always own an AMG Mercedes, the best of the best IMO. Happy motoring.

 

[SukySangha]

I do miss the CLS as I had it for 4 years and done a few tasteful mods via MSL with a smaller pulley, x-pipe and d-cat and a remap which made it more of an animal when flooring it. Not that it needed any of that, but my word... That and it was my first AMG. I miss it but I don’t regret selling it and if you are planning on moving up to an E63 I’d say go for it, totally different cars I find. With the E63 I’m still getting used to it, bearing in mind I rarely drive it. What I have done recently is drive it in Sport + and on suspension setting 2 or whatever it is and I’ve found the ride a bit more comfortable and the car, well, like an animal in that mode. The noise changes, the torque, the power and the way it handles. I’ve been driving it in eco comfort mode pretty much since I bought it as my main runs in it are school runs, the odd 200 mile round trip on the motorway and to Tescos. In sport + mode it’s a different car and together more fun and kind of like the CLS, raw, scary and a beast. But it’s packaged better, more tech, better interior, seats aren’t as comfy, but it’s a better invironment to be in. The driver in me prefers the CLS, but in terms of the full package, the E63 is a notch above I regretfully feel. My ideal AMG would be the E63 estate in 4matic guise and if they did it with 7 seats... sadly out of my price range at the moment, but one day. My car, despite the hard ride and noise, I think it’s about accepting what it is and what it isn’t. The original CLS for me is one of the best deisgns Mercedes have ever come up with and I really do believe in 10-15 years time an unmolested CLS55 will be fetching 20-25k or more as they are becoming rarer and again, for me, they are probably the best car Mercedes have made in terms of everything for decades. Looks, interior, build quality, that supercharged V8 which is so robust yet so tuneable and even the tech is first-class. I will definitely go back to one, when I have a garage to keep it in because it was my dream car when I bought mine and always will be. For a 2005 car mine drew lots of looks and admiration, from old women to charv boy racers. It’s an iconic car for me and I’m proud to have owned one, learned my AMG experience in that car and thankful that it’s given me the desire to go with an AMG probably forever now. I’ll always drive different cars from different marques, but I’ll always own an AMG Mercedes, the best of the best IMO. Happy motoring.

Hello Chris my thoughts are exactly the same thank you for letting me know regarding the comparison of the two beasts. Like yourself my first merc was the cls 55 amg and having owned it for 5 years with some mods from MSL i love it and will always own an AMG V8. The cls will truly be missed.I will be collecting my e63 night edition saloon at the end of April, so im really looking forward to it. I will post up some pics once ive got it.

 

[ChrisCLS55]

Bet you can’t wait. I need to get out in my car more, just me and the new beast to get to know one another more. I quite fancy a trip to France to see the Normandy beach landings and other war memorials which I’ll do alone. We plan a trip to London and Germany for a week each to visit family in the summer, but with the wife and kids in tow I don’t think putting it through it’s proper paces will be a good idea. We will probably take the X-trail. Keep us updated with your car when you finally get your hands on it.

 

[SukySangha]

Bet you can’t wait. I need to get out in my car more, just me and the new beast to get to know one another more. I quite fancy a trip to France to see the Normandy beach landings and other war memorials which I’ll do alone. We plan a trip to London and Germany for a week each to visit family in the summer, but with the wife and kids in tow I don’t think putting it through it’s proper paces will be a good idea. We will probably take the X-trail. Keep us updated with your car when you finally get your hands on it.

Hello Chris yes of course i will keep you posted on when i collect my e63 (end of April). There will be a short write up on my experiences on both cars.