W204 Bad ride

[Petecollinge]

Hi and sorry if this has all been posted before but I am struggling to solve my problem

I bought my W204 around 6 months ago and on test drive the ride didn’t feel comfortable at all but I loved the car and thought I’ll get the ride quality sorted but not quite as easy as I thought , The car on the motorway is a dream but put it on a uneven road and it’s harsh , sometimes a harsh thud and generally not enjoyable to drive , Mercedes have looked at it and couldn’t find the fault , I then had 4 new Michelin tyres which did slightly improve the ride , my mechanic found ball joint on lower near side wishbone faulty so was replaced and again has improved the ride but still not right , I asked him to change the shocks but he won’t as he says there is nothing wrong with them but to me it feels like there not cushioning the ride , the car is a 2012 model but I also have a 2009 Mondeo that I’m considering using instead of the Merc as Mondeo is much more comfortable , I don’t mind changing whatever is needed to make the ride comfortable but I don’t want to throw good money after bad at it , also if I was to have shocks changed can anyone recommend a comfortable replacement as I’m seeing Bernstein shocks but reviews are firm

Any help would be appreciated

 

[DSM10000]

Welcome to the Forum

2 questions:

1/ what tyre pressures are you using?

2/ What load index are the tyres?

 

[Chrishazle]

And 1 more important one - what size rims? I suspect you may be on 18" or more, as my 204 was on 16's when I bought it and was too soft, on 17's it's fine.

 

[Petecollinge]

Fronts 29
Rear 31

Load index I have no idea I’m afraid and can’t take a look as away from home at moment all I recall is there the latest Michelin’s

 

[Petecollinge]

Hi it’s on 16”

And 1 more important one - what size rims? I suspect you may be on 18" or more, as my 204 was on 16's when I bought it and was too soft, on 17's it's fine.

i it’s

And 1 more important one - what size rims? I suspect you may be on 18" or more, as my 204 was on 16's when I bought it and was too soft, on 17's it's fine.

 

[DSM10000]

Pressures seem ok, possibly a little low at the front but witihn specification I imagine.

Rim size as posted by Chrishazle is important, plus what model of 204 is it? Is it a Sport, AMG line etc?

 

[markjay]

a. The W204 comes in two guises.

The Executive SE has standard suspension set for comfort.

The Sport and the Sport AMG Line (recognised by the spoiler kit) have lowered and stiffened suspension. The springs are shorted and the suspension travel is shorter as result.

The other factor affecting ride quality, as suggested above, is wheel size. The 16" wheels will be very comfortable, the 17" less so, and 18/19" would make for very harsh drive.

I have the Classic SE with 16" wheels and as expected it has a very comfortable ride.

 

[markjay]

Fronts 29
Rear 31

Load index I have no idea I’m afraid and can’t take a look as away from home at moment all I recall is there the latest Michelin’s

As an aside, this is on the low side, I would recommend 36psi all around, but if the ride is too hard then the low tyre pressure isn't your problem

The correct tyre load index for your car should be 91.

 

[Petecollinge]

As an aside, this is on the low side, I would recommend 36psi all around, but if the ride is too hard then the low tyre pressure isn't your problem

The correct tyre load index for your car should be 91.

Hi it’s the w204 exec but you wouldn’t think so how uncomfortable it is

a. The W204 comes in two guises.

The Executive SE has standard suspension set for comfort.

The Sport and the Sport AMG Line (recognised by the spoiler kit) have lowered and stiffened suspension. The springs are shorted and the suspension travel is shorter as result.

The other factor affecting ride quality, as suggested above, is wheel size. The 16" wheels will be very comfortable, the 17" less so, and 18/19" would make for very harsh drive.

I have the Classic SE with 16" wheels and as expected it has a very comfortable ride.

a. The W204 comes in two guises.

The Executive SE has standard suspension set for comfort.

The Sport and the Sport AMG Line (recognised by the spoiler kit) have lowered and stiffened suspension. The springs are shorted and the suspension travel is shorter as result.

The other factor affecting ride quality, as suggested above, is wheel size. The 16" wheels will be very comfortable, the 17" less so, and 18/19" would make for very harsh drive.

I have the Classic SE with 16" wheels and as expected it has a very comfortable ride.

Hi it’s H

a. The W204 comes in two guises.

The Executive SE has standard suspension set for comfort.

The Sport and the Sport AMG Line (recognised by the spoiler kit) have lowered and stiffened suspension. The springs are shorted and the suspension travel is shorter as result.

The other factor affecting ride quality, as suggested above, is wheel size. The 16" wheels will be very comfortable, the 17" less so, and 18/19" would make for very harsh drive.

I have the Classic SE with 16" wheels and as expected it has a very comfortable ride.

i it’s

a. The W204 comes in two guises.

The Executive SE has standard suspension set for comfort.

The Sport and the Sport AMG Line (recognised by the spoiler kit) have lowered and stiffened suspension. The springs are shorted and the suspension travel is shorter as result.

The other factor affecting ride quality, as suggested above, is wheel size. The 16" wheels will be very comfortable, the 17" less so, and 18/19" would make for very harsh drive.

I have the Classic SE with 16" wheels and as expected it has a very comfortable ride.

Hi

 

[Chrishazle]

If you post the tyre spec shown on the side of the tyres - it'll read something like 225/45 R17 91Y, and the fronts may be different to the rears - as well as the make/type of tyre, it will tell us a lot. For example Contisport tyres are known to have stiff sidewalls (stiffer ride, like runflats) and are noisy, Goodyear Eagles have softer sidewalls and are quieter.

 

[DSM10000]

OP

I would avoid using multi quote, you are often repating others members messages multiple times and making it harder to read yours

 

[markjay]

If you post the tyre spec shown on the side of the tyres - it'll read something like 225/45 R17 91Y, and the fronts may be different to the rears - as well as the make/type of tyre, it will tell us a lot. For example Contisport tyres are known to have stiff sidewalls (stiffer ride, like runflats) and are noisy, Goodyear Eagles have softer sidewalls and are quieter.

The standard tyres on a 2012 W204 Executive SE are 205/55 R16 91V all around.

But of course the standard wheels may have been upgraded.

 

[grober]

The W204 was fitted with "agility control suspension " with passive[inertial] dampers [shocks]---- this is different from the "dynamic control suspension" with electronically switched dampers indicated by a switch on the dash with different settings- this was an extra cost item and not very common on standard models. There is some anecdotal evidence that these passive dampers can jam in the valve hard setting when they get worn- this can happen if driven at speed over speed bumps for example. An explanation video follows.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Gazwould]

Your mileage Sir ?

 

[Petecollinge]

67,000

 

[markjay]

Re the dampers, you could perform a very basic test by pushing the car hard at each corner.

It should sink with relative ease but them bounce-up and stabilise almost immediately and without continuing to bounce in an up-and-down spring-like movement.

For those who have not done this before and do not have the 'feel' for it, the dampers' movement can be compared to that of another car with known good dampers.

(This will obviously not work on a car that has electronically controlled dampers).

 

[markjay]

The W204 was fitted with "agility control suspension " with passive[inertial] dampers [shocks]---- this is different from the "dynamic control suspension" with electronically switched dampers indicated by a switch on the dash with different settings- this was an extra cost item and not very common on standard models. There is some anecdotal evidence that these passive dampers can jam in the valve hard setting when they get worn- this can happen if driven at speed over speed bumps for example. An explanation video follows.

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Mercedes Agility Control is no doubt a good idea, but I don't see how it is different to the Bilstien twin-tube dampers I used to fit to performance cars back in the seventies and eighties.

 

[grober]

The difference is the Mercedes shock is designed to be variable rate [ abeit fairly crude] the dual twin tube is fixed rate [albeit not so efficient as the later monotube]

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[190]

One issue here is you are comparing the ride with a Mondeo. Ford are very good at suspension design and a Mondeo rides better than a W204 even if there nothing wrong with the W204.

Ride is a subjective thing and we have to some extent got used to firm suspension in recent years so that it doesn't seem too bad especially if the ride is quiet and doesn't thump over bumps. In absolute terms though a W204 doesn't have a comfortable ride when compared to older C class models. It gets better at speed but for me there is something about these passive inertial dampers that doesn't work right at low speed. There are many worse cars than a W204 for ride comfort but there is no use pretending it's the best in class.