W208 CLK55 steering

[Abdul]

Hi guys,

I know the w208 uses recirculating ball steering and so naturally it doesn't feel as tight and precise as rack & pinion but is there anything I can do to give the steering some more weight? It just feels so loose right now. Doesn't inspire confidence at all.

My friend has a clk320 lowered on eibach's and his steering feels significantly meatier then my current 55 and my old 430.

Any advice/tips would be appreciated.

Cheers

 

[Will]

Check for wear in the steering firstly. You may have loose/worn ball joints/bushes etc. the drag link and idler can wear giving slop.

What's the mileage on your car and do you know what has been done already?

I assume you are running decent premium tyres, with good tread and properly inflated

Will

 

[Abdul]

The tyres are decent at best. Ill be replacing all 4 next week for something more suitable.

Ill get the car on a ramp and have my mechanic check everything out. I personally don't have a clue what to look for lol!

Is it worth investing in polybushes etc?

 

[Will]

I wouldn't bother with changing bushes unless they're worn - and would only use MB/OE parts myself

Get it up in the air, have someone move the steering and see what is worn.

What is the mileage on your car?

 

[Abdul]

91k... Need to go through the history to confirm what's been done. Can't remember now lol.

Thanks for all the help Will.

Any recommendations tyre wise? My current tyres make quite a bit of noise (michelins up front and Pirelli p zero out back) which is a big no no for me.

 

[Alps]

michelins sports are very good tyres, so are p-zeros although they wear fairly quickly!, as long as the same make of tyre is on the same axle (both same on front and both same on rear) then its perfectly fine!

 

[Will]

You're going to get a fair bit of tyre noise whatever you go for with 225 and 245 section tyres. Personally I really rate Michelin - I put a full set of 'MO' spec Pilot Sport 2s on my '55 when I got it - traction was dramatically improved, road noise seems fine, they have worn very well and the steering is much more precise than many of the 'V' tread type tyres which tend to tramline badly I find.

I wouldn't hesititate to recommend them. Maybe replaced by PS3 now though?

Re - the history, does it have MB stamps? If so you should be able to get details of what was done, recalls on the car etc from your local dealer. I got a full printout on mine when I bought it showing everything from PDI onwards - including steering/suspension bits right down to trivial stuff like batteries for the keyfobs, screenwash etc. There was a recall on the alternator done a few months before I bought it (regulator replaced IIRC)

 

[Abdul]

michelins sports are very good tyres, so are p-zeros although they wear fairly quickly!, as long as the same make of tyre is on the same axle (both same on front and both same on rear) then its perfectly fine!

Thanks dude, I had them on my old 430 and they were great, what I meant was tyre noise is a big no no. I reckon it's the pirelli's though as I had them on my old corrado and they were pretty loud.

Thanks Will, I'll call the relevant dealerships when I have a bit of time, oh and the book is indeed stamped except for the last service which was done by a random garage.

I might try out the PS3's when I go for 18's. My mate has a set of Conti's (I think) going spare so I might make him a cheeky offer on them as I want to upgrade to 18's in a few months once all the random wear and tear bits are sorted.

Definitely going to get 255's for the back end though. Just makes me feel that bit better when giving it stick lol.

 

[noogieman]

dude, change your steering damper, car will give you a new steering feel.
now you have a sloppy steering, with a new damper it will be a different car

i have a set of poly bushes for sale brand new, it's the front large LCA bushes which goes bad on w202, poly wants a cracker as greasing to avoid squeeks, you never have to replace them anymore

 

[Abdul]

dude, change your steering damper, car will give you a new steering feel.
now you have a sloppy steering, with a new damper it will be a different car

i have a set of poly bushes for sale brand new, it's the front large LCA bushes which goes bad on w202, poly wants a cracker as greasing to avoid squeeks, you never have to replace them anymore

Thanks mate, just read up on the damper, looks like an easy job which is nice!

 

[Alps]

as per Kowalski says, change the damper, very easy to do and makes a differance!

totally forgot that one from my w202 days

 

[Abdul]

as per Kowalski says, change the damper, very easy to do and makes a differance!

totally forgot that one from my w202 days

Alps,

Where are you based? I'd love to see your E55, it's got some great mods on it!

 

[Alps]

Alps,

Where are you based? I'd love to see your E55, it's got some great mods on it!

Hey Abdul, thanks

Will be at Ollys, can have a run through then.

Alps