[W126 Coupe] with regards to the tire/wheel discussion please add ride comfort question

[Dick Spellman]

Doug Gavin wrote:

> Dick Spellman wrote:

>

>   

>> Hi Gary:

>>

>> That's quite correct.  You lose the Mercedes ride when you lower with 

>> HD vs. Comfort and couple this with a change from a 60 to say a 40 or 

>> 35 sidewall.  It's noticeable even at 50 sidewall with Mercedes 

>> factory springs.  The ride becomes harsh and you feel every depression 

>> as a jolt rather than a quiet lift typical of a Mercedes.

>>

>> That's the trade off, no two ways about it.  I love the ride comfort 

>> in my sedans and enjoy the looks while in the coupe with the 18 inch 

>> Lorrinser rims, lowered ride (Comfort Springs) and Lorrinser body 

>> kit.  It's a question of the look vs. the feel at the end of the day.  

>> I have trouble expecting too much in performance from the SEC in terms 

>> of performance.  I expect more power at the wheels from an LS6 such as 

>> was the case in this Trans Am we had here for a year or two with the 

>> WS6 package.  Handles like crap anything above 80 with the body 

>> flexing but, it had plenty of get up and go.  We dumped it when the 

>> fuel pumps and other issues cropped up at 43k miles.  Now if we could 

>> all 'easily' migrate our chassis's to the power plant Satish has 

>> fitted that would be a different story.

>>

>> Dick

>>

>> Gary wrote:

>>

>>     

>>> got a question...was wondering...with the advent of these big wheels 

>>> resulting in tires with less sidewall...my questions is;  is not 

>>> having more sidewall make for a smoother ride than those skinny 

>>> sidewalls.  it seems like the car is almost riding on the 

>>> rims/wheels...seems like there's not enough cushion.  

>>>

>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

>>>

>>> The MB Coupes Website!

>>> W126 SEC Mailing List

>>> Postings remain property of MB Coupes, L.L.C.

>>>

>>>       

>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

>>

>> The MB Coupes Website!

>> W126 SEC Mailing List

>> Postings remain property of MB Coupes, L.L.C.

>>

>>     

> In regard to Gary and Dick's e mail exchange regarding ride comfort of 

> the MB.  I own a 90 SEC with 72K miles, one former owner, all services 

> performed as required through MB dealer. I have owned the coupe for 5 

> months and have not owned any other MBs but have ridden in a few sedans 

> over the years but not on a regular basis so I'm not real familiar with 

> the appropriate ride or handling experience to the degree as the 

> majority of you so my question may be elementary.

>

>   My question is; Are coupes inherently a stiffer ride than sedans and 

> do the rest of you "feel" the road both front and rear in regard to road 

> seams, small bumps etc as I feel? I run my Pilots at 35 lbs and run on 

> stock  15 " wheels. I read allot about the rear stabilizers on this site 

> and wonder if they need to be replaced. I suspect they are original. In 

> a nut shell, the ride feels like other cars I've experienced  with too 

> much air in the tires. The car is very tight with not even one rattle or 

> vibration what so ever, handles like a dream in corners, straight line 

> and all other respects it's just that hard tire ride that makes me 

> wonder. Thanks

>

> Doug

> The MB Coupes Website!

> W126 SEC Mailing List

> Postings remain property of MB Coupes, L.L.C.

>

>   

Hi Doug:

You might try lowering the air pressure on all 4 tires to 32 or even 30 
to see if that helps.  I run the sedans at 30/32 with all season tires.  
The one coupe I've driven extensively was and is my 83 SEC.  When I 
first purchased it, the ride had been completely reconditioned by an 
independent MB shop.  I have their service report for $2500.  I drove 
this car stock for 6 months or so and the ride comfort was just smooth.  
Certainly as smooth as the sedans I maintain.  So, short answer is the 
coupe should offer the same luxury ride as the sedans IMHO.  Now, I've 
since lowered the coupe with H&R Comfort, added factory approved 18 inch 
Lorrinser wheels (fit the R107 and 126 chassis) and aside from rolling 
the rear fender lip it's been trouble free.  The ride is however, 
noticeably harder than the factory set-up I had when first purchased.

To renew a ride requires the following and there may be some overlap on 
parts that also influence handling but, my intention is to simply 
outline parts that effect the feel of the road...
Rear sub-frame rubber mounts
Rear differential rubber frame/mounts
Front (dog-bone) rubber sub-frame mounts
Front sway bar bushings and the rubber mounts up inside the firewalls in 
the engine bay (a real PIA to get to)
Springs and rubber pads (nibs)
Shocks and new rubber bumpers (where the shock meets the chassis)
Upper control arms come with the attached ball joint and new rubber bushings
Engine mounts and the transmission rubber mount

That's about it on ride.  Now if you ever had just the shock absorbers 
replaced and the mechanic did not adhere to the precise torque 
requirement of the first nut that is compressed on top of the shock 
piston where it passes through the chassis you could easily experience a 
harsh ride and feel every bump even with new shocks.  It's my 
understanding that this is a common mistake when the shocks are 
replaced.  So, best to pay attention and meet the torque spec in the 
manual to get the best possible ride when doing the shocks.  Mercedes 
specifically states the correct torque on the first upper shock nut used 
to secure the shock piston to the chassis.  Starting with a steel plate 
new lower rubber bushing then up through the chassis followed by yet 
another new rubber bushing, steel plate then the correct torqued nut and 
finally the second nut to lock the whole set-up in place.

Dick
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/mbcoupes/attachments/20070112/82d74edf/attachment.htm