My 90' 420 SEL rides solid and fairly tight of course after I have the front end work done the mechanic assured me she will drive like a dream. My 94' Cadillac Fleetwood on the other hand is like driving a recliner on wheels...it floats along on the highway.

Mine is in dier need of an alignment.


It's decent, until you hit 55mph. Front end rattles violently.

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-1983 VW Rabbit LS Diesel (5speed, VNT/Giles build)

It's too bad the 126 doesn't have a subframe mounting design on par with a Fleetwood. Cadi certainly did have MB beat in this area.

i guess i will bite.

why is a caddy subframe superior to a benz?

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Hmmm,

Too bad at a 100mph cruising speed the Fleetwood would completely loose control because of an emergency lane change. Keep in mind that Mercedes and Caddilac's engineering goals were totally different. The GM engineers were designing a car for a country with a 55mph speed limit thats comfortable at low speed and some low speed highway cruising. The Mercedes Engineers were designing a car for a country with no speed limit and an electronic limitation of 155mph which many European owners disable. Contrary to popular belief I don't think the Germans had the concept of "luxury car" in mind when they designed the 126. The S class concept is a large car thats capable of high speeds for extended periods on an open superhighway. The big luxoboat is a distinctly American concept and only works in the American market and on our roads. I read and article that stated 98% of the world's government and diplomatic motorpools exclusively use S class cars. I wonder why they don't use Fleetwoods like we do here in America?

http://beostar.paunix.org/newmbzpics

Because MB is in bed with a lot of those govs... I would venture to guess that a lot of them don't pay for there MB's.


GM doesn't play the international game quite like MB does. They don't have the trucking concerns, MB doesn't make much on the cars they make there money on heavy trucks. But a few cars to the right people can move things along in the right direction for them if you get my point...

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

you saying that the big benzes arent the best?

still waiting for wols0003' explanation of why the caddie is superior.


but in the mean time i agree with chase, for sure... but i would like to hear the story.

heck, back a few decades gm cars used to lose alignment going over a rough railroad track, dont know if that is still true or not.

tom w

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Hmmm,

I don't know either way but whoring yourself around like a $3.00 hooker sounds more like the tactics of an American company rather than a German one. A good example is the way that GM and Ford dominate the rental car market. GM and Ford even dominate the police and rescue vehicle market. Im sure its not because they are the best car as currently there is a recall on current Police Interceptor Crown Vic's. When rear ended they explode into a fireball because of a bolt that punctures the fuel tank. Perhaps the reason the S class dominates diplomatic sales is its the best car for the job? In addition to the car being the best many diplomats and other high end governmental types refuse to be seen in anything other than an S class sedan. Vladimir Putin's current car is a black 220 body S class. Would you want to be seen in one of the more expensive sedans in the world with a legendary prescence or a $50K American Luxury car that changes appearance every 2 years?

Additionally how safe would a diplomatic car be if it were an American car fishtailing down the narrow streets of europe in the event a diplomat needed to escape an abductor or potential assasin. While Im sure it does not happen as often as it does in the movies someone sitting in a GM or Ford product would be a "sitting duck" for any kind of violence.

Hmm no read closer. I am saying the W126's ride like a model T. The S is the best and always will be. I'll just have to save my pennies for a newer S that rides better, the W220's are coming down in price nicely.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I think we need to reengineer the SDL for a better ride. It simply can't get any worse..........maybe a progressive rate spring of some type........

well, i rather like the way both mine ride.

the 350sdl is pretty cushy but still firm when needed in a corner or if needed an evasive move.

the 500sec is pretty firm, and pretty sporty. it sits a bit lower than a sedan i think, and i have the sport bilsteins on it. you feel every crease but it is not a problem for me.

still waiting for a detailed explanation of why the caddy subframe smokes the benz. i am prepared to not be convinced but am very interested in the reasoning.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I'm driving the SD today on a concrete expressway.......not the smoothest pavement around......but......it's only about 10 years old and there are no cracks or holes in the pavement.

The interior of the SD is moving at least 1/2".....continuously.......as the tires follow the pavement. The vehicle is following every slight ripple in the pavement and transmitting those ripples to the body. I'm betting that the springs are doing very little.

It's annoying as hell and I don't see how one could characterize the ride as "cushy". Now, I'll grant you that the SD rides slightly stiffer than the SDL because of the shorter wheelbase, but, it's not dramatically stiffer. The SDL performs in a similar manner........but not quite as annoying.

In a W140 or a W220 you would think the road was made out of glass.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Time to figure out why??

The W140 has far less suspension travel than the W126.......I'm guessing not more than 3" or so.

How does it ride that smooth??

I know nothing about a W140, but, I can't believe that the suspension geometry is vastly different than the W126.

I agree the 140 oozes over the road like thick motor oil. Its one of the smoothest riding cars I have driven and I have driven many of the American Marshmellow boats. Part of the ride quality I think is psychological. The car is built like a bank vault with double pane glass and lots of sound deadening. Its an extremely quiet car. Match an ultra quiet cabin with a good suspension thats good at absorbing road feel without being boaty and you have a car thats an effortless pleasure to drive. Of course its always pretty darn noisy in my car but I think thats due to the Bose Sound system