*/Hey guys. Here is the story, I really like my 92 300E, but there are a few things that it could use a little help with. One... if of course hp... the second... downforce. At speed (80+ mph) the car just starts floating all over the road, I don't feel comfortable at these speeds, as the car feels it could spin out at any moment. Is there anything I can do to increase the downforce at this speed? I know I could buy a spoiler... but I don't wan't to turn my sophisticated old world benz into a teutonic rice monster.... so yea, anything else I can do? I am going to lower it by about 1.5 inches, will that help? Money is limited, so take that into consideration, I can't afford a nice Brabus body kit. Im in highschool.... and whatever money I get comes from fixing people's computers on the weekends.... Thanks!*/ I had posted that in ther performance area, and was told to post here. So there you guys go. I was told it might be the shocks... my car has 105k miles on it... think its time to get new ones? My car doesn't exhibit any other "problems", it still feels like a tank at normal speeds in a straight line... and when I throw it into turns... its as quick as a cat...

Do you ever hear popping sounds while driving? My car would get real squarrally (?) at highway speeds. It turned out to be the LOWER CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS.
GOOD LUCK.

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Posts: 41
Hey, thanks, I have re-posted in tech help. My car has 105k... and I have noticed that the shocks have gotten soft... do you think that is the problem? If it is, Im sure I can get my dad to pay for new ones ;-) Oh yea... I just did the "push the car" test, and it wobbles back and forth about 3 times..."

Sounds like it could be shocks.

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2006 E350 w/ 155k miles (Daily Driver)

Previous:
1993 300E 3.2L Sedan w/ close to about 300k miles
2003 E500 Brilliant Silver (Had 217k miles when totalled!)
1989 300E with 289,000 miles (had for <1 yr while in HI)
03 CLK 500 cabrio (Mom's)
2006 C230k (Dad's)
1999 S420 (Mom's/Dad's)
2000 C230k Sport sedans
2001 CLK320 Cabrio (Mom's)
1995 C280 My First Mercedes-Benz... (155k miles. EXCEPTIONAL AUTOMOBILE. Was Very hard to let go of!)

I would start with the shocks, steering stabilizer, and front/rear suspension before I did any downforce body mods. Get the front and rear suspension checked out by a GOOD Tech before doing 80 again - at 105k miles you might have some soft rear bushings and/or distorted control arms. And as far as lowering, you might check the link under 'cars' at the top of the page for the Mercedes lowering and handling kit, called the 'Sportline'. Enjoy!

Increasing downforce on a w124...

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John

2003 Firemist Red/grey leather SL 500
2015 Palladium Silver/black mbtex GLK 350
1987 Smoke Silver/burgundy mbtex 300E Sportline (SOLD)

Click to see 87 300E

Hey guys, thanks a bunch. Hmm... I have'nt been hearing any poping at all... As far as lowering, I was thinking eibach springs with koni adjustables, it was coming out to a lot less than the sportline package...

This site also sells just the Sportline springs and shocks, as well as the whole kit.

My car wasn't wandering a lot at 70mph, just didn't feel that tight, but didn't make any noises. The rear bushings were just about ready for replacing on the rear arms. New arms/bushings were about $30 each parts, and the car tightened up again.

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John

2003 Firemist Red/grey leather SL 500
2015 Palladium Silver/black mbtex GLK 350
1987 Smoke Silver/burgundy mbtex 300E Sportline (SOLD)

Click to see 87 300E

MBs don't need any body mods to get that good drive at high speeds. Take John's advice. Above all, its important to drive safe - not fast.

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... Kerry

126 tailed by a 203, 129 leading the pack.

I agree with you ymsin... its better to be safe than sorry... but yea... ill call up my mech tomorrow... and see about getting the bushings checked... it just occured to me that it also might be my tires. They are some michelin H rated that my dad put on. They have horrid traction, I can do a tail-slide just about anywhere... which is very bad for those early mornings when im trying to go to school.... Oh yea... I almost forgot... how urgent is it that I get these things fixed... or at least looked at... I can refrain from going fast for a while. I just got my back window assay fixed and it cost $250!! So... im a little low on car repair funds right now... unless of course its a life threatining thing... in which case my parents would cover it... but yea... they are already hating you guys for giving me ideas on ways to fix up the benz :-) thanks!

how are your tires a new set of well balanced Michelins did wonders for my SD....
William Rogers.....

They are life threatening!!! You never know when you are going to need to take emergency evasive action, even at lower speeds. There have been fatal accidents at less than 25mph! (Tire blew on a car next to a motorcyclist while both were stopping for a red light. The car swerved just enough to the right to tap or scare the motor cycle rider into swerving right, loose his balance, and fall over and hit the side of his head beneath the helmet area on the edge of the curb. DOA motorcyclist. Vehicular manslaughter charges against driver of car for driving on bald tires with cord showing thru!)

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John

2003 Firemist Red/grey leather SL 500
2015 Palladium Silver/black mbtex GLK 350
1987 Smoke Silver/burgundy mbtex 300E Sportline (SOLD)

Click to see 87 300E

TYRES ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURE FOUND UNDER ANY CARS!

Its the only material thats keeping you away from the road, and its never a good idea to compromise on your tyres. You may opt for cheaper plugs, or cheaper wiper blades, BUT never compromise on the quality of tyres especially when you're already talking of "WOOZT handling at SPEED".

I never cut corners on tyres, so to speak, and even if its not Michelin - you could always get other makes that pulls through on the sturdiness at speeds albeit a little noisy or hard. It doesn't matter on comfort as long as it won't fail you. But I budget myself to go the extra mile for the comfort ride and thus invest in a little more than I should.

After all, don't you and your Benz deserve a better and safer ride?

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... Kerry

126 tailed by a 203, 129 leading the pack.

Hehe yea... well the tires were supposed to be good, they cost my dad $160 a piece!!! The are Michelin Pilots, so the quality is there, but im just not happy with the traction. Perhaps its the suspension components causing the tire to not make good contact with the road? I have noticed a little bouncing of the back tires when im taking turns at around 40 mph on the backroads to my house.... ( The speed limit is 45 btw... so no flames) Regardles... im going to buy 17 inch rims when these tires are shot... and if they already are shot.... I can buy the rims now, my dad has agreed to pay for the rubber, which is actually less expensive...

The advise above is right on target. There is no high speed instability characteristic that is part of the W124 chassis by design. If you are experiencing a lack of control at 85 mph, you are driving with some badly worn parts.

My limited experience would say if you do not have a lot of play or pulling in the steering, and the shocks are not doing a good job of damping out movement, the problem likely lies in the shocks. They typically leak a little oil when they fail as well, so peer into the wheel well and see what it looks like.

I drive Michelin H and V rated Pilot XGT4 series tires exclusively after experimenting with Dunlop, Pirelli, Bridgestone and Phoenix (3011's I believe, anyone remember them?) in V and Z ratings over the last three decades. This is the finest tire, consistently, that I have ever driven. Properly inflated, and of the correct size, unless you have an unbalanced tire I do not see how Michelin H rated tires can contribute to the poor high speed stability. Unbalance and underinflation coupled with poor alignment can make the car misbehave very readily. Add the incorrect size, and the problems will get worse.

These cars have 4 wheel alignment procedures to follow, so alignment is not something to take for granted. Losing traction easily is a sign that either the tire is underinflated, or the car is not aligned correctly. Alignment problems can be due to the aging of the rubber parts or physical damage from potholes or curbs. In any case a misaligned vehicle starts out being forced to slide the tires against the direction of travel, so when you turn the wheel and give it some gas, the already skidding tires just skid some more. And if the alignment problem is due to worn out bushings and things, it is likely the added load just makes the alignment worse, and the skidding that much more apparent.

Suspension and brakes are safety features, so, like others noted above, don't put off the repairs you need as it will increase the risk to your self and to others when you drive. Good luck, and, when the car is fixed, enjoy it. Jim

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Own:
1986 Euro 190E 2.3-16 (291,000 miles),
1998 E300D TurboDiesel, 231,000 miles -purchased with 45,000,
1988 300E 5-speed 252,000 miles,
1983 240D 4-speed, purchased w/136,000, now with 222,000 miles.
2009 ML320CDI Bluetec, 89,000 miles

Owned:
1971 220D (250,000 miles plus, sold to father-in-law),
1975 240D (245,000 miles - died of body rot),
1991 350SD (176,560 miles, weakest Benz I have owned),
1999 C230 Sport (45,400 miles),
1982 240D (321,000 miles, put to sleep)

Hey all. Thanks a bunch. I talked to my dad, and we are taking the car out to the mech on monday to get the suspension checked out. Hopefully whatever is wrong will be cheap :-) Thanks again!

my 420SEL had the same symptoms. Turned out I had a broken rear coil spring. Replaced both of those in the rear and the problem was 90% fixed. Replaced control arm bushings and car is 100%. My mechanic diagnosed all of these problems in a short amount of time. He suggested we do the coil spring first and see how it was as the control arm bushings were worn, but still looked ok. Big difference, but I wanted perfect so we did the control arm bushings next and I got what I wanted.

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Jason Priest
1999 E430
1995 E420 - retired
1986 420SEL - retired

Ever since I bought my car six months ago, it has done this. I took it to the dealer and they informed me that I had a bad steering gearbox with the following note: "Road tested vehicle, felt excessive play at the left and right 'full' turn positions. Estimate to replace steering box is $2,673.46" I was going to have this done but the idea about wheel weight sounds good too... The previous owner took the car to a "quickie" tire change place to have the wheels balanced--as a result I have different looking wheel weights...


Would the difference in appearance cause it? BTW I'm running Michelin MXV4's on the car.

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