I have a 95 S320 (W140) and contrary to popular opinion find the ride quite harsh. A lot of the suspension has been recently replaced (front & rear shocks, lower control arm bushes, front ball joints, rear springs & pads, rear camber and thrust arms, and front and rear subframe bushes) and this has helped a lot but I still find it harsh on rough roads mainly from the front end. It is most apparent when both front wheels hit a bump at the same time (i.e. crossing a railtrack) whereas my W124 feels a lot smoother in this situation.

I am wondering if it is due to the width of the tyres (235/65/16 Michelin Primacy) or if something is still amiss. About the only thing not replaced at the front are the upper wishbones, although I cannot detect any wear or play in these, and the springs & pads.

I also get a lot of wind noise from the wing mirrors, worst on the drivers side. The drivers door seal was replaced but this did not help much.

What shocks did you purchase to the replace the factory units?

Tinker

What's your tire pressure? The recommended/spec tire pressure for 140s is pretty low compared to other large cars.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

The shocks were replaced with Bilstein models.

Currently I run with 31 psi at the front and 34 psi at the rear. Certainly if the tyre pressure is reduced the ride is more comfortable but I am loath to run at pressures below the MB recommended values. The front tyres are nearing the end of their life (2mm remaining) and I imagine new tyres will help.

I was wondering if a V rated tyre as opposed to the current W rated tyres would have a softer more supple sidewall. Unfortunately we don't have autobahns in the UK so I am unlikely to be driving anywhere near the maximum rated speed of the tyres.

When you change the tires i would recommend either continetals or pirelli p rezo neros(both got great reviews from tirerack)...I have BFG T/As on my car and the ride is not that great, lots of road noise. There is absolutly nothing wrong with running at the recommended tire pressures found in the gas tank flap. Also, check the suspention switch on the bottom right side of the ashtray, if it is on, the ride will be quite harsh, makes the cds skip on my pops car.

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2002 G500 74K
1998 E300 200K and rising
1995 S600 73k


"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering
if they've made a difference. The Marines don't
have that problem."-Ronald Reagan

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them
what to do and they will surprise you with their
ingenuity."-General George S. Patton

W140 S600's dads car doesn't ride hard even with low profile tires on 18in wheels! It isn't a super cloud like, like American cars like a Caddy or Lincoln but it is a very soft riding car.

As for the wind noise their should be no wind noise.

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2016 Corvette Stingray 2LT
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200