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...:D

so hattie
 

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

Corperate whoring
 

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.:D

:D :D

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

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.:D

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.

140 ride
 

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 :)

Have not been under a W140 in a while but I do remember they are quite a bit different underneath then the W126's. Also a lot of them have adjustable shocks.

I do know they have things like fluid filled bushings in the LCA's. Also the front sway bars are much more massive then the W126's and lower.

brian, i am sure you have good bilsteins under your 126 and michelin tires, right?

so do i so i guess it comes down to different strokes for different folks.

some roads are a lot more irritating too.

tom w

The shocks on the SD are shot. I'm getting a new set.

The front shocks on the SDL are new.

Tom, I'm sure you know that new shocks will stiffen the ride on the SD........as compared to it's current condition, right?

MB does not give away cars to the diplomatic corps.:)


Could it be that the 126 just isn't as stiff (chassis) as the 140?
My sdl does better at big bumps (as in it never bottoms) than my more 'modern' cars.

Not the original poster but, a subframe should allow for an additional layer of isolation relative to a uni-body car with the downside of the additonal cushioning being uncontrolled movement.

Jorg

Subframe
 

Exactly. But back in the late 70's when the 126 was being designed (its European debut was in 1979) you had to make decisions based on the technology available at the time. Mercedes was presented with a choice of ride quality vs high speed stability and handling. Considering the technology they had to choose from I think they made the best choice. Today's cars have 30 years more technology than the Mercedes designers who were creating the 126 did. One of the unfortunate problems with the 126 is it has a somewhat timeless design and was produced for a very long time people tend to forget how old they are and make unfair comparisons to modern cars. My 126 is a 1982 model and because of its european headlamps is mistaken for an early 1990's model all the time.

http://beostar.paunix.org/newmbzpics

brian, i would expect the ride to improve with new shocks. bad shocks allow the wheels to bounce up and down uncontrolled therefore giving a poor ride quality.

fear not, go for the new shocks, you wont be sorry.

whenever i buy a new used benz the first thing i want to do is new bilstens and new michelins. the two biggest things to make the car feel right.

imho

tom w

Mine still ride like crap with new Bilstien comforts all the way around.

what tires and wheels you running?

tom w

Yokahama Avid V4S, Firestone, and Mich X originaly. Ride doesn't change much even going to the 16in Yoko's.

Well, you may be right. I don't think the shocks are that bad to allow bouncing up and down but, maybe the new ones will damp some of the road vibrations somewhat.......we'll see.

I took the SDL out for a ride today on the same pavement. It does ride considerably better........I was mistaken about that. The longer wheelbase and new shocks up front clearly provide a much better ride.

Maybe I'll get some improvement on the SD........hopefully.:o

The first Sel I rode was a 500 Sel in top shape with only 34.000Km on the clock. It drove like a dream (without mentioning that roads here are not even close to what you would find in Germany or US). That car started the maddness - I wanted one eversince.:rolleyes:

Now I have a 500 Sel fitted with a recently rebuild Diesel engine with state of the art mounts and bushings but the car has over 200.000Km on the clock and that can be felt in the car's handling and road noise. Previously I had a '79 300 TD which rode better. Now I'm thinking of replacing the 16" wheels I have on the Sel with stock 14" wheels and see how it goes. It might not look as pretty as these 16" wheels look but they could feel better on the highway. After all there's always the feel of driving a big, powerful car you can trust.

Much the same set up as yrs but no complaint
 

Mine has 117k on the clock, rear self leveling, car lowered with Yokohama AVIDs, on 16" rims, fairly new Bilstein comforts, new steering damper, and the ride is very good, I have no complaints.:confused:

I was used to the '80's LTD Ford Crown Vics, 77-79 Coupe de villes and Olds 88s, but compared to the W126 they are floaters. For that matter so are the new Grand Marquis/Crown Vic. I happen to like large cars.

I will hang on to the W126 as long as possible. If I ever sell it, probably would try to sell here to make sure it got a good home.

What we tend to lose sight of, is these cars were made for autobahn cruising, which meant they should be also good for safe and comfortable cruising at 140 mph plus.

I even felt fine in a W123 diesel at 80 mph (at that speed the cork is pretty much out of the bottle)

Don't get me wrong my W126 isn't going anywhere, I have and will continue to spend a small fortune on the SDL perfecting it.

Maybe they are just showing their age, but I spend enough time in high end late model cars to know the W126's ride limitations. A modern say XJ8 will smooth over the bumps that upset the W126, lean less in the corners, and rides just as well up to any speed a W126 will go.


I think the differnece is in late 70's technoligy vs late 80's and 00 technoligy. Time marches on.

Actualy you know what my W126 rides like? A modern 3 series BMW, with the sport package.

and really, that is not bad in my book.

tom w

Well, all four new shocks are now on the SD.

The ride is marginally better. The front shocks were perfectly OK, IMHO, and did not really need to be changed........which I found out after I removed them.

The rear shocks were toast. Massive leaking of fluid and almost no gas.

The rear end does not hop all over the road anymore......so.......I'm pleased about that.......but.......the ride quality is nowhere near what I would expect.

It's absolutely no match for the SDL. I took the SDL up to CT today and I marvel at how smooth it rides as compared to the SD. Can't quite figure out why other than the longer wheelbase and the softer Michelin tires.

they will soften up with use. some.

also weight of wheel tire combo will affect it. a larger diameter wheel and oversize tire will make more difference than you might imagine.

i had some really cool wire wheels for my 53 caddie. but i put them on the scale and found that they weighed 10# more than the stock steel wheel. i sold them. i later found a really cool set of aluminum caddie wheels off a 57 eldorado, they had steel inner rims. i was hot to put them on my 53 too. but i weighed them too and found them 10# heavier as well. so i sold them off. made some money on those. the wires i just broke even i think.

my wifes pt cruiser rode like alog wagon. 16" steel wheels chrome plated. t hey look pretty cool but are way heavy. so i bought a set of american 15" wheels and put appropriate tires on. lighter and better ride. still not a benz though.

good luck

tom w

Maybe its just me, but I think that "ride quality" is a matter of opinion. Really depends upon what type of ride one prefers. I actually prefer a softer ride, which slightly worn shocks offer. Yeah, the ride may be more floaty, but more sharp bumps go unnoticed, or at least that is the case on my car, that has soft rear suspension. If I press down on the rear, it will bounce a couple of times then stops, but by no means at the point of being "dangerous". Some cars come out new with suspension this soft. Not sure if anyone else has noticed, but I have noticed that the new Chevrolet Trail Blazers and the Isuzu Ascenders have super soft suspension. I have seen most all of these floating down the road, even 2006 models. A friend of ours has an 06' Trail Blazer. One day I was getting some packages out of the cargo area and when I stepped out, the back raised and the SUV bounced two times and I am not that heavy.

I have noticed the same thing (super soft suspension) with the Isuzu Axiom SUV, which is a 4WD SUV. They have very comfortable rides, as opposed to other SUV's with firm suspension.

I consider a firm suspension to be "poor ride quality". I have had cars in the past with firm shocks and I disliked the ride. Firm shocks (which most aftermarket ones are) remind me of riding in an old short wheelbase 4WD 3/4 ton or 1-ton truck. :(

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to chime in about my "new" W126 I have got since the last reply here.

I had a 1985 380SE, but now have a 1988 300SEL. As "soft" as my 380SE rode, my 300SEL has a better ride... I guess because of the longer wheelbase for one thing. I know my shocks are probably worn since they are the originals, but the car dont excessively bounce, but the back of the car will "float" up and down at highway speeds on wavy pavement. The front suspension dont really seem to absorb bumps all that well, but overall, this MB has a soft and supple ride.

Cant say the same for my old '84 190D. Some idiot had put HD shocks on it and it had a very jittery ride. Had I kept it, I was going to have OEMs put back on.