choppy ride

[noah429@comcast]

i own a 2004 clk500, it rides rough and tire wear seems excessive compaired to privious models i have owned..
i would like to increase the size of the tires to soften the ride and increase tire and fuel mileage, but do not want to interfear with the abs or the traction control.

[raymond~]

your hopes are too much based simply on a tire and/or wheel change.

ride: consider review of the bushings and ball joints. examine shock condition.

tire sidewall: select tire/wheel so as to maintain overall diameter per OEM tire

tire/wheel fitment
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

good one showing side fits...
http://www.1010tires.com/WheelOffsetCalculator.asp

another good one..for MBs, showing reasonable fitments...
http://www.alloywheelsdirect.net/information/fitting_chart/mercedes-benz

[ILUVMILS]

While you're checking the ball joints and bushings, inspect the rims to see if any are bent. In recent years I've seen a huge increase in the number of bent wheels. The C/CLK chassis are pretty good on ball joints so I doubt you'll find any problems there. We do a fair amount of control arm bushings, but not because of ride quality issues, we just find them starting to crack during routine maintenance. Also, the brand of tires can make a huge difference in ride quality.

[Hatterasguy]

I drove a CLK550 cab for awhile and while the ride was stiff, it wasn't objectionable. Does your car have the sport package? This one had it, with 19's, so pretty big wheels which usualy hurt the ride.

They use pretty aggressive rubber so I wouldn't expect much more than 10k-15k out of the stock tires. I think the 550 had Mich PS2's. When your currant tires wear out try to find replacements with a 500+ treadwear rating. Going to a 16 or 17 inch wheel would also help.