How plush should the 124 ride? - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

tilac1 · #1 11-23-2010, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by babymog

No not plush, it has always had a firm ride, as was common for European sedans. A very solid feel, but not jarring. Tires are the first most important link in ride quality, cheap tires will make the car feel cheap, no way around it.

And don't forget the tire aspect/sidewall height has a lot to do with ride quality. Most new sedans have 17 or 18" wheels from the factory. Did the engineers soften the spring rate and or shock specs to account for the reduction in sidewall compliance on late model sedans?

My '88 has 195-65-15 Michelins.

loepke72 · #2 11-23-2010, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tilac1

And don't forget the tire aspect/sidewall height has a lot to do with ride quality. Most new sedans have 17 or 18" wheels from the factory. Did the engineers soften the spring rate and or shock specs to account for the reduction in sidewall compliance on late model sedans?

My '88 has 195-65-15 Michelins.

Not sure what the other carmakers are doing, but I can comment on what I have seen in the newer Ford products. Mostly what they went to are larger rubber bushings in the suspension compared to what I see on earlier cars, as well as lighter suspension parts for lower unsprung weight. I can't stand the ride of the 2004-up F-150 for this reason. It's like they tried too hard to make it ride like a car, so it feels "rubbery" for lack of a better term, like the body bounces around when driving over roughness in the road. Same thing with the 2005-up Super Duty. But they seem to have gotten it right in the car/SUV products however.

EVERY car I have ever driven with those ridiculous bling-bling wheels and super low profile tires drove like crap. Overly harsh ride and poor handling with the car following any ruts in the road while jerking the steering wheel out of your hand, with excessive vibration due to questionable tire/wheel quality.

As far as the 124 goes, the few I have driven had what I would describe as the typical European car feel; that is to say a more firm ride than the average American car of the same vintage. Still plenty smooth on the highway, however. If by plush ride you mean a 1980s Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, then no, they're not plush.

jcyuhn · #3 11-23-2010, 11:28 AM

My impression is that MB changed the suspension tuning of the 124 over the years. I had an '87 wagon which rode like one expects a Benz to - a bit firm, well damped, and quite comfortable. My spousal unit drives a '93 124 that we've owned for the last 7 or 8 years. It has always felt much softer than the '87 - not quite Buick, but a lot more floaty than the earlier car.

I now very much appeciate how well that long travel suspension on the 124 soaks up pavement irregularities since I started driving an AMG car. It's not like the AMG rides badly, but it only takes the sharp edges off the bumps, the 124 almost makes them disappear.

My $.02.

Spetz · #4 11-23-2010, 08:30 AM

I have the same size but Yokohama Decibels on my C124.

The thing is that somehow the new cars have very compliant rides yet handle fairly well (not so much the Audi, but the BMW 5 series handled well)

Oldwolf · #5 11-23-2010, 02:06 PM

My 93 W124 is quiet on the highway. You can hold normal conversations. At idle the climate fan is loud in comparison, on low fan speed mind you, so I tend to turn it off most times to hear the engine run. The suspension is firm, so when I hit a bump I can definitely feel it. But nothing rattles on those bumps, which I think is nice. I get a lot of road noise from the tires though, which I think is from the high value Fuzion tires I put on it. These are very solid cars. Another guy in the office has a 300E with 250,000 miles on it. Still looks nice, not as nice as mine though.

Spetz · #6 11-23-2010, 04:04 PM

It must be your tires because my C124 has very little road noise with Yokohama Decibels.
The loudest thing on the highway for me is the engine, which I assume is because it's a 4 cylinder

Jeremy5848 · #7 11-23-2010, 04:31 PM

In comparison to my '87 300D (W124), my 1985 300D (W123) felt like a tractor and my wife's 1996 E300D (W210) feels stiff. The W124 has new Michelin rubber on 16" W210 rims, new Bilstein shocks, new engine mounts, and some (not all) new suspension parts, so it is in good shape. I suspect that the 210 would eventually out-handle the 124 but I prefer the softer ride. OTOH, it is 24 years old (build date July 1986).

Jeremy

babymog · #8 11-23-2010, 10:26 PM

The wagon is a bit tighter-sprung than the sedan, bigger swaybar and more carrying capacity. I agree that they seemed to get softer in '94 though.

ashedd · #9 11-24-2010, 02:01 AM

Talk to gsxr, he has several w124's and some have complete suspension rebuilds. He has both performance and factory(ish) rebuilds.

I can say that my 400e is "floaty" compared to my 300d. The 400e is really a different car though... but when you push it the 400e steps up to the plate. My 300d is firm all the time.

I have never been in a w140, how do they ride? From what I understand they do very well in the ride department.