[Pols]

I have placed an order for a new SLK350 and I am debating whether to order the standard suspension or the OEM sports chassis. I have not been able to test either of these on an actual car.

What are the actual differences between these two options?

What are your impressions of the standard rsp. the sport suspension as per ride comfort, stiffness, handling etc.?

 

[Duo-Art]

RE: Help!!! Suspension question new slk350

Pols, please include your location in your profile. Where you are located has a lot to do with recommendations that you will receive.

 

[rickboy]

I would get the sport suspension if the roads you typically drive on are in good shape. I have it and do not find it too harsh with the Pirelli PZero Rosso tires.

 

[dsballdo]

I debated for a while and changed my order from sport to regular suspension for two reasons. The type of driving I do is either short trips in the city or long trips on interstates in the Northeast U.S. - either way I wanted a more comfortable ride. The sport suspension lets more road feel through, which is not an advantage with potholes and expansion strips in abundance. Second, in the event this became my only car I wanted to have a little more ground clearance when it snows.

 

[StephenJnr]

I went for standard, as the roads in Glasgow are a joke, potholes everywere, If your roads are good then go for sports.

 

[Duo-Art]

I drove a demo with the sport suspension. I felt that it was too stiff. I have the standard suspension and my car handles very well. Unless you plan on doing a lot of fast cornering, the standard suspension should be fine.

 

[Big Bill]

I have the sports suspension with the AMG package. If you order the AMG sports package the suspension is part of it. I like the tight feeling. I traded in a BMW 330Ci with the sports suspension so it feels the same to me. I think it is a preference thing and would recommend you somehow try them both to see which one you like.

Bill

 

[Slk-Gill]

I went for the standard suspension for a number of reasons:

There are too many speed humps around here and I was forever grounding a previous car thet had lowered suspension. I would be very upset if that happened to the SLK

The standard suspension handles well enough for me and I prefered the smoother ride over rougher roads.

The car will still go round corners faster than I am willing to drive it around them.

I think you need to try them both beore deciding though.

 

[garycourtland]

I have the standard suspension, too. The roads in the L.A. area are a mess, so I was concerned that the sport suspension would beat me to a pulp. I find the standard suspension firm enough and the handling is very good. Of course, I don't harbor any thought that I could out-slalom a SLK55 in the twisties. I think that a really firm suspension is an acquired taste. You have to be willing to put up with a lot of pounding for the increased control in the curves. Like Slk-Gill, I think that the standard suspension gives me more performance capability than I would be willing to use. His advice on trying both out is spot on as well.

Gary

 

[arlmed]

I have the sport susp. There are days I wish I have the regular susp. The sport susp. takes some getting used to; however, it is not so bad. I test drove the regular susp. and I thought it was good enough. You DO feel the road so make sure to take this into account if you have bad roads. My wife does not like it at all. Go drive both for a while before ordering it. Now why then do I have it? Well, this car had practically everything I wanted and it happened to have the sport susp. as well so instead of waiting for four months for another car I bought it off the lot.

 

[malibuite]

garycourtland - 3/5/2005 4:41 PM

I have the standard suspension, too. The roads in the L.A. area are a mess, so I was concerned that the sport suspension would beat me to a pulp. I find the standard suspension firm enough and the handling is very good. Of course, I don't harbor any thought that I could out-slalom a SLK55 in the twisties. I think that a really firm suspension is an acquired taste. You have to be willing to put up with a lot of pounding for the increased control in the curves. Like Slk-Gill, I think that the standard suspension gives me more performance capability than I would be willing to use. His advice on trying both out is spot on as well.

Gary

Ditto...especially the LA roads. I nearly fell into a pothole yesterday...was sure I had blown a tire...fortunately was not in the SLK.

The standard suspension provides enough control for me. I prefer the smooth ride to more control.

 

[Motzkoman]

ditto here...seems with the budget problems, we in CA are not fixing our roads...[B)]

 

[novabenz]

The East coast roads I travel are pretty beat up and I have the AMG sports pkg. w/ suspension.

Like others, I like the tighter feeling from this setup. The ride does not seem that harsh to me, and finally - while this package does cost more than the base model, it will translate into hopefully a greater(albeit depreciated) resale value.

Best of luck with whatever you chose.

 

[jhkngmd]

i really love my sport suspension. not too stiff, in fact, i'm more impressed with the SLK 350's sport suspension than my previous Infiniti G35's, which i thought was definitely too stiff, when you hit a bump, the whole car shakes, and you feel the jolt very harshly. not with my SLK 350. good job on the suspensions, MB![8D]

 

[gdewitt]

My take on my sports suspension:

I test drove the standard suspension and felt it was a little soft. So I ordered the sport suspension. As sports car suspensions go it is still a little soft. Quite a bit softer than my Porsche, for example. But it feels pretty good. I don't find it harsh at all. At railroad crossings, for instance, my SLK is quiet and I don't slow down much. My Porsche is loud and jarring in the same places as is my wife's Eclipse. I suppose how you feel about harshness depends on what you are used to and the quality of your roads. Ours are pretty reasonable, but I doubt I would change my mind even if the roads were worse.

The difference between the two is fairly subtle, too. It isn't like one is really soft and one is really hard.

 

[Phat Cat]

I have the sport suspension and find it tight but not as harsh as I'd feared. Each time I drive the SLK350 (not frequently enough so far due to weather) it takes a few minutes to get acclimated, but it soon becomes unnoticeable on good roads. Having said that, driving on the dirt roads around here can be filling-jarring at this time of year.

As others have said, your satisfaction with the sport suspension will depend mostly on the quality of roads where you do most of your driving.