Mercedes Benz and AMG Owners

batfink said:
I also suffer from the well documented 'crabbing' in cold weather (front wheels skip when moving slowly under full lock below 15 degrees C) which I'm under the impression will be resolved if I switch to all-season tyres.
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I think that's a C Class 'feature' as mine does it too, and has no matter what tyres I've put on it or the weather. I think it's due to the toe/caster on the front wheels.
 
mjt said:
Honestly, get UHP summer tyres and a second set of wheels with UHP Winters and do it properly.
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Doesn't solve the problem though. The official Mercedes solution is to use all-seasons. Summer tyres will cause crabbing at any time of year, as mine did early this morning.

"Doing it properly" is not what this is about. Grip is not an issue on the car so switching wheels in the winter won't solve it.

From what I've found out so far, it is most prominent on RHD cars and there is no easy fix.
 
Can't say I've ever noticed this crabbing "feature" on the C43, I would say is it a RWD only issue? But batfink has a C43 also...
 
My wife’s TT does this sometimes. Never did workout why.

As for AWD vs RWD, you can’t beat the craziness of the RWD of a V8. I also find my RWD gives me much more feedback than AWD. Could be that I am just more used to RWD.
 
batfink said:
Doesn't solve the problem though. The official Mercedes solution is to use all-seasons. Summer tyres will cause crabbing at any time of year, as mine did early this morning.

"Doing it properly" is not what this is about. Grip is not an issue on the car so switching wheels in the winter won't solve it.

From what I've found out so far, it is most prominent on RHD cars and there is no easy fix.
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Sorry, forgot you were going to fit all seasons to prevent crabbing. Don't do it!

My C6 A6 does this too when it's on summer tyres. Must be the immense grip of my MPSS on my 4-pot TDI :p
 
cuke2u said:
Anyone driven the new CLA yet? I have been offered a test drive myself, just need to find some time...
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Got one booked for the CLA 35 when it comes in but my dealer has taken me around the 200 it has the new a class interior so i have a 24 test in A35 next Tuesday ill try and post some pics.
 
Yes driven the A class hatchback and was very unimpressed with the engine, transmission and suspension package, but then I am coming from a 2017 A4. Let me know your thoughts on the CLA as I hope it'll be more refined
 
It's the same car just as a 4 door not a hatch. It will be a little more refined because of the saloon boot but it won't make much difference.
 
mjt said:
Sorry, forgot you were going to fit all seasons to prevent crabbing. Don't do it!

My C6 A6 does this too when it's on summer tyres. Must be the immense grip of my MPSS on my 4-pot TDI :p
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Surprised you haven't noticed it Steedie. What tyres are you running? Maybe I need some of those?! It's not a RWD issue but specific to the 4matic vehicles. The GLC 43 is most well known for this issue but it is also very common on the C43.

I'm open to recommendations for alternatives but I'm in need of new tyres imminently and the stock Dunlop SportMaxx don't cut it. The only others I've found from other forums that might solve the problem are Conti SportContact 5 SSR (runflat!!) but they're £££.
 
I really like the CLA Shooting Brake, but it's priced almost the same as the C class.

The GLC 43 is most well known for this issue but it is also very common on the C43.
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I thought about getting all seasons when I replaced my tyres on my GLC43 recently but decided to stick with the Michelin Latitude Sport 3s. Certain surfaces are worse than others but I can live with it to be honest.
 
[TW]Fox said:
It's the same car just as a 4 door not a hatch. It will be a little more refined because of the saloon boot but it won't make much difference.
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It will though have the multi link rear suspension as standard, unlike the hatchback. If there is no difference between the A class I drove, and a saloon or coupe version with a different engine then I won't be going for it as it would be a far too greater downgrade from my current car.
 
I have test drives setup for both the a class saloon and the cla for a week today. I expect the engine/gearbox configuration will not be the ones I wish to purchase but this will give me a chance to find out if the refinement and the ride quality is good enough...
 
So I tested a new CLA 200 and found it to be be vastly superior to the awful A Class hatchback A180 I drove last time. Gearbox changed gears nicely and always seemed to know which one it needed to be in. The urban ride, with the multi-link rear suspension, was more sophisticated and the engine made a nicer noise, but was nicely suppressed.
So good in fact I didn't bother testing the saloon...
 
Spunkey said:
I think that's a C Class 'feature' as mine does it too, and has no matter what tyres I've put on it or the weather. I think it's due to the toe/caster on the front wheels.
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It's long been a trait of large Mercedes. They add a LOT of dynamic negative camber with lock, often a none linear amount, too. Turn the steering to a parking manoeuvre amount of lock and look at the now positive camber on the inside front wheel. it looks insane! That is what a lot of caster angle does to the inside front wheel... This is because they historically have abhorred static negative front camber as they are heavy cars and static negative reduces the braking tyre contact patch, especially with the current fad for extremely low profile stiff sidewall tyres on huge rims. So in order to maintain a competitive market handling balance they chose to add negative camber dynamically with lots of front caster, and on some models this is added none linearly, with more and more applied with steering lock. As such this results in the inside wheel having a lot of the tread very lightly loaded when manoeuvring, and the inside tyre "scrubs and hops" across the road surface as the tread blocks compress and relax. The added negative on the outside front tyre can also cause this hopping. Cold tyres or a loose surface make this trait even more apparent.
 
Folks, Im considering to replace my 5 year old C Class with a newer equivalent.
Its a C200 affair, but Im wondering whether I should go up one notch and get the C300 AMG Line with a bit more oomph.

Can anyone comment about their experience with the above if you have done so?

Thanks.
 
Steedie said:
Anyone tried an A45S yet? Knowing what the last A45 sounded like, I'm guessing this will be even more shouty
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There's not many out; I've got my name down to try one; More news in August about a demonstrator at my local place. We'll see.
 
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