PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post

ksing44 · #9 05-13-2004, 07:57 AM

As Forest Gump would say, "it is like a box of chocolates". You never know exactly what you are going to get when you drop your car with aftermarket springs.

I started with 3-bump pads all around when stock and then switched everything to 1-bump pads when I had the Eibach Pro-Kit springs and Bilstein HD shocks installed. I then switched back to 3-bump pads in the rear because the rear dropped a lot more than the front on my 1995 E320 SE. I also added the K-MAC bushings when I increased the rear spring pads because my camber was almost -3 after dropping the car and it could not be adjusted without the new K-MAC bushings. The camber is now adjustable to within specifications. My mechanic used the alignment specification defined for a sport suspension.

With 1-bump pads in front and 3-bump pads in the rear, my car is about 1 inch lower all the way around, but I do have some differences from side to side. The driver side is exactly the same gap front and rear, but on the passenger side the front is about 0.25 inches lower which makes the back look a bit too high. I am not sure how my own bodyweight affects the ride height and gaps. Maybe when I am in the car, the driver and passenger sides are the same. I am thinking about switching the rear pads one more time to 2-bump in the rear but I don’t like the car to look like it is hauling heavy weight in the trunk. To me, if it is too low in the rear it looks like your car is old with a broken down suspension. I am constantly looking at the car, measuring, and wondering if I should try 2-bump pads in the rear. I am getting a little crazy I guess. Each bump is 5 mm in pad thickness, but I was told that the geometry of the suspension translates the 5mm to about a 7mm or 8mm change at the gap between the fender and wheel.

I LOVE the way my car sits now that it is just a little lower. I think the W124 really does sit way too high in stock form. I am very happy I made the change, but it was a bit of a struggle to get it the way I liked it. It also wasn’t cheap to have to pay for two trips to my mechanic, two alignments, and the price of all of the parts.

If I did it again, I would start with Eibach springs, Bilstein Sport shocks, 1-bump front pads, 2-bump rear pads, and the K-MAC bushings. With that combination, I think there is a chance that it would be perfect with the first try. You might get lucky and not need the K-MAC bushings, but if you wait it will cost even more to go back under the car and adjustable rear camber is a nice feature regardless of absolute need.