Would like to soften the ride of the front end of a w123.

1. change the shocks from HDs to comforts.
2. replace the lower control arm bushings.

Will this do it, or would I be missing something?

I think the shocks would help. What's wrong with the LCA bushings?

Have you thought about tyre sizes? What size tyres do you have at the moment?

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

Which W123?

Why don`t you fill out your signature? then you won`t have to be asked each time.


Charlie

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there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

Ok will do but I am not retired so I have lots of other things to do.

My signature was up before, and it has been removed somehow. My 300cd 1981 has 14K miles on it when I bought it and I am assuming someone did not see the pictures that proved it and removed the signature.

I changed the rear lca with urethane bushings and the car has more movement now.

Since the lca bushings are mushroomed, i thinking there is a lot of friction that prevents free movement up and down.

I guessing that the lca is the most impt bushings that controls the up and down. Wondering if there is another.

The tires are 195 70 15 but will change to 205 50 16s. This is dictated by style not ride so concentrating on the suspensions and new shocks.

Rear LCA? You mean the trailing arms right? So you are saying that the rear end is stiffer 'cos it has been renewed and now the ride quality seems uncomfortable?

As for tyre sizes if you're going for narrow side walled fashionable looks you'll always end up with a more rigid ride than you would with a nice floppy 1980s high sidewall tyre...

...I'm sorry to report that comfort = unfashionable wheels and tyres.

__________________
1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

If anything in your suspension is worn out or severely degraded, replacing it should help the ride. Urethane bushings are more for performance and can actually degrade ride quality somewhat. I'm told they also like to squeak in some applications. Lower damping rate shocks will also put you more in the direction you want. Also, how much tire pressure are you running? Higher pressures help mileage and handling to an extent, but at the expense of the soft ride you seem to be looking for.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

Ok, replace the front lcas with rubber oem bushings, not urethane.

Go to comfort shocks and lose the HDs.

Lower the tire air pressure. (I run 38#s.)



I did this in the rear (except used urethane) and got the wallow back.

The front is too stiff. The rebound rate is faster in the front. Trying to slow it down. Anything else besides the lcas to slow the rebound and soften the front end?

Are you sure it's the rebound rate that's bothering you? Stiff shocks slow rebound. I suspect what you're feeling is not enough compliance in jounce. Anecdotally, I can tell you that when the front shocks were completely dead on my W114, it still rode pretty well, but it handled like poo on fast transitions. A cheap set of Gabriels cleared that right up.

38 is higher than what I run (and I don't much care about ride quality). Factory recommendation is 28. I run about 36 at all four corners. Come to think of it, I think I may be getting due for shocks.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

You mentioned this 6 months ago on some other thread your info got removed. only a mod can do that. and at that time you were asked to show some pictures of this car, which didn`t show the total car,just some super close ups of various parts of it.

Only take a minute or two to fill out your signature.
every one is busy, and they have time to answer your questions. Iam retired now and have less time now that when I was working.

Help us to help you.

Charlie

__________________
there were three HP ratings on the OM616...

1) Not much power
2) Even less power
3) Not nearly enough power!! 240D w/auto

Anyone that thinks a 240D is slow drives too fast.

80 240D Naturally Exasperated, 4-Spd 388k DD 150mph spedo 3:58 Diff

We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics. Funny how that works

[QUOTE=Army;2734289]Rear LCA? You mean the trailing arms right? So you are saying that the rear end is stiffer 'cos it has been renewed and now the ride quality seems uncomfortable?

Army, Yes lower trailing arm bushings in the rear were replaced with urethane and the movement up and down got better. And i put in comforts in and took the HDs out.

So now the rear end goes up and down slowly (good) and the front end rebounds too quickly. Front and rear not balanced (synchronized) in response to bump. front goes up and down quickly and rear floats down and floats up.

So I want to put in comforts in the front and replace the big lower bushing with Urethane or OEM rubber. Seems it would move better with urethane and if i put grease on it, it shouldn't squeek for a number of years.

Skippy, i do not understand the term jounce.

I remember gabbing with you about the validity of the car, but I did not remove any of your sig.
odd that it's gone.
are you checking the box to show your sig?
I just went into your post, and the sig box is not there, perhaps you don't have a signature created on this forum with pics?
go up to the userCP link, and verify you have a sig, and or create one!
have fun.

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

i got a avatar now.
I got a location.

But I cant get a signature going.

would like to put this picture of me in a SCORE 63 closed course race.

ok got it.

Thanks.

__________________
Southern California English Bulldog Rescue: Make the whole family happier!

Taking Air. SCORE Class 63 closed course.

Jounce is when the suspension gets compressed, in other words the tire goes up toward the fender.

Rebound is the opposite.

__________________
Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

the travel seems too short and

both jounce and rebound is to quick in relation to the jounce and rebound of the rear.

__________________
Southern California English Bulldog Rescue: Make the whole family happier!

Taking Air. SCORE Class 63 closed course.