Hi.. Which brand do you guys prefer in terms of ride quality and stiffness?? oh yeah... there is something I do not understand... I know a lot of Eibach springs are just pads??? On the other hand, H&R are real lowering springs that have higher spring constant... hehe.. do I make sense here???
Why would you buy eibach's pads instead of real springs like H&R??? Please help me understand.. Thank you for your input..

AMGClass, you may be a little confused! Eibach makes springs not pads. There is much discussing on this already. Do a search. The pads are used to adjust the height when lowering is desired. The springs pads are only made by MBZ and come in various sizes to adjust the height. Eibach does not supply the pads.

When using Eibach Pro-Kit springs the car will remain the same height. You have to use a smaller MBZ spring pad to lower the car when using the Eibach Pro-Kit. Not sure if Eibach even makes the more aggressive SportLine springs for Mercedes.

The H&R Sport Springs will lower the car and further lowering can be acheived by using smaller springs pads.

If you want a quality spring also go with AMG instead of Eibach and H&R and use the smallest spring pad to lower. One of the companies built them for MBZ, I forgot which one.

AMGCKlass,
Kevin is right in that Eibach does in fact make springs. However, the Eibach prokit springs do lower the car significantly - at least 1", and probably 1.5", as they have done on my car. Further lowering can be done by installing a thinner spring pad (a rubber disc that lies between the spring and its upper suspension mount) from MB.

I haven't driven a car equipped with the H&R package, but I can tell you that with the Eibachs you can expect a significantly firmer ride and much improved handling. Be aware of the ride trade-off, as well as the fact that you will eventually probably want to upgrade your shocks, although as I recall your car is a fairly low-mileage vehicle, so you should be fine for a while.

Regarding the quality, the Eibachs carry a lifetime warranty for the original owner - I believe H&R are the same. Finally, I've heard numerous times that AMG sources their springs from Eibach - but I cannot confirm this.

Dear Kevin and Nick,
Thanks for clarifying that for me.. Oh...i feel a little embarassed now....Oh well, you said that I can buy thin spring pads from M-Benz dealers to further lower my car right? How much are they sold for and how many do I need to buy? Hmm.. 4 pads sound logical...Please let me know.. Thanks again..

Hi AMGCKlass,

Well, while the others are correct, I also want to add that Eibach does make an aftermarket version of the spring pad as well as a lowering spring. The pads won't make much of a difference from the smallest pads MB makes (I believe they are 8mm thick)I have H&R's w/ 8mm MB pads on my MB and Bilstien shocks and am very pleased w/ the difference it made. I believe the H&R's do lower the car about a 1/4" more than the Eibach. But don't quote me on that. Anyway, either spring is worth the money, you don't necessarily have to buy an AMG spring to get a good quality lowered suspension. The CLK-GTR uses H&R's so you know that it has to be a quality spring, paired up with some bilstien shocks and you've got yourself a nice tight (sports car)ride. If you want to see my car along w/ other MB's, go to this page. http://190Revolution.homepage.com
then click on "Readers Rides". Good luck on your decision.

AMGCKlass,
You should take Kevin's suggestion and do a search on this topic - you will find TONS of info! The pads are cheap (buy them at PartsShop!) - maybe $5 apiece - the labour is the pricey part of the installation.

Dear Clinton,

Hi. Thank you for your input. Let me ask you this since you have the 8mm thin pad installed. Are you saying that these thin pads won't lower your car that much?? do you know what many inches you can lower your car just with 8mm pads? Thanks again for your time.. I also want to tell you how much I enjoy reading your posts in bekkers forum( i hope you are the same person I am talking about)... Anyway, take care...

quote:

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Originally posted by AMGCKlass:
Dear Clinton,

Hi. Thank you for your input. Let me ask you this since you have the 8mm thin pad installed. Are you saying that these thin pads won't lower your car that much?? do you know what many inches you can lower your car just with 8mm pads? Thanks again for your time.. I also want to tell you how much I enjoy reading your posts in bekkers forum( i hope you are the same person I am talking about)... Anyway, take care...

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Hi again,

Yeah, I'm the same guy from the Bekkers board. My alias is "curious george" (don't ask me why I chose that name):-). Anyway, about the pads, here's the deal. MB makes three different types of thicknesses of pads. The thinnest is (as I mentioned b4) 8mm. I'm not sure how thick the thickest pads are. The MB dealership will be able to tell you that. They are fairly inexpensive (like $5 a piece), if you wish to lower your car, I recommend getting these thinner pads along with springs and shocks to maximize your drop (that is if your car doesn't already have the 8mm pads). My 16V already had the 8mm. I will also add that you will not be able to tell a difference if you only switched out the pads on your car. The best and most efficient way to lower your car is to use either Eibach or H&R springs along with a quality shock (Bilstien). Again, to maximize the drop by a fraction more, the thinnest pads should be used, even though there is not much difference in the pads. I hope I've answered your questions here and not confused you. Good luck again.

Regards,

Clinton Davis
'86 190E 2.3-16V