I'm new to upgrading C Class cars, and am looking to upgrade the suspension on my '94 C280. I was wondering if anyone out there has any helpful info on their own experiences- and potential pitfalls in doing the same...

Specifically I'm looking to upgrade springs, shocks, sway bars- maybe front control arms too if neccessary- and am considering either factory MB parts from the C280 Sport or possibly the C36 AMG.

Other possibilities I'm considering also include looking at parts from Performance Products.com -Eibach or H&R springs... or Bekkers.com for sway bar sets.

My overall objective is a flat, definitely firm ride...not full-on "race" bone crushing hard, but I am very comfortable with the very firm ride of my E300TD with the full AMG E55 suspension.

Any info would be most helpful!!

Many thanks!

J.G.

First you will need to inspect the suspension bushings, they wear easy and on a ten year old car they are most likely in bad shape if they haven't been replaced already. Front lower control arm bushings are a common problem, inspect your rear suspension links also. For springs I would recommend either H&R or Eibach. H&R's cup kit tends to be a little lower than the Eibach pro-kit so whatever you're preference is for ride height would determine which brand. You could upgrade to C43 sway bars front and rear, they are the same as CLK55, and they are the biggest available for the W202 chassis as far as factory parts go. Of course, eibach and a few other companies make sway bars also but are more expensive. I would also recommend visiting club202.com, it's a website dedicated to the 202 chassis. Good luck!

Thanks for the info. It's a good place for me to start. Even though the car and bushings only have 32,000 mi on them- that doesn't preclude dry rot that's just based on age. Also- you wouldn't know the size of the stock bars vs. the C36 or C43...or the aftermarket (Eibach?) ones for comparison sake?? I'll also look into the Club 202...I didn't know of it's existence!

Regards,

J.G.