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  #1  
Old 03-25-2003, 01:22 PM
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Coils and shocks for '92 300E

I'm considering putting Bilstein shocks and H&R performance coils springs into my 1992 300E. Parts cost will be approximately $550 (based on the Performance Products catalog).

What should be a fair installation cost to do this... can pretty much any good mechanic do this kind of thing?

Does anyone have any experience with the Performanc Products coils? Any suggestions on doing this kind of upgrade overall?

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  #2  
Old 03-26-2003, 04:31 PM
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MB offers a "Sportline" shock, spring, & bushing kit. You might take a look at that info before you jump into the H & R stuff.
Try Phil at PartsShop for info. You might try search for Sportline as well.
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  #3  
Old 03-31-2003, 05:00 PM
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but w/ the HR bilstein setup you car will be lowered It's what I have. My install was $120 at TWS in Walnut, CA.
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  #4  
Old 03-31-2003, 05:19 PM
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http://www.peachparts.com/sportline_suspension.htm

This is all the info you need to know on the sportline suspension. If you want better handling, without compromising ride quality by much, sportline is the way to go.

If you want stiffer and more agressive lowering, go with h&R or eiback springs and bilstein sport or koni adjustable shocks.

I would do h&R with bilstein myself - personal choice, but if you want adjustable shocks, go with the koni. You can adjust the stiffness of the koni shocks.

Alon
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Old 03-31-2003, 07:27 PM
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Todd,

That price doesn't sound right. The springs are ~$330/set, then the 2 shocks AND 2 struts will cost you another ~$500, for a total of ~$850 with shipping plus installation. Whatever you don't get Bilstein Comfort shocks, you want the Sports (or at least the Heavy Duty) or they won't have enough rebound damping.

The MB Sportline stuff is great too but may cost more than an H&R/Bilstiein setup. Also, Neil V (of AMG wagon fame) claims the Sportline springs are very stiff and make for a harsh ride. They will lower the car a tad less than the H&R or Eibach springs though.

Cost to install, well, it depends on the shop. For springs alone it should be no more than ~2 hours or $150. Add struts & shocks to that though and the cost could double. I bought the MB spring compressor and now do all my spring/shock/strut work myself.



HTH,
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  #6  
Old 03-31-2003, 08:39 PM
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$$$

I think most people are underestimating the cost for having springs and shocks installed. It will take at least all morning once the mechanic gets in and has some coffee, so that it is at least 4 hours labor. Don't forget the K-MAC bushings to fix the negative camber in the rear. The bushings can be a real pain to get out. If you are like me, it will cost some money because you can’t DIY. Then you will have to go back, to spend even more money, because you have to change the pads to adjust the amount of drop in the front and/or rear. I am happy with my modifications, but don’t kid yourself about the cost and time to get it just right.
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Old 03-31-2003, 09:21 PM
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FYI, the rear camber kit is very nice, but not really required unless you totally slam the car into the weeds. MB allows up to 4 degrees negative camber back there with lowering springs and wide wheels. As long as you are not burning up the inside rear of your tires, you don't really need to worry about it, unless you just have to have the kit and spend ~$300-$800 for it (those things are NOT cheap!) I've not had any problems with handling or tire wear with a moderate drop (1.0-1.5 inches).


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  #8  
Old 03-31-2003, 10:53 PM
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You can do the shocks yoruself. My mechanic charged me $100 for all four springs, didn't take him much time at all. A friend and I did the shocks ourselves. It was our first car project, we were both newbies, and it took us 2 hours of easy work.
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  #9  
Old 04-01-2003, 04:35 AM
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I paid too much

I guess my mechanic really ripped me off. I couldn’t use my regular MB mechanic. He won’t touch work with aftermarket parts for the purpose of wacky modifications, so I went to a Porsche performance shop to have my stuff installed. I thought they did a good job, but I guess they charged me too much.

As far as costs go, don't forget the 4 wheel alignment. That can be around a hundred dollars. Maybe $80 at Sears, if you trust them with your car, and of course it cost me more at at the Porsche place.

Now for the camber, I sure don’t want to dissuade you from getting the modifications that you desire and I sure don’t want to disagree with Dave (gsxr), because he knows a lot more about our cars than I do and he knows everything there is to know about swaybars. I have to add, however, that my camber was –2.9 in the rear after adding Eibach Pro-Kit springs, Bilstein shocks, and changing from #3 to #1 spring pads. I am pretty sure that –2.9 is way too much negative rear camber. The limits for rear camber are not specified for the Mercedes because they are not adjustable, but I searched the Internet and asked some mechanics at the Mercedes Dealer and found that anything more than –2 was considered excessive. Furthermore, my friend that builds and races BMWs said that –2 was even more camber than he runs at the track. At –2.9 the tires are really tilted quite severely and although that provides a kind of aggressive stance, it is too much camber and I am sure you would burn up some tires. Then again, the car will definitely hold a turn and you can wait to see how fast your tires wear.

I just wanted to chime in because I wish I had known about the rear camber issue before I started, so that I could have done everything at one time. It costs even more if you have to go back and forth trying to figure out what to do to get the car just right. I wanted to make my car as perfect as possible, so I just couldn’t stand having the camber that far off. I had also just added new +1, 16" AMG wheels and I didn’t want to ruin those brand new tires.

My car is still pretty new. It is a 1995 E320 SE. It is my daily driver and family transport, so I am a little conservative with my modifications. I want it to be awesome and special, but I also want it to look kind of stock so that it isn’t obviously modified. You know, a kind of sleeper, so that you say wow that looks really good what is different about that car. It is simple, stylish, and elegant, but also fast and mean. Like a shark prowling off the coast. I guess I am a little crazy about my car, but I am sure having some fun driving around in this thing.


Last edited by ksing44; 04-01-2003 at 04:43 AM.
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