300E/300CE/300D/E320 suspension upgrade - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

omegabenz · #1 12-25-2003, 12:45 AM

This kit will include
-new H&R lowering springs

-new 300E limo sway bar with bushings (28.5mm thick)
(very difficult to get in the USA)

-new 500E rear sway bar with bushings (18mm thick)

This kit will NOT work on a V8 W124.

Price $700 plus shipping.

Thanks for looking,

omegabenz · #2 12-27-2003, 05:07 PM

If you wanted it piece by piece

-new H&R lowering springs $250 w/ shipping for lower 48 states

-new 300E limo sway bar with bushings (28.5mm thick)
(very difficult to get in the USA) $300 w/ shipping for lower 48 states

-new 500E rear sway bar with bushings (18mm thick)
$250 w/ shipping for the lower 48 states

Just email me.

ksing44 · #3 12-29-2003, 08:29 AM

My wife told me that I can get the bigger bars with money from my end of the year bonus, so I am anxiously waiting to see if I get what I am hoping for. This year the biotech company I work for was purchased by "Big Pharma", so I am not sure when I will get my bonus or how much it will be. However I am very confident that I will get a bonus, so I am also very confident that I will be getting some big bars. I already have Eibach springs, Bilstein shocks, and K-MAC bushings, so all I need are the big sway bars and bushings.

I was also thinking about trying the Eibach bars with polyurethane bushings, but so far I am still leaning toward the Limo front and E500 rear. Based on your prices, the Eibach bars may actually be a little cheaper, if I can get them. I have seen them for less than $500.00, but they were discontinued and may now be harder to get. I have to say that the price is not the deciding factor. I am just trying to get the best suspension I can and I think the big OEM stuff may be the best choice. They are very big and the smaller bar ends on the front bar may provide some compliance in the suspension that keeps the ride a bit more comfortable but still keeps the car flat in the corners.

omegabenz · #4 12-29-2003, 02:52 PM

See you are in a dilema, both of your choices are quite rare.

I see eibach sway bar kit for the 300E selling for 595 + shipping (50 dollars I would say) and now that they are being discountinued, I would expect the price to stay nearly the same.

With the 300E limo bar it is a real OE mercedes item, so you can always get it. Even though it is extremely hard to get, you can still get it.

If you break and eibach bar, what will you do?

I took some pictures of the sway bar last night with my brothers new digital camera, but I couldnt get the Kodak software to load, but when I figure it out, I will post some pictures. Perhaps I will put them on ebay.

Regards,

#5 12-29-2003, 03:23 PM

I can get you a new Eibach set delivered from the mfg. for your '95 E320 for $475.00 with shipping. Retail is $595.00 plus shipping.

Omegabenz has a great price on the H&R springs.

ksing44 · #6 12-29-2003, 04:07 PM

Future availability of replacement bushings is one of my concerns and, as Omegabenz stated, the OEM parts will probably always be available. The Eibach bars, on the other hand, have already been discontinued and it may be very hard to get new bushings many years from now. Then again, bushings from some of their other bars may work fine and I was also encouraged to hear that the polyurethane bushings really last a very long time.

For now, I am leaning toward the big OEM bars, but the Eibach front bar really does look awesome. I would love to see pictures of the big OEM bars and bushings and I would love to see them pictured along side of the stock bars. Thanks to Adam Bourassa I have already seen some pictures with measurements of the Eibach front bar.

Omegabenz and mbracer, if I want to order the bars and bushings in a month or two, will I still be able to get the parts through you?

#7 12-29-2003, 04:21 PM

Eibach will continue to supply parts for the Mercedes aftermarket applications and the have not discontiuned these parts. Tyhe fact i have been able to exhibit a demand for aftermarket parts to Big mfg. has encouraged them to show contiunued support. They may not be on the shelf at all time like a Honda part but still avaiable in short order. The urethane should last the life of the car and if not can be replaced with the same OEM bushing you would use on an oversize OEM bar. The OEM would more likely be discontinued first, especially on durable parts that don't wear out, i.e. sway bars. The aftermarket usually picks up where the OEM has left off.

I will be around...

omegabenz · #8 12-29-2003, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mbracer
Eibach will continue to supply parts for the Mercedes aftermarket applications and the have not discontiuned these parts. Tyhe fact i have been able to exhibit a demand for aftermarket parts to Big mfg. has encouraged them to show contiunued support. They may not be on the shelf at all time like a Honda part but still avaiable in short order. The urethane should last the life of the car and if not can be replaced with the same OEM bushing you would use on an oversize OEM bar. The OEM would more likely be discontinued first, especially on durable parts that don't wear out, i.e. sway bars. The aftermarket usually picks up where the OEM has left off.

I will be around...

I hope that eibach will continue to make the sway bars. I was under the impression that they were going to discountinue the sway bars, so I no longer looked into them. So I bought 4 sway bar set ups, and I have one left over. After some heavy christmas spending, I'm just trying to sell some stuff I have left over.

Too bad, adam and I live so far apart we could have a show down to see which sway bars are better, I have pretty much the same set up just with the 300E limo bar and the 500E rear sway bar, and eibach lowering springs, 400E shocks all the way around, so I think aftermarket vs. OE stuff should be fun. Anyone with eibach stuff live on the west coast?

I am going to put my stuff up on ebay tonight.

Regards,

omegabenz · #9 12-29-2003, 04:40 PM

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2451533316&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2451534435&rd=1

These auctions are set to start at 5pm PST, today.

ksing44 · #10 12-30-2003, 08:05 AM

That is great to hear about the Eibach bars being available, except it makes my decision making process a bit more difficult.

It would be great to see results of a head to head comparison between the Eibach and big OEM bars. Considering the smaller ends of the OEM bars, I wonder if the OEM bars keep the car as flat in the turns and I wonder if there is any difference in ride quality on bumpy or very uneven road surfaces.

I saw the pictures of the Limo bar on eBay and the bar and bushings look great. I especially like the look of the bushings. They appear to have inner sleeves that I was told might be Teflon. I was told that the Teflon would prevent squeaking that is often associated with polyurethane bushings.

In reference to mbracer’s comments, I wonder if I could use the large ID OE inner bushing for both the inner and outer bushings for the Eibach bars. The front Eibach bar is almost exactly the same size as the OEM Limo bar, but it is the same diameter at the ends, so you need large ID inner and outer bushings.

Question for Omegabenz and/or mbracer:
Do you think the inner Limo bushing would fit in the bracket for the outer bushing so that it could be used for both inner and outer bushings on the Eibach bar? If I did end up with the Eibach bars I could order extra Limo bushings to have on hand if my polyurethane bushings ever die. It might even be better to just use the Limo bushings from the beginning to get the Teflon sleeves and prevent any squeaking.

Question for Omegabenz:
Will you be able to get another set of the big OEM bars an bushings in March? I certainly understand your need to sell them now, but I hope you understand that I can’t buy them for a little while longer.

Question for mbracer:
Can I buy extra polyurethane bushings from Eibach (through you) just to be sure to have spare parts in my garage. I know these long-term worries may seem strange, but I am in love with my car and I am planning to keep it for a very long time. In fact, I am thinking that I may not have to buy another car in my lifetime. That is if I don’t crash or if electric cars don’t take over the world.

Sorry to bug you guys with so many questions, but I am just trying to understand all of the options.

gsxr · #11 12-30-2003, 12:21 PM

Interesting idea there - use the teflon-lined 500E front sway bar bushing, which is 28.0mm, for the Eibach bar! I think that would work fine, and might be preferable to the Eibach poly bushings that require lubricant. I'd need to check if the end bushings have the same outer diameter or not - Austin can probably check that easily since he has a set off the car right now. The 28.0mm OE bushing is part number 124-323-47-85.

As to the difference between the two sets, I wish someone had driven both on the track who could comment. The Eibach setup is stiffer up front, which may cause slight understeer. The limo+500E setup is stiffer in the rear, which could cause slight oversteer. Either one could be adjusted for with tire pressure changes, and can vary from car to car depending on if you have extra weight in the trunk like stereo equipment, etc. I think they're probably close enough in performance that most of us mortals couldn't tell the difference. I'd see if Austin will make you a package deal...

BTW - the OE bars will have a slight edge in comfort and ride quality. That's the reason they OE bars taper down to 18mm or 19mm just before the bar end for about two inches... that allows a little flex for bumps before the bar takes effect. At least that's my understanding. The Eibach may ride a little firmer (?) but also may have a performance edge with quicker turn in. (???)

ksing44 · #12 12-30-2003, 01:22 PM

As has been discussed many times before, it is always a balance between increased performance and comfort. I really like the big OEM bars, I just hope they really flatten out the car in the corners. I would hate to spend the money and not get much of a boost. At the same time, I want to be cautious about destroying the ride comfort. So far, my car seems to be a very nice balance with the Eibach springs, Bilstein HDs and the +1 wheel and tire package. It corners very nicely on backcountry roads and it still feels good cruising down the highway.

I am still leaning toward Limo front with E500 rear and those nice OEM bushings, but I hope it is worth it and the car is very flat in the turns.

omegabenz · #13 12-30-2003, 01:45 PM

Ksing44, Most likely I could get you a set in spring (march).

If someone can tell me the measurements of the eibach bar at the ends and where the sway bar bushings go, then I could see if the factory bushings would work by measuring them.

If you notice the pictures on ebay I have a set of calipers, so I can get precise measurements.

I had eibach springs, then I put in a 500E front bar, then drove the car, then I put in a 500E rear bar, and that made the biggest difference. Since the 500E/400E and renntech bars all have that werid bend to go around the M119 oil pan, I think they aren't nearly as stiff as even a regular 300E sportline bar. So when I finally put in the 300E limo bar, you noticed it the most.

gsxr · #14 12-30-2003, 01:54 PM

If you currently have stock sway bars, and you move up to limo+500E, the difference should be VERY noticeable. I can't wait to hear what you think of them. To keep some ride comfort, I would stick with OE. For ultimate performance, go with Eibach. That's my guess anyway.

Austin, the Eibach bar is 28mm at the center and the ends, so if the OD of the outer bushing is the same, you can use four of the OE 500E bushings on an Eibach bar. (?)

I also wonder about that bump in the middle for the M119 oil pan. Did you think the limo bar was stiffer than the 500E front? Wow. Maybe the limo bar is about equal to the RennTECH 500E bar, which is 30mm in the middle, and unknown at the ends...

omegabenz · #15 12-30-2003, 02:03 PM

limo bar vs. 500e bar vs. renntech bar

I bet the limo bar is the stiffest, however you cannot put this bar on a V8 w124 car.

The reason it would be the stiffest is that it is thicker than the 500E bar by .5 mm, and then it is .5mm thinner than the renntech bar, however the renntech bar has that weird bend in it, which makes it flex more.

If you understand how a sway bar works you will see that it is trying to lift or push down the other wheel so its twisting. Which one would have the least likely tenency to twist?

That is the real question...and I would say limo front bar.

Using 4 inner 500E bushings on the eibach bar will not work because the OD of the bushing from inner to outer is much different. It would not fit in the outer carrier. It is possible that something from a R129 SL would work.

Those things have the biggest front sway bar I have seen that will probably work on a w124 with some minor fabing.

The ML front sway bar is gigantic at least 35mm in diameter, I am guessing.