FS: Carat Duchatalet Lowering kit for W124 300E, E320
 

This is a W124 lowering kit made by European Mercedes tuner Carat Duchatalet. They are similar to Lorinser, Brabus, etc but they are not as well known, and their products are quite rare in the USA. This kit is for a 300E sedan, but it may work fine on a coupe or cabriolet as well (with standard suspension). Includes front & rear springs, front struts, rear shocks, and the bolt kits for the struts & shocks.

This kit will lower the car approximately an inch, without sacrificing ride quality. I had this kit on my car for a couple of years and just recently swapped it out with a much stiffer setup from an E420 Sportline. You will need a proper Mercedes spring compressor to install the front springs.

The kit will NOT work on any station wagon models (300TE / 300TD), any V8 models (400E / 500E), or any model with self-leveling rear suspension (SLS).

$450 for everything you see in the photos below.


I also have the matching Carat Duchatalet wheels (17 x 8.0 ET38) for sale, a complete set of five (yes, five)... click here for a photo, email me for details...

:stuart:

http://www.w124performance.com/misc/Carat_kit1.jpg
http://www.w124performance.com/misc/Carat_kit2.jpg
http://www.w124performance.com/misc/Carat_kit3.jpg
http://www.w124performance.com/misc/Carat_kit4.jpg
http://www.w124performance.com/misc/Carat_kit5.jpg

Damn if that was for a 126 I'd be all over it. Wonder if the wheels would fit but not too wild about the design...

I'm pretty sure the wheels won't fit the S-class... wrong offset. The design is kind of a love it or hate it thing, I liked them because they were different than anything else out there. I also like the nifty locking center cap - no lug bolts showing. They also do a nice job of hiding dirty brakes, for those folks who don't have fancy painted calipers which are scrubbed frequently with a toothbrush!

:D

Damn... wish I had some play money. This would be a nice kit on the 300D! Are those standard Bilsteins, I wonder? Or are they actually a bit shorter than stock? Cool either way -- free "wish I could afford it" bum for ya.

I believe they are standard length Bilsteins, but with modified internal valving, to Carat specs. But I'm really not sure.

:o

Those are relabeled HR springs. HR provided springs to different aftermarket companies, to their specs, and labeled them with VA and HA designation.

So Bilstien shocks and HR springs...not bad at all :cool:

I was wondering about that myself... but since the markings are a bit different than other H&R springs I've seen, I was curious if these were made by Eibach. But I haven't seen any Eibach springs to compare with...

:scholar:

Why won't they fit W124 wagons? :(

All Mercedes wagons have self-leveling rear suspension, with hydraulic rear shocks... but the Carat lowering kit only has standard shocks. The mounting points are different as well (the wagon hydro-shocks have larger mounts).

:(

Sorry to mislead. Won't the fronts work? I know about the SLS in the back but just wondered about the springs for the back. I was thinking maybe the front springs are also mounted differently for wagons.

those wheels are pimp

Others might correct me, but I would be wary of using a lowering spring with the SLS system in the rear. I would also be very hesitant to use them only in the front, as you'll get a funny rake AND some wicked "pogo" effect I would think.

I see, thanks for the heads up.

Gsxr I'm sorry for hijacking your thread. :( Back on topic now. :)

Ah, now I understand. Everything in the kit will actually work on a wagon except the rear shocks. The front springs & struts are the same. However due to the extra weight, the ride height may be reduced a bit more than it would on a sedan. The only physical difference (preventing anything from bolting up) would be the lower rear shock mounting point.

:zorro:

Nope, no problems lowering an SLS system, but you must make sure to use the correct spring, and - equally important! - you must re-adjust the SLS valve in the rear after lowering the car. That way the SLS won't constantly try to lift the rear of the car.

Click here for the factory PDF file with instructions for installing an AMG lowering kit on an SLS-equipped car (note that both sedans AND wagons are mentioned). It's in section F, starting on page 16. In case you were wondering, the AMG kits are about $3k, if they're even still available...

:sick3: