has anyone ever lifted theyre w123?
 

i have a 240d and i live in the countryside and i am constantly rubbing the bottom of my car as im out and around. i want to lift it 2" and put it on 225/70-14 and it currently has 185/60-14. the tire switch will get me roughly a inch and a half and i would like to go 2 inches on top of that, can i do this simply as i have done on multiple trucks or am i looking at a whole different ballgame?

I wonder if w123's bound for less-developed countries used different springs or spring pads to offer an increased ride height. South Africa?

I started a thread on the Diesel Discussion section of this forum, as a fair number of w123 owners frequent that area.

Any local suspension shops around where you are? There's a place that specializes in springs/shocks in my city that will do custom jobs. Their clients are probably more in the line of pick up truck owners with leaf springs though.

If you look in the W126 FSM there are different specs for ride height and castor for vehicles that were sold to countries with poor road surfaces.

I don't think, however, there are many different suspension parts other than spring length and the height of the rubber spring mounts.

The rubber spring mounts on a W123 come with 1, 2, 3, nubs for the front and 1, 2, 3, 4 nubs for the rear. You can find the specs for these mounts on www.febi.com (for example)

For spring specifications there are several threads on this forum.

60 series tires are too low on that car. I suggest at least a 195/70R14.
You might be able to fit a 205/70R14 or a 195/75R14. Regardless of what size you choose, you might want to inspect several different tire-brands, as within a specific tire-size, there can be a significant variation between different brands.
As for raising the suspension, unless you're dealing with sagged springs, any significant height increase at the springs will mess up your camber settings.

Happy Motoring, Mark

Take a look at this current thread:-

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/diesel-discussion/282258-increase-ride-height-w123.html

I have 205/70-14 on my 300D, they do have enough clearance. also, when I replaced my springs, I gained a little hight because the old ones were sagging. I wouldn't mess with the ride height (in either direction). If your road is that rough, you probably need a different vehicle.

MB also made a skid plate for the underside of the 123. They sometimes come up on this site and E-Bay.
Regards

The '82 240D I got last year came with huge, dry-rotted 70-series Firestones that looked so tall, they made the car look like an off-road vehicle!
The 'same-size' Michelin replacements actually wound up being over an inch smaller diameter. Hence my suggestion to visually inspect any tires you're considering to change the ride-height of your car.
I rarely take my car off-road, and don't have any problem with the occasional rut or pot-hole.
FWIW, it does have new shocks.

Happy Motoring, Mark

I live in the boonies too. We have to be really careful with our 240, but for us it's not so much the ride height as it is that pesky oil pan the sticks down so low. Seems like it's only about 2 inches off the ground, and I've got new shocks too.

Lifting the rear will result in positive camber... which would make for "interesting" handling :eek:

-J

from what i have gotton is that i need to go ahead and change my springs alot with the tires. also from what ive heard 205/70 is well within range of my 240d. im putting the tires on next week and then i will be ordering the springs. if that is not enough i will do a little more research and figure out what best to do. i also drive 60 miles interstate to work so handling is pretty important also. thanks guys for all the responces and thank you army for that thread

Keep in mind that installing larger tires (205/70-14) will increase your final gear ratio by a couple of percent. That will give you a little lower rpm on the highway, but will also hurt your acceleration a little. It's not a big deal on my 300D, but you may feel a little difference on the 240D.

The w123 wagons had a semi off road height increase available from the dealer- and they did indeed look like a 4X4. Sorry no link.