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.

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1985 CA 300D Turbo , 213K mi

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.

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

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

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DrDKW

Take a look at this current thread:-

Increase Ride Height on a W123?

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1992 W201 190E 1.8 171,000 km - Daily driver
1981 W123 300D ~ 100,000 miles / 160,000 km - project car stripped to the bone
1965 Land Rover Series 2a Station Wagon CIS recovery therapy!
1961 Volvo PV544 Bare metal rat rod-ish thing

I'm here to chat about cars and to help others - I'm not here "to always be right" like an internet warrior



Don't leave that there - I'll take it to bits!

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

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2dieseljohn
1979 300sd (283,000+) Road Trips
1983 240D 4-speed (350,000+) Daily Driver
1967 E-TypeS1 in bits and pieces

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

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DrDKW

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.

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You're a daisy if you do.
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84 Euro 240D 4spd. 220.5k sold
04 Honda Element AWD
1985 F150 XLT 4x4, 351W with 270k miles, hay hauler
1997 Suzuki Sidekick 4x4
1993 Toyota 4wd Pickup 226K and counting

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

-J

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

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.