I'll save you countless hours of frustration and long distance phone calls. These are the part#s that would fit my 190D, and 190Es without self-leveling or 16V models. There might be "track use" springs somewhere- but these were recommended for my daily driver by retailers, or the Suspension companies themselves. Double check your application, and always talk to someone by phone when you order so there's no confusion.

Eibach- model (2513-140) no longer in production per Eibach. After 3 months of searching for an "old stock" set I gave up on Eibach. When I called back later on and asked if they could produce more due to all of the "backorders" they only suggested "custom" ordering for racing apps- very high $.

Vogtland- model (952053) backordered till late July 2009 (and there's "no guarantee" they'll be in on that boat from Germany after all.) They are backordered 15 sets from one retailer, and 30 at another. They may not even get enough in, if they come in, to fill the backorders.

Intrax- model (50-1-002) also backordered until July, (but maybe longer according to one retailer). Also considered "too harsh" for a daily driver by the same retailer.

B&G- model (52.1.013) reportedly backordered by one store, but "no longer in production" according to another store. (?) Unknown availability in the future.

Apex- model (50-1000) called and spoke to Apex in Canada, who said "on backorder." Unknown availability in the future. Available widely in the EU supposedly.

PI (Personal Identity)- model (20-074) available! But wait- only available in the EU and South America, so after the cost of shipping from the UK they are around $600 US from what I could find.

H&R- model (29644)- Spoke with H&R and they are "out of stock," BUT I found a place that had 3 sets left. AND- Now there are 2- because the UPS man brought me mine. It looks like 2 of you can have a set too if you hurry up and call Tirerack- and tell them you saw it posted on this forum to help support the forum!

Now for my ebay experience- I saw about a dozen listings for springs for the w201,190d,190e and emailed all of the sellers. Well, these listings are not actual stores but drop-shippers, so they send the order to the manufacturer who ships them to you. They don't know how much stock the manufacturer has- and in some cases have "bundles" of struts and springs- but drop ship from the strut company and the spring company separately. None of the sellers actually had the springs- and 3 of them admitted "out of stock or backordered" but 2 said "buy them and I'll check for you- we usually ship out in 5 days blah blah." There might be a seller where this isn't the case- but this was my experience.

So- if you're thinking of making that change (and know what you're getting into with the changes in suspension geometry, etc.) tirerack is the only source and there's (as of now) only 2 sets left. You can thank me later- John

I see both the H&R 29644 which is for the 2.3L is available, along with the H&R 29614 which is for the 2.3-16V available. I wonder if the 2.3-16V one would be better for the 190E with the 2.6L motor, as I believe the 16V motor is a bit heavier and might suit it better? It says the 29614 is for cars WITH the self leveling suspension though, which of course I do not have.

I've been looking, but not sure if I should pull the trigger.

EDIT: Nevermind, found my answer... The 29614 is SLS specific and cannot be used unless you have SLS. 16V guys who delete their SLS have to get different rear springs...

Ugh, I bit the bullet and bought a set. Even though it's for the 2.3 and I have a 2.6, I don't mind trying it out with some higher pads. I'm honestly not all that worried about the spring rates and sporty handling on this car as it's my DD, but I do want it lowered a bit to get rid of the huge fender gap. We'll see how it goes, if not I'll just put them up for sale for a 2.3L owner.

I have been running the Intrax kit with Bilstein sports on my 2.6 for 10,000 kms now. I'm running '#1 pads' front and rear. The ride is **** in the city (the roads here are quite poor as we have many freeze-thaw cycles) and fantastic on the highway - compliant, sporting and body roll is zero. And on the vanity end, it looks fantastic.

Note: I replaced every single link of my rear suspension at the same time (down to every nut and bolt). This made the procedure much more pleasant. The car actually tucks a bit in the front (I'm running 15s however).

I have some pictures if someone can host them.

Regards,

Mike

__________________
1989 300CE - 269,000 km
1994 SL600 - 59,000 km

Hate to see the Vogtlands unavailable...I installed the Vogtlands for the 2.6 on my 16V, and kept the shocks, which were H&R's from a Sport Cup Kit...best suspension I have tried yet on all my 190's (5), added front sway from a 400E and rear sway from H&R 17.2 mm, fantastic ride....great compliance and handling..no rubbing, no wincing over bumps...got to figure out how to create a kit with those components. Can compare to Eibach pro-kit with Bistien HD's on a 2.6, H&R Sport mated with Koni Sports, previously H&R Sport mated with Bilstiens Sports, and one other car with FK sports springs for a 2.6 with Billie Sports...That car has limo front sway and EVO II rear sway...great handling but a buckboard ride on harsh roads.

I got a set of the Konis for the front some time back, and settled on some KYBs for the rear due to budget constraints- and have been shopping for springs all this time. I was initially concerned that the weight difference of a diesel model vs the gas would make it necessary to get a different spring. Then I looked up my weight vs the weight of the gas 2.3 and they are very close since I have the euro 2.0 4cyl diesel.

I honestly can't even tell y'all how frustrating it has been to try and track down springs for this car.

So- looks like there's ONE SET LEFT at tire rack. I'll go ahead and put a post in the diesel section to help someone out.