Worn shocks/springs/bump pads?
 

I had my 260E have 2 friends in the other day and the tires were rubbing the wheel arch going over regular road bumps at 5mph...I had about 400lbs worth of people in the car. It should definitely not be doing this...

Would this indicate that springs, shocks or bump pads are bad? Or a combination of the both? I read the FSM and it says to test them using scales, but I really don't want to have to remove them all just to test. I don't know a whole lot about suspensions, hense why I am asking if its possible just to "know" which it is, so I can just replace them right off the bat instead of pulling each off separately to test.

I'm more of a "replace-it-if-it-comes-off" kinda guy. So without any history on the car, I'd rather just replace parts of the suspension if I remove them so I got a good baseline to go off from. I would assume everything is original based on other observations.

The tire size is not the issue. They are only 16" rims shown in the pic in my sig.

The wheel/tire size and offset is the problem, the OE wheels & tires do not rub even if down on the snubbers.

The changed wheel geometry can also put more leverage on the suspension if it is out further than normal, and cause the car to sag.

If you're sticking with the wheels & tires you have, you can look into fender spacers in the front, the rear is probably not a problem unless you have a serious offset change (I'm running 16x8 ET40 with no rubbing regardless of load for example, stock body). The 500E with wider fenders ran 16x8 ET34, too tight on the front for me without spacers.

I also believe that the later 124s have the fenders rolled, and the early do not. Might check into that as mentioned in the FSM how to roll the fender lips for wider tires.

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-benz-wheels-tires/219584-16-8-holes-124-a.html

Nice looking cars BTW.

They are 16x7 ET35 205/55/16....there shouldn't be any problem at all. I ran these wheels on my wagon for over 3 years and I never heard it hit even when moving house and carrying stuff in the back.

I don't hear any problems in the rear....Only on the front passenger side I believe.

I agree, shouldn't be a problem with that size.

Check the fender lip though, the '87 inside lip only went horizontal, should be rolled up to clear per FSM. Also, look at the top of the strut to be sure that the snubber is still there, might have come apart or possibly not installed by whatever shop installed struts last (had that on one car). The car should be able to ride on the snubbers without tire contact.

Hmmm
 

This issue is possible on your car, causing the front to squat down, especially in turns..

W210 DANGEROUS FLAW please read
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/bodywork-repair-paint-tools-tips-tricks/147997-w210-dangerous-flaw-please-read-crosslinked-post-1-all-topic-data.html




Have a great day