Hello friends,

I recently disconected the self levelling system and installed "normal" shocks on the rear end of my 1984 500 SEL. The reason for this was that the hydrulic pump leaked the fluid into the engine and I didnīt want to spend the money on fixing that. The rear end "gas bladders" also was needed replacement because the rear end was very "spongy". Before I did this the stance of the car was low at the rear and high at the front which didnīt please me at all.

After I installed the Monroes at the rear the ride is much, much better although a bit on the firm side. The stance, however, changed a bit to the worse and now Iīm thinking about changing the rear coil springs as well to raise it a little bit.

My question is how much of a differenca can I make by changing the rubber spacers rear and front? I havenīt checked the thickness of the spacers. To get the same height front and rear I need to lower the front about 1 inch and raise the rear about 2 inches.

I also now that the correct procedure calls for the height setting to be based on the angles of the linkage arms but since that is not a DIY thing is there anyone that can give me good ballpark figures on what the height should be front and rear with measurement doable at home?

Many thanks,

Mikael Westerberg
1984 500 SEL
Vanersborg, Sweden

the mecedes spring pads typically come in 4 thicknesses from 8mm to 23mm at 5mm intervals. Assuming you have the thinnest pads to begin with (unlikely) you'd gain only 15mm in height. Now, my experience to date has been with the W201 suspension, however I suspect that the sizing is roughly the same for all models.

the issue is not in the spring pads, but in the sproings themselves: SLS rear springs are considerably softer than non-SLS rear springs. Most of the weight is borne by the SLS struts. Since you've deleted the SLS, the springs now bear the full weight of the car and the rear, naturally, sits considerably lower.

to resolve the issue you will need to re & re your existing rear springs with those from a non-SLS equipped W126.

__________________
'94 W124.036 249/040 leder; 8.25x17 EvoIIs
'93 W124.036 199/040 leder; 8.25x17 EvoIIs, up in flames...LITERALLY!
'93 W124.036 481/040 leder; euro delivery; 8.25x17 EvoIIs
'88 R107.048 441/409 leder; Euro lights
'87 W201.034 199/040 leder; Euro lights; EvoII brakes; 8x16 EvoIs - soon: 500E rear brakes
'70 R113.044 050/526; factory alloys; Euro lights