new spring pads, to lower... thoughts?! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

ebennz · #1 05-09-2003, 11:11 AM

i have searched the archives.

i've purchased some new spring pads, in an attempt to drop my 300e a little.

in checking my car i was surprised to find 4 bump pads in front and 3 bump in the rear.

i have purchased 2 bump for front and 2 & 1 bump for the rear.

i have 205/65/15 michelin sports on my car. last fall i replaced the shocks and struts with bilstein h.d.

my car is still up a little in the back end, it's not bad.

my plan is 2 in front and 1 in rear. what do you guys think?

the dealer is treating me pretty fair at 2 to 2.5 hours labor.

also should i have the front end alignment done to 'sportline specs'?

my wheels are standard 6.5 wide.

to anyone who has done this-- will i notice any diff?

since i'm not going very low, do you all think i'll start going thru tires quicker?

thanks

peter

md21722 · #2 05-09-2003, 12:20 PM

That'll drop the car about 3/4".

Each spring pad "lug" adds 5 mm to the spring pad and 10 mm to your ride height.

HD's may have risen your ride height a little. If you want to REALLY lower it, then shorter springs & Bilstein Sport shocks are necessary.

Changing the ride height changes alignment. MB says at 20 mm change, get an alignment. That's what I'd do.

2-2.5 hours to do four springs is a great price. Add $100 to check/adjust the alignment. Their machine should have a levelmeter to read the ride height and use the best settings within the allow range.

HTH,

J.HIDALGO · #3 05-09-2003, 05:44 PM

1 cm is less than 1/2 inch. I do not think you could tell the difference. I was in your shoes a while back, deciding what to do with a high (to me) stand in my MB.
I have H&R's with HD's (some people don't recommend this set up) with 2 bumps at front and 3 bumps at the rear. It seats just fine for me.
I obtained original MB sportline wheels and sportline size tires. It still looks orginal but lower. I like it that way.

placo1 · #4 05-09-2003, 08:24 PM

Norm and I lowered our cars by installing the 1 Bump rear pads (Had 2 Bump) and we did before and after measurements. We haven't had a chance to do the fronts yet since we didn't have the right tool but we will be doing this shortly.

Yes you will notice a difference but not a significant one.
Right now my cars rear is lower than the front and it looks / feels funny.

The rear is a DIY and you will need a socket wrench, jack and stands. An extra hand would also be helpful but thats all. Should take about 40 minutes to do yourself

The fronts require a special spring compressor (expensive!) and are more time consuming.

A 2.5 Hour quote from the dealer is about right, any more would be too much.

Just a note on alignment. Normally the 124's have a slilghtly negative rear camber, after lowering this will be even further negative. The bad news is that rear camber is not adjustable unless you buy an aftermarket kit

so your tire wear will increase on the inside of the tire. On the positive side handling and stability will improve.

ebennz · #5 05-10-2003, 03:58 PM

thanks for your thoughts.

now i'm kind of thinking i should not have 'wussed' out and gotten the # 1 for the front...

i'm glad i'm finally trying this. i am satisified with my car, but if i can tighten up the handling HORRAY!

3/4" is the most i'd want, 1/2" would be very cool though.

i've got to take some measurements.

anyone else lowered by spring pads?

peter

suginami · #6 05-10-2003, 04:39 PM

This is a very timely thread for me.

I replaced my old worn out shocks and struts 3 weeks ago with new Bilstein HD shocks and struts, and my car is definitely sitting higher, especially in the front.

I have been considering going with shorter spring pads, but am not sure it'll make a big enough difference.

Let me know how it turns out.

ebennz · #7 05-10-2003, 05:57 PM

paul

what up man?

what is the pad set up on your car?

i will let you know how the new 'implants' work out.

when i had my h.d.'s first put on, my car was up a little all around. it 'settled' in about a week or so.

the front seems up a little and the back a bit lower.

what size tires are you running?

i just went up one width, 205/65/15.

peter

suginami · #8 05-10-2003, 06:58 PM

Peter,

I don't know what my pad set-up is. I didn't think to look at it when I had them changed. So I can assume I have whatever set-up comes from the factory.

I was shocked to notice a huuuge difference in height when they were installed, especially in the front. I was bummed out and wanted to change the pad height immediately.

I have noticed that the car has finally "settled in" in the last two weeks, and it's not as bad.

I can't really tell a big difference in the rear, but I can still see a difference in the front.

I'm running the stock tire size - 195 / 65 - 15's.