SDL ride height
 

I need some assistance with the ride height of the SDL. I changed shocks this weekend and installed the Bilstein comforts. I am quite pleased with the improvement in ride quality. The shocks that were removed, although supposedly gas charged shocks, could be easily moved by hand. Clearly, they were doing nothing to slow the movement of the front end.

The problem that has now surfaced is the ride height in the front.

The fender is 28" off the pavement! The tire is 24" (205-65-15) and there is 4" of space above it. You could host a party in there. :(

Prior to the new shocks, the fender was at 27". Still seems a bit high, but not unreasonable. At 28", the vehicle looks ridiculous. The additional inch of height was caused by the resistance in the new gas filled shocks that actually work.

I am at a loss to explain why the ride height would be this tall. I would seriously doubt if the front springs are anything but original. The rubber seat at the top of the spring does not appear to be more than 5/8" or so.

I have installed the shocks with a steel washer and rubber bushing underneath the fender and with another steel washer and rubber bushing on top of the fender, in the engine compartment.

It would appear that the vehicle would need to be lowered by 2" to look "proper".

Any and all comments are requested. If anyone else (SDL only) can measure their fender height, this would also serve to provide some data for comparison.

Sounds like you were just used to the lowered ride height of your car from bad shocks. I can speak for my Crown Vic.. the old OEM shocks were worn out and the car sagged something terrible. I put in new Edelbrock IAS shocks and it looks like there is a jack under it holding it up.. the height increased a few inches.

Since you can compress (with difficulty) the Bilsteins by hand I fail to see how the gas pressure is providing you with a full inch more of ride height. Not that I am doubting you, just thinking maybe something else is happening? Incidentally, installing Bilstein HD's in my 300D didn't change the ride height at all.... RT

RWT:

If the old shocks were basically doing nothing, and the new ones have a couple of hundred pounds of resistance to them, then this is going to increase the height, by effectively taking a couple of hundred pounds off the springs, correct? If not, then what else could cause this? The only change was the shocks (other than calipers and rotors, which clearly have no effect).

I checked 3 W126's and the dimensions from the pavement to the fender is in the range from 26-3/4" to 27-3/4". My front shocks are old, I think if I installed new shocks I probably will gain 1" in height.

Roman
87 300SDL 155K
86 300SDL 212K
86 420SEL 225K

Thanks Roman. Does the vehicle with the 27 3/4 height look a bit funny to you, or is it just me?

Brian, it looks fine. I did not paid any attention to it, but when I changed my back shocks I liked gained hieght.

Roman

That may be my problem. My rear sits at 24.75" because the springs are shot, and the shocks are probably no better. I've got to do rear springs, and, if I gain a couple of inches back there it probably won't look as bad.

I still would like to get the front end down to 26.5" or so. I don't see any easy way to do this without modifying the factory spring. :eek:

My Talon did the same thing when I installed new struts, it makes it look like it is ready to go offroading in some rally racing. :D

.......but it looks a bit ridiculous on an SDL, especially when the rear is at 24.75". :(

I don't know what you can do about it short of adding several hundred pounds to it or getting softer spring rate springs. :rolleyes: I had a couple hundred extra pounds in my trunk with a fuel tank of fuel... I could really have used that extra wheel gap. :D

I just measured the SDL:

LF - 27-1/2"
LR - 26-5/8"
RF - 28"
RR - 27"

Riding on 225/60-15s

LR tire has a slow leak.

Replaced Bilsteins and read subframe bushings within 5-7K miles.

Compared to the my 3 SWBs (81 SD, 83 SD, 91 SE) which all had a worn looking cowboy rake, the SDL has a funny car rake. It does seem to be on the high side but nothing I care to change.

In your case, Brian, I think you should address the rear sagging first and see that that does to the front. I suspect the front will drop some when the rear contributes more.

Talk to Gale Banks about a second turbo and intercooler. That'll add some useful weight to the front :)

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

If it isn't broken, fix it until it is!! :D

Thanks Sixto. I definitely need to fix the rear. If I can get it up by two inches or so, I'm sure that the front will come down a bit. I'm going to put the thickest rubber bushings above the rear spring that I can possibly find.

Just bushings? Why is this, so you can use just a standard spring compressor to loosen it and drop the bushing in or what? Figuring most springs are progressive rate I'd think adding bushings would also make them stiffer as well as raising the car up.

Oh also I've measured my fender gap before and I have about 4" in front and around an inch in back. :rolleyes: I'm hoping whenever I get around to livening up the rear springs it'll take care of this.

Have you checked the rear differential mount? On my w126, changing the diff. mount raised the rear over an inch. Also, removing the sustained weight from the trunk (tools), seems to have allowed my rear springs to recover a little.

It has rubber bushings between the top of the spring and the spring purchase. The bushings come in various thicknesses to allow different cars of the same body to use the same springs and allow the ride height to be proper. I believe the factory provides three different factory available thicknesses for these bushings. I will just use the thickest one available.
Of course, this goes along with the new springs.

Ok because I was doubting you'd gain all that much by just doing the bushings.

I will check my SDL tomarrow when I get it on some flat ground. But my rear is siting kind of low, I did the rear subframe bushings and that helped a little. But by just looking at it the RR is higher then the LR? :confused: I know my shocks are leaking and probably shot. The LR shock seems to be leaking more. My trunk is completly empty. Maybe I will do the rear springs and shocks eventually, the diff mount is also on the list.

Brian change the rear subframe bushings their not too hard to do. Mine looked fine but when I compared them to the new ones they were compressed about 1/2 an inch.

I took a good look at them when I was underneath it this past weekend. There appears to be a good bit of space all the way around them. Almost 1/2 inch between the bushing and the floor pan. I think, based upon Sixto's photos, that these must have been done sometime in the past.

My problem is the rear springs. :(

I had mine in the garage today and measured the ride hight:

L/F 27
R/F 27 3/8
L/R 26 5/8
R/R 26 3/4

I have about a 1/4 tank of fuel and their is nothing in the trunk or car. Tires are at 31psi or 32, maybe 33 I don't remember exactly.

Thanks Hattie. My fronts were at 27 until I added the shocks! Now they are at 28.

I wonder what new spec is? Maybe a 560 would be closer because they don't have springs to sag.

A 560SEL has coil springs in front and soft helper coil springs in the rear. Woudln't you know it? The W126 sedans and W123 sedans with SLS use the same rear springs. I don't think W123 sedans were offered in the US with SLS, but EPC shows part numbers.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

Sixto,

Would you know if the front springs are all the same across the model line for the W126? Any chance a 300SE front spring is softer than, say the SDL, or the 500SEL? I'd love to purchase a slightly softer front spring and have it drop the body an inch or two.

What a messy subject. I checked the EPC and got thoroughly confused. Most 126s use 125 321 17 04 front springs with a convoluted process to determine the pads to use with red and blue(?) springs. The exceptions are the 88-89 300SE which uses -16- springs and the 300SD which uses -18- springs. SECs use -17- springs.

To determine which pads to use, you select the base 'points' of the chassis (.024, .025, .125 etc.) and add points for equipment like sunroof, airbag, etc. Look up the total points in the table and find the part number for the pads. The lower part number pads are slimmer. Providing a VIN doesn't simplify anything. You still have to count points.

I dunno. Take it to Phil :)

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

Yep, I figured it would get complicated. However, it appears that the 300 SE uses a softer (shorter?) spring. This would definitely lower the front end on the SDL. Knowing the Germans, they probably try to get the ride height exact to within 7 mm. or so. If I use the softer 300 SE spring, I cannot imagine that it would drop the body by more than 35 mm., if that.

I've got to pursue this more with the dealer. Maybe I can get some specs on spring rate for the various p/n's? We'll see.

7mm these are the Germans
"we want the ride hight to be within 1mm front to back on all of our superior cars" (heels click) :D

Yeah, Hattie, 1mm, I should have figured, LOL. :D