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  #1  
Old 02-17-2005, 02:09 PM
jas2wa's Avatar
3point5
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Charlottesville, VA
Posts: 548
the great shock debate (re: 123 TD)

Did some searching to find out what you all have experienced with front Bilsteins on the 123 TD (with self-leveling rear suspension, which, if you own one, you know feels quite different than a 123 sedan)- seems like the jury is still out in terms of preference for the Comforts vs. the Heavy Duty's.

A little background on my 84 TD- the pair of rear hydraulic struts have been replaced, rear susp. is functioning perfectly. BUT, I am really looking forward to tightening up the front end a bit- planning on a pair of Bilsteins, a steering damper, and a good old-fashioned front end alignment to get everything back in spec. The ball joints are all recent, too, by the way.

Suggestions for which Bilsteins to use? I don't want it to ride like a truck, but I really want to eliminate some of the roll and slop from the front half of the suspension.

Also, if you know my car, it had been rear-ended over Xmas- now back from the body shop, looking like a million bucks after 2200 worth of work.

Thanks!

JAS

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  #2  
Old 02-17-2005, 02:18 PM
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Dönerkebap
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DC
Posts: 1,466
My Dad put KYBs on my car when I wasn't lookin'. To tell you the truth I don't know what Bilsteins feel like on a w123, but these KYBs aren't that bad. Handle pretty decent, maybe a bit firm. That may be their 'gas-a-just' crap working. My car rolls a bit, but that's because I'm riding on 205s. Look like frigg'n balloon tires, but I love the ground clearance. Plus they were on the car, and will get replaced when they wear out. I do get somewhat of a dull popping noise when I roll over small bumps in a series. Dunno what that is, but the 34.95 KYBs will be on my car until they wear out, and it doesn't matter to me if they do it sooner or later. When they go I will use Bilstein HDs on all four corners. I will use them because they supposedly handle stiffer and last longer.
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  #3  
Old 02-17-2005, 03:50 PM
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MTUpower has 2 wagons, each with the different front shocks. He has said repeatedly how much better the comfort shock are than the HD's. That would be an iron-clad source for info, IMHO.
JL
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  #4  
Old 02-17-2005, 04:02 PM
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W109, Floating on air!!
 
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Location: Goleta, CA
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My 300TD has new standard Bilsteins. The car rides nicely and the wife does not complain. The car had, gasp, Midas front shocks one of which decided to stop dampening one day. With the Bilsteins the handling is fine (I can nicely suck an occasional tailgating SUV into a tight turn!) I doubt you would notice any real difference in the amount of roll in every day driving. Leave the HD shocks to the kids with the lowered ricers....
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Old 02-17-2005, 05:19 PM
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My feeling is that the relative squishiness of the hydraulic rear susp. coupled with HDs in the front would be a somewhat strange handling vehicle. But, I am very interested in cleaning up the handling... My drive consists of 20 miles one way on a country highway with a lot of curves, some really high speed, others with elevation changes. I run consistently around 65 mph on the route, faster in the straights.

delano- I put a pair of KYBs on the rear of a 108 chassis on a whim, they worked great on that car (went with them for the cost, considering that that type of swing axle rear susp. chews through shocks like crazy). For about a hundred bucks for a pair, I'm more than ready to tighten up the TD with some Bilsteins. I think the TD has its original shocks (!) at 211k miles (I bought the car at 150k).

Keep the comments coming-

Cheers,

JAS
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  #6  
Old 02-17-2005, 05:49 PM
'82 300TD-T
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: SoCal
Posts: 276
I've had Bilstein HDs on my '82 wagon since August 2003, and have put a little over 5,000 miles on them. (Yep, 5k miles in 18 months... )

For the first month or two, I kept thinking that I made a big mistake. They were radically different than the old, mismatched comfort shocks that were on previously. They transmitted every bump in the road, did not lessen any roll (not that I was looking to achieve that), and I could've sworn that it made the front end look about an inch higher.

But 18 months later, and with one-week old tires (Kumho 795s), I do think they have "settled down" quite a bit. They're not as harsh as before, and I'm guessing that they're just starting to feel like new Comforts right about now.

If I had to do it all over again, I think the Comforts would've been better suited for my leisurely driving style...
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  #7  
Old 02-17-2005, 07:36 PM
'82 300TD-T
 
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: SoCal
Posts: 276
I wish a thread like this was around 18 months ago. I searched at the time, and found maybe a few more members that liked the HDs over Comforts. Wagon experiences were few. Live and learn.

Maybe I should put 'em up on Ebay!
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  #8  
Old 02-17-2005, 07:48 PM
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Dieseldiehard
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Bay Area No Calif.
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OK, my experience with TD's has been new Bilsteins on the fronts (both wagons). I did replace the rears on one after they blew oil on a frigid day in W. Texas (twas a bad trip, that one!)
I had a bad experience (well, not really bad but I was unhappy ) with HD Bilsteins on my 123 300D. I gave them about three months to loosen up but I finally decided to return them (the local place I got them from was happy to accept them back and that made me happy!) They never softened up enough to please me.
My '83 300D had new comforts on the rear whe I decided to try HD on the front, I don't know why I got them in the first place. The front end felt real stiff and driving over little bumps transferred the shock to the driver, then on to the rear end which seemed to bounce, it was a mismatch for sure. Maybe for someone who carried a heavy load and drove mountainous roads would like HD's. The nice smooth yet strong balance Mercedes achieved in the 123 requires comfort shocks. Heavy Duty shocks aren't able to give that balance.

KYB's? I put new KYB's on my W115. They were truly sporty feeling and I liked the "Keep You Bouncing" acronym someone on the Shop Forum came up with, they do have that gas shock feeling to them especially when new. Unfortunately I had to replace them with Bilsteins because they started leaking fluid. I'd see a small puddle of oil on the garage floor right under the shocks, I'd mop it up then it would return. It started with the rears. If you read the papers KYB puts in the cartons, it says something about "small oil leaks are no reason to return these shocks, this is normal and will not blah blah..." I remember that well, after maybe just 2 years of light use my KYB's were leaking to the extent that I figured the oil would be gone sometime soon (how much oil can they have in them in the first place?) so I got rid of them.
Bilsteins are the best! I am not too proud to say I learned this the hard way!
1971 220 (gas) 4-spd manual 106441
1979 300TD w/ ’85 turbo engine 296650
1983 300D 243280 been in the body shop for 1.5 months for a new hood! (dont ask!)
1985 300TD 223470
1987 300D 262300 my diesel road blaster! get otta my way! (new Bilstein shocks and struts up front! woweee!)
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  #9  
Old 02-17-2005, 07:56 PM
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I just put new standard Bilsteins on the front of my wagon, and I'm very pleased. It really firmed up the front of the car and took a lot of the lean out of it in corners. Yet all the "comfort" aspects of the ride remained. I would not want to put a too-stiff shock on this car, because I enjoy the smooth ride (and I consider myself a "performance" driver). I think a real stiff shock, as you said, would not work well with the cushy rear ride characteristics of the wagon suspension.

That said, I'm now in the market for new air cells for the rear suspension to try to firm that up a bit!

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