I'm on my 3rd pair of Bilsteins for my 300D 85..I was wondering what the difference between Heavy Duty or Comfort models was.
The 300D is no super sports car and actually Comfort is fine, but I'm curious as to what the actual difference between Comfort and HD is...in terms of (1) Longevity and durability and (2) Longevity.
I put heavy duties and stiff rollbars on my Volvo 940 Turbo once and it was great on turns and stuff and makes the car handle much better in maneuvering, but sometimes on local and medium roads, you feel like you are riding in a Willy's jeep. On glass like Freeway, they are great.

Thanks!

Can't comment on the HD, but I just put a set of comforts in the SD.

The are hardly what I would call "comfortable". The vehicle still manages to find every discontinuity in the pavement.

The HD's would probably cause me to loose my teeth.


Why are you on your third pair? The front shocks (factory OE) on the SD were probably fine for another 10 years.........the rear shocks were toast, however.

i personally have used both and i dont see much difference in them.

the benz is a german car and isnt designed to ride like a caddy. you will feel every tar strip. personally i like that.

and a bilstein will lose its ride quality first as the gas escapes with wear. you want to replace them long before they fail the bounce test.

and brian, they will soften up some with use. they are always a little stiff at first.

tom w

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

3rd pair? You should be getting at least 100k miles out of Bilsteins, sometimes two to three times that.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Shock Absorber Heavy Duty Bilstein $104.00 $95.50

Shock Absorber Comfort Bilstein $114.00 $89.25

At $90 each I'd darn well expect them to last 100,000+ miles!

Geez! $90? I found a place here in San Diego that sells Bilstiens for $54. I didn't ask if they were comfort or HD though.

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"spreading a trail of obnoxious where ever we go"
1981 300sd w/ 341,500 miles

http://www.wecrash.com/pics/ddda_banner.gif

Go with the HD's in that, you won't regret it.

If you want a Cadillac ride...., get a Cadillac....

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1984 300D Turbo - 4-speed manual conversion, mid-level resto

1983 300D - parts car

1979 300TD Auto - Parts car.

1985 300D Auto - Wrecked/Parts.


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"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there". Lewis Carrol

if you could find out what place that is, then please share the news. i will need to replace my shocks in my 85 300D. and 54 should alot better than 90 each.

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Grey '91 350SDL 214k Dad's car
Beige '81 240D 4 Speed 254k SOLD
Blue '82 300D 225k SOLD
White '95 E300D 46k SOLD
Blue '87 190D 2.5 Turbo 315k SOLD
Brown '80 240D 4 Speed 716k SOLD
Beige '80 300D N/A 119k SOLD
Blue '85 300D Model 186k T-Boned

No one pays $90 each for Bilstiens. $60-$70 is what you should be paying.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

.......$49.50

The mbcoupesters www.mbcoupes.com seem to feel that for the W126, anyway, that the Comfort Bilsteins were best preferred for the car, because the HD ride was just too stiff.

Given that the W126 is no sports car, it nonethess lets you feel the road without suffering for it. I have never heard which shock outlasts the other, though.

You can still feel the road well, with the comfort shocks. They are actually pretty good for all round use. If you are going to continually cane your W123 hard through the corners (like the 126, it is not a sports car!) maybe you are better off with the HD shocks.

If you are going to replace them yourself it might be a great time to look at the steering damper on the front too, and replace it if you think it needs it

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1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Well some of us have better sources!

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

http://www.bilstein.com/mistore/ymm_productf.php?company_id=100484&year=1985&makes=MERCEDES-BENZ&model_id2=1824&model_id=&brand_id=&profile_id=&storeYMM=storeYMM&storedimg.x=23&storedimg.y=10&storedimg=1

Match the part numbers here to your vendor numbers to see if your getting OEM or not.

Danny

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1984 300SD Turbo Diesel 150,000 miles

OBK member #23

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(='.'=) This is Bunny. Copy and paste bunny into your
(")_(") signature to help him gain world domination

I have Heavy-Duty Bilsteins on my 300SD, and they are great! They add a little bit of a sporty feel to this large, heavy car. They aren't the cushiest shock for sure, but they do give you a good feedback about what you're driving on and do a reasonable job of absorbing bumps without compromising the sporty feel. I have them on this car and on my Saab 900, and I've been happy.

[QUOTE][if you could find out what place that is, then please share the news. i will need to replace my shocks in my 85 300D. and 54 should alot better than 90 each/QUOTE]

The place is called Inter Auto Parts, they specialize in german car parts. Their prices are awesome, I have never found a cheaper OEM part online.

Here's their link
http://www.interautopartssd.com/aboutus.php

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"spreading a trail of obnoxious where ever we go"
1981 300sd w/ 341,500 miles

http://www.wecrash.com/pics/ddda_banner.gif