126 ride height?
 

I'm trying to figure out if shocks are causing my front end to ride so high.
Front end suspension rebuilt & aligned.
195/70R14
KYB shocks (I know should be Boge/Bilsteins)

At first I thought it may be the rear riding low, but the level appears fine compared to other 126's I have seen. (About 1" above the tire) However, the front is nearly 5" above the tire!

I am suspicious that the PO may have changed/altered the springs but was wondering if the shocks could give me this problem. I've read many posts about this but have not seen a resolution for a High front end. Is it possible the shocks can raise the front this much on a heavy car?:confused:

mine's the same.
anybody know why?
John

Yup, new front shocks sent my front end skyward. I don't mind it too bad though.

The new Bilsteins also raised the front of the SD to about 4".

I'll be reducing that by 1" by cutting the springs..........very soon.

IMHO, just about every W126 looks ridiculous with that huge gap above the front tires. Even when the vehicle is dead level, with proper rear components, it appears to be too high in the front due to the front suspension design.

Is it possible for the springs to loose some of their tension in the reverse direction with very high mileage? The springs even have a little bit of a "Z" pattern to them when the car is sitting level.

The alignment shop suggested taking it by for a local spring specialist to take a gander and offer an opinion. IIRC, didn't you do that with one of yours Brian? I tried to find that post in particular but it may have been lost due to that server crash M-Shop had a couple of years ago.

My 123 seems to sit a little high in the front, too. To the point that I have to find a slight incline/decline at the gas station so I can level her out to check the oil. Is cutting the springs the only remedy? Sounds yucky.

I sent the rear spring from the SDL to Coil Spring Specialists. The spring rate of the 20 year old spring was unchanged, however they ride height was compressed about 1/2" when compared to stock. The spring was compressed less than 1/4" from the factory setting.

I don't think a spring can get longer with age while under compression.

Maybe some Vogtland springs are needed.

Maybe some 1" coil spring isolators to level her out a bit.
I am putting on the new Biltein HDs next weekend and if the car is nose high I dont know how I will like it. Guess Ill have to see.

Been there............
 

You haven't looked at the spacing and diameter of MB springs.......it would take heroic efforts to even think about 1" isolators. I tried this before getting around to rebuilding parts of the suspension and realized it wasn't happening.

Wow, only 1/4" on a 20+ year old spring. At first, I wondered if a previously worn suspension, especially trailing arm bushings and subframe mounts causing the car to sit at an odd angle for extended time, would cause something like this but 2" rise in the front is quite a bit.

My quandry is/was whether $$'s toward shocks or spring modification. :confused:

Depends whether you need shocks or not. The new shocks raised the SD about 1/2" or so......max.

I'm just going to cut the springs on the SD..........no money for that.........

brian, will cutting the springs affect geometry? will it still track the same? let us know how it works out after the springs are cut.
cool. I hate the look of launching when sitting still... (now when launching, it's cool)
John

We're only talking about 1 coil.......maximum. So, the spring will get slightly stiffer.........other than this, I don't expect any other issues.

Brian please keep us updated on your progress. I have a porta band saw and know where there is an extra set of springs if this works!!! When I rebuilt the front end I thought I had done something wrong because of the way the front shot up. I am glad to know mine is not the only one. Let us know how much you cut off and what the before and after heights are. Thanks.