Kevin,

The shop did heat the fender lip prior and/or during the rolling. They have a special machine for the whole process. The fenders came out perfectly.

This is what I recently wrote in another forum:

I believe Brabus uses Eibach springs/Sachs or Bilstein shocks adjusted to their specs. AMG uses Eibach springs/Bilstein shocks modified to their specs. Both comes with a one-year warranty. Brabus lists for about $1800 ($1450 for a good deal). AMG is about the same, if not more. For my E430 (W210), AMG's suspension is 35% stiffer. I was looking for a more comfortable ride.

After researching the suspensions, I've recently replaced my springs with H&R Sports. I've retained the oem shocks because I have less than 3,000 miles on the car. I will replace it with either Bilstein or KONI in the future. You should also consider Eibach. The good thing is that H&R, Bilstein, and KONI have a lifetime warranty. I believe Eibach has a 10-year warranty.

I've also purchased Brabus 19'' Monoblock V, multi-piece rims. Fronts are 19x8.5 ET35 w/ P7000 235/35-19; Rears are 19x9.5 ET35 w/ P7000 265/30-19. This was a Plus 2 conversion. I initially thought that the ride would suffer greatly. After several miles, the combo has been great. A comfortable ride, with great handling.

Eric



------------------
'00 E430 w/ Solaris H-7's
Brabus 19'' Monoblock V, 2 piece
H&R Sport Springs

'99 SLK230 Sport

Eric, where did you get your Brabus rims from?

Eric,

Do you hve any pics of your E430 with the 19" Brabus? I'm thinking about trading my 18" for 19" so if you have a pic I would love to check it out.

Thanks,

Kai

Here's a picture of the E430:

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=214627&a=1585920&p=17634606&Sequence=0


Eric




[This message has been edited by jeneric21 (edited 03-11-2000).]

Eric, the picture loaded perfectly and that car is a beauty. I was thinking of 19" Brabus wheels for my car ('97 E420) but wasn't to sure of how they'd look now I know. Do you mind telling me where you got that bra from? It would look good on my car.

Tolahouse,

Thanks. I purchased the bra from www.openroadint.com for $90.79 plus shipping for the full bra made by Colgan. It is well made and comes with a five-year warranty. Remember to ask for either a front license plate hole in the bra or not. I forgot and received the hole.

It is very difficult to install the first time. Notice that the picture only has the bottom half of the bra. I did this because the top portion does not look good -- it destroys the flowing lines of the hood and grill. I only use the top portion when driving far. I'm looking into the 3M clear plastic tape in the meantime.

Eric

------------------
'00 E430 w/ Solaris H-7's
Brabus 19'' Monoblock V, 2 piece
H&R Sport Springs

'99 SLK230 Sport

jeneric21,
How happy are you with the H&R Sport Springs. I have a 97 E420 and would like better cornering, some lowering (about an inch) but don't want a harsh ride. Do you have any thoughts?
Also, did you have to replace your spring pads when doing the conversion, or did you keep everything the same?

Wow, this is a pretty old thread. I'm glad you were able to locate this. As you can see from my signature, I've sold my SLK and purchased an Audi.

Anyway, I am very happy with the H&R Springs. With the OEM 17" wheels (17's were standard on the '00 models), the car rides very well, almost stock like except there is less body roll and better stability at highway speeds (80 to 110 mph). There is also less brake dive and squat.

With the 19" wheels, the car has an even better road feel and much better track when cornering. It's fun clipping the apex and powering out of the turn. The ride is still good and passes the wife test.

With regards to looks, it's all about the pads. I recall having a 5 bump pad in front and a #1 pad in the rear for OEM; this may vary with your car. I currently have #1 pads all around and the the ride is a tad lower than 26 and 1/2" (or about a loose two finger gap in front and a very tight two finger gap in the rear).

I would recommend getting Bilstein shocks with your springs if you have lots of miles on your car. I will eventually get the shocks later down the road. My car currently has less than 10K miles and the shocks are still good.

I hope this helps.

__________________
'00 E430 White / Gray w/ Xenons
Brabus 19'' Monoblock V, 2 piece
H&R Sport Springs

'03 Porsche Carrera Coupe, Silver / Blk, 6-speed
Xenon, Sport Suspension, Bose, GT-3 Side Skirts . . .

APb

I am also in the process of changing my 97 E420, I have done a lot of research here and there checking out what will work. Next week I will be putting on 19inch Brabus wheels, Bilstein shocks and H&R Springs. Upfront I have found out that my car has the 3 bump pad (thanks to this forum), I haven't been able to figure out which ones I have in the rear but either way I think I will be going to 1 bump all the way around.
Funnily enough I have also had numerous opinions of what will work and what won't even Brabus has a different story depending on what day of the week it is - today you will need a 5mm spacer upfront, tomorrow no, no spacer, fenders will need to be rolled or sometimes they won't.
What I want to achieve is a better looking car, hunkered down and more aggressive, to get rid of the floating loose feel I get on the freeways, and also make it tighter with sharper responses.
With 245/35 and 275/30 AVS Sport tires on Brabus Monoblock 5 (2pc)wheels, fenders rolled, the springs, shocks and pads I'm sure I'll achieve most of what I desire.
I should have my first impressions by end of next week and I'll keep you posted.

Tolahouse
97 E420

Look forward to hearing from you.
Not sure I am ready to get as aggressive as you are, but I want the car more stable when taking off ramps and the like at high speeds.
I think the car sits a little high over the OE wheels and could use 1 - 1.5 inch lowering. As far as tires, I think I might settle for high performance 225/50/16 and invest the money on suspension upgrades instead of new wheels.

Hey apb,

What car do you have? Are you also driving a W210 E-Class. If you are, you can go to 235/50/16 on the OEM wheels with a closer match to the height of the original 215/55/16.

__________________

• My Website - www.E55AMG.com

Kevin,
I have a W210 E420. I know that 235's fit, the only problem is that the only tire that is resonably economical (price and threadwear) is the Pirelli 6000 sport veloce.
I thought I read a better choice would be Potenza730 or Dunlop 5000 which comes in 225 at a reasonable price. Somehow the price of Dunlops skyrockets for 235's.
I may still do it though . . .

Does your car go slower with 19"? The reason why I ask is, b/c I want to put on 18" on my car. Any suggestions or comments would greatly appreciated. This is for my 560.

Also, thinking about putting H&Rs on the same car. I've had Eibachs on two other cars I had previously. Loved those but, kind of reluctant with H&Rs b/c, heard about some problems about them. However, it may only relate to particular models due, to spring rate. Comment on this as well please.

apb-Dunlop 8000 comes in 225/50/16 and it is relatively inexpensive.

tolahouse-I don't know how low you want your car, but I'm running H&R with Bilsteins and #2 pads on 18's and the front gap is less than 1 finger (it is actually lower than I prefer)

__________________
1997 E420

To: apb

Check out http://www.statusimports.com for better prices on the Dunlop SP Spoort 5000 in size 235/50/16