Hello, I have a 97 S500 with self leveling no ASD. All the shocks and struts are shot! They are leaking, and the ride is very floaty, accumulators are shot as well. I need to replace all these components. They will be very $$$$ expensive. I want to get H&R springs to lower the ride for performance driving. OK here's the big ? Should I or could I replace the whole suspension with Normal suspension, such as bilstien heavy duty shocks and struts with H&R springs, or should I keep the All parts OEM as they came with the car, such as Sachs shocks and hydro struts.. I will still plan to put H&R springs in the car.

Please help me decide which is the best solution. Bilstien suspension with H&R springs or OEM Sachs with H&R springs. First option is $800 and the second option will cost $1700 without the labor for a complete suspension replace.

Is there a major difference between the hydro setup with non selfleveling systems? Which would most preffer? Let's say money is no objectat this piont. Thanks All

Hey thanks for the replay, Buckwheat. I'm not rich, but when I purchase the car. I did my research and knew what I was getting into when I was decidding on the purchase. I would have gotten a S600 but cars like that would cost major $$$$$$$$$. I'm prepared to overhaul the major suspension parts. Just don't know which route to go. AS for the lower springs I think it will look better with just 1 inch drop, just to give it a lower stance. I'm not looking to be a low rider, that was ten years ago. I think the 97 and 98 S class rides lower than earlier model S class, kinda like new BMW, Audi, and Benz of today compared to cars ten years ago. Please give me your honest opinion. Thank You

If you pull out the self-levelling, you will have to change the springs. The rear springs in cars with self leveling were designed deliberately weaker than in cars without the self level option. When the struts are commanded to lower, the rear sags quite a bit. The self level struts assist the springs in maintaining the correct height.

__________________
1995 S600, 1 of 618 (sold)

"Speed is just a question of money...how fast you wanna go?"

LONG LIVE THE W140!
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I changed out the self levelling setup in my BMW 750i to a bilstein shock and spring combo and it was really easy to do. If the Mercedes system is similar, then you need to plug the accumulator outputs, and remove the link rod from the anti-roll bar to the levelling valve, and lock the valve in the fully 'up' position. This will allow the fluid to continue to circulate, but none to reach the accumulators. I guess the plugs are there just in case.
I believe the accumulators used are the same as in my BMW, I purchased the required plugs from a hydraulic specialist for a couple of pounds.

Hope this helps

__________________
Ben

'85 500 SEL
'85 928S2
'88 560 SEC
'90 750i

thanks pcmaher for your comment. Do you think the springs from car w/o the selfleveling will fit the same on my car? I'm going to put H&R springs in my car, but you brought up a good piont about springs sagging. I have not made up my mind yet. On one hand I want the car to be OEM except for the lower springs, but thant would mean that I will have to pay 3x the price of the system without selfleveling. Thank God I don't have ADS system.

Does anyone know if the ride is better with the selfleveling than the regular shock and spring setup? This could be a decidding factor whether to keep the s/leveling or not. I don't mind paying more if the ride is better. After all, despite its age and style my S500 will be a keeper for a long time. My last benz was a 86 300E, best car I ever had. Unfortunately it was totalled 6 months ago, so I replace my daily driver with a 94 E420. E420 gives great milage for a V8. Thanks to everyone for their comments, please keep it comming. God Bless everyone. Ciao!

1/- Post-facelifted 1995-on W140s ride one inch lower than pre-facelifted models (done to make the look smaller).

2/- It is almost impossible to distinguish the ride between a self-levelling suspension car and one without the system (normal load of 3/4 people - no luggage). The only time it will be clear and noticeable is when the car is fully loaded (5 persons - full cargo at the trunk and a full tank), then the self-leveled model will ride and handle much better.

3/- On the W124 wagon (S124) it is quite difficult (and $$$) to switch from the self-lelleving suspension to the regular one fitted to most sedans (different size of parts and anchor points). I do wonder about the W140 sedan, but if M-B follows its regular non-complaince policy on part's exchange, it should be also quite difficult to do it (unlike the B.M.W. mentioned on the previous post).

4/- Once a self-levelling system has died completely, it is a good rule to simply replace EVERYTHING. Costly, I know, but eventually things that are not replaced will either fail soon or make the new parts fail suddenly. The best advise is to keep the system running as sharp as possible, changing every component that fails ASAP and also changing the hydraulic fluid at the latest every two years.

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A. Rosich
CL 500, 1998
S 500 L, 1998
E 320 T, 1995 [Sadly sold ]

thanks A. Rosich for your insight. I'm leaning towards keeping the s/leveling system. I'm not too confident in working on the s/leveling system. If my car had a normal setup then would definately do the job myself. I guess i'll just have to take the whole rear apart since I'm gonna change the springs too. Thanks everyone.

Im really glad my S320 does not have the hydropnumatic system. Thats one of the reasons I went with an S320.... While the big V8 and V12 cars are nicer they dont get the fuel economy and are much more complicated.....

I very much like a stock car myself, however I would probably change the suspension to the non hydropnumatic system if I were faced with a similar repair. The hydropnumatic suspension while is a nice concept really does not deliver the performance for the amount of money you would have to spend to keep it going over the years..... If you plan on keeping the car for several years keep in mind that you will probably have to overhaul it a number of times.... At $130 a shock that you can change yourself for the standard suspension most people won't notice the difference..... Including the self proclaimed purists who claim they know everything about these cars and would not know the difference without putting the car on a lift and running the VIN. Most people don't do this before buying and would never be any the wiser until the first service schedule for the hydropnumatic system.....

In the future if the car becomes collectable or valuable in some way you can always go back to the original suspension setup..... Unless your going to be carrying massive passengers and gold bars in your trunk you should be ok.....

On a cargo note I recently went to pick up a large amount of leather books in my S320.... My trunk was completely full of books which are VERY heavy and I did not really detect any rear end sag or handling issues..... Of course I was not driving like a maniac either...

thanks Rchase for you comment. I think typically the shocks will give a good ten years life before going bad. I will never sell this car or my E420, I don't mind putting more money in as long as it is not damage due to an accident.
I replaced the suspension on my 300E and it was fairly easy. The only thing I'm concern with the S500 is the steering/hydro pump. Now if I do as Ben12345 said, will that cause any ill affect on the entire s/leveling system. Plugging the leveling switch and disconnecting the link seems easy enough, but will it damage anyother parts on the car? I don't want to deal with fixing the steering pump as a result from changing from the OEM setup. Do you know what I mean. Anyways thanks to all that have commented on this thread. It has been very helpful to hear opinions from all sides. I find people on this forum to be generally more helpful or at least more knowledgable than other forums. thanks All.

European and worldwide S 420s and S 500s did not come standard with the rear self-levelling setup. The only one who had the system standard was the S 600 (some markets had the full hydraulic setup for S 600 as standard, but just a few).

And I am extremely pleased for that! Being a wagon owner for over 20 years I can tell you that the rear self-levelling suspension has a usefull life of 6 to 10 years (depending of the condition of the roads you usually drive). On my S 500 L I don't have to worry about it.

On the other hand, I have to tell that it is true, on town the V8 will eat your wallet, but as a long distance cruiser, it is actually a little more economical than the S 320.

A good friend of mine has a 1998 S 320 and we compare notes on both cars, and I constantly get better mileage on my car at long distance trips. The dealer has confirmed this fact, as the V-8 (they say) runs more relaxed and is more efficient for highway cruising.

__________________
A. Rosich
CL 500, 1998
S 500 L, 1998
E 320 T, 1995 [Sadly sold ]

Hmmm,

Thats kinda neat actually..... My S320 is a daily commuter and it gets a pretty good mixed MPG..... I consistantly get 23.8 MPG in mixed highway and city driving...... I would have expected the V8 to be a monster but then again the cars weigh about the same and once you get that momentum going its rather easy to keep going....

When I first looked at the S320's I expected them to be "underpowered" considering how large the car's are..... But the 6 has plenty of power and has rather quick acceleration for the size of the car....... I even have heard of European model S280's.....

If you really think about it an overhaul every 10 years is not that big of a deal...... I have been looking at Ferrari Mondials and was HORRIFIED with the $15,000 30K service visit. But when you consider how often you drive a Ferrari its not "that" horrible......

I personally would be more comfortable with the standard suspension but keeping the car stock would be better in the long run.....

hey guys I'm back. I made up my mind to keep everything OEM except for the lowering springs; just 1 inch lower with original shims. I don't want the alignment to be too much off. As you know they don't make camber kits for the S500. Also too much neg camber is bad for traction as there is no LSD. I will not take on this DIY project until I'm exhausted in researching the proccedures on the W140 chassis. I did the W124 about 6 years ago and It seems simple enough. Hopefully the W140 is not much more difficult then the W124. I will need to purchase the spring compressor. I didn't use it the last time and boy it took about 5 hours, with the compressor it will be much faster. The rear I know will be a challenge becuase you have to bleed and reset the ride height. Another person did his W220 on this forum, so later I will post pics up when I'm done. Don't hold your breath guys, it will be a few months. I'll be gone for Europe in july and will fix it when I'm back. Meanwhile I will start on the brakes on the E420 W124 this weekend. Thanks guys God Bless.