I want to get my W203 low without loosing comfort!

[dj_rzn]

Hello, As the title says, i want to get my car lowered but without loosing any comfort. Currently, i am running 19's with 235\35\19 all around. I have considered to cut my springs or to replace them with H&R but i am really not very sure about the comfort of the ride after this and how low do they get. Any help is appreciated. Thanks guys. PS: Now I regret that i haven't read all the topics about springs and lowering , thinking that i will never do it )

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[amanonfire]

Cannot be done, search, its been covered many times.

[dj_rzn]

It's easy to say cannot be done.

I am waiting for some other creative ideas.

What about cutting the springs? Or maybe air ride?

[ROLLNNN]

cutting springs would be the worst idea, never ridden on air, so wouldn't know about that. How low do you want to go? How about putting the '05+ sport suspension, its not too low, but still has a comfortable ride. But i would say if you lower, you're always gonna lose a little comfort, but thats depending on your definition. I think my car is pretty low, i also think its really comfortable....

can also try coilovers at their softest setting, or a cup kit...

[RedStripe]

please, please, please search the forum. this has been covered to death. you will learn a lot in the process of searching as well.

youve already sacrificed a lot of comfort by going with 19" wheels, so your idea of comfort might be skewed.

I suggest Eibach springs with Koni adjustable dampners so you can adjust the "comfort" level

[Outkasted24]

Cutting the Springs is Not A Good Idea and could lead to a lot of problems down the road.
Air Ride is an alternative, But very expensive and needs to be custom installed.
There aren't any bolt on kits for our application.

Your best bet is to go Lowering Springs or for a bit more money, A Complete Coilover Kit.
For instance, http://bcracingsuperstore.com/
These are on my Grocery List.

[phister]

I would suggest getting springs with koni yellows. yellows have 5-way adjustable dampening from soft to hard so in your case you'd want it set to soft so its comfortable. as for springs you dont want springs that are to stiff of a spring rate then.

[dj_rzn]

Thanks for your answers guys, i tried to search the forum but i haven't seen the problem about comfort.

@ROLNNN What setup are you using? I am not very sure if on the C220 CDI are the same as C230k, i am getting some infos now.

@RedStripe Good point about 19s, that's why i don't want to lose any more comfort, because it's already pretty bumpy. I found the Eibach Pro Kit, very affordable, do you know what may happen if i don't change the shock absorbers? Because i just changed all of them with SACHS SuperTouring and they were pretty expensive.

@OutKasted, I'm buying my parts from ebay.de (germany) so any name of products would be helpful so i can search them from there. The shipping from USA is very expensive.

Thanks!

[phister]

i would go with H&R cup kit, it has the springs and struts/shock all together. Just sell your SACHS struts and get the cup kit.

[dj_rzn]

Thanks phister. I will try to find someone in my area that has H&R to see how bumpy is his ride.

The price seems fair, 800 - 900$.

[Moreira_C230]

Originally Posted by dj_rzn

It's easy to say cannot be done.

I am waiting for some other creative ideas.

What about cutting the springs? Or maybe air ride?

It is easy to say because it is true. It is physically impossible to lower the car without giving up some sort of comfort. I recently installed K1 V1s and am loving them. Having said that, they are still noticeably stiffer/harsher than stock. Suspension travel is the key to comfort. If you lower your car, you limit the amount of vertical suspension travel, making the ride harsher, plain and simple. In the end its going to be a trade off....the lower you go, the more harsh it will be, cut and dry.

[phister]

my coilovers allow full suspension travel based on its design. instead of just lowering the springs on the struts like some brands, Tein Basics for example, mine have a separate body that the strut is into. so basically when lowering the front your turning the whole strut body down into the other body allowing for full travel still.

Heres a picture of the difference from your KW V1 to my BC Type BR


See how yours is one whole piece so when lowering your perches or adjusting them you basically moving the the spring to achieve your height.



BCs and other companys build them like this to allow full piston travel still on the struts/shocks. so when adjusting height you're actually lowering the whole strut and spring into the body to lower it.

[phister]

also spring rate is a key to comfort on suspension. the stiffer the spring rate the less rebound you have and less comfort.

[Moreira_C230]

Fair enough, that design does allow for more travel...touche. However my argument still holds. Even though you still maintain suspension travel, lowering the car reduces the amount of room through which the wheel can move. Even if the suspension has the ability to move through its full range, it physically wont have the room to. If you reduce the fender/wheel gap to a few centimeters (depending on how low you want to go) you are still reducing the amount of room the wheel can travel before it hits/rubs the inner fender. Again, it all comes down to how low you plan on going. A mild drop can still maintain comfort, but anything past that, you'll be restricted one way or the other.

Just my $.02. Whatever you decide to do, if you find it comfortable and you like it, all that matters. Good luck with your choice!!

[TruTaing]

I swear, when I was in my friend's w203 w/ H&R springs, there was zero difference between ride quality vs stock. I say H&R springs + #4 pad in the rear + Koni yellows + 225 front + 255 rear. Call it a day.

[dj_rzn]

Thanks again guys, I think that i will go with H&R Cup Kit because as I see, it's the only one available in Ebay.de , the price is ok and also your reviews makes them the perfect choice for me.

@Moreira_C230 - I also want to roll my fenders when I install the cup kit so the difference won't be so big between the space before and after. (i think 1 - 1.5 cm)

@TruTaing - Thanks a lot for your opinnion, this convinced me, H&R it is! What suspension are you using? I really like your drop!

Thanks again guys for your quick support and I hope this thread will help another confused enthusiast.

[TruTaing]

Im running tein basics.

RZN, I just noticed your bumper in your sig

[dj_rzn]

Thanks!

After I've seen that you did the same thing but with stock grill I thought that it would look good with blacked stock grill, i borrowed it from a friend but.. FAIL! The stock grill looks better the way it is, don't black out yours ever if it crossed your mind. It looks fine that way.

[kirax2]

Originally Posted by dj_rzn

Thanks!

After I've seen that you did the same thing but with stock grill I thought that it would look good with blacked stock grill, i borrowed it from a friend but.. FAIL! The stock grill looks better the way it is, don't black out yours ever if it crossed your mind. It looks fine that way.

ITS SMILING AT ME

[dj_rzn]

What can I say.. It's a happy car! )

[RedStripe]

I agree.
I do like the inner slats blacked out, keeping the frame chromed and/or keeping the vertical slat in chrome or cutting the vertical slat out. But I would keep it stock before painting the entire grille black.
The chrome on the grille compliments the car too well.