JHouse

Actually, I wouldn't buy an MB that was lowered at all, assuming I could tell it was lowered. Sends a very bad message to us conservative types. Any custom stuff kills the resale, and the more gangsta, the deader it is, probably because it makes you fearful of the previous owner's "aura." Should I ever sell mine, it will get the stock grill back. And I am lowering so minimally, they will assume it is correct, as it IS correct (see how conservative I am?)

clearpages

That said, and while I would never drop my CL, it does look most excellent.

I certainly appreciate the talented folks who do this sort of DIY and think it is awesome that they share their experiences with this community.

cp

JHouse

OK, on a CL W215 here are the details no one told me. First, a half hour my a$$. But I might be able to shorten the time for you. My son came to help and it was greatly appreciated. He’s getting better than me at the mechanical stuff. It is actually heartening to see the tables turning.

First, the rear can be done on ramps like I was told. Tip: raise the suspension as high as possible (two dots on your button). You have to get under the car. You are removing rubber pockets from a metal ball. The upper end goes to a flexible arm that moves very easily when detached, and it makes you think it is easy to destroy, which it probably is. Take the bottom off first, it is pretty easy to just push it back with your hands or a screwdriver. Then the top twists off pretty easy without breaking that fragile arm. Note that before you take it off the arm is angled toward the center of the car. So keep it that way when you reattach the new one. Pour some liquid soap in the new ones and the slide right on with your hands.

Here is the critical part no one tells you: My set of new arms came being adjusted to the factory stock lengths. Double check them against the factory arms you remove. If you want to drop it to a 27” fender to ground height (I will post pictures) then you only need to shorten the links 3 FULL TURNS. That is half what it takes for the front arms.

I followed the instructions and change the fronts and the rears the exact same amount and the rears were way lower than the fronts. So adjusting the fronts and rears are completely different. The fronts need twice as many turns as the rears, and in the opposite direction.

Then, for the fronts. If you just jack up the front of the car at the forward rocker panel location just a little, you don’t need the wheel off the ground, you can get to the forward arms. You don’t need to go under the car for these. They are above the front tire and easy to get to. Pry them off the same way. Then 6 full turns LONGER than stock will get you to a 27” fender to ground height. Remember the soap. Easy peasy.

I’m telling the precise number of turns so that you don’t have to do it wrong the first time and end up with the rear end too low, and have to do it all over, like I did.

The adjustable links have a locking nut. It is pretty unnecessary, since the ends are on posts and can’t turn so it can never change positions. I found it easier to do the minimal tightening required after it was installed. One end is already tight and doesn’t need anything. The end you adjust can be tightened a tad, and that’s enough. Nothing can get out of whack.

When you get the car off the ramps and jack, it will be screwy. I used my height button to move it up and down about 10 times. I backed up, went forward, turned the car off and on, raised and lowered. For the 3 rounds of measurements, it was different every frick’n time. It seems to settle and lower more with each round of measurements. Drive it around. Hit the brakes, jump on the gas. Horse with the button. It will eventually settle in and get regulated. It freaked me out at first, and I was cussing all of you. But it settled down and now it is stable, and looks frick’n great. Just what I wanted. It looks perfect.

My links were from Adjustable Air Ride: http://www.adjustableairride.com/howitworks.php

Instructions: http://www.adjustableairride.com/PDF/CL_00_06.pdf



These weren't that cheap, but after doing it myself, I can see why getting the stuff from the hardware store is totally cool. There's no magic. Basic stuff.

radride

Glad it worked out for you and you are happy with the results.

The lowering module is the one that takes about a half hour to install.

R.K.

JHouse

In hindsight, I could NOW do it in a half hour. But when it's your first time, you hopefully proceed with caution and you can make a lot of wrong turns and fumbles (that no one wants to report as it may ding their wrencher cred ). I kept the stock parts and I could slap them back on fast. But then I would have a car on regulatory stilts again.

Here's the result:

radride

Looks much better.

R.K.

JHouse

I lowered it to the level that you posted after seeing your garage photo. Thanks!

Austinite

I lowered mine via Brabus module. This was never an issue when I sold the car. There are way more thing to worry about when buying these cars and people looking at them know what to ask about. Like when is the last time a ABC line was replaced and which one? But, yes the proper way to lower the car is the best

radride

I'm glad I could help.

R.K.

JHouse

R.K. I want to be just like you!

OK, had 60+ miles of my routine driving. Pulling left into the office parking lot through a gutter, like I always do, and unthinkingly quick, I thought I heard a slight rub in the left front wheel well. Instantaneous and minor. Never heard it again the rest of the day. As I run down the highway I feel like my a$$ is on the ground. OTOH, when I used to drive with it raised with two red lights to the max, I felt like I was in an SUV. It's kind of amazing how different small increments feel. Sitting low like that makes me think Ferrari.

And after a friend warned me about it riding rougher, sometimes I felt like it was. But when I concentrated on it, I couldn't tell any difference, so it might be psychosomatic. Given the way the system works, I can't see why it would ride rougher, since it thinks its in the same exact place. I can't even remember if this thing has any springs at all (I thought I remember reading that it does, but when the ABC craps out it bottoms out, so if it has them, they can't support the car). If it does, then it would ride a little rougher by having the springs compressed a little more.

radride

Have you had an alignment done yet? How far out of spec was everything?

R.K.

JHouse

Still waiting for new rear tires to show up. I will mount and get aligned all at the same time. And report back.

JHouse

Here's the result. Now you tell me what it means. Looks like everything but the toe was still fine before the alignment but after the lowering. But I'm squinting and running on one Margarita and one Cappuccino, so my concentration powers are way down.

radride

^^It doesn't really tell you anything. There is no before and after camber etc... Unless they used invisible ink I can't read anything.

R.K.

JHouse

It's there. Squint.

Actually, if you adjust your contrast you can probably see it more clearly. They are light gray numbers.

radride

It doesn't look that bad. Not much was out of spec.

R.K.

JHouse

That's what I thought. Maybe the toe was off some. But it doesn't appear the raising or lowering an inch or two does much at all to the alignment. Another nervous Nelly old wives tale bites the dust?

JHouse

OK, I found the original alignment readout again, and the only thing that was out of spec before the realignment was the toe. It was below (and even negative) on BOTH the front and the rear. Did dropping it an inch or so cause that? I'm kind of doubting that, but I don't know how the geometry works.

JHouse

As I have been driving it at 27" all around, I have noticed that the lower center of gravity helps the handling substantially. Sure, the ABC performs miracles at any height, but when you help it along with a lower center of gravity, it's great.

Just thinking, since the ABC tries to keep the car level (particularly in Sport mode), does that process tend to keep the tires from hitting the fenders? I sure haven't had any trouble with that, even though I think I just have it set at the factory level for the European spec cars.

It feels really good.

X911

yes, links works on it

X911

yes

City Of Roses

There's a place in Los Angeles that carry the links & are real experts @ lowering. www.ghostmotorsports.com
Hey onelightmind, still enjoying the exhaust you sent out to Cali. Hope things are good man !!!

boost420

False, lowering will do nothing to the pump nor the suspension, you are not changing the pressure at all in the system, the abc system pressure will be at 1.8-1.9 bar (which I have confirmed many times via star, if your pump is healthy). If anything is hurting the pump it is the MB service intervals for the ABC pump, the fact that MB recommends just a filter and a rodeo as the service just amazes me (shouldn't though, because they also claim that the s/c oil is good for lifetime and does not require changing, trust me on this, yes it does). I have my abc pump on a 30k fluid, filter and rodeo interval.

X911

i mean damage, not cause system failure.

onelightmind

BUMP^^^ E CLASS W212 make the links SHORTER in the front!!!

HOPE EVERYONE LIKES MY DIY