sl600fanatic

So I had to lower my car and get spacers. There is way too much gap on the GT/GTS and it could use a more aggressive offset on the wheel. In addition, the car sways & leans way too much in corners for a car of this caliber.

Many people on this forum were wondering if anyone had used H&R springs and it did not seem many had so I went with them. I have used Eibach and H&R over the years and love them. I never have seen the point in the whole coilover idea because frankly the fixed height lowering springs go as low as you should go anyways, i.e. I would not go more or less than the 1.25" H&R drops the car even if I had adjustable coil overs.

I bought the H&R lowering spring kit from Tire Rack (best price on the net) and had my mechanic change them with no fuss or problems. I had read posts here that the rear bushings are a pain etc but nope. The alignment came out perfectly, car tracks straight. I added 15mm rear HR spacers to the stock wheels so they sit nice and flush with the wheel well. I am still having issues finding the correct spacers for the front but they look fine without spacers (I have written about this in a separate thread).

I changed my rear bolts to ACER Racing Titanium GTS lug bolts +15mm ones they carry for the GTS. I also bought the +10mm longer titanium lug bolts for the front for when I find the right spacer. I love the quality and finish of ACER Racing's titanium bolts plus they don't corrode like the OEM Mercedes ones and are stronger and stand up to heat way better than steel.

Car looks amazing lowered and to my surprise it does not even scrape my driveway when entering the garage which was my #1 worry. It lowered 1.25" which is the perfect height.

More importantly the sway/lean is GONE. No joke, this thing handles significantly better in corners and the ride is even better than before: less bounce, and better rebound.

I highly recommend lowering this car not just for the looks but also for the handling in corners.

Case1906

I had excellent success with H&R's on my C63. Good write up, but as they say, let's see pictures or it didn't happen.

AHI

Pics please!

sl600fanatic

HRDWURC

how about a rear, side and quarter shot. I'm considering lowering as well.

emericr

Thanks for sharing and the car looks great.
Do u mind sharing how many hours it took for the install as I hear it is not an easy job.
Am I reading correctly that you were able to have an alignment done with OEM specs? That would sound promising.
Please report back to us after 5,000 of happy driving with tire wear.

sl600fanatic

I was worried as well since I read posts that the job was a PITA but my mechanic said he had done 3 of these with no problem and there was no rear bushing issue either. It took 4 hours not including the alignment. It tracks completely straight same as factory and there were no broken tabs in the trunk when the tabs were removed. Mechanic said it's an easy job so not sure why some others had a bad experience.

I get way more looks on this car now than before, it's an entirely new car with that horrible gap removed and the wheels pushed out. Highly recommend lowering. No scrapes yet!

Car looks way better in person, the GT is not a very photogenic car ie the photos never do the car justice.

I will be adding the H&R +15mm spacers next week for the front hoping they will work, will update this post at that time.

If you are lowering with the OEM wheels you MUST get spacers otherwise it will not look as aggressive.

AMG 17GT

CAr sits well.

I just wouldn't want to be in the position where it was a little too stiff and I couldn't raise it up a half an inch to get some more travel.

Vic55

While most shops can pull this in 3-4 hours, they will probably bill 6 hours unless you have a hook. Mine took all day back in 2015 but no one had ever dropped the car back then.

I had the dealer align mine and while there are no camber adjustments (unless you add bolts) they were able to get the car close to spec camber wise which was fine for me. The key for street alignments and tire wear is getting the toe set right to avoid scrubbing (they were able to set the toe within spec). I have not seen any abnormal tire wear but will probably never hit 5k miles before its gone.

Jim Brady

I am still having issues finding the correct spacers for the front but they look fine without spacers (I have written about this in a separate thread).

Try Dynocomp Scottsdale AZ they have front 10 mm that work, 480 595 0500. They also have the lengthened bolts with washers like the factory but see you have ti bolts nice

Jimmy

sl600fanatic

So I switched the fronts to the +15mm HR spacers model 305665 and they are a perfect fit. This is the max you can go though guys. It goes right up to the fender with a lowered car. DO NOT try this on a regular suspension car as it will look horrible and gives the illusion that the wheels are sticking out. The car has enough negative camber lowered for it to clear and look good at the same time.

The front end handling has improved drastically: very stable and precise.

Looks wise though here are my thoughts: with the OEM 19/20 wheels, problem with the +15 spacers is that they end us showing too much tire sidewall since they come out so far. I think I will stick to the OEM or have custom spacers built. With the front wheels without spacers, the fenders throws shadow on the top of the tire which doesn't make it seem as high of a profile. If I had 20" in the front, this offset would be perfect for sure. Rears still look amazing with +15mm spacers.

Here is a photo. Curious about your thoughts!

emericr

looks phenomenal. Congrats.
Is it correct to assume your front bottom lip sits 1.5 inch closer to the ground? Do you mind measuring and reporting back?

06032

Will appreciate seeing a few more angles of this, particularly the front.

sl600fanatic

Okay so here is a better photo of my car with the +15mm front H&R spacers: it is perfectly flush with the fender and does not rub:

TT255

Wow that looks perfect!

neonflx

What do you mean by regular suspension?
I have a 2016 GT S, coincidentally on same color, which does not have the active suspension I believe is called, just the regular.

I'm looking to do +15mm in the rear and and front, or maybe 10mm in front.
My concern is rocks kicking back front the front tires if it sticks out too much, the car is wrapped on XPEL but still don't want that to happen.

I'm also leaning towards the H&R springs vs the KW since i will not need to adjust the height based on how yours look.


Thanks