cmills5081

hey everyone!! i just recently got my first benz, 99 c230K sport model...in the very near future i plan on lowering it with eibach springs...and before anyone suggests other brands im pretty sure i wanna go with these. i am trying to sit prettyyyy low and the H&R kit just doesnt seem to be good enough lol. for now i will run stock shocks but they will be upgraded eventually also to probablyyyyy bilsteins (sorry if my spelling is off)

anyway now to my question, when i go to do the lowering kit am i gonna run into any weird issues with the Independant rear or anything? am i gonna need any kind of special tools for this job? and will i need a spring compressor for the job? ive done a few lowering springs on carious cars but never a benz so this is new to me. sorry if my ?s are dumb lol

any help that anyone can provide would be awesome!! oh and if anyone has any pics of their c230 with eibach springs id loveee to see it

thanks again guys/gals

cmills5081

oh comeonnnn guys how can there be over 200 views on this in 1 day but nobody has any answers,suggestions, anything?

mbsickness

I am planning on a some lowering springs as well but going with the Vogtland. You will need the Klann(or similar) spring compressor to make the swap. From what I have concluded by searching this forum is that if I just install the springs I should be able to get a decent alignment. If you do anything that drops the ride height additionally, you will have alignment issues.

RANDY_P

Don't even think about trying any garden variety spring compressor for the job. It's easy if you have the right compressor-

zdmak tools has it, and it will cost you. If you want it low count on getting 1 bump pads for the front.

I wound up cutting a coil off of mine to get the rake I wanted. It's perfectly fine and no abnormal wear- No additional camber compensation, I may install the camber / crash bolts in the future if deemed necessary 10K miles on this and no issues so far.

H+R springs (not the sportline- came with the car not my choice) one full coil removed off front only.

WATCH YOUR TOE SETTINGS, THAT'S THE TRICK TO MINIMIZING WEAR.

rjp

cmills5081

Okk cool guys, umm any links to the right compressor?? That's a pain I gotta buy an expensive 1 instead of using the 1 I have already. And Randy your car looks awesome I hope I can get a stance somewhat close to that!! What size rims and tires are you running front and back?

RANDY_P

Staggered 17x7.5 + 8.5 rear factory AMG wheels off of CLK.

Michelin Pilot Sports 225/45 f 245/40 r

Look up zdmak tools in google. Be prepared to spend over $200 for it. In some cases it may be cheaper to have it done in a shop.

Strut compressors or the generic coil compressor doesn't fit in there, so it has to be the factory style compressor.

benz rider

I heard all the stories Eibach vs. H&R's and I chose H&R's because their reputation and the overall look is sweeter and the rake is just right. Eibach tends to drop the rear too low and hide the tire from view. and the front rake is no lower than that H&R's. if you cut the coils you're only wasting money and will burn thru tires since the toe is out of wack just by dropping the car with normal lowered springs. cutting them makes them weaker and the the ride suffers greatly. You gotta remember, you want the car to still ride like a benz, not some rice burning honda with a fart can muffler.

I will post pics of mine after I install my Bilstien HD's this weekend.

zmatt

I would recommend against cutting your springs. It can mess with ride height and handling, and if done incorrectly can be unsafe. Do it right and get lowering springs. I helped a buddy install H&R springs on his E46 and I liked them a lot.

RANDY_P

Care to explain the difference between a lowered spring and one with one coil removed?

Please don't give me the generic "the engineers didn't design it that way" answer.

Please enlighten me.

I'll share my final alignment specs and ride info after you answer.

rjp

baldmike73

i have a C280 Sport and lowered mine via Eibach Spings with 2 and 4 pads - i had 2's all around but my front rims are too agressive and rubbed over big bumps at speed -
running hte AMG III from a w211 - 18x8 and 18x9 -

cmills5081

Good info guys!!! Baldmike you got any pictures you could show me?? So now you are running #4 pads in front and 2 in the back?? I would love to see how it sits seein how I am looking at monoblock replicas that are 18x8/9...what size tires are you running front and back?? Like I said would def like to see your ride!!!

benz rider

When springs are made, they are heated and wound to a certain tension and degree. if you cut them, you take out some of that tension and weight distribution which could lead to a spring breaking, AND when you cut them 9 outta 10 times the cuts are not even on each spring and could lead to more sag on one side than the other and the obvious tire wear will increase.

the only way to keep the tires alive even with lowered springs, you need the longer camber bolts up front to fix the toe, and you will need the adjustable arm in the back to fix the natural lean on those after the drop. but if yo ucut your springs, those methods will not work at all.

in the end you're gonna burn thru suspension parts on a regular basis if you cut the springs like control arm bushings, shock damage(over time), excessive tire burn, not to mention road debris that can jump up and bite your paint and lower body panels.

I just say, drop it the right way or don't drop it all. having said that, I haven't bought my camber bolts and adjustable rear arms yet but they are on the menu.


oh and I have H&R's on #4 pads. HD Bilsteins this weekend.

RANDY_P

Cutting springs increases the spring rate. It does not "weaken" the spring. What you run a risk of doing is increasing the rate past what the shock is capable of damping, and possibly blowing the shock if YOU TAKE OFF TOO MUCH. Also, by cutting the spring if you take off too much you risk spring float, so dont cut that much off.

Weight distribution? On a spring? I don't get what you are saying. Please elaborate.

Also, what do you mean the spring cuts aren't usually even? You take off the exact amount on each side it would be IDENTICAL.

What you are describing would be correct if you heated coils and compressed. This is not what I described.

Like I said, on THIS car, if you take off a coil, NOTHING WILL HAPPEN.

The rest of what you describe is just standard fare for owning a lowered car. Get used to it.

PS- how did you wind up with #4 pads on your car? Did it come that way?

rjp

benz rider

Cutting too much off is usually what happens because most people are just guessing at how much to cut, thus leading to new springs if you booger up the new ones by cutting too much.

when cars rock back and forth from stopping and excelerating that's the weight distrubution I'm talking about. if you cut the springs, you run the risk of putting too much rocking weight on the cut springs and could break the spring AND bust the shock. cutting the springs doesn't make the springs stronger so spring rate is out the window when you cut.

in the end it's a matter of taste and how long you're willing to go with a bumpy ride before you raise it back up or put the correct drop on it.

and yes my car came with #4 pads all around. but when I dropped it the rake dialed in real nice. I feel if I go any lower I'll need planks to enter shopping malls and gas stations. not trying to scratch up the lower part of my car's facia. or worse crack the front facia at the bottom. now that's an expensive part to replace, bumpers.

RANDY_P

Post a pic, I'm curious what #4 pads and H+R springs look like.

rjp

benz rider

I have some in my album but that was when they were brand new. the car has settled quite a bit and will post more pics after I put on the Bilstein HD's this weekend.

cmills5081

i wonder if anyone has ever tried eibachs in the front with h&rs in the back?? then u would get that nice low look in the front without having to worry about tire tucking to much in the back, i understadn u would have to buy 2 lowering kits which would be pricey but in my mind i think it would look pretty sick...any other opnions on this?

RANDY_P

get #1 pads for the front. leave the rear pads alone.

benz rider

Now that I read this thread I'm actually thinkning about getting #2 pads for the front and leaving the backs alone. are they easy to change out DIY?

RANDY_P

You need the correct spring compressor....you can't buy a generic one unfortunately.

BTDT. Get one from zdmak tools if you want to DIY. however that spring compressor is expensive. It's probably cheaper to take it to a shop to have them traded out.

http://zdmak.com/wbstore/main.asp?Lo...RCEDES%20TOOLS

rjp

cmills5081

Okkk soo looking like my best bet for a great look and still a great ride is H&R kit with #1 pads up front and leaving the back alone?? You don't think i will need to cut the fronts down any with the #1 pads on there, and also where can pads be purchased?

RANDY_P

The pads are available at the dealer fairly cheap, and H+R install manual if IIRC says to switch out to #1 pads up front.

What I cut brings me lower than just #1 pads-. I'd say I'm as low as some guys who don't run pads. Some don't.

rjp

RANDY_P

from the front...I can still clear the wicked dip getting into the driveway.

cmills5081

yeah man ur car def stances up nicely!! sooo maybe ill just try and copy cat ur setup as much as i can and hope to have as good of an outcome as you :p

that is if u dont mind haha

RANDY_P

Honestly-

Give it time for the H+R springs to settle in. They are known to drop even more after 6 mos. or so.

I have owned enough sets on various cars to know they settle - even in pics you can see.

Do swap the pads tho and you will be low. You can also check vogtland springs, they supposedly sit even lower than H+R

rjp