Hey
I've always wondered what are the differences between the c280 and the c280 sport, 1999 and 2000 more interested in. Be more specific please. I have a 1999 C280 and I saw a 2000 c280 sport the other day it was sitting lower, asked the guy who owned if he used lowering springs and he said that the car came stock like that

 

lower, stiffer suspension, slightly better rims, different gauges and interior. I compared my 230k to my buddy's 280 sport and he also had a nicer steering wheel and tiptronic, compared to my 4,3,2,1. haha

 

do they have an upper control arm? how is the subframe different?

 

also what springs does the sport model use? Can if fit them on the non-sport one? what are the parts numbers?

 

that i dont know, but im positive you can use springs from a sport on a non-sport. If i were you though, i would just buy aftermarket ones

 

how about the sway bars, does the sport one use the 28mm sway bar in the front and 18mm in the back? is it adjustable?

 

I can't give any specific details, but I have the C230K Sport and it is def. an improvement over the standard one. Bigger, nicer looking wheels, firmer shocks, lower to the ground, and overall steering is much more responsive, car just feels more solid!

As far as looks, the sport is all the same color on the exterior, it has faux carbon fiber around the windows and doesn't have that ugly chrome line on the side of the door.

Inside is definitely much more unique, it has carbon fiber surroundings on the center console, white dials on the speedometer and a smaller sport steering wheel.

 

The springs on the W202 sport do not lower the car any significant amount. If you want lower, go aftermarket FYI, the sport version springs give a very stiff ride. I have a 2000 C280 Sport and a 1995 standard C280. I use the same make and model tire on both and I can say that, at times, I curse the ride on the sport. If you live in an area with bad roads, you may not be happy with the changes. Interestingly, my son has a 1999 C43 and although it is stiff, it is more refined and less objectionable, even though it has a much stiffer tire and wheel setup.

All the sport parts will fit the standard model. As for steering response, the early W202 sport had a quicker steering box. Later, they achieved the same effect by using a smaller steering wheel. The stiffer suspension setup does produce better turn in and flatter cornering, but on the track (club events) I get nearly identical times for both the sport and the standard.

The changes include stiffer springs (part numbers vary depending on the equipment), stiffer (and much more expensive to replace) shocks, larger diameter, solid (as opposed to hollow) sway bars, 16 x 7 wheels instead of 15 x 6.5, 205/55 tires instead of 195/65 and the aforementioned steering box or steering wheel (depending on year). There are a host of interior and exterior changes also. The seats are very different with large (and somewhat confining for large folks) bolsters; the backs are about as narrow as the C43 seats with the side bolsters halfway inflated. A dealer can provide part numbers of all the parts for you from the option codes. My 2000 has option code "P14 Sport Edition - Special Model W202" and "956 Equipment Package Sport". It might be cheaper to strip a wreck.

This sport package is the most comprehensive non AMG package that M-B ever delivered and even though it was priced at just a bit over $800 it wasn't popular. It was just too stiff for most folks. That is why the W203 sport packages, even though they had lowering springs, weren't very stiff; they are more about appearance.

 

wow this by far is the most complete response. Now you mentioned that the sway bars are different, Could you tell me if they are the same as the c43 amg ones or are they smaller. the c43 uses 28mm in the front and 18mm in the back. regular non sport c280 uses 26mm in the front and 16mm in the back. Also is the sway bar adjustable?

 

The sway bars are not adjustable on any of the W202s.

I never measured the individual diameters. The bigger issue between the standard C280 and the sport is that the bars are solid on the sport. I doubt the parts numbers are the same as the C43.

If I get a chance I will try going through the EPC in the next few days to dig out the part numbers. I would not recommend mixing and matching however.

 

had bigger dia sway bars,revalved shocks, reinforced upper control arms,alloy rims.
If you want to improve your handling Eibach lowering spring kit k mac camber eccentric bushing front and rear, sport shocks.
The C43 bar is even larger.
1999 was C6 option for the sport package.
Someone else also mentioned going the lowering route it is far more efficient to do that then try to make a sport clone.

 

C6 is the option code when ordering the car. P14 and 956 are the codes when ordering parts. All the W202s had alloy wheels in the U.S.

The parts numbers for a late C280 Sport:

F Spring - 202 321 19 04 or 202 321 20 04 depending on equipment
R Spring - 202 324 19 04 or 202 324 20 04 or 202 324 21 04 depending on equipment (M-B has a points system in the EPC - equipment is assigned points and total points assign the correct part number).

F Bar - 202 323 56 65
R Bar - 202 326 10 65

C43:

F Spring - 210 321 22 04
R Spring - 202 324 20 04 or 202 324 21 04 depending on equipment (note that these are same as two of the C280 sport choices)

F Bar - 202 323 50 65
R Bar - 202 326 11 65

 

alloy rims but not all had the 6spoke 7j/16 alloy rims and lower profile tires on the C6 option
Best bet is going to be lowering it if he wants to carve corners.
ordering sport pieces piece meal from suppliers or dealer would cost more than the car is worth

 

I also have both of those cars in the same year, the Sport in silver with two-tone blk/wht interior and the C280 black with chocolate interior. Now, the C280 is my daily driver (and i love it) but I've been thinking about selling it and going with the Sport, what are your thoughts? My only hesitance comes from 5+ years of work and mods put into the C280, but i guess starting over anew could be worth it.

oh and on the Sport, I changed the rims to the 15" amg monoblocks and the C280 to 16" C280 W203 Sport rims, both staggered.

 

what kind of mods do you have?

 

My W202 album info lists the running mods for both, check it out. Thinking of darker tint, xenon conversion, and a 1" to 2" drop on one of the two.. (Also, have some 2010 amg rims I've been meaning to do something with, but they're 20" and i don't know what rubbing issues come with that size on these cars.)

 

i think you should trade the 20's amg rims for flat black 18's lol. ur gonna be riding a tractor when you put them on, you're gonna be replacing wheel bearings often so are front ball joints. but if you wanna get rid of the sport model, hit me up lol. i'll trade u mine non-sport lol plus some cash on top

 

yeah i know, that's why i haven't done anything with them yet. i might swap them with my E320's 18" staggered monoblocks, and put the 20"s on that thing (the E class rides almost too cushy anyway). but i have to admit, powdercoating the 18"s flat black to match has been on my mind for a while now.

ps the sport isn't for sale, but i like your C280 all stock, it reminds me of when i first got mine (except the tint, did it come that dark?) ..maybe spring for some staggered rims tho, help fill in that rear fender line.

 

no the tint was ordered by me lol. i live in florida and with no tint the car gets like hell inside. i had 5 percent all around and last spring break i got a ticket for that and asked me to change them. i didn't. but over the summer i had some problems with the cops and they busted my two front windows so i decided when i put the new ones i will have 30% in the front.

are u looking for staggered rims? i can find you some, if u wanna trade for lowering springs lol

 

Ah yeah, I live in Texas so I really need to get darker tint. And nah, I got plenty of rims at my family's shop, plus i can cut the coils myself. I can't believe you got busted for 5% so many times though, most people i know don't have that problem.. does the % difference between the two windows look weird?

 

actually it really doesn't if you look at the last post with pics of my car on the sticky picture thread you'll see it there i think i got the car in profile.

 

Alright, I'm sold. I have a friend in Houston who does high quality tint for Mercedes at about $120. Think I might ask them to put in HIDs too, thoughts? I think xenon conversion much more expensive..

 

ok i'm a w202 traitor.. i ended up buying a w203 instead (almost went with a c42 amg, but it got pricey in the end). the 2006 c 230 sport + amg package looks good, but i'll still have a warm place in my heart for both the c280 and c280 sport.

 

i've been looking in some w203's also but what i really want is a c32 amg or a c230 kompressor. I'm still going to keep my w202 and use is as a toy and put money in facelifting it lol.
A lot of people tell me that if i get a supercharged car the problem with them is that the supercharger is juiced out, and since i'm not so familiar with those I don't know what to look for and what they mean by juiced out! lol

 

can you take a look at that?

M Sport (0337) and Sport (0ZSP) packages ($4,100). The sport package is what makes this 540i so special. Unlike Mercedes' sport packages, most of which are just trim, the BMW sport package completely redesigns not just the wheels and tires, but also completely changes and lowers the suspension, has a completely different transmission, torque converter and even a much shorter axle ratio! The BMW sport package is not for the timid; the lower gearing and sport programmed transmission make the 540i fly like the Hammer of Thor and suck a lot of gas and tires. The sport package is designed for performance, not for fuel economy or tire life. Due to the low gears you should have seen the smirk on my face when I chirped the tires in reverse trying gently to back into my garage the first time. Without the sport package the 540 is ho-hum compared to real sports cars, with it the 540 is a real sports car.

Does the C280 Sport compare to a sports model of BMW?