ladyjej

I was told spacers would make my tires stick out too far. Is there a way to adjust the shocks in the front to make them raise up about an inch from the top of the tire? That is the only thing stopping me from putting my 20's on the car. The back fits with no problem. I really appreciate your suggestions.

phister

only way to do height adjustment is coilovers. It all depends on the offset of your wheels. what is the offset? it should say on the inside of the wheels.

I personally would trade the wheels for 19 or 18s. 20s are just too large IMO for our cars. 19s are max I would go.

phister

since you have an 06 i'm assuming its the sport. another way to raise it up is to get non sport springs from other model w203 like a c320 or c240 and it'll raise the car up since you're on sport springs.

faddii

Anybody here using the H&R + Eibach sway bars combo?

faddii

need to know a few things

1) Can the fluted bolts be used for the rear to correct camber??

2) what cheaper alternatives for adjustable endlinks are out there besides HP autowerks? Does the Alta endlinks from the mini cooper still hold true for fittment? are there any other alternatives that people have tried out of curiosity?

speed7

Wanted to post a few pics of before and after.

2006 C55. Stock springs and shocks to H&R springs and Bilstein shocks.

During the install I found out I have #3 pads in the rear. Are the struts in the front numbered as well? I've not seen anything related to that.

Glyn M Ruck

There are no perch pads on the front of a W203.

speed7

Yeah I didn't think so.. thanks for the confirmation!

Crna Mechka

I'm having the hardest time finding a good shocks/struts/springs replacement for my '04 C240 4Matic.

Just upgraded to 17" AMG's and would absolutely love to replace the entire suspension with a '05-'07 SS suspension but since I have a 4Matic it is OOTQ.

My current options are OE replacement or coilovers. The OE replacement would run me just under $500 for the shocks/struts alone...then probably another $100 or so for springs so I'm wondering, do you guys know of a decent coilovers option that would run me around the same price?

A senior member had suggested Megan Racing Coilovers and from what I have gathered that would be my only option for the 4Matic, final cost about $1k.

Phil07MB

This is my first post and I have a '07 c230 sport. It is stock. I bought H&R springs. My understanding is that springs will lower car .04-.06 ". With stock 17's I can't imagine it will rub? Will it w/ 18" or 19" rims? How about recommended profile on tires? I want the car to comfortable w/o compromising the ride.... Thx

phister

if you want comfort i wouldnt do more than 18s. depending on your width of the wheel I would do 235/40/18 and 255/35/18 or 265/35/18 if youre doing a staggered setup. go to the wheel and tire thread and take a look at the cars. also with your sport model, the rears drop a lot more than the front with H&R springs. You'll probably want to buy some #4 pads for the rear springs. w203 can adjust height in the rear with pads that range from 1-4, 1 being the thinnest pad which usually comes on the sport models. also the H&R lower the car about 1.5" front and 1.4" back. you might be looking at the cup kit numbers because H&R springs lowers our cars the most of any springs.

xiaobai

Hi there. Note sure if this is the right place to post.... Just seeking advice on some graunching noises....
Car is W203 2004 C180k. Been lowered by previous owner (imported) with unknown hardware. 18" rims came with it.

Not exteremely low, but definitely not factory setup... looks a little like a C36/55 without the body kit.

When going over speed bumps I get this terrible grawnching noise from the FRONT struts only... Also apparent when going through poorly maintained roads.
- Has anyone else experienced this?
- What are they likely causes?
- Does anyone know any fixes?

Thanks for your advice =)

Here are some pics.

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Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Akhafeez

Quick question if I were to do lowering springs on my stock shocks, how bad would the ride be?

I cant find performance (bilsteins) shocks for my 4matic.
Its that or coilovers

PleasureMan

Hey! Might be the sway-bars rubbing against the chassis, I've discovered that I have that issue though my car is very low. I haven't had time to read through the whole thread but maybe someone else has an sollution to that one

phister

your endlinks might be going out or your control arm bushing.

phister

a lot have done lowering springs with OEM struts. the ride will be ok but it will cause the struts to wear out faster than normal since the strut will be compressed at all times because its lowered so it wont have full travel. eventually it will wear out and you'll hear the struts bottoming out.

Akhafeez

I have 67K on my car, if i put the springs on soon. What will be the life of the struts?

phister

Depends on your driving style and conditions of the struts/shocks.

cmh1991

I have an '03 C240 and I recently changed out the suspension. I went with H&R sport springs and Bilstein B8 shocks/struts. I changed the rear shocks out first and installed the springs with the OEM struts in the front. I would not advise putting a sport spring with a luxury shock. The ride was very bumpy-- caused by the strut from bottoming out. I busted the front strut-- only took one day for the strut to start leaking oil so I replaced it with the same setup as the rear.

Ultimately, it depends on your driving style. The ride I have now is excellent. Stiff yet smooth

Akhafeez

anyone use TEIN S lowering springs?

TTR

I also, have the H&R sport spring set. Debating on whether to go with Bilstein or Koni. Any suggestions from the members here?

Thanks

speed7

I'd recommend Bilstein.. Car was awesome with those. My only regret was not going with the Bilstein coil overs though. Mainly because I would have liked to have the car a tiny bit higher for car washes in the winter.

tommy

The Bilsteins I see on Tirerack aren't adjustable; The Koni sports are, and they're a little cheaper, so that would be my recommendation. I have had no problem with my Konis, and the ability to adjust them is a good thing.

RanJ Installs

20" all around
lowered 35mm on Eibach springs

TTR

Here's another idea I've been considering: the H&R sport cup suspension kit is about the same amount as the koni struts on their own. Maybe I should consider getting that over just the struts and get a brand new setup overall?