I'm considering putting a new suspension in my car. I think I need new front shocks (LOUD squeeking / creaking from front of car when going over bumps or when i push down on it and make it go bouncy-bouncy) and I figure as long as I'm replacing front shocks I might as well just look at putting on a better suspension, right? Thats sort of my theory- if you have to replace something anyhow then spend a little extra dough and get an upgrade.

So, I'm wondering what the differences are as I cannot really find any actual info on the different suspensions! I can find 0 information about ride quality, performance, etc. I can't even find a place to buy them! I have an '01 C320 Sport. Sometimes I wish it were a softer ride (but thats probably because the front shocks are going bad) but I also wish it were lowere and cornered better. Sure, I take corners at 80 that SUV's seem to be unable to take at over 35 (HATE being behind them!) but I want to be able to take them at 90+! Well, okay I'd be satisfied even if I couldnt do that, but I do want to retain it's sportiness (and would really really like it lowered a little)

 

You have many suspension options that will achieve your goal of lowering and better ride, but unfortunately AMG will not lower your car, and Kleeman and Lorinser are not known to be the preferred choices for aftermarket suspension. Search "H&R", "Eibach", "KW", "Carlsson", "Bilstein", and "Koni". You should come up with plenty of reading material to make a wise decision.

 

Here are two suspension threads for you:

Suspension Thread 1

Suspension Thread 2

From the sound of things, if you have to replace the shocks anyway and you want more performance, I would consider coilovers...But if budget is a factor (i.e. you want to spend less money), you could always go with adjustable shocks, performance springs and upgraded swaybars (Everybody seems to like the AMG sways for the low price it costs to purchase them), rather than going with coilovers.

For coilovers, I would suggest the following companies:
Bilstein PSS9 (Fully Adjustable)
Carlsson RS sport coilovers (Fully adjustable, but built on Bilstein shocks)
TEIN (Super Street - Fully adjustable)

If you're not looking to pay $1,400 minimum for a fully adjustable (shock and ride height) set, then look into adjustable shocks and sport springs.

 

oooooh great info to have! I guess I am subject to brand-recognition and was seeing AMG, Kleemann, Carlsson, Braubus, Lorinser as being the big-name tuners so, I figured they would be better than these other names that I hadnt heard many tiems before (or at all).

yes, now I'm showing my ignorance os supension. honestly... I know pretty much NOTHING about suspension and the different bits work or even what many of them are! But, I learn fast

Is there like an all-encompasing manual to these things like the Bentley Manuals?

 

Well, your best bet is to start with those suspension threads drex linked you to, then read as much as possible on this forum. The search feature is very useful for finding information quickly.

 

Okay I'm starting to figure out more about this... but everyone is talking about difference relative to stock.. i dont know if they are talking about stock sport suspension or stock comfort suspension.

So, I'm having troubble figuring out if I'm going to be getting a softer ride or better handling (haha wish I could have BOTH! which brings up another question...)

What about this Kleemann speed-sensative suspension? Any good? Cant find any info on it.

Also, my stock sport suspension ('01 C320 w/ sport package) is that going to be less-sporty than an AMG suspension, just lower quality than an AMG suspension, or is it actually the exact same thing as if I bought an AMG suspension for my car?

Yes, I'm a newbie. But I learn fast!

Oh which brings up another question that I've seen asked but noone answered, or they didnt answer it in a way that was clear to me- the thickness of the pads affects *only* ride height or does it have an effect on softness and/or wear on the shocks/springs?

Oh yes, and what is a safe ammount to lower to stay away from any rubbing? (dont plan on loading it very heavy, usually just myself in the car... but I'm planning on having myself +3 or 4 small-to-midsized ladies (18-22ish most likely) in it over the next year So okay back on topic... I don't even know what it is that is actually "rubbing" but it sounds pretty nasty and I'd like to avoid it.

okay, now back to google to see if I can answer any more of these myself (and probably end up with even MORE questons... dont you just love me? :p )

 

They're talking about both. Everybody has different needs. Some want to keep the stock ride comfort, others want more performance, and still others want something in between.

It really depends on what setup you go with. There are a numerous amount of options available. You can have BOTH, so you'd probably want to go with an adjustable shock as well as some sport springs. That will give you the ability to switch from a soft to hard ride, while having the ride height lower. If you have the money to do it, I'd suggest going with coilovers - depending on what is "comfortable" for you, you may find the softest setting on coilovers enough in terms of comfort.

I'm not even sure if they still sell this or if anybody on here has bought it. If anything, it'll be expensive and the details on how well it works haven't been confirmed. I would try contacting Kleeman through their website for more info.

Sport suspension pre-'05 is NOT AMG. It's somewhere in between luxury ride and AMG. The '05 sport editions to present have the AMG suspension. Any prior model, did not (unless of course somebody upgraded a older model and kept the AMG suspension on when they sold it). When you say "less-sporty" are you referring to the performance? AMG suspension is good, but their are better options out there that'll drop the ride height lower (i.e. lower center of gravity). Now, a lot of people do upgrade to the AMG swaybars from the regular sport swaybars. That is a fairly inexpensive mod.

Spring pads will only affect the ride height.

Well, there's a lot of clearnace in this car, unless you are upgrading to 18 or 19 inch rims. At that point, depending on what you get, you will have to consider what to do in order to avoid rubbing. If you don't have rims or don't intend on getting them, you shouldn't have to worry about rubbing. If you only get sport springs (whichever brand), you will not be dropping the ride height so drastically that you'll rub. If you get coilovers, you should be able to adjust the ride height no matter what.

 

Well, when someone says "10 percent firmer than stock" I dont know what "stock" is so I'm having troubble figuring out if that suspension is going to be 10 percent firmer than MY stock or 10 percent firmer than the lux stock (which would make it softer than mine, I suppose... dont even know what a lux stock feels like).

It seems to me like a crapshoot- there's really no way of knowing if I get something will it make my car handle worse or better, or is it going to make it bumpy as hell?

I used to have a Honda Accord and it handled like crap AND i felt every little rock on the road reverberating through my spine. My Benz is a muuuuch softer ride while handling 10x better. So, I'm hoping that I can get something that's a little softer but without sacrificing much in the way of handling.

 

Most of the time, depending on the poster, they will have the vehicle they drive in their sig. or profile. That will determine (for the most part) what they are comparing to. If it's a "sport" model, most people indicate such. Anytime a 230 owner is writing, they are referring to "sport" stock feel (same feel as your car). When they are 240 owners it's the "luxury" stock (when referring to stock). When they are 320 owners, obviously it would depend on what they list.

Okay, no matter what, if you just get springs, your ride comfort should not be affected significantly, if at all. Springs don't change the comfort of the ride, only the shocks do. The ONLY reason changing the springs would affect the ride comfort is due to the fact that the car will be rolling at a lower center of gravity and is closer to the ground, however, if there is a change in ride comfort, it will only be slight (very slight).

No matter which upgrade in suspension you choose, it's quite likely that the performance will be better...but like I've mentioned and other threads have mentioned, it all depends on which parts of the suspension you upgrade. It's not a crap shoot, just start to use the search for more "specific" tuners (i.e. search for "H&R springs", "Eibach springs", "Renntech springs" etc...) You should be able to find more information about people's experiences with the different springs.

Again, a "bumpy" ride is all dependant on what you feel is "bumpy". Some people may think that your "bumpy" is actually quite comfortable or vice-versa. If you want to keep the feel of how the "sport" ride is, stick with the stock shocks and just replace the springs. This way you keep the "comfort" of a sport ride, but lower the center of gravity (i.e. ride height) of the vehicle and gain a little performance.

If you hated the accord and feeling every little bit of the road (which some people like), then DON'T get coilovers. Don't even get H&R cup kit (which has a tendency to be rougher). Stick with Eibach springs, Renntech springs, etc... Also, stick with your stock shocks. Sounds like you are looking for more comfort than performance.

 

Okay, so I can get stiffer (and shorter) springs and smaller pads, that will give me better performance with the same level of comfort?

Also, I suspect that my front shocks may have a problem as the front of the car is VERY sensative to bumps and can be quite uncomfortable at times while the rear is quite smooth. Sometimes I even feel a *thump* in the front.

I have also been told my a mechanic that all of my control arm bushings are shattered. They want to just replace the control arms and want $1200 for the whole operation. But, I dont experience any shuttering even at top speed.

 

Stiffer and shorter aftermarket springs, #1 spring pad (mb oem part) and stock shocks and you'll be riding very close to stock comfort.

I suggest just replacing the shocks with aftermarket (only if the shocks are bad). Have them checked out first. If they need to be replaced, look into the koni adjustable shocks. You can run those at the softest setting and it should be quite close to stock "sport" ride.

Wow, that's interesting, but price-range isn't surprising (including labor). I'd get 2nd and 3rd quotes first before making a decision (unless you completely trust your mechanic).

 

ahh, excellent. but what if I want a softer-than-sport ride? Do you think that going with stock comfort shocks with stiffer+shorter aftermarket springs and #1 pad i would significantly detract in cornering ability?

I'm not sure why i would even need to replace them... like i said, i have not experienced any shuttering even at 132mph. so maybe they aren't really bad.

 

First of all, my personal opinion is that you will not find a suspension that is softer AND lower than stock.

Secondly, please understand that the spring pads are only on the rears and will not affect the overall ride height. I would stay away from reducing the spring pad size, because it will give your car the look of being slammed in back and higher in front. I went the opposite route and used the thickest spring pads to get the drop as even as possible.

 

well, i just want it softer than it is currently. I'm thinking that my front shocks may be bad and so simply replacing them with properly working ones will make it softer than it is right now. i hope so. or maybe it's those damned $1200 control ardm bushings. Which could also be the squeaking. I'm not really sure what's going on right now.


oooh okay i thought that the spring pads were all around. I was thinking that I should put #1's on the front and #4's on the back... well glad that I now know they are on the back only... I will probably be putting #4's on the back if I don't already have them.

I'm going to have to take the car to a little european car guy that's right down the road from me. He's pretty old and has a very very very thick german accent so he seems like the kind of guy that's been living underneath these things all of his life and really knows his stuff. I'm going to have him check out the shocks, sway bar bushings (i think that's my squeak just judging from what i've read) and I suppose I'll have him see what my pads are as well.

I'm thinking about Kleemann's, maybe going the speed-sensative dampner route later when I have more $$$. Too bad I wont be able to lower it much without cutting the springs and, I'm not going to go around cutting up things that were designed to have the proper ammount of sensativity when un-cut (kinda wish my PARENTS had the same theory when i was born...). But, anyhow, I guess I can live with the huge gap. I want to put some Lorinser RS-1 wheels on it but I'm about to be a poor college student so cant afford them I also want some Kleemann trapezoiz exhausts which also means an AMG rear bumper. Gah, there's so much that I want to do to that car right now that it might just add up to more than i paid for the car itsself! Oh well, first thing's first- fix the squeek and make it ride nicer!