Mr. Corporate

What do you think?

jpog

If done properly, you can achieve:

Better handling
Better looks (subjective)
Equal comfort to 4x4 mode

Downsides
Modified usually hurts resale if not part of a package from a respectable tuner.
Front bumper = scrape

Now, doing it properly means a solution that either balances performance and comfort well, or adjustable by you for both (coilovers). Wheel and tire choice must be considered because your dubs are gonna rub. Finally, make sure you get a great alignment. That goes as far as anything else, and is important for those on stilts, too. Once you modify the geometry, that alignment is important.

Now if your priority is in handling, consider sways, camber adjustment, etc as well to maximize what the lowering began.

Hope this helps,

JPOG

SoCalCLK

Absolutely worth it. You will stand apart from all the other MB cars and the more aggressive presence is worth it alone.

I have the BRABUS springs with stock shocks and it works liek a dream.

white_w203

all i have to say is it's worth it

drexappeal

Wow! Such an original thread !

Has anybody on here lowered their car before?

What does it feel like?

Did you all do it because it was a trend or because it was the "cool" thing to do?

What performance benefits are there?

STFF!

respdoc

Now give the guy some credit. This is a vast improvement over his last new thread started labeled "What tires for my wheels." At least now there is 400 pages to search from down from 500 or so pages from his last topic..

Mr. Corporate

LMAO. And i STILL don't know what the hell all those tire codes mean! Care to explain em to me?

P.S. I just bought some H&R springs for $270 shipped Can i uh... install these myself? I've got a friend who's pretty good with cars (he swapped his own engine, etc), think he can do it?

nlpamg

um... if you don't know what the tire sizes mean, then you probably can't do it yourself. but, if your friend swapped his own engine, I think he can probably do it...

amdeutsch

Tirerack link on tire numbers.

MBworld sticky help on installs

drexappeal

drexappeal

If you don't understand tire codes, I suggest 1 of 2 things:

1) Don't mod your car at all and keep it completely BONE STOCK!

or

2) Read all the thousands of threads on the subjects you started again. If reading those doesn't teach you a little something, go to www.howstuffworks.com and search for information on each topic you are wanting to learn about.

Look, it's okay to want to mod your car, but if you're too lazy to read and do research - either have somebody who does know about this stuff do work to your car or don't do anything at all. Plain and simple.

amdeutsch

Excuse me for interjecting here Drex. But isn't that what he is trying to do; get others to do the research/work for him. Kinda reminds me of Dilbert and his pointy haired boss.

drexappeal

You make a good point there, amdeutsch! See, there's always something to be learned from stuff like this.

Mr. Corporate

Shhh

CitronC230K_03

ive been thinking about it but im not sure yet. im going to work on all the other mods right now on my list.

Zillarpillow23

One should also replace the stock shocks from the stress of the lowered springs right?

diamondblak05

I wish I can agree with what most of the members here say that lowering your ride is worth it....but for me, it's not worth it...if it's just for the look. Why? Because you have to buy new struts, springs/coilovers, camber kits, alignments, and probably new wheels + tires. Those parts cost alot of money and if labor is not done by yourself, it'll even be more expensive. Furthermore, lowering your car creates alot of stress on the frame, thus causing other parts to fail prematurely, such as ball joints, control arms, tie rods, bushings,..etc. Even with expensive brand name adjustable shocks, over time, they will eventually wear out sooner. Having a stiff ride will also cause your ride to rattle and squeek more due to the bending and twisting of the frame.

I was into the racer scene back in the old days...from civics to preludes to integras....and I've had my share of lowering my rides for the look and handling...even swapping engines for friends. At first, it was well worth it because it got the attention I wanted, but in the long run, I end up spending too much money trying to fix worn out parts here and there. That racing scene is long gone now.

All I say is....if you got the money and time, lower it. If you're doing it for the look and occasional weekend racing, lower it. If you live in a pothole-less city, lower it. And if you're doing it to get the girls, lower it. Other than that, it ain't worth it. That's just my own personal opinion.

diamondblak05

I won't be surprise if your stock struts will wear out in a couple of years. My first car, a 1992 Civic coupe,... I lowered it with Ground Control (2" drop) and used stock struts. They blew out after a year. My second car ( a 1995 Prelude)...again I used my stock struts with some Eibach springs and the struts blew out in less than 2 years. I've learned that stock struts just aren't designed to handle the extra stress of being lowered. Hopefully, you'll have better luck than I did.

respdoc

Not really...if he is just looking for a very mild decrease in ride height without much compromise he can change out the spring pads to the thinnest width.

RAULTPEREZ

were ?? im looking for H&R's !! for mine too.

Mr. Corporate

PM me and i'll get back to you as soon as he ships them. Wanna make sure he's not a scammer.

razorfish228

You are so right with some of these comments. I had Civics and my last ride was a Maxima with JIC Coilovers which suppose to be the best for the car. Coilovers costed me $1200 and I installed them myself. Even though I did the installation myself, the cost and hassle of it was too much. I had so many complaints from friends who ride my car from the stiffness and even though the looks were awesome, the ride was a bit bouncy from the road imperfections.

I said to myself that the next car I get was not going to get any suspension upgrades/lowering but I have been changing my mind every now and than after I see other members rides looking really nice after a small inch or so lowering with new wheels. I am still confused myself if I should lower the car and get 19"s or not. But than I keep looking at my 05 and keep saying that the gap isn't that bad verses other years that the C230 came out with. Maybe I can live with it. I just have to see how bad it looks if I upgrade to 18/19's.

platinumsc

Here's my .02 cents on lowering.
I swore I would never do it. I always bought wheels/tires that managed to fill the arches enough to get by. That means getting wheels with lower offset than stock and the highest profile tire that can fit without rubbing. What changed? My current set of wheels were custom made. I told my salesman I wanted 40 offset for the front. He thought it would look better to have 44 in the front for that extreme staggered look. He got me 41 offsett in the rear. The higher offset sunk in too much in the wheel wells causing a big gap. I didn't want all the problems that come with lowering and I wanted a smooth ride. I bought Tein CS coilovers because they are comfortable, have camber adjustment, completely replace both spring and struts and are adjustable. I went for only a 1 inch drop. The car rides better than stock and looks sweet as can be. Handling is great. I takes turns at very high speeds when I'm in a playful mood. Especially coming off the interstate exit and the sign says 25 mph, I do 45 and feel like a roller coaster but planted safely. Bottom line, if you lower, go for comfort spec coilovers.

ekimpay

where did you buy the Tein coilovers?

MB-BOB

I admire your courage in stating your thoughts on this topic. So many folks around here start modding their MB's without considering the long term effects. Every lowered MB I've ridden in rides harsher than stock, even though their owners swear they ride better. (They tell themselves it's sweet so often enough, they eventually come to believe it, whether it's reality or not.)