BlackMercBenz

Im thinking of lowering my C350.. Would the stock 17" AMGs look good on em?

How much of a drop would you recommend so that it's not too low to scrape on most parking bumps? I need just an "aesthetically" good drop, i mean.

Thanks in advance for the info.

JohnGjolaj1

i would recommend getting 18' rims, then dropping it no more than .5' - 1.0'. the c350 already sits very low.

GPI

I do think the H&R sport springs is a good drop. It's not too low for stock rims.

ColoradoDriver

Wow! Don't think he would be pleased with dropping it half of a foot to a full foot!

P.S. Inches use ", feet use '

INSPIRE

if it aint rubbing, it aint low enough.

tanktube67

I lowered my with H&R spring it actually lowered 1 1/2" at the front and 1 1/4" on the rear and it clears the parking lots stops My suggestion is there is two sets of H&R springs the sport and the super sport get the super sport it will lower the car 1 3/4 at the fronts and 1 1/2 on the rears

tanktube67

Forgot, I have 18" wheels but I thinking to get 19"

Savage c-300

i dont think he would even clear the ground, none less a parking block.

GPI

Could you post some pics of your car lowered with the H&R springs? I'm considering to do the same thing.

blastit

i dont think this is a noob question. 1 inch is probably all you would need. anything more and you might need to get a camber kit. is there anyone in market right now that makes this for the 350?

oblu

Stock 17's on a lowered car? No. It'll look like the cheap mod mobile. Plus the offsets are conservative, so they'll be tucked.

If you actually plan to lower and care about keeping the ride civilized, make sure you get a matched set of springs and shocks ... and preferrably a set that includes new bumpstops. Bumpstops aren't really 'bump stops' they're springs in themselves, and even if you're dropping 1.5" you're going to be hitting them more often than you normally would, they need to be shorter so that the damper has room to move. Otherwise you're just crashing off them. It may still feel okay most of the time though.

I've done suspensions on a few cars, and I've gone through the phase where thinking just swapping springs is okay. I'm now at the point where I leave factory alone unless I'm willing to sink money into a full adjustable coilover setup, camber adjustment, corner balancing and taking the time to get the settings exactly where I like.

blastit

oblu sounds like you know quite a bit about this. thanks for the info. i have often wondered what it would take to lower a car properly and still have close to factory comfort. if one was willing to pull the money out to do this properly to ensure the longevity of the car, how much would one be looking to spend???

Derspeed

I contacted Eibach recently, and a tech there told me their springs will lower the sport about .5" and the lux, just over 1". I have also contacted every shock company I could think of, and none of them have shocks for lowering springs yet. What the heck is taking so long? I think I may wait for a coilover kit.

ColoradoDriver

Remember, the C300 shocks are a special adaptive design. I doubt that you will be able to find that feature from any other supplier.

narky

oblu just about took the words straight out of my mouth.

Even after only a week of driving (I got it last Saturday 03.01.08, so not even a week!) I can tell that I'm going to have to spend some money on the suspension. Sometime. The ride height looks fine to me, actually, and I have a c300 Sport with the 18" AMG wheel option. It could be a tad (0.5" ~ 0.75") lower, I suppose, but I can dig it as it is.

But the suspension travel is a little crazy, even over mild bumps. Too soft for my taste. And the body roll during corners needs to be reined in a bit. I don't need a go-kart, but I'd like it a bit flatter.

Even so, I'm not changing anything for now. I've considered buying just springs, purely for aesthetical reasons. But I'm holdin it off, because I know that the springs alone won't resolve the performance issues that I mentioned above. So I'll eventually be looking into shocks. And then sway bars. And then camber kits and braces and bushings and this and that and so on and so forth ad infinitum. Or I won't be happy.

So I'm keeping mine stock for now. Until I decide to do what oblu described in his post -- all at once, preferably, installed and adjusted. I gotta be able to afford it first though. Everything nice costs hella cheese.

Sorry for the essay, fellas. I should've simply replied:

Whatever it is, don't do it unless you plan on going full out, if performance and longevity are your concerns.

narky

... and what's so special about this adaptive design, if you please? Sorry to say, I didn't even really look at the specs of this car before pullin the trigger. One picture I saw online sealed the deal at first sight.

oblu

I'd be willing to bet they're just Koni FSDs ... or koni fsd-esque technology.

The thing to remember, in regards to my last post, is it's all a matter of degrees and trade-off. 90% of the time, lowering springs on stock shocks will feel fine, but then you'll encounter some weird crest, bump or dip that sends it tripping all over itself, and you'll think to yourself, 'what the hell was that'. Or you'll go to hit a corner, hit a bump mid corner and the car will respond unexpectedly. So as you go up the ladder what you're paying for is to cover that extra 10%.

ColoradoDriver

"AGILITY CONTROL - this is the term used by Mercedes-Benz for all new and further developments that improve both comfort and agility in equal measure. This standard package includes the AGILITY CONTROL suspension, which controls the shock absorber forces according to the driving situation: when driving normally with low shock absorber impulses, the damping forces are automatically reduced for a noticeable improvement in ride comfort - but without any compromise in handling safety. When driving more dynamically, the maximum damping forces are set and the car is effectively stabilised. The AGILITY CONTROL steering of the new C-Class has a ratio of 14.5, and is therefore six percent more direct than the steering of the preceding model. The likewise included AGILITY CONTROL gearshift reflects the sporty character of the C-Class with a short travel and precise shifts."

tanktube67

I hade a 4 wheel alignment done right after I replaced the springs, the alignment is under specifications no extra parts was needed.

tanktube67

I will after I decide which wheels to purchase

BlackMercBenz

Thanx much folks for all the input.
I love going into forums specifically for this reason!


"Around here, you gotta love what you drive!"

Derspeed

Since this feature is contained within the shocks replacing them wouldn't be a big deal to me. I know the shocks could handle the springs, but shorter springs may require shortened shock travel. I'd hate to install new springs and then need to replace the shocks sfter 20,000 miles due to premature wear.