Autotechnica

Hey guys, just wanted to share some pics, experiences and problems in case anyone is thinking of going this route. Previous setup was C55 dampers/springs. First thing I noticed with the H&R setup was that it was significantly softer than the C55 OEM setup. The valving was pretty much perfect on the coilovers. I found the C55 setup was very overdamped which I actually prefered for track. The H&R setup is very well suited for street use. Very comfortable which was actually not what I was expecting. I actually wanted a stiffer setup than what the C55 offered, but I'm still quite please anyways. I haven't had a chance to test them on the track yet, but I have some lapping days coming up soon so I'll report back with the results.

I'm running 18" CLK55 rims front and rear (225/40/18 + 255/35/18). I have 10mm H&R front spacers to clear the pearches which are required. The sidewalls/tread up front are pretty worn, and tolerance are quite tight, so I'm worried about rub once I replace the rubber. The rear is at it's highest fully extended position which is confusing. Why is the adjustment so bad in the rear? My mechanic said that I cannot use the exisiting spring pads/spacers in the rear so that's the highest it will go? He has the threaded adjustment pearch mounted to the top of the spring, is that correct or did he install it the wrong way up? The front still had a good amount of adjustment left, but it seems silly to raise the front when I can't raise the rear as well. Don't want a car that's raked backwards. I tried to run a 5mm spacer in the rear, but again, because of the lack of rear height adjustment, it will rub the rear fender. No flush stance for me Lots of -ve camber in the back now too. Note, pics are with the rear 5mm spacer installed. I had new tires put in the back yesterday and realized that it rubbed, so have the rear 5mm spacers removed now. I wouldn't mind raising the car 1cm or so front and rear. It looks good, but drivability is questionable. I also noticed reduction in rear end grip. I'm sure the added -ve camber has a lot to do with it. Cornering should be better. Now just have to tackle the front camber. It still looks too neutral. I would appreciate any feedback from people who have the H&R/Bilstein coilover kits as I want to know your rear height adjustments. I'm starting to think my mechanic messed something up. Either he could use the original spring pads but decided not to, or he mounted the adjustable pearch upsidedown. If this is the extent of the height adjustment, then I'm not satisfied. A coilover kit should be able to go back to near OEM ride height, otherwise what's the point?

Here are some pics, any questions, just shoot..


















Also just installed NW's CAI and Laser Iridium plugs. Intake was easy to install, Splitter took a lot of patience. Plugs were a bit of a pain and took a good couple hours. Intake sounds amazing. S/C is loud as hell and attracts lots of attention on the street/track. The car sounds amazing. Plugs seem to make the car more responsive as well. Then again, I think my car was still on the original plugs. They were pretty rusty and corroded. I could definitely "feel" a difference with the intake. Especially in cooler temps. The car feels a lot torquier.

varoom

Sweet!

Do you have any pics of the rear of your car?

Your car looks very like mine and I'm thinking of going for the quad exhaust and carbon diffuser.

Sorry to go off topic!

AMG3.2

Looks so good! Could you post a pic of the back of the car? I want to see how your carbon fiber lip spoiler looks. We have a very similar look going on, so I'd just like to see how mine would look. Thanks in advance!

C_DirtyTwo

looks good! It's amazing how much better the car looks after lowering it

EVOII_Racer

+2 and the rims incredible! Congrats the c32 looks perfect that way!

pww

looks good, now its time to REALLY dump it

W203Ramos

SUHWEEEET!!! making me wanna go that route as well!!!

Jim's500E

Well done...looks perfect !

(I am on the hunt for a C55 meself)

SYZYGY

Your car looks absolutely perfect at that ride height and with that wheel/spacer combo, but I agree, something is not right about the coilover install.

ddtham

I am convinced that I should do quad exhaust now... thanks I guess...

In all seriousness though, it looks really great! What's next?

AMG3.2

DO the quad exhaust. It looks great and you won't regret it lol BTW how much are the C55 shocks? I really want to do a suspension upgrade, but there are so many options that I don't really know what to do.

C_DirtyTwo

Ive been debating on the quad exhaust set up for some time now...I just cant seem to decide on what to do for mufflers. I dont like the look of only one muffler back there, or is it that noticeable?

AMG3.2

I removed the muffler, resonator, and secondary cats. I still have my primaries though. This way there is no muffler on just one side. That would kill me lol

C_DirtyTwo

damn that must be loud! any sound clips? No headers though right?

AMG3.2

Yeah it's loud but I love it. I do get a lot of drone though and sometimes a feel like making it quieter, but when I get on the gas it sounds so good! No headers. Anyways, sorry to thread jack OP.

BenzoBoi

Looks great!

ddtham

+1 sorry for hijacking the thread!

Which muffler would you recommend if I were to keep the secondary cats. No one here is willing to touch them and thats after telling them that it's not monitored. Bummer...

Quad exhaust is next on my to do list. My engine mods are done, I can only do headers next for significant gains.

AMG3.2

I would get the same muffler I have. It's a magnaflow resonated x pipe muffler. I believe mine was 2.5 inch in/out. Keeping the secondaries in place should make the exhaust much quieter. I might actually consider doing this for myself.

discoduck

Looks clean! I had the same coilovers on my SLK and it made the car nice and tight.

Kreuzfeuer

Looks incredible!! I'll be going to H&R components soon, but I'll just be using the Cup Kit.

I think the reason for your loss of traction in the rear is that new addition under the hood, haha

pww

the threads are indeed supposed to go at the top of the spring. To adjust it you have to jack the car up, and drop that plate down and then turn the coils

greekspec2

I noticed also when i switched front springs from my KW's to H&R's because there shorter that they were to soft and static rated at 52 N/mm

Bilstein 47-100770
front - 60 N/mm
rear - 99.9 N/mm

KW 10225002
front -
108-142-685 lbs/in
rear - 119 N/mm

splinter

No sense throwing him flowers since it seems his intent was to actually go faster than appear faster, lol.

Nice job on the intake upgrade though.

AKnight55

Thats a nice stance

Ken311

video of the intake please