n0shadowkiCk

Hello all,

I'm doing a suspension refresh on C55 and planning to use Bilstein B4 shock and struts.
I was looking at the Vogtland Springs P/n# here: https://www.vogtland-na.com/media/up...vu1okpgp74.pdf

It shows that there are 3 options for the W203 and even specifically for the C32 but nothing for the C55. I emailed Vogtland but no reply yet but was wondering if anyone here knows which p/n# or even the p/n# you did use (if you have these installed)

Robjr

n0hsadowkiCk.......

I installed the B6s' a couple of years ago (front & rear) with oem springs; however, I also had to install rear shims (donuts purchased from dealership) as I increased my rear wheels from 8.5" to 9.5" with 275/35/18's Michelin Pilot Sport 4s. A little rubbing required a little rolling of the inner fender lip to stop the rubbing.

Good luck....

Rob

brauhaus313

Also, just FYI, I installed B4's with stock springs and after a few days of driving/settling, that by itself lowered the car. The front sits probably about 1/2 an inch lower vs stock AMG shocks and the rear about a 1/4". I think with the Vogtland springs plus B4's you'd be pretty slammed.

brauhaus313

Hey Robjr, what wheels are those? Looks good.

Robjr

I bought them from an Ebay seller in Scotland three years ago. They're copies of HRE's which start at $2,500 per copy for 19" wheels which is their smaller size. They're 9.5" rear and 8.5" front. Thanks for the compliment!

Rob

n0shadowkiCk

Thanks for the luck! It is my first suspension job but doesn't seem to hard on the C55 and I have youtube if anything goes wrong. Yeah I plan to use exact wheel specs so I should be fine.

n0shadowkiCk

Ahh don't want to be too slammed... and Vogtland got back to be saying that the springs they sell will not work for the C55 as the C55 is too heavy. I thought I remembered that the weight of the C32 and C55 are almost the same if not the same. They have a spring application avail to the C32.
H&R springs seem to be the only plentiful springs out there for the C55 or stock ones and I am after a slight drop more than what you described. I also read throughout the forums that Vogtland will give a slightly lower front end drop vs rear end higher for the H&R's ( I think the lower front end tends to look more aggressive)

Decisions, Decisions....

brauhaus313

Have you considered coilovers?

n0shadowkiCk

Yeah I was considering Bilstein PSS but ultimately went with B4's and aftermarket springs as I heard B4's ride feeling is quite close to stock whereas the PSS's can be rougher.

brauhaus313

I can tell you my personal experience is that the B4's are a definite upgrade from the stock AMG shocks. If it was close to stock I would have considered them a giant waste of time and money, even though they don't cost that much. My car had less than 50k miles when I installed the B4's so I'm pretty sure the stock shocks weren't blown. They don't leak and rebound normally. The ride AND handling improved with the B4's. The stock shocks felt overdamped but the handling payoff wasn't there. You could feel every tiny thing in the road and anything that could rattle in the car would. Made the car feel cheap and also unsafe. The car would also flop in the corners and bound over otherwise relatively smooth looking rolling roads. The rear end especially was out of control. With the B4's the ride is smoother, doesn't feel overdamped, wheel motions are much better controlled over the same rolling/undulating roads, and doesn't flop in the corners like it did with the stock shocks. If you go with lowering springs, this could all go out the window, as I have no experience with Vogtland or H&R springs with this car. The stock C55 springs are stamped Eibach though along with factory Mercedes markings, so they may just be the Prokit springs available for the rest of the W203 lineup. I just wish the car maintained stock height but around half an inch lower in front isn't that big of a deal.

n0shadowkiCk

I see, thank you for your input, It really helps.
I was also thinking about the Vogtland coilovers: https://www.vogtland-na.com/us/en/pr...n-kits/960143/
Which I heard great things from Bimmer and Audi guys but nothing from C55 owners so it doesn't completely put me at ease when comparing them to a tried a tested brand like Bilstein.

I've been steadily researching and all the B4 owners with stock springs or eibach pro kit are very satisfied on the forums here. It seems like the route I am more leaning towards to now.... I'm a family man now so the slammed down, hard suspension really isn't appealing as it was before and with coilovers it just seems like overkill for me.

Its nice to hear what the B4s did for you, that seems ideal and similar to what I am looking for.

brauhaus313

If you do go with B4's, there are different versions available for the W203 chassis. Bilstein's application finder function on their website specifies the "Sport" B4's for the C55, which is what I went with.

Robjr

If you're going with coilovers, imho, I would chose Bilstein as they're adjustable as the Vogtland's are not based on your url link shown. At $900 for non-adjustable coilovers, I'd spend another $300 for B14 (PSS) at $1,123 + tax or $700 more and get the Bilstein B16 (PSS9) at $1,617 + tax from Tire Rack. (https://www.tirerack.com/suspension/...n&gclsrc=aw.ds).

You should also be aware, the majority of aftermarket coilover kits for our C55 are approx. 1/2" shorter than stock oem shocks/struts and, consequently, will lower your ride height. That entails more costs to make sure your ride geometry, i.e., performance, is what you want it to do.

Good luck......

Rob

Benzaddict32

I’ve had the bilstein b4 with oem springs on my c55 before and currently I have the bilstein pss b14 setup. Hands down the pss is some of the best money I’ve spent on this car. I pretty much daily drive my C55. I too am a family man and don’t enjoy a harsh riding suspension set up anymore and I was shocked at how well the bilstein pss b14 rode.

brauhaus313

If only the PSS allowed retaining more or less stock ride height I'd have been on it like flies on ....

Just as a point of reference for OP's sake, my car sits about about 1/4- 3/8" higher all around eyeballing my car vs BenzAddict32's pics after the B4's.

ODB

what is the height setting? did you actually lower the car or used "highest" setting for coilovers? I am also considering shocks\struts replacement for my c55 and cannot choose between b6, b8, b14 and b16 my main concern is lowering, sometimes I load my car a lot to go camping

Benzaddict32

Lowering the car wasn’t my goal. But the pss b14 did lower the car. They are set at the highest setting and I haven’t had any issues with rubbing. I’ve had 3 people in the backseat before and the tires never rubbed.

waveterrorist

IMO the B14 is what should have come on the 55s.
They will drop you even on the highest settings.
Paying extra for the B16 dampening is not worth it.

ODB

I ended up ordering b6 ones for front and rear, will update the thread once I install them.

brauhaus313

Is sergedest_66 an AI bot? Every post is just a repost of someone else's with spam links added to the bottom right of each post.

Stephen04E55

I just installed B6 rear with stock springs and like the ride and handling. The B6 fronts are here but the install kit hasn't arrived from FCP Euro yet. I will report after installation.

ODB

where did you buy rear b6? looks like they are out of stock everywhere. I ordered from Napa couple of weeks ago and it say "expected to ship 7/6"

Stephen04E55

tire rack had them in stock but only 2 when I ordered last week. They said that they are available. They seem to be the same price everywhere.

waveterrorist

i believe the only difference between the b6 and the b8 is ride height.
b14 is still the way to go.

Robjr

Guys.......

I bought my Bilstein B6's set from Shock Surplus in December 2020 ((213 433-3616) Irwindale, Ca.)). for just under $950 (including sales tax & shipping). They're customer service was very good with fast shipping, too! However, I live only 25 minutes from Irwindale.

Here's their website url: https://www.shocksurplus.com/collect...ition/Full-Set

As of today, they're showing a price of $976 for a 32.8% discount off of $1,454, excluding tax and shipping. Also, they, too, are out of stock. I've messaged them and, hopefully, they'll return my chat message on Wednesday.

If you talk to them, please give them my name (Rob Weamer) and maybe, just maybe, I'll get a t-shirt! (lol).....

Please let me know what happens...

Good luck....

Rob