I am looking at the H&R Coil over suspension kit that Evo Sport puts on. Should I go with that. I am a bit scared to take a perfectly fine AMG tuned suspension system and replace it. Is the ride compermised? Will it handle better or worse? What is the difference between PCS and RSS Club sport coils. It seems like RSS is race only. Does anyone have these on their car.

 

Given you caution, the H&R coilover kit for the W203 will be perfect for you.

 

i have normal H&R coilovers on my car. i think the PCS and RSS offer more adjustability, such as compression and rebound. my H&R coilovers are just height adjustable. the PCS i believe has an external knob to make adjustments, such as the Bilstein PSS9 system. PCS is still streetable. RSS i think is for motorsport valving and is not designed for street.

with the normal H&R coilovers i noticed an immediate improvement in handling. turn in is slightly sharper, and more immediate. less understeering midway in the corner as well, and not as much push i think. the c32 still understeers though, but the H&R's have alleviated some of the stock tendency. reduces roll a bit too. i'd say that it rides maybe 15-30% stiffer than stock off the top of my head. it's a nice balance, i could tolerate stiffer, but it's still pretty comfortable. it's all personal taste, one person said they tried the H&R and it wasn't stiff enough. i never complain about it or even really think about it on long trips. i probably wouldn't mind it stiffer, but it's a nice overall compromise. having had the H&R's for about 3-4k miles, i do not really remember the stock suspension all that much. not much crashing over bumps, but is bumpier ride overall. overall i think all the handling aspects were noticably improved a little bit IMO. of course it might be placebo effect to justify my purchase, but others have said the handling is a bit better, and the ride is noticably stiffer. as a side note, i have Toyo T1-S Proxes tires, stock sizing. but initial testing of the suspension was based on the stock tires, the Pirelli P-Zero Rossos, so tires were not a factor when i first tested the H&R's versus stock.

it also lowers quite a bit. originally i thought i should have bought KW's because i wanted more lowering ability, but the H&R's proved to be low enough. lowered about 2", and on stock 17's, rear is very low.

also available is KW Variants, Bilstein PSS9 (recently available in USA i think), and Carlsson-RS. i believe the C-RS is based off of the PSS9, and is considered to be the ultimate suspension for the C32. expensive, but i think it's a consensus that it is the best possible suspension you could get for the Carlsson. i would think the PSS9 would be similar, but maybe doesn't have the Carlsson shock valving. haven't heard much from KW, but it has a good reputation as a solid suspension company.

that said, i have no experience with any other suspension system on C32. i just know that i was happy with my purchase, and that i think for my purposes, it was an overall good choice. it may not handle like the Carlsson-RS or have the adjustability of the Bilsteins, KW's, or the other H&R's, but for my needs it was nice enough.

based on your comment, that the stock suspension is "perfectly fine AMG tuned", i would think that you are pretty happy with it. also, your title is "mercedes c32 lowering", so i assume you want overall balance and are not looking for the hardocre suspensions necessarily. therefore, i think you would appreciate the regular H&R's, which are now very cheap, probably the most affordable major coilover system, and i think improved the handling characteristics. it is a good compromise between ride, handling, and affordability.

btw, where in California are you located? i know a place in Norcal which sells H&R coilovers super cheap and stocks KW, Carlsson RS, and Bilstein PSS9 as well.

kevin

 

I have the Evosport H&R's plus thier sway bars and the car rides better than stock with much more controlled handling. I thought the stock suspension was atrocious considering this car's abilities. With the stock suspension anything over 120 felt very dicey, way to much movement. With my present setup the car is tight as a drum into the 170's.

 

I just had my car lowered by CarLab and Darwin recommended H&R with Koni adjustables, clipping one coil off the front and removing the 3" spacer in the rear.

I went with Vogtland with stock shocks and the drop is perfect for my taste, about 1" gap all around.

 

Good thing you stayed away from CarLAb if they wanted to remove the rear 3" spacer
Not sure they even know what car they are dealing with.

 

dokoni adjustables offer stiffness(dampening) adjustability?

 

bump

 

Yes, KONI's are damping adjustable for rebound. They're a great comfortable shock for the street. We definitely would recommend them for those looking to lower their car and retain as much comfort as possible.

Email if you have any questions!

 

If you just want to lower the car, get the Renntech springs. If you want to change to coilovers, you can consider Bilstein, Carlsson or H&R. Koni shocks + H&R springs will not give you better performance than your stock suspension.

 

Thank you all for your input. I called Evo and they have a C32 with the HR rss. When I get time I will test it.

 

You can't go wrong there, good luck.