jayrasheed

I have a euro spec c36 1995, the car has black bilstein shocks and wanted to know if i go for the sport yellow bilstein shocks, is that an upgrade in handling.??

AMS Performance

Yes, The euro spec is almost an inch lower so you can run the sports no problem.

jayrasheed

i went to my local Merc dealer today to check out the price of the stock AMG shocks.
When th guy gave me the discounted price i had to lean on the side of my seat cause my knees went floppy :P
He said each are USD570+ so X 4 its almost 2400usd for parts alone for those thin looking mono tubes.
A set of 4 euro B8 Sprint Bilsteins (sports for the US) is USD550, so is the yellow bils stiffer or softer than the stock bils i have on my AMG?

Z06EATER

the stock shocks are the best for this car, get some stiffer springs, you won't be disappointed...the sports feel just about the same just a tad lower like AMS mentiond

jayrasheed

So i would assume that the stocks are gr8, its just that mine are almost done for, and i sure wont be paying 2400usd for shocks, i can try and order some Koni Sports, but some how i always have the feeling that the Koni has stiff but bad damping. my other option is the B8 sprints (Bils Sport)

What springs would you recommend, i am interested in a stiffer set, and even maybe larger roll bars as well.

Z06EATER

the closest things to the stock shocks, would be the B8 sprints, these are the sports versions of the stock and are perfect you'll love the stiffer ride, and are u lowered on H&R springs? car looks sweet...i'm dropped on H&R springs and bilstein sports car handles amazing, with larger roll bars it would be sex... also since your down there make sure your control arms aren't crack, they like to crack when you car is lowered

jayrasheed

So the B8s are stiffer, thats what i want
I have no idea what springs the car has, i got it as is, i have checked the front and rear for cracks and any sign of worn rubbers as well sofar they r fine, but the rubber bushings are a bit soft to my taste.

popey24

Stiffer???
The B8 are much softer than the standard shocks.
I was driving the combination H&R springs and standard shocks for 2 years in my C43. Now I exchanged the shocks to B8 and they were much softer than 9 years old standards. The ESP was blinking very often.
I removed the B8 after two days and replaced with old standards. Now I am running with the KW screw lowering kit with inox shocks. It's a dream...

Bye,
Stephan

Z06EATER

damn are u sure?

i'm nt trying to be mean or anything just asking, your car must be really bad are harsh roads eh? like with bumps n holes? thats pretty stiff cuz my buddy has b8's and his car is pretty grippy n stiff he takes corners very welll. what springs were u running on the 43? if u didnt have H&R's then that is why is was soft, stock springs are really really soft, jayrasheed i def reccomend the b8's with H&R's if you dnt have the, you will fall in love with your w202 all over again

jayrasheed

Now you got me worried :S can you give me the part number of the B8 you got?

i need to check something.

thnak you.

popey24

I am driving C43 but I think it is the same as C36.
The part number is something with ...54/...55, I don't remember the full number. You can find the full number checking the Bilstein website. But it will be the same of those I removed on my car. There is only one shock available for all W202 and this is the problem: The B8 is fitted on the weight of a C180, but a C36 or C43 is more heavy.

It was rather terible to drive. In combination with H&R springs (-25mm) the wheels were touching the cars body quite often. The H&R are to soft too, the springs of my KW kit are 4mm stronger than the H&R.
I phoned Bilstein and asked to replace the valves of the shocks, but the guy that developed the original shocks for C43 told me, it is not possible to reopen the B8 for Mercedes. He also told me that the B8 is not suitable for C43.
Then I asked Bilstein to take back the shocks, but they did not answer anyway. So now I have almost new B8 shocks (2 days in use) I can no more use. Probably I will sell them on ebay.

If you think you could drive fast with H&R/B8 you should experience the KW kit. Even if the spring is stronger it is much more comfortable (I suppose the reason is the double pipe shock).
The only disadvantage is you can't go as low as the H&R. But I am still working on it...

Bye,
Stephan

jayrasheed

thanks stephan,

So i guess ill pass on the bils, thing is i need new shocks especially for the rear, so how abt externally adj KONI Sports? those should be stiff enough, and too bad i cant afford the KW, as they will set me over 2000usd by the time they reach my country .

I hope Konis are good

popey24

If you need to replace only rear shocks I suppose you can use almost any, because weight on the rear is more or less the same for any W202.
But for front it becomes difficult. I asked KONI by phone and they told me they don't have shocks for C43.

Bye,
Stephan

jayrasheed

I assume u have a point, but i really want some good body control!
I just dropped KONI and KW e-mails.

The Koni should be good since u can adjust the rebound stiffness, and am sure it will be close to the stock (hope is more like it).
the KW, well those should be a good kit, on the count of that the company only makes performance setups.

as final option i can go for bils sports at the rear and OEM ones up front, a setup that will cost me exactly 1400usd for parts.

Kw will be close to 2500 with shipping.

popey24

I did not test the KONIs because I was sad to invest money only for testing. You can adjust rebound but if compression setup is configured on C180 weight you won't have much fun I fear.

jayrasheed

true man, very true. i know KW are the only setup to consider

steve s

if my old memory serves me correct, the c43 got stiffer suspensions than c36.. anyone wanna check part #s?

reason i say c36 may be softer is because i can (not often, but still occurs occasionally) bottom out the suspension on a fast sweeper if there's any large undulations in the turn..

jayrasheed

I have a B6 set on my W123 M103 300, the bilstein B6 is the yellow HD in the USA. according to an e-mail from Bilstein tech it has same exact valve as the B8 Sprint offered for the w124. and yes the compression on those is not as hard as i would want it to be, but the rebound is very well controlled. On the W124 atleast, it gives very good car control.

but each car is diff from the other, oh i also read some place that the bilstein shocks for the 202 amg should be fitted opposite to how they are listed, meaning bils states:
Front set: B36-1854
Rear set: B36-1855
those should be fitted the other way round.
can any confirm

jayrasheed

i have contacted Shox.com and they can ship a kw set for the amg for a total cost of 2100USD shipped + local tax

still considering due to the huge amount involved.