Just purchased a 1998 C43 with 74k on her. She is very sweet indeed. She has new euro springs with the thickest pads on her. This was done by the PO to get stock height which is approximately a 2 finger gap.

I would like to lower her only 10mm from where she sits now using a thiner spring pad. Assuming she is stock height now? I would also like to switch to Bilsteins HD or sport?

How much lowering is needed before you use sports shocks?

Sorry for no pics as I am on vacation for a few weeks. I can email a pic if someone will post it for me until I return?

Thanks

 

This thread might be of some help to you, but this was actually a recent topic that we were trying to figure out.

https://mbworld.org/forums/c36-amg-c...fications.html

 

Just talked to Bilstein, and here's the deal. The B4 shock is for direct stock replacement, so NO difference in ride hight (and this is considering a US spec car). The B6 (HD) is good for stock ride hight to <1" drop, and the B8 (sports) are for 1"+ but be careful, because I do remember the Tirerack numbers for their "HDs" linked up to B4s in the bilstein catalogue, so you wouldn't want to put those on a car that's been lowered at all.

So to answer your question, if the euro springs + the pads your going to put on drop it more than an inch from the original, stock US hight (assuming that's where you're located), put on the Sports

 

even if you put thinnest springpad not sure your car will drop.

I put new front springpads nib #1, my car actually raised to a 2 fingergap from 1½ finger gap.
I told my mechanic to swap them to new thinnest front/rear, turned out my car was supplied with #1 pads from factory, now I have new front pads and old rear pads gives me an even level look, before with old pads front/rear I had a sexy look on my car because my front pads were a bit sagged and bedded in giving my car 1½ finger gap up font 2 finger gap up rear.

Springpads sags after a few years and dropping the car to a better look.
Next time I do suspension work I'll tell my mechanic to put the old pads back

 

Excellent advice, thank you all!

Tire rack has a nice selection of suspension upgrades for a 2000 CLK430.
There Bilstein sports correlate to the same number folks are using for the C43 so I assume the Bilstein HD will as well.

http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/S...0&autoModClar=

Where do you guys buy spring pads?

 

https://mbworld.org/forums/c36-amg-c...k-numbers.html
This thread might also help out, as I've recently discovered that by installing ANY Bilstein products on our C43s, there is no sort of warranty whatsoever with the shocks, so install at your own risk. Now, nobody except me has seemed to have a problem with theirs, but I also haven't heard of any one taking out their shocks after installing the Billys.

And yep, any CLK430, CLK55 or any W202 C280 should be fine.

 

Also last time, I ordered spring pads from http://www.ecklersmbzparts.com/ and they were fine