904C43

Guys what do you think about these shocks? Seems like a good price. I am going to pair them with the vogtland springs.


http://www.aboveallmotorwerks.com/pr...&modeltext=C43

They have the fronts Bilstein sport fronts and rears for $83.79. Seems like the best price out there considering tirerack.com charges over $100. I also found the Vogtland's for around $200 new. What do you guys think?

Thanks

503C43 ////AMG

Same shocks are a little cheaper here:
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/BS...uery=Year|1999

They are for a C55 or CLK430 so they should work, make sure you get the sport version if you are getting lowering springs

904C43

Thanks 503C43! Im going to order 4 today. Probably going to call since the site doesnt specify front or rear so I dont want them to mess it up. I have been reviewing some of you posts and it looks like you are a big proponent of KMAC kits. I was planning to buyt the front and back camber/castor kit but I am confused since it looks just like some bushings and bolts. Is that all that is required to get my car aligned?

Since I am replacing all these parts, I was planning on getting the H&R strut bar for the car. What are your thoughts on that combo? My car has 74k miles but has been slammed since 10k. What bushings do you recommend me to buy since there is a lot of play in the steering currently.

Thanks for your help!

904C43

I actually meant H&R sway bars. I see them on tirerack for a pretty penny. 503C43, do you know where else would be cheaper? Should I go with a different brand instead? Do you have any suggestions on where to get the KMACs from?

Thanks

904C43

Sorry to keep posting. I called SummitRacing and it looks like they are going to have to dropship from Bilstein.

Here are the part numbers (I told him that my model was 1999 CLK430).

BSN 24 - 018555 = Rears at $80 each
BSN 24 - 025997 = Front at $118 each

I told him about rear shocks price at http://www.aboveallmotorwerks.com/pr...&modeltext=C43
and he said that they would price match it. I told him that there is also free shipping and he said that would be ok.

So it would be 80 plus 87 x 2. So 334 I guess shipped is that good? Are those the right parts for my 99 C43?

Thanks

Saaboteur

When I bought mine, the Bilstein part numbers I had were as follows:

W208 CLK / 202 spec'd rears (p/n B36-1855-HO)
W208 spec'd fronts (p/n BE3-2599-HO)

503 mentioned C55 in his post - it should actually read CLK55. The 203 body cars use a different setup.

I bought my KMac kit from http://www.iapdirect.com/

Be prepared to wait if they don't have them in stock. They are sometimes built to order in Australia. I got a run around from them when I ordered, it was supposed to be in stock but was actually being made in Oz. Had to chase them back and forth for that info, bit of a pain. The only downside is that they squeak. Boo.

904C43

Excuse my dumb quesiton... So 203 body is a CLK430 and is different than the CLK55? So what year should I tell the SummitRacing guy after telling him CLK55?

You mentioned that the KMAC squeked. Was it bad? Do you recommend another camber kit?

Thanks

Saaboteur

The first generation C-Class, what was it, 93-00, are the W202 chassis. The second generation, 01 to 07 are the W203.

The W208 is the first generation CLK, and is related to the W202. The W209 is the second generation CLK, and is related to the W203.

W202 AMGs came as C36s and C43s. There are a handful (double digit production, Europe only) C55s. W203 AMGs were the C32 and C55.

For the C43, the parts are more compatible with the W208 CLKs, the cars are very similar underneath - double wishbone front suspension, multi-link rear suspension. The 203/209 use a McPherson strut front suspension, and multi-link rear, thus not as compatible.

For parts, you can shop by looking for suspension bits that are compatible with the W208 CLK430 or CLK55. You're on the right path. The part numbers for the Bilstein Sports I posted above are for 202/208 rears (they use the same part numbers) and 208 fronts. The suggestion is that because the C43 is the only 202 with a V8, you should use shocks specified for the 208 CLK430/CLK55 because a) those cars have V8s and b) the suspension is fundamentally the same. The reasoning is that shocks specified for a normal 202 C-Class do not factor in the weight of the V8.

The KMacs squeak. They don't squeak if you turn the stereo up! Unfortunately, there is no other aftermarket solution available. There are adjustable camber bolts available from Benz, but they do not offer caster adjustability, and the camber adjustment range is more limited than the KMacs.

What you could try is align with the Benz camber bolts, and see if you can get within spec. If not, then you can buy the KMacs. BUT - and it's a big but, there is a risk then that you would need to disassemble everything again and re-align again. The KMac kit replaces the bushings in the front lower control arm. To replace the bushings, you need to remove the control arm (duh) and the spring. With the proper tools and experience, it's not too bad, but if you are tasking a shop to do it, it will add up in cost.

The other thing to consider, in my view, is that the youngest C43 is about 12 years old. I suggest that most of the suspension bushings could likely use a refresh at that age, nevermind mileage.

Click on my C43 'build thread' and see pages 3-5 or so, where I went through all of this a couple years back.

904C43

Saaboteur - Thanks for all the info. I went through 9 pages of your build. Going to go through more when I have time.

I just bought the Vogtland springs from ebay dealer for $200. I bought F&R stoptech SS brake lines also. Looking for the cheapest Bilsteins right now....

Stocking up parts for my build. Anyone have a complete list of parts numbers and where to buy for all the bushings I should be replacing?

Thanks

503C43 ////AMG

Saab was right, I had a typo above and I meant CLK55. The W208 was based off of the W202 and they share a lot of the same components.

Here is the suspension thread I started, it has everything I replaced as well as links to some of the parts I used. There is a link to H&R sway bars (not sure if it still works)

https://mbworld.org/forums/c36-amg-c...nsion-c43.html

904C43

Thanks! I will go through your thread also when I get a chance.

Here is currently what is ordered awaiting deliver -

$200 Vogtland Springs
$369 Shipped Bilsteins from Tire rack - cheapest i foudn shipped
$380 Shipped KMAC front camber/castor kit - IAPDIRECT.COM
$95 - SS stop tech brake lines

I emailed MBARTS to see if they could sell me the rear control arms for $325 shipped. Otherwise it was like 380ish shipped with tax.

Looking around for bushing options still.

Cant wait till the parts come!

Thanks for everyone's help!

904C43

Just purchased the polished MBARTS rear camber arms. I emailed Jay and asked about the prior price I saw on here on 504C43's thread for 325 shipped. He told me he could do black for 325 and 335 for polished. Great guy! He emailed me back the paypal payment and I am waiting for another box to be on it's way!

Does anyone know what are the 18in AMG monoblocks that fit our car? I saw one locally on Craigslist for $600 with tires. The pictures look like they have a litte rash plus the tires are way bigger than the ones on pictures here. I am guessing they might have came off an old S55? So I most likely would have to replace them with low profile tires. What do you think about the deal and what car should it come off of E55?

Thanks

Saaboteur

You should look for the ones off a W210 E55. The ones off the larger cars can wok but you'll need to fiddle with spacers and such.

importfan21

Anyone know the part # for our stock front shocks? I checked that allabovemotorworks site and saw the shocks when I selected the C43 are part number 24-018548 (fit only w202). Yet, was a different part number than the CLK's. There's a ~$30/shock price difference.

904C43

The cheapest I found was on tire rack.com cheaper than summit racing. Aboveallmotorwerks was horrible. I called them twice on separate times to confirm parts numbers and was never able to get someone on the phone.

Tirerack parts matched the numbers above by both posters. I searched under 2001 clk430.

Hope this helps.

904C43

Thanks! I am assuming plug and play with the e55 wheels then.

importfan21

Ah yes, forgot that the typical w202 shocks wouldn't support the weight of a V8. Looks like I'm gonna get the CLKs then (boo extra $30/each! )

904C43

Maybe in the fronts? 70 only each for the rears.

importfan21

Yeah, just fronts. $60 I could spend elsewhere on the car.

AMGC43

How about a stock euro C43? What Bilstein should I look for? I'm bit confused what code belong to this specified C43 which is lower vs the US C43 specs. Maybe yellow Sport bilstein? But what code for front and rear...?

Any help is appreciated.

DRBC43AMG

Check the thread in my signature below. You'll find ALL the info regarding Euro c43 suspension set up

JohnnyRock

This is a good example of why the internet (web) is both great and SUCKS at the same time. Some fool can always try to sell something a little bit cheaper or undercut a reputable business, but you pay in spades as the end-user if something goes wrong.

Great example to stick with companies or people that have a reputation for great service. The internet can be the proverbial "blackhole" when it comes to fly-by-night auto parts suppliers.

In this case, better to stick with Tire Rack or someone who will be around if your shocks don't fit.

On another note, where did you source your Vogtland springs for $200???

904C43

eBay was where I found the springs. Great price and shipped fast.

As an update everything has been installed on the car. I haven't driven it yet and it sits in the garage for 2 weeks now. Waiting for everything to settle and time to get it aligned. Love the current stance about 2 fingers from tire to wheel well. Going to look great when I get the 18s.

JohnnyRock

Pics now!

904C43

Don't know how to upload them. I can take a pic with my iPhone and email them to you if you want.

Thanks