2003 Mercedes CL500 Coilover conversion Canada
Newbie
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 3
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2003 CL500
I thought about cutting the back but I think it looks ok. I can now go with a little tall tire
this is with strutmaster installed with only one coil ring cut off the front. Remember the are 20 inch offset rims on my CL500.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 23
Likes: 1
Mercedes CL500
Good afternoon Gentlemen,
I have completed my coilover installation and haven't been able to make a video or take many pictures due to the fact that it was -10*C Yesterday but I bit through the cold to get it done. There is a wealth of information all over the internet regarding it's installation phases and I am trying to consolidate it all into a video where I will be summarizing my experiences with it and the problems us Canadians WILL face due to the excessive amounts of salt on our roads. The process took me about 5 hours and most of it was because I have never done suspension replacements before and getting the rear control arm to come off was a pain in the ***.
First impressions however. Are good. You do feel the weight of the car and I haven't had a chance to throw it around but for leisurely cruising, the main reason why I bought the car, the Coilovers are actually better than the ABC system. I can adjust the dampening rates of the shocks on the fly with the coilovers I have and I have set it too low when I initially installed it. I will be measuring the correct distance for general driving in the coming weeks and will pop some numbers for you.
It does however, feel a little more prone to body roll and I almost feel that I am tilting sideways in a higher speed turn but when I had my friend do the same and I was trailing behind him in another car, The body stayed reasonably flat. Think about 10 degrees of tilt when making a 45 degree right turn at 100 km/h.
Is it as good as a car with ABC? Absolutely not. Is it more reliable? A Thousand times YES. Is the lack of a sway bar a big deal? I have no Idea as this is the only car I have driven in a while :P
Do I regret my purchase? Well.... You tell me ;-)
I have completed my coilover installation and haven't been able to make a video or take many pictures due to the fact that it was -10*C Yesterday but I bit through the cold to get it done. There is a wealth of information all over the internet regarding it's installation phases and I am trying to consolidate it all into a video where I will be summarizing my experiences with it and the problems us Canadians WILL face due to the excessive amounts of salt on our roads. The process took me about 5 hours and most of it was because I have never done suspension replacements before and getting the rear control arm to come off was a pain in the ***.
First impressions however. Are good. You do feel the weight of the car and I haven't had a chance to throw it around but for leisurely cruising, the main reason why I bought the car, the Coilovers are actually better than the ABC system. I can adjust the dampening rates of the shocks on the fly with the coilovers I have and I have set it too low when I initially installed it. I will be measuring the correct distance for general driving in the coming weeks and will pop some numbers for you.
It does however, feel a little more prone to body roll and I almost feel that I am tilting sideways in a higher speed turn but when I had my friend do the same and I was trailing behind him in another car, The body stayed reasonably flat. Think about 10 degrees of tilt when making a 45 degree right turn at 100 km/h.
Is it as good as a car with ABC? Absolutely not. Is it more reliable? A Thousand times YES. Is the lack of a sway bar a big deal? I have no Idea as this is the only car I have driven in a while :P
Do I regret my purchase? Well.... You tell me ;-)
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 23
Likes: 1
Mercedes CL500
I am really sorry about that and I do understand your frustration. Unfortunately I have had to go through a lot. I got laid off, Had to look for work. Was unemployed for 3 months and finally got back on my feet. I really did hope the weather would be on my side but the cold snap with the lack of light made this so difficult to document. I am however, going to show more of my personal experience and what snags us Canadians are expected to hit.
Please bear with me as I am just a DIYer with very little suspension knowledge. I am not abandoning the community just yet.
Please bear with me as I am just a DIYer with very little suspension knowledge. I am not abandoning the community just yet.
Newbie
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
cl500 w215
Supposedly there were two different abc strut tops and you have to take your old ones off first before ordering to see whether you have flat or angled tops
I think I would go with yellow speed , not only is pricing lower but there's height adjustability
You should also be able to recover almost all the cost of your conversion by selling the old abc parts. Arnott will even buy the blown struts and eBay is the best place to sell the good ones
I think I would go with yellow speed , not only is pricing lower but there's height adjustability
You should also be able to recover almost all the cost of your conversion by selling the old abc parts. Arnott will even buy the blown struts and eBay is the best place to sell the good ones
:p
