James L.

I have chose to experiment here and there with the lowering sensor of CL. Have no problem with the front as it is really easy.

As for the rear, i am having a hard time evening the left and right side. The best I could do is a difference of 5mm. Which is not good at all. From the rear you can see one side is sitting higher then the other.

As you know, there is an L shape bracket which is mounted to the rear suspension's main arm. And the ball joint sensor is then mounted to the other end of the L shape bracket. What i did was to drill lower the main ball joint mounting hole on the L shape bracket. The most i can drill down is only 3 mm as i dont require much drop. With this approach i have very difficult time to balance the two sides.

Is it better of to just create a new L shape bracket myself? I heard of benting the bracket but that i believe will prove even harder to balance the two sides.

Also is there any other methods around the bracket route? I am going crazy trying to balance the two sides out.

Pls help!

Clk&Slk

There are two options to lower the car. The potronic module $1175 and the sensor adjustable linkage $600 installed. After understand the benefit of the two options, i went with the linkage because it allow me to fine tune even fender gap look. The module can only lower and rise the car. I has my car lower yesterday. Here's the link.........

http://www.benzworld.org/forums/foru...id=26#M1512292

James L.

Could you tell me where to buy the sensor adjustable linkages? I would really be interested

Clk&Slk

Call Tim at 310-329-8228. Tell him that Linh send you. If he does not remember me, just mention that he lowered my CL 55 last Saturday. Pay $600 installed.

James L.

Is it possible to install the linkages myself without professional help? My car is in malaysia and there is no way for that guy to install for me. Best i could do is order the linkages and courier it back.

apdesign

James,

I just lowered my CL500 about 2 months ago from Sprewell Motorsports for $500 installed. They installed Mercedes OEM arms to lowered the car as low as you want. I lowered my CL about 1.75 and of course I can raise it back up by using the Level control switch. You can call Sprewell and take to Edward Saga at 626.309.1771 (www.sprewellmotorsports.com) for the part since you are in Malaysia. You can mention that Tuan (me) was there before and suggested that you come to him...he probably can give you a good deal for the lowering arms. It only took them an 1 hour to install it. Hope that help.

For those that are customizing their CL, please post some pictures to get this forum started, it always seem dead. I will post my once my rims comes in. So far I have Wald front end and Carlsson rear skirt. Hope to see some customzed CL.

James L.

Thanks for the info AP, when you mentioned OEM arms, does that mean its made by Mercedes? Also arms means the main arm to the suspension? I would freak out if they change such a huge item just to lower the car? Crazy.

Also how hard is it to install this arm? You're suggesting i could just order the arms myself from them and install them locally at some of my local workshops? Are the skill required to install the arms minimal?

I will contact them soon enough for sure.

Clk&Slk

It very easy to install. Just two nuts per linkage.

AMG2GO

James I really think you should look into the electronic modules from Brabus, Carlsson, or Kleemann. You have a CL65. This is not a car I would be trying to save money on and installing anything but the best parts. Personally, I would go electronic. The Kleeman allows all sorts of adjustment. I actually just installed a mechanical unit on my car, but it is not something homemade. They were fully adjustable links from Lorinser, they are no longer made. I found a set on e-bay a while back. These have threaded rods and allow full adjustment on each wheel individualy. With this however, it took a Mercedes master tech about 6 hours to get it close to perfect, but its still not perfect and is going back tomorrow.

If the right or left is slightly higher or lower, your car will start to pull to one side. If the front/rear bias is changed, you are asking for all sorts of trouble, it will completely throw the car's balance off.

I am not against the mechanical links, its just that I have not seen any that I thought were too good. I certainly have seen plenty of CL's where the front/rear bias was changed. I have seen others where the left/right is slightly off. They will all look good, but they will throw off the handling of your car, make tire wear worse, and in some cases actually cause suspension damage.

I have seen people install washers, but these are not close tolerance parts. Each washer usually has a slightly different thickness. The brackets that are used I have seen bend, and then the car is off again. If you look at the factory links, the metal is something that will not bend.

Mechanical units will allow the cars to continue to drop itself at speed, which is a factory feature. So if you are low, at 80MPH you will be super low... this is not good if you hit bumps. The electronic ones will not allow the car to drop past a certain amount.

If you get a mechanical one, make sure it is of the highest quality. Like I said the only good one I know of was the Lorinser unit. Afterwards make sure you re-align the car. If you are adjusting mechanicaly, you can do it with a driver seated and have the car perfectly flat WITH driver if that is how you normally drive. Thats how I did mine. I am almost always alone guzzling gas in my V12 adding to global warming. But it is perfectly flat with me in it.

If the CL is a 500 or 600, its best if it is aligned to CL55 specs for performance. They are different. If you have 19" wheels then you can align to CL65 specs (unique to itself).

I do not recommend any more than a 1.5" drop. The factory dash switch only raises the car about 1/2" on level I and 1" on level II. If you lower the car an inch (which is quite visible), then in the II mode you are back to factory... No problems. I think 1.5" is pushing it, and anything over you will eventualy damage something.

I am provinding this info from my own research to be helpful. I am sure some will have different opinions and what you do is of course eventualy a personal decision.

Good luck.

Clk&Slk

"I actually just installed a mechanical unit on my car, but it is not something homemade. They were fully adjustable links from Lorinser, they are no longer made. I found a set on e-bay a while back. These have threaded rods and allow full adjustment on each wheel individualy. With this however, it took a Mercedes master tech about 6 hours to get it close to perfect, but its still not perfect and is going back tomorrow."

The only problem i see here is your mechanic. 6 hrs?! The guy that did mine took about 1 1/2 hrs and that included installation and it took him 4 adjustment for even fender gap.


"If the right or left is slightly higher or lower, your car will start to pull to one side. If the front/rear bias is changed, you are asking for all sorts of trouble, it will completely throw the car's balance off."

It should if you know how to adjust it right.


"I have seen people install washers, but these are not close tolerance parts. Each washer usually has a slightly different thickness. The brackets that are used I have seen bend, and then the car is off again. If you look at the factory links, the metal is something that will not bend."

Some people have problem and other don't. Those that have problem, does not know what they were doing.


"Mechanical units will allow the cars to continue to drop itself at speed, which is a factory feature. So if you are low, at 80MPH you will be super low... this is not good if you hit bumps. The electronic ones will not allow the car to drop past a certain amount."

It adjustable......? Who fault is it that the car is so low? I have no problem at all with mine linkage. Here's how minw set-up. My lowest setting is with
1 1/2 finger fender gap (car just sitting) all the way around with 20" wheel and i drove around (city and highway) with 4 people in the car with no problem what ever. I don't know how you came up with all this problem.


"I certainly have seen plenty of CL's where the front/rear bias was changed."

Mine is one of those and it because, that's how i like it for even fender gap. I can adjust the car back to factory spec. anytime i want.


"I have seen others where the left/right is slightly off. They will all look good, but they will throw off the handling of your car, make tire wear worse, and in some cases actually cause suspension damage."

Once again, it is the linkage problem or the installer didn't do it right? Anyway, don't take this the wrong way. I just think most of the problem you mentioned is the installer fault.

Sauerkraut

Hi!

You should contact Carlsson directly. recently they have released their latest suspension module called "C-Tronic Suspension" with various possiblities of adjustment. Should give you the result you need.

Best regards
Sauerkraut

BKMS1

hey ive done it also on cl 55 and had no problems with replacing the links and slotting the bracket in the rear. The bracket should only be adjusted a 1/4 of an inch ill try to post pics for u

awiner

My lowering was Easy. Took me 25 minutes to install the Brabus Electronic Lowering Module. Everything is even and looks great !

See: https://mbworld.org/forums/cl55-amg-cl65-amg-cl63-amg-c215-c216/71313-cl55-lowered.html for more info.

James L.

Thanks guys for the vast amount of knowledge.

Personally i agree with those guys who say DO NOT go with the washer and bracket systems. I took my stupid 80cents worth of mods out today and found the ride height on all sides varies. Brought the car back to dealer to have them levelled again. Its weird, i dont know what they call it but when they do the test, the whole car floats around its ABC suspension like a BOAT! lol its funny. I even took video of it.

Anyway, I have to agree with AMG2GO and went with Awiners route as well. My deal is a lot more expensive then others i think, I ordered the Kleeman EPL module for US$2100 plus installed. How do you feel the price Awinder?

It lowers the car 35mm with +/- 15mm. Man that is a lot of adjustability. How I wish i werent stupid enough to tap into the washer thing. Not offense to the people who opt for the washer systems, i just found out through my dealers StarDiagnostic, that there is a lot more going in there then just what us might think it is such as "trick sensor height" I was overwhelmed when i was standing by the Star computer and look at what they did. There is so many parameters involved in suspension height adjustments that just makes you feel stupid to have DIY installation with washer and brackets.

With regards

James

Clk&Slk

Here's mine car just lowered.

awiner

The Kleemann module is the most expensive, however, it offers the greatest amount of adjustment of all the electronic modules.

I beleive you will be very happy with it when it gets installed once you see the result however.

BKMS1

here is the pic

AMG2GO

The kleemann is the best. It is the most expensive. But I tell you if I had a CL65 its the only one I'd use. Good move.... thanks for the info on the dealer adjustment.... I will check into it.

James L.

You only need to do that diagnose if you want to level your whole car even on all sides and to check suspension problems like squeks, leaks and etc. I just dont know how to describe it, when activated, the car will move up and down continously on all sides like boat feel until it decides the car is all level and problem free. If there's problem it'll all show up. I only knew now that ABC is REALLY REALLY advance. :p

davepl

I went mechanical because in my opinion, both are lying to the factory ABC module, just by different means. Its not like the Kleeman module changes the target ride height, it just fools the factory module into thinking the car is higher than it really is, so the car overcompensates. Washers are a lot cheaper and you don't have to dork with your ABC harness wiring. (I could be totally wrong about how the module works, so don't make a purchase decision based on how I -think- it works!)

That said, if the electronic modules allowed you to still retain the total amount of height when in the highest mode, that would be a selling point for me. With the mechanical approach all three heights are reduced. I missed being able to get the very high setting for parking approaches, etc.

AMG2GO

I believe the Kleemann has an option to do just what you are saying davepl.

James L.

AMG2GO is right, Kleeman does have that option. All you needed to do was to deactivate the lowering module and use the original height settings. I have heard of a few other modules do the same thing as well.

davepl

Can you deactivate from inside the car, on the dash? Otherwise it wouldn't be very helpful.

James L.

Its a switch dave. It has to be in the dash lol.

Once I get mine, I will get photos

awiner

None of the electronic modules allow you to deactivate them from the inside .. The Kleemann has a blanking plug that you insert under the hood between the module and harness.

The Brabus has a switch on the module that allows you to deactivate it as well.

Both require the vehicle to be off and then re-started to initialize the new settings via hitting the full up and then full down ABC level button.