I want the car to sit where it was designed to sit. I read that the European spec is one inch lower than the American car sits. The reason they raised it is for bumper height regulations (I hate regulations, regulators, bureaucrats, legislators - all they do is try to create and enforce new crimes at the rate of hundreds of thousands per year).

Back on point: So I figure since you can raise and lower it about an inch and a half with the dash button, lowing it another inch back to the original design can't certainly can't screw it up. So am I in the clear?

 

I lowered mine 40mm last year. I didn't realign the car. I looked at the tire and I don't see any abnormal wear on them.

R.K.

 

Thank you very much. The parts didn't come, so still waiting.

 

I dropped my car about 2 inches (I think), enough to get rid of the gigantic wheel gap.

I checked my tires and they are wearing down unevenly on the driver side....I will probably have to get an alignment soon. I also use the ABC button a lot for dips, curbs, etc do you think that has anything to do with it?

 

Maybe you need to lose some weight??? Just sayin.

R.K.

 

I need to GAIN some weight if anything! I've been 160 lbs since high school ....which is pretty sad

 

Damn. There goes that theory.

R.K.

 

Any time you lower the suspension it is a good idea to get an alignment. One inch will change alignment settings a bit especially on the front end.

The bad news is that W215's eat tires quick due to the negative camber.

 

My fronts still look great after 9k miles. One of the rears (passenger side) is a slick in the middle (due to over inflation I think-bum air gauge) but the other one isn't bad (I really can't explain that).

 

Do an alignment if you change the height.

 

Does alignment affect only rotation around the vertical axis (toe in or out) or does it also adjust the rotation around a horizontal axis (camber)?

http://www.ozebiz.com.au/racetech/theory/align.html

 

Both

 

Well then, that explains the need for an alignment. Thanks.

 

would using the ABC "raise" button on the dash be considered changing the height?

it would be kinda absurd to get an alignment every time I use it, but i'd rather ask and be safe than sorry lol



tire wear on driver side after drop and never aligning....

 

You guys have to remember the stock car lowers itself at highway speeds. I am not sure how much it lowers the car. Once you get the lowering module, you can turn it on or leave it off. Sometimes I want to have it at stock height but majority of the time I drive it lowered. So its hard to get the car aligned if you are constantly changing the ride height. Finally, does one have to buy a camber kit or will the stock suspension be able to be adjusted? How low can you go before having to get aftermarket suspension prieces to ensure you have the proper alignment?

R.K.

 

I thought that only happened if you turned the ABC Sport mode

 

It lowers itself regardless what mode you're in.

R.K.

 

How many miles after lowering caused that wear? It doesn't look very bad. You seem to have a lot of tread left, even on the worn side.

 

If you lower it I recommend the BRABUS module!!!
Hitting sport mode does not lower our cars, that's only in the E55 and CLS55.
For us it just stiffens up the shocks for better handling.

 

So you are saying that it doesn't humker down a little more when you cross some high speed threshold?

Edit: just remember this from wikipedia

Active Body Control, or ABC, is the Mercedes-Benz brand name used to describe fully active suspension, that allows control of the vehicle body motions and therefore virtually eliminates body roll in many driving situations including cornering, accelerating, and braking.

In the ABC system, a computer detects body movement from sensors located throughout the vehicle, and controls the action of the active suspension with the use of hydraulic servomechanisms. The hydraulic pressure to the servos is supplied by a high pressure radial piston hydraulic pump. A total of 13 sensors continually monitor body movement and vehicle level and supply the ABC controller with new data every ten milliseconds. Four level sensors, one at each wheel measure the ride level of the vehicle, three accelerometers measure the vertical body acceleration, one acceleration sensor measures the longitudinal and one sensor the transverse body acceleration. At each hydraulic cylinder, a pressure sensor monitors the hydraulic pressure. As the ABC controller receives and processes data, it operates four hydraulic servos, each mounted in series on a spring strut, beside each wheel. Almost instantaneously, the servo regulated suspension generates counter forces to body lean, dive, and squat during various driving maneuvers. A suspension strut, consisting of a steel coil spring and a shock absorber are connected in parallel, as well as a hydraulically controlled adjusting cylinder, are located between the vehicle body and wheel. These components are prone to failure, hazardous when fail, but adjust the cylinder in the direction of the suspension strut, and change the suspension length. This creates a force which acts on the suspension and dampening of the vehicle in the frequency range up to five hertz.

The system also incorporates height adjustable suspension, which in this case lowers the vehicle up to 11 mm (0.43 in) between the speeds of 60–160 km/h (37–99 mph) for better aerodynamics, fuel consumption, and handling.

The ABC system also allows self-levelling suspension, which raises or lowers the vehicle in response to changing load (i.e. the loading or unloading of passengers or cargo). Each vehicle equipped with ABC has an “ABC Sport” button that allows the driver to adjust the suspension range for different driving style preferences. This feature allows the driver to adjust the suspension to maintain a more level ride in more demanding driving conditions. It was introduced in 1999 on the top-of-the-line Mercedes-Benz CL-Class. This system is standard on all Mercedes-Benz SL (except for SL350) and CL Class models and on S Class (only S600, S55 AMG, S63 AMG and S65 AMG) models sold in the U.S.

 

Once you lower the car using a lowering module, the auto lowering of the car at highway speeds gets bypassed and your ride height never changes. Some models of Benzes are different.

R.K.

 

So that means if I use links, the electronics work exactly the same, I just start out a little lower to begin with. Cool.

 

You betcha. I like the idea of having a solid ride height so I went with my lowering module. Besides its easy to resort to stock height. Takes 2 secs by turning off the module.

R.K.

 

How often do you change ride height? I wouldnt worry about your camber settings when your lifting the car to clear a speed bump. whatever height you spend the most time moving at is the height you want it aligned. check your toe, i ran -7 degrees of camber and it looked better than that

 

Great info in this thread!