CLK437

i lowered my car with h&r springs and the rear wheels and tires are cambering much more than i expected. I have the stock 17" amg wheels on it right now. Does anyone know if there is a camber kit for a 2002 clk430 cabriolet? if yes, is it worth getting? I want to save my brand new tires. Your suggestions/advice are greatly appreciated..

Chappy

Look into:

http://www.speedybenz.com/

OTAMYWY

Can you post pics. I am also wanting to do this to my car. Please! Thank you.

As far as your issue, can't an allignment shop fix this? I had this happen on a VW GTI and the allignment shop I went to fixed it all up.

CLK437

thanks chappy.. interesting site, i think im going try them out

i will try to post up some pics tonight if i have some time. I had the car aligned but the camber is still very noticeable

OTAMYWY

This is good to know as I will be doing this in the near future. Did you replace the stock shocks?

CLK437

i did not replace the shocks. I have 44,000 miles on the car and wanted to feel the difference first. The ride does feel a bit more loose and bouncy but in my opinion it doesn't feel bad at all. I can live with it. However, I do plan to get some aftermarket shocks if the ride gets any worse.

blackbenzz

If you change springs, CHANGE the shocks! If you dont your shocks will already be compressed and when you hit a bump it wont really be absorbing the shock since its already compressed! I also need a camber kit, it cannot be fixed by just an alignment if you drop you're car alot and have big wheels. My wheels almost look like this / \ Thats an exaggeration of course.

CLK437

what shocks do you recommend? I was thinking koni or bilstein. I don't want a stiff ride. I heard that the bilstein hd aren't as stiff as the bilstein sport. let me know, thanks

blackbenzz

I would gladly recommend a brand to you but I dont have experience with either one on a W208. I have the H&R cup kit on my W208. I have the bilstein sport shocks on my lowered 300E ridin on 18's and they ride very well. Hopefully some others on the board that have those shocks can chime in and tell us about their experience. If not, use the search function and Im sure you'll find this issue was discussed many times.

wnycec

koni's are adjustable according to tirerack... could someone explain?
by adjusting the shocks - it will determine ride height in conjunction with the springs and pads used?

CLK437

I did a little research and the koni's adjustable for ride softness/firmness. The shock doesn't have anything to do with the car's ride height.

clk_amg

i bought a camber kit off ebay from a guy with email adress benzboy something these replaced the camber arms and are fully adjustable it took about a hour to install definatly worth it cause i was going through tires he shipped really fast too took 2 days to arrive dont remeber exact total but it came to about 170 i would definatly recomend these

blackbenzz

speedybenz?

CLK437

i just wanted to say thanks for the responses..

here is a pic of my car lowered with the stock amg rims and another pic of my car with rims that were recently installed

let me know, what you think about the wheels i just got. whether its a negative or positive, just be honest.. thanks again

Arabian Knights

looks good man, really like it

blackbenzz

Damn thats a NICE drop! Looks more like a cup kit drop than H&R springs. Rims look good on the car too!

Chappy

Personally, I like the wheels but I might have gone for 18s. What wheels are they and what size and brand of tires did you go with?

Are the wheels 2-pierce? Any up-close shots?

Congrats on the upgrade....enjoy!

superstar

i wish you if had them on silver, instead of the Alloy look. Just my 2 cent

OTAMYWY

That looks sweet. I like it. Thanks for the pics.

Martin

Koni shocks are adjustable, but you have to take them off the car to adjust them. If you get the Koni's set them at the softest setting (the factory default) before you install them.

Vs. stock at the softest setting they provide a firm and very controlled ride that is good for spirited driving without killing the ride comfort of the car. In terms of firmness (lack of roll and dive) it compares well with firmer options for high end sports sedans coupe's etc. I also own an 2004 BMW325i with the sports suspension, the CLK with Eibach springs with the Konis are a fairly decent match to this kind of set up so handling is much better than stock.

The firm setting on the Koni's will make you feel everything and for everyday driving I would not recommend it.

Benzoxtc

What a difference! The drop looks great, nice wheels.

wallstreet

Looks great. Did you change any spring rubbers or just replace the springs? Can you are others tells me IF the H&R springs for cabrio use a differnt rear spring than the coupe rear spring? I see there is a different p/n for the coupe and cabrio; the rear spring should be a heavier wire gauge then the coupe. I have seen others use lowering springs on a cabrio and have "tail drag" from the under-rated rear 'non cabrio' springs. i.e. I believe Eibach offers only the coupe part??

King320

good drop. not feelin the wheels.

beachlivin

It's probably cambering so much because the stock shocks aren't meant to be used with lowering springs - they're already compressed and would allow for too much travel. You may as well replace the shocks. I used Bilstein Sports with H&R springs and the ride is smooooth. From what I read on this board (and on the other one) there really isn't a solid consensus as to which is better - Bilstein or Koni. I went with the B's becuase they were $331 compared to $420 for the Koni's and I figured that I wouldn't ever remove the shocks to readust them. I'm not at all disappointed.

Wallstreet - Yes, the cabrio's rear springs are stiffer than the coupe's to handle the extra weight. And usually the "tail drag" happens because Mercedes outfits the CLK with larger stock spring pads in front, which make the front wheel gap seem out of place. Changing the spring pads usually resolves the problem and provides up to a full inch extra drop in front!

wallstreet

I contacted H&R. They told me the front springs are the same in the coupe and cabrio kits. The front drop is 1.4 in the coupe and 1.3 on the cabrio; because of total chassis weight. The rear springs ARE different in the cabrio kit; larger wire gauge. The rear drop is 1.3 coupe and 1.2 cabrio. Depending on the pad size the drop might be increased as much as 15 mm (9/16th") more. H&R springs will accept the OEM shocks. Shocks are normally "center" adjusted and have enough travel to allow for the 1.3 inch drop and still have free travel before bottoming out. Shocks will not affect ride height. they merely control the spring and are specified by spring rate not spring length. BTW Tail drag was caused by installing Eibach coupe springs in a cabrio (with heavier chassis weight). Incorrect application. I do not believe anyone but H&R make a cabrio spring kit???. Also the "cambering" has nothingto do with shocks. The length of the new shorter spring causes increased cambering. That is what speedybenz parts are for. To extend the adjuster rod which allows more camber adjustment.