Want a better suspension for my 2002 clk430. But, I can't lower it more than a 1/2" due to a very steep driveway. So if I change out to Eibach sport springs and Koni sport shocks and leave the rubber pads alone at the top of the springs, will this keep the amount of lowering to a mimimum??

What is the OEM thickness of those pads for the 430? Could I go thicker if needed?

 

if your not looking for that much of a drop i would suggest AMG springs with koni shocks. Still be aggressive without too much drop.

 

You should just remove the 4 pads or use thinner pads.

 

Yeah, if you are only going for half an inch, just use #1 pads all the way around.

 

Ya I thought about that. I assume I would use a HD shock with those instead of a sport?
The other issue is that the AMG springs are actually more costly than an Eibach or H&R and with those I could use a sport shock and maybe get even better results. But then the initial problem, would I get more than a 1/2" drop and start dragging with that combo?

 

I'm looking more for the handling performance than the drop and my shocks are about due anyway - so I thought I'd do the springs at the same time. I'm thinking about doing a little bit of autocrossing just for the fun of it.
So if I keep the pads the same will I get much of a drop from Eibach sport springs and Koni sport shocks (or similar combo). Earlier post had a good idea on the AMG springs but they're a bit more and not sure about the sport shock combo'd with them?

 

i would get koni shocks and change spring to HR sport and not progressive sport springs
i changed mine to #1 pad all around from e class and i got progressive HR sport and koni shocks, but again u are not looking for that low rider look due to ur driveway.

 

Thanks
So the progressive spring gives you more of a drop, makes sense. Think the Koni sport shock will work well with the sport (non-progressive) H&R springs?

 

yeah bro u ll be fine. just keep your stock pad and get the shocks and regular sport hr (i got them from tirerack
). progressive ll slamme your car

 

The thing is, if you are only looking for 1/2" drop, any after-market spring will give you more than that even with the stock pads.

 

Haven't heard of anyone doing this...but maybe you can use #5 pads and H&Rs? The drop would be close to 1/2" if you have factory pads right now.

 

i somehow agree with u but he is looking for better suspension... but with regular lowering spring should be fine

 

He will be hard pressed to find a better suspension, because the minimum drop he will get is an 1" with H&R or Eibach.

 

I was just thinking about something... Do a search for Euro spec CLK55 AMG springs or send a PM to Chappy, I think he had a set.

 

First of all you guys are great, thankyou.
I looked at the H&R OE sport spring that drops the car around .25 to .75 but it seems they are not available for Mercedes.
So maybe the CLK55 springs are my last hope. I here they give only a slight drop and stiffen things up a bit. Not sure if it's only the fronts that are different from the 430 - I can ask the dealer. Also not sure if I should stick to a HD shock instead of sport with these springs. Do the sport shocks have to have more of a drop to work well with the spring?
I could be happy with CLK55 springs and sport Koni or Bielstein shocks.

 

Euro CLK55 springs:
Front: A 210 321 32 04
Rear: A 208 324 02 04
The fronts are W210 springs and available at the dealer for $89 per side. The rears do not show as a part per the dealer EPC. They'll have to be ordered through a non-US supplier.

2103213204 is OE CLK55 front spring. 2083240204 used to be the part number for the CLK55 rear spring. I think it's been replaced by either 2083240104 or 2083240304.

Chappy's OE CLK55 springs are currently happily residing on the west coast with a certain silver CLK430 owner

 

Thanks for the great info, I probably take this route. Would you run a HD Bielstein shock with these?

Does anybody know the standard OEM pad thickness for the 430?
The other option mentioned was a thicker pad with a sport spring. That could also be a stiffer setup with only a little drop.

 

the #1 pads are the thinnest ones? if not then which one's are?

 

#1 is the thinnest pad or you can run no pads which some people have done.

 

do you no whats the difference between the stock pads and #1's? meaning size wise? like i have the stock pads with H&R's, if i were to go with #1 pads how much lower will it get? and without pads will it make weird noises? cause thats what ive been hearing?

 

im running my front right side with no pad and NO noise at all

 

So is the stock pad a #5??

 

There is no universal 'stock pad'. Mercedes-Benz makes pads in these sizes: 5, 9, 13, 17, and 21 mm and they designate them in their part #'s by numbering them 1 (thinnest), 2, 3, 4, and 5 (thickest). The pads installed on a particular car are based on the equipment that came with that car. For example, a fully equipped 2002 CLK430 convertible probably has a different spring pad than a base 1998 CLK320 coupe. You can reach in and feel the number of bumps on the pad to determine which one your car currently has. The number of bumps will match the pad number.

Front:
210-321-01-84 5mm
210-321-02-84 9mm
210-321-03-84 13mm
210-321-04-84 17mm
210-321-05-84 21mm

Rear:
210-325-01-84 5mm
210-325-02-84 9mm
210-325-03-84 13mm
210-325-04-84 17mm
210-325-05-84 21mm

I hope that helps.

 

u got to make sure u ask for #1 FROM E CLASS and not from clk even though u have CLK.

 

Great information. One option I was exploring was using thicker pads with the sport springs to control the drop. As mentioned earlier I have clearance issues with my driveway. So I have two options. Use CLK55 springs with HD shocks or use a sport spring (Eibach or H&R) with a sport shock and a thicker pad to keep the drop less than a half inch. I'll look to see what my 2002 ckl430 has for a pad thickness this weekend.
Thanks