TNH

We put my springs and shocks in the front yesterday, and the car was sitting level......I thought these springs would really bring the front end down, but it didn't do much. I don't want to put the springs in the back now because it will be too low compared to the front. What should I do?

Mach430

You only changed the front? Either way you either need to be stock on all 4 corners... The springs will lower more over the next couple weeks. You need to put about 500 miles on the car to completely break them in.

CLK_Ivan

Did you take before/after measurements? What shocks did you install?
Mine went from an unnofficial "4+ finger gap" to a tight 2 finger gap in the front. You can also change the spring pads to get some extra drop.
Post some pics and we'll tell you if it looks right.
BTW, make sure you dont have the cab springs if you've got the coupe.

Also as Ben said, you must change all 4 corners or you're asking for trouble.

hinhin7

IVAN: how can you have a 4+ finger gap with the stock spring. My CLK 430 has about 3 fingers (unless your finger is really skinny).

When you change spring, how long should you wait before you do the alignment.
If after you do the alignment, the spring is still dropping, do I have to re-align them? Alignment costs a lot of money ($180-200), so, I only want to do it as minimum as possible. :-)


Thanks,


Solihin

Mach430

Solihin,

That is a very expensive alignment Wait 500 miles first, and do some hard turning (safely). As for the fingers, it comes down to the factory options (weight) and width of the fingers.

CLK_Ivan

LOL! Yeah my fingers are a little skinny.
Also my front spring pad was a 5 when most I've heard are a 4 in the front.

mmgrad

I agree with Ben and everyone else that you need to put the same type of springs in all corners. if you like and prefer the look of the front being as low as the rear, this is what you can do.

Install all 4 H&R springs, then, check what pads you are using in the front & rear. Then change it where the rear is either +1 or +2 compared to the front (ie., if the front pad is 3 dot, use 4 or 5 dot in the rear).

I had Brabus suspension put in, and put #1 pads all around. The front sits a little higher then the rear, but the car is level. You just see more gap because there needs to be space for the front wheels to turn.

mmgrad

and if you are curious, I had about almost 4 finger spaces in front before lowering, and now its about 1 finger space up front.... and about -1 in the back.

and i think i have pretty normal sized fingers (???)

hinhin7

Thanks Ben...

Danny: as far as I know, the stock fender gap for the front will always be bigger than the rear.


I have bought a set of H&R spring but havent got the time to install them. What I want is that the lowering is the same for the front as supposed for the rear.
So, should I just put the spring on without having to change the pad?

Also, how much is the set of 4 pads?
when you playing around with the pads, how long does it take to change them?

Thanks,

Solihin

Arnee

My car came stock with 4pt/3pt pad setup with the front measuring at "4 finger gaps." After changing the front pads to 1pt (SLK/E class pad), the gap reduced to "2 finger gaps," measuring similar to the rear gap.

mmgrad

hinhin7- the front fender is suppose to be higher, but you can make it level.

for example, my car came with:
stock #4 pads in front, #3 in back
gap is 4 fingers in front, about 2-3 in back

If i change the front pads to...
#1 pads in front and leave the rears with #3
gap in front will be about 3 finger, back will be 2-3

If you want both front and rear to be the same "gap", just play with different size pads.

And, NO, its not easy to install.. The pads sit directly on top of the springs to absorb some of the impact. To remove/install them, you will need to remove the springs using a compressor, change pads, and re-install the springs with a compressor.

If you just want the "gap" to be the same, use #1 pads up front, and #3 in the rear and you'll get pretty comparable gap sizes.

Cost? The pads are bout $6-7 a piece... I bought 4 #1 pads for about $25 from the dealer.

-Danny

hinhin7

Danny: when the front fender gap is bigger than the rear one, isn't the car is level (what i meant is that the car is not squatting forward or leaning backwards).

If I just go with whatever the pad I have now, would the car still be level (same drop front and rear)?


Thanks,

Solihin

mmgrad

in that case, yes, if you want the car to be perfectly 'level', then the front gap will always be a little larger than the rear. I believe, if you measure the height of the fender, the front 'fender' sits about .5" higher than the rear.

yea, you should keep the pads the same, or, if you change them, just make sure the front pads are +1 over the rear pads.

Most lowering springs have a different drop between front and rear (like 1.4 in the front, 1.3 in the back). so, since the drop is going to be 'slightly' different already, just leave the pads the same so it doesn't change all too much.

CLK_Ivan

I actually prefer to use the same size pads all the way around to get the front end down a little bit more for that "raked" look. My front and rear gap are just about the same. Did your Brabus suspension level out the car? Your rear gap is much smaller than mine.

mmgrad

I took note of the height before lowering, and measured it again after lowering. It was 1.5" all around from the top of the fender.

I used #1 pads all around too... lower the better... I think thats why my rear may look a little lower than yours... I acn't even stick my finger between tire and fender... the tire tucks inside the fender a little.

I actually should measure it again since the springs have probably 'settled' a little more by now.

But I love the way the car looks/handles/feels/rides.... never going back to stock height again.

-Danny

Supra

i got so many good idea about the lowering now
thx guys


well , the only thing i concern now is $$$ of the cup kit ^^