pendergast1

Hey guys,
My name is Jonathan, i'm a Clk 320 w208 user (since few months) and i really love it!
But after all the gorgeous pics i saw on this forum, i want to "modify" it to give it a more agressive style!
There's so many pretty Clk on this forum, it's really awesome!
The models i really liked are these ones:






So , this is my car for now :






All is original on my car so you can notice the ridiculous 16" wheels...
I definitly need your help guys:
I plan to put some 19" rims with new tires, maybe new bumper, but do i need any other things ? I mean, do i have to buy new springs or anything else if i want to lower it?

Thanks

Tony Karacic

very nice

A1EK

Nice example !

As you stated there is a world of gorgeous CLK’s out there and it is true to say that from the many photos I’ve seen, I went for a ‘Clean’ aggressive look.

My car was just like yours when I got her and my recommendations would be to start with the wheels and stance. 19’s are lovely, but you can also easily get away with 18’s too with a nice even drop. ! Staggered wheels are my personal liking with the rears pushed out by spacers as far as they can go to beef up the rear end! Eibachs springs or H and R’s are most popular for lowering just do a search, you can also do fine adjustment by altering the spring pads to get it just right.
I simple lip spoiler can be added to the front and trunk to add styling as well.

I’m sure others will give there input.

PS one of the best examples of styling i've seen is 'CLK fan' see photo...

pendergast1

A1EK: you made my day man!
Your clk is wonderful!!
And all modification details are explained under your pic!
How much did you paid for all these modifications?
I'm still deciding about the rim's, many great models, hard to choose

A1EK

Thanks !

I think you cant go wrong if you keep the mods clean and simple.!

(Sorry all prices are in £'s)

Im an engineer so have always found ways to fix and make things myself :
1) My wheels are 18" staggered and I got them with tires for about £600 new.
2) Wheel spacers are about £40
3) Lowering kit was £300 fitted although I have modified this myself especially the rear as you can remove the springs easily .
4) The trunk lip was from ebay £15
5) Front lip I made from polypropylene black sheet and fitted with stainless screws to the bottom of the bumber. (I've also just added a rubber gasket to enhance the look)
6) Painted black grill myself
7) Tinted rear clear brake light myself with spray.
8) Fitted rear parking sensor also. £20 ebay.
9) Flat badges £10 ebay.

So if you focus on the wheels and suspension you could do this for about £900, this will give you the biggest change to your car everything else is a bonus.

pendergast1

Sounds really good!!
So, i'm gonna buy these rims and tires, but for the lip, how do i fix it?
For the brakes i'm about to buy red a "foliatec" kit! (about 25€)
I'm also searching for side skirts, but same problem : oh do i fix it on the car?

babyboigsxr

I agree with A1EK, you can begin with wheels and lowering. Might not be the cheapest of choices, but it will give your car a great look (hoping that you select a tasteful combination). Then from there, you can work on some other performance mods.

Below is a pic of my car right before I sold it. I went from super aggressive to "conservative".



Might be hard to see in the pics, but my rear wheels were past the fenders about 1.5 inches in the rear and 1 inch in the front. Not that you have to go very aggressive, but what you do will allow you to either stand out in a good way, or stand out in a bad way. LoL.

pendergast1

Babyboigsxr : i really love your rims! How much Did you sold your car?
I wanted to Know if i can lower my clk with the original system or do i have to buy new springs?

FinnAussie

That first photo of your looks very familiar

Get yourself AMG bumpers, sideskirts, bigger wheels and drop it....thats all

A1EK

This depends on what your car has been fitted with as they vary between models. You can lower the car to some extent with just the pads on the top of the springs, if your car has the maximum thickness pad no.5 then you can lower it about 10mm or 15mm if you remove it completely. If you only have no.1 pad then you wont notice much difference. You can tell what pad you have by the number of small rubber nipples just visible under the car.

If you are saving costs you could contimplate cutting the spring 1 quarter turn at a time, however this may cause issues with weight in the car as lowering springs are progressivly stiffer when compressed to componsate. The backs are easy to remove as there is only one bolt on the arm. The front is a bit tricker unless you have a spring remover.

Lastly if you do lower, then you must get your alignment done as it will be out.

pendergast1

I talked to my Mercedes specialist, and he told me to buy short springs.
My model is a clk 320 elegance.
The elegance is higher than the avangarde model, so now i have to buy these springs :
http://www.ultratuning.com/ressorts-...lk-w208-p27611
or
http://www.ultratuning.com/ressorts-...lk-w208-p28222
The specialist take me 300€ to put it on the car and do the settings!
What do you think?
For the rims i'm not sure yet:

babyboigsxr

Thanks bro.

I sold my car for $10,000. Upon selling it, the car had 207,9xx miles. The chassis had that many miles. The engine was taken apart a few years back to clean out the sludge and restore basic power (nothing to the effect of port and polishing). Ever since I've owned the car back in January '08, I probably spent more than $19,000 (maintenance, repairs, electrical, AMG brake upgrade, wheels, went through tires like crazy, exterior mods, custom parts, several sets of suspension, etc.). I remember spending $4,000 the first week after i bought the car. It's a lot but it was well worth it. The car ran like new.

I'm sure many other W208 owners here would agree that it would be best to change out your springs. And while you're at it, you might as well change out your shocks too. Chances are... with your car's age and mileage, everything is original. Once you upgrade your springs, shocks, spring pads, sway bars, etc., the difference is like night and day. You won't regret it (except for the part when you realize that the money in your bank account is rapidly decreasing).

My CLK was lowered on the H&R Sports Cup Kit. It's the lowest option available as far as the spring and shock combo. You can also buy the H&R Sport springs along with whatever shocks you choose, but the the drop won't be as low.

Depending on how low you'd like to go, you can choose different spring pads.

dlbehrns

I wish you were here in the states. I have a set of Vogtland springs for a clk320/430 for sale that gives a nice drop but not a slam.

dlbehrns

I think this is thee most elegant looking w208 ever.

babyboigsxr

^ Thank you for the compliment behrns.

A1EK

for the rims im loving the 3rd ones with the deep dish!

Enwoods

interested in springs