Does lowering the car harm the ride/car? I'm thinking about lowering my 99 320 and I was wondering if its going to harm the car or make the ride very bumpy feeling? What are the best brands to get? I have staggered 18" lorinser LM5 chrome, AMG body kit, lorinser roof wing, CL bi-xenon custom lights, side mirror lights, Eclipse AVN2454. Thanks for any feedback.

 

Lowering isnt going to cause any big probs w/18" wheels. It will firm up the ride depending on what shocks you get. When i lower mine i want to do it with Koni shocks and renntech springs, or H&R springs if i'm tight on cash. You will feel some more bumps in the road but you also wont lift on the inside of your turns at high speeds. My question tho is will it make the squeaky interior worse? It seems to becaused by the car shaking and if you have a firmer ride it would seem like it would shake whatever is squeaking.

 

because your in queens NYC I would tell you not to lower the car. I speak from experience. I used to have H&R and it definitely firms up the ride. Every bump that you feel now is going to make rattles alot more apparant. You also bottom out backing out of driveways and the roads really just arent good in NYC for lowering a car. I would reccomend if you really want to lower your car dont go H&R as its way too low for driving in the city and it makes the ride uncomfortable.

 

It is definitely going to make the car bumpier and noisier. And yes, more squeaks and untraceable interior noises.
My pregnant wife complains of worsening morning sickness everytime she sat in the car.
But with the fat tires, the road-holding is awesome!

 

Well considering that the ride was never that smooth in my CLK from the day I bought it new, the ride wasn't noticeably impacted when I lowered it. What made a noticeable difference was the 19" wheels.

 

Papi,

How did you hook up your cl lights? My friend has a set but we weren't sure if they would work.


Thanks,

Kevin

 

You have to remember that your in California. Here in NYC and its surrounding area we have roads that arent quite as good and 19" wheels and their rubber (when low profile) dont really survive well here thanks to our potholes and rough city roads.

I do agree the w208 isnt exactly smooth, but smooth enough for driving in NY. When my car was lowered i loved it on the highway, but I was embarrased to take people in it through the city cause it was so loud over every bump and occasionally when dips and potholes were unavoidable id scrape the bumper.

 

I'm from NYC and there is no way I'd ever consider putting 19"s on a CLK in Manhattan. You can lower your car a bit, but 18"s are even asking for trouble. I love Manhattan, butI defintely don't miss the roads or the crazy taxis and pedestrians.

 

I have a friend with an s4 and 18"s hes been fine with some pirelli rubber. I think 45 profile in the front and 40 in the rear is really the cutoff for safe riding here.

 

Lowering a car doesn't hurt the car at all. If will change the ride, performance, and handling of the car substantially. You'll reduce dive, squat and roll, all which can make for a safer handling car. Lowering the height can also improve the appearance by reducing the unsightly wheel gap.

Just how the ride is affected depends on several things, the springs, shocks, and ride height all help to determine the eventual ride comfort you get. A well matched spring/shok combination can actually improve the comfort of the car over the stock setup.

We offer numerous options for springs and shocks, visit our website or email us if you have questions.

 

Lowering it in NY will hurt it as you will unavoidably bottom out and take huge potholes and bumps.