KW V1 Suspension and Wheel issues :( anyone else?
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 515
Likes: 11
From: Houston, TX
W209 CLK Renntech Widebody, C140 CL600 V12, AP2 S2000, NSX Twin Turbo, R8 V10
I too was going to buy some kw v2 but with this talk about rubbing and not fitting, what does the forum think about bc racing coilovers , br or er i saw these from a friend that just them on a bmw m3 and they look hella tight with a great price ...$995.00 out the door and installed by ess tuning i believe. also looking for some info on the stance coilovers too.
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 515
Likes: 11
From: Houston, TX
W209 CLK Renntech Widebody, C140 CL600 V12, AP2 S2000, NSX Twin Turbo, R8 V10
Resolved.
Well I got my car sorted out finally. After contacting H&R, Bilstein, Swift, and KW, I could not get the springs I needed anywhere (I tried home offices abroad too) so I broke out the cutting wheel with my friend. Though frowned upon , cutting springs has been common with the primarily young import crowd for a long time (who is more budget conscious). The alternative is heating up springs but that actually is dangerous which weakens them whereas cutting them only results in a shorter spring with higher rate and is a strictly mechanical change. The spring coil itself is cut at some point anyways, usually in the factory but there is not much difference in field cutting it afterwards.
However, I did my due diligence before jumping into this and I consulted with a KW engineer who was very helpful. My foremost concern was that the damper valving would no longer be properly matched to the spring rate, but he said that dampers can easily accommodate spring rate variations of +/- 300lbs. In fact, I know this to be true in practice, because I just installed KW V3 on my NSX with higher rates than the standard kit to mimic the Type R suspension I removed. I cut two coils off my springs at the top and they seat just like before in the OEM top hats which are re-used for german TUV approval. They don't behave any differently or cause any noise so I am VERY happy with the results! Even the ride quality is not at all different, and still very compliant because the CLK uses a progressive spring and the part I removed is at the top where the spring is bigger and has the highest spring rate (meaning it's only compressed under full load as the lower rates give first). Note that you cannot cut off the coils at the bottom because it would not match the spring perch and you would create more fitment problems anyways.
So, my ordeal is done and even though my spring perch is set at the top, I've achieved the lowering results I wanted all while retaining the performance I wanted too. All the money and engineering is in the damper and KW makes some of the best, springs are cheap. KW was nice enough to send me complimentary spring perch replacements btw, though I was hoping for new front springs as well since the powdercoat was taken off mine by the tire. Oh well, it doesn't rust down here and if I ever need to resell it , I can just replace the spring with the same part direct from KW since there is essentially no alternative readily available. I just wanted to make this post so you guys can find solutions too- I think this is the best one.
Now on to the pics, please excuse the filthy car but I wanted to demonstrate the drop.
However, I did my due diligence before jumping into this and I consulted with a KW engineer who was very helpful. My foremost concern was that the damper valving would no longer be properly matched to the spring rate, but he said that dampers can easily accommodate spring rate variations of +/- 300lbs. In fact, I know this to be true in practice, because I just installed KW V3 on my NSX with higher rates than the standard kit to mimic the Type R suspension I removed. I cut two coils off my springs at the top and they seat just like before in the OEM top hats which are re-used for german TUV approval. They don't behave any differently or cause any noise so I am VERY happy with the results! Even the ride quality is not at all different, and still very compliant because the CLK uses a progressive spring and the part I removed is at the top where the spring is bigger and has the highest spring rate (meaning it's only compressed under full load as the lower rates give first). Note that you cannot cut off the coils at the bottom because it would not match the spring perch and you would create more fitment problems anyways.
So, my ordeal is done and even though my spring perch is set at the top, I've achieved the lowering results I wanted all while retaining the performance I wanted too. All the money and engineering is in the damper and KW makes some of the best, springs are cheap. KW was nice enough to send me complimentary spring perch replacements btw, though I was hoping for new front springs as well since the powdercoat was taken off mine by the tire. Oh well, it doesn't rust down here and if I ever need to resell it , I can just replace the spring with the same part direct from KW since there is essentially no alternative readily available. I just wanted to make this post so you guys can find solutions too- I think this is the best one.
Now on to the pics, please excuse the filthy car but I wanted to demonstrate the drop.
Last edited by Nero Tenebre; Apr 26, 2013 at 01:10 PM.
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 515
Likes: 11
From: Houston, TX
W209 CLK Renntech Widebody, C140 CL600 V12, AP2 S2000, NSX Twin Turbo, R8 V10
Nope no problems at all, drives flawlessly with plenty of spring travel still as it was only lowered ~1" with two coils cut off 
I was going to cut off only one coil but I am glad I was advised to cut more because I would not have been happy. It's not getting any lower than that and I'm fine with that, it looks perfect and works perfectly 
Mission accomplished 
I was going to cut off only one coil but I am glad I was advised to cut more because I would not have been happy. It's not getting any lower than that and I'm fine with that, it looks perfect and works perfectly Mission accomplished
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 490
Likes: 8
From: SF Bay Area
2005 C55
Nope no problems at all, drives flawlessly with plenty of spring travel still as it was only lowered ~1" with two coils cut off I was going to cut off only one coil but I am glad I was advised to cut more because I would not have been happy. It's not getting any lower than that and I'm fine with that, it looks perfect and works perfectly Mission accomplished
I was going to cut off only one coil but I am glad I was advised to cut more because I would not have been happy. It's not getting any lower than that and I'm fine with that, it looks perfect and works perfectly Mission accomplished MB World Stories
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Verdad Gallardo
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction
Verdad Gallardo
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping
Verdad Gallardo
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used
Verdad Gallardo
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 62
Likes: 0
2003 CLK 500
So glad you did this! I will be chopping off a coil as well. I actually haven't driven my car in the last few months as I thought about selling them for a different setup and wanted to keep the mileage low.
I just want to close the wheel gap.... Will cutting 1 coil achieve that?
I just want to close the wheel gap.... Will cutting 1 coil achieve that?
Banned
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
180k
Well I got my car sorted out finally. After contacting H&R, Bilstein, Swift, and KW, I could not get the springs I needed anywhere (I tried home offices abroad too) so I broke out the cutting wheel with my friend. Though frowned upon , cutting springs has been common with the primarily young import crowd for a long time (who is more budget conscious). The alternative is heating up springs but that actually is dangerous which weakens them whereas cutting them only results in a shorter spring with higher rate and is a strictly mechanical change. The spring coil itself is cut at some point anyways, usually in the factory but there is not much difference in field cutting it afterwards.
However, I did my due diligence before jumping into this and I consulted with a KW engineer who was very helpful. My foremost concern was that the damper valving would no longer be properly matched to the spring rate, but he said that dampers can easily accommodate spring rate variations of +/- 300lbs. In fact, I know this to be true in practice, because I just installed KW V3 on my NSX with higher rates than the standard kit to mimic the Type R suspension I removed. I cut two coils off my springs at the top and they seat just like before in the OEM top hats which are re-used for german TUV approval. They don't behave any differently or cause any noise so I am VERY happy with the results! Even the ride quality is not at all different, and still very compliant because the CLK uses a progressive spring and the part I removed is at the top where the spring is bigger and has the highest spring rate (meaning it's only compressed under full load as the lower rates give first). Note that you cannot cut off the coils at the bottom because it would not match the spring perch and you would create more fitment problems anyways.
So, my ordeal is done and even though my spring perch is set at the top, I've achieved the lowering results I wanted all while retaining the performance I wanted too. All the money and engineering is in the damper and KW makes some of the best, springs are cheap. KW was nice enough to send me complimentary spring perch replacements btw, though I was hoping for new front springs as well since the powdercoat was taken off mine by the tire. Oh well, it doesn't rust down here and if I ever need to resell it , I can just replace the spring with the same part direct from KW since there is essentially no alternative readily available. I just wanted to make this post so you guys can find solutions too- I think this is the best one.
Now on to the pics, please excuse the filthy car but I wanted to demonstrate the drop.
However, I did my due diligence before jumping into this and I consulted with a KW engineer who was very helpful. My foremost concern was that the damper valving would no longer be properly matched to the spring rate, but he said that dampers can easily accommodate spring rate variations of +/- 300lbs. In fact, I know this to be true in practice, because I just installed KW V3 on my NSX with higher rates than the standard kit to mimic the Type R suspension I removed. I cut two coils off my springs at the top and they seat just like before in the OEM top hats which are re-used for german TUV approval. They don't behave any differently or cause any noise so I am VERY happy with the results! Even the ride quality is not at all different, and still very compliant because the CLK uses a progressive spring and the part I removed is at the top where the spring is bigger and has the highest spring rate (meaning it's only compressed under full load as the lower rates give first). Note that you cannot cut off the coils at the bottom because it would not match the spring perch and you would create more fitment problems anyways.
So, my ordeal is done and even though my spring perch is set at the top, I've achieved the lowering results I wanted all while retaining the performance I wanted too. All the money and engineering is in the damper and KW makes some of the best, springs are cheap. KW was nice enough to send me complimentary spring perch replacements btw, though I was hoping for new front springs as well since the powdercoat was taken off mine by the tire. Oh well, it doesn't rust down here and if I ever need to resell it , I can just replace the spring with the same part direct from KW since there is essentially no alternative readily available. I just wanted to make this post so you guys can find solutions too- I think this is the best one.
Now on to the pics, please excuse the filthy car but I wanted to demonstrate the drop.
You have any pics on the suspension after the cutting of the springs.....Im having this same problem with a set of Vogtland springs we had fitted and the 25mm spacers is pushing thw 19s out beyond the fenders, looking like a tow truck, lol
