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Hi everybody,
Let me introduce myself : 40 y/o Fench citizen, living in the UK, owner of a CLK 500 Avantgarde Black MY 2004 Mileage 80K.
I will post pictures later.
I have a question : my car is currently fitted with standard suspensions.
This looks rubbish because of big gaps bewteen wheel arches and tyres (recently upgraded the wheels to genuine 18" AMG from the 55 AMG) especially at the front.
Besides, though the ride is quite comfy, it feels rather mprecise : I must admit that I am used to the fantastic Eibach + Bilstein B12 Kit on my beloved Alfa Romeo GTV 3.0 24V (my other baby).
I would like to get firmer and lower ride than today, but nothing as extreme as B12 Bilstein kit.
I was wondering whether simply fitting a standard Merc sport suspension option kit was feasible? If so, what do I need to change? Springs only?
Oh VIN# of the car (if that helps) : WDB2093752F088894 2
You seem to be an Eibach fan. My car came with the sport suspension, and I found it to be not precise or quick enough. Not to mention the ride height.
I'm not an expert but I think you're heading for after market springs, struts, and maybe sway bars. I used H&R sport springs (1.5 and 1.4 inches lower) and sway bars, along with Bilstein B8 struts and shocks.
I did these changes over 2-3 years and could witness the difference/improvement (IMO) with each.
Ride quality is not
as good as before. The legendary "Merc comfort" is gone, but it is not that stiff though. It is more or less an M3 type ride now.
However, the car is more precise on the motorway, handles far better at low speed for instance on roundabounts (Changed the dampers top mounts too).
I have got more oversteer too what is funny.
I am happy!
How its the ride on yours (incredible wheels by the way)?
Last edited by san-antonio; 01-17-2015 at 04:05 AM.
What's weird is I have an imported USA 2004 clk320 without "appearance package" and I'm running on stock suspension and 19" rims that look a lot like yours, but I don't have that extra ride height, I always thought maybe the offset plays a part. but that gap is huge on your car(before you changed shocks)! I wonder what causes that? maybe "USA" Model shocks are lower
BTW great choice of rims! I always viewed AMG IV rims fit our cars best!
Thanks.
I initially lowered mine and used the OE shocks. Incredibly responsive and precise steering, but the ride comfort suffered greatly.... but I loved it. The OE shocks finally bottomed out and there was no absorbing of even pebbles.
I replaced the OE shocks with Bilstein B8s, which did not settle out until after about 200-300 miles of driving. There seemed to be a lag in responsiveness and my rather low muffler touched the street a couple times (under extreme conditions... ).
After that "break-in" period the Bilsteins have been great. The responsiveness and precision is very near where it was while I was riding on the OE shocks (before they bottomed), and the ride is a couple notches less than what I remember of stock. I really hated that "floating" feeling with the OE setup when pushing the car hard.
I really like my current setup, although I think coilovers would have been more ideal. If I could, I would raise my ride height .1" to .2".
12-14-2014, 06:12 PM
