blackbenzz

I have the H&R cup kit on my CLK430 but it sits very low in the front. I LOVE the way it handles though. I was wondering if anyone had it on their 55. Since the 55 engine is heavier than the 430 i'm pretty sure it would sit even lower (especially with the added weight of the s/c on mine). I wouldnt want to buy the cup kit to find that my car will be sitting on the floor! Any help fella's?

dimit

Where do you even find a cup kit, it doesn't even have listed as available on H&R's website for a clk55??

blackbenzz

Thats cuz they only make the cup kit for the 320 for some reason. Thats why the front is really low on my 430.

rsr911

Blackbenzz

Your car is set up with Leo's Kleeman package I would not mess with it if I were you. Those guys know a lot about our cars and setting them up correctly. Kleeman has spent BIG $$$ developing their products. That is why it is so good and works so well. Just my .02. Not flaming you just suggesting.

See you in Atlanta. Can't wait to see your new car.

Owen

blackbenzz

It feels too soft if you ask me. I have the cup kit on the CLK430 and it handles WAY better than the 55 with the Kleemann setup. All Kleemann does is change the springs and I think they use H&R anyway. I'm not sure if i'm going to Atlanta anymore, nobody else wants to drive down and I dont see a point of going if I dont have a car with me.

rsr911

NOOOOO!!!!!! you have to come down. It is going to be a blast!!!!
You are not going to bring the new BEAST? What about your 430?
It does not have to be an AMG. We'll let you come and play

You have to come!!! I'm driving down alone from Elkhart Indiana. Its at least 12 hrs.

By the way I bought Leonardo's euro springs and have them installed already.
I cant figure out how to post pics.

Owen

hellcat

You should be able to make it in closer to 10.5 I would think. Mapquest says 11 hours.

Learso

Hey Blackbenz,

Hope you are enjoying the car and that all is going well. I have been away and just got back in the country. Like RS said, I would not mess with it if I were you. Stiffer and lower suspension could cause this to stress and break. The car has it's limitation and I think you are pretty darn close to them. Remember that this car was not designed like say a 911 or to be a street racer. If you want to go the street racer route I would consider doing an entire conversion and stripping the car down of all it's luxuries, insulation, excess weight, and throw in a roll cage. But I loved the car's classy and timeless profile and elegant and mature look, compare to the racier M3, and think the W208 CLK55 would be best enjoyed as such.


L.

rsr911

I'll let you know when I see you there in Atlanta.

blackbenzz

Lovin the car! Thanks again for everything. Hows the family? Did you ever get the ML63 or CLS55? I drive it maybe once or twice a week but it always puts a smile on my face. I'm not going to turn it into a street racer, its just a little scary when I went from the handling of my other clk to this one. Its VERY different. I would just like more control over the car so I dont feel like I'm going to fly off the road. I wont strip it down or put a roll cage in it because that defeats the purpose. Its the ultimate sleeper (I'm thinking about debadging it too)! Eventually I plan on putting the Brembo GT BBK on and getting some rims. Some of the victims so far: C6 vette, M3's, S4's, C32, new M5, and a 996TT. Gonna try to get some drag radials on the car today and hit the track tomorrow (have the track rented but there is a 40% chance of rain in the morning ). As you know, traction is a BIG problem for this car and I'm hoping D/R's can fix that.

Ghostrider

KW now makes a coilover suspension for the W208 CLKs.

blackbenzz

Does anyone have this? I gotta find out if they make it for the CLK55 because my friend has the KW v.2 on his C32 and he loves it! Coilovers are WAY better than shocks and springs.

Pre-emptive

I was also interested in the KW variant 2 but found out that those are not true coilover. Springs do not go into the shocks. They are just height adjustable springs ( very high spring rate at 500/700 lb/in ) and rebound adjustable shocks. Although not true coilovers it should still be a very nice setup for street and race applicaton. You can find some installed pictures from the link.

http://www.kw-gmbh.de/kw_upload/Einbau/eah68625008.pdf

D2 racing also makes a coilover kit for W208 for less than $1500. Rebound adjustable only.

I am testing the Bilstein sport / Lorinser springs combo which is similar to the your CLK55K setup, so I know what you feel. I am still considering the KW and the Kleemann. Let me know which route you are going to take.

blackbenzz

Thanks for the info. I would think D2 racing knows what they're doing in terms of suspension setups. I would like to look into that a little more before I make a final decision. I will put the current kleemann suspension through some twisties and see if I can live with it. I'll let you know what I decide to do. Oh and congrats on the kleemann s/c, I never knew you got one! Did you ever find a BBK?

Pre-emptive

Yup, I bought a set of Stoptech 4 wheel BBK. They are currently on backorder. I should receive them in 3 weeks.

Congrats on the new ride. That's truly a supercar. I hope you find the right suspension for it.

rsr911

I want to hear about your BBK from Stoptech. I almost went with them for my WRX and got a better deal from Wilwood. I was very happy with the Wilwoods. They dont offer a set for our CLK55s.

What wheels are you running and what will fit and clear the calipers?

Owen

Pre-emptive

Stoptech makes a 355/328mm 4 wheel BBK for W208 CLK55. I have 19" Carlsson 2/5s. According to my tuner, stoptech requires less clearance than brembo. Here is the fitment guide.

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wheel_fitment.shtml

I can give you more feedback after I have the kit installed.