wayfst,

Just noticed in your sig that you have the "smallest spring pad" installed. Where do you get these, and how much does it lower your car? I was thinking of getting H&R's to lower my car, but rather keep the stock setup until I'm ready for the Keemans suspension upgrade....

 

The part numbers for the stock pads were:
front A-210-321-05-84 (21 mm) difficult to figure out how they measure these things rear A-210-325-03-84 (13 mm)

The part numbers for the new/thinner pads I used were:
front A-210-321-02-84 (9 mm, verified by parts guy)
rear A-210-325-01-84 (5 mm, verified by parts guy)

MBZ makes pads in these sizes: 5, 9, 13, 17, and 21 mm and they designate them in their part #'s by numbering them 1 (thinnest), 2, 3, 4, and 5 (thickest). So if you look at the part #'s above that jives (second to the last dash #) with the measured difference in the ones that came off the car (stock ones).

Front:
210-321-01-84 5mm
210-321-02-84 9mm
210-321-03-84 13mm
210-321-04-84 17mm
210-321-05-84 21mm

Rear:
210-325-01-84 5mm
210-325-02-84 9mm
210-325-03-84 13mm
210-325-04-84 17mm
210-325-05-84 21mm

My car is perfectly flat...if there was a 5mm front pad....I wouldn't use it. I measured the pads (stock and new) with a micrometer, and the difference was 14 mm thinner in front, and 8 mm thinner in rear. My car dropped about 3/4" with this change. The reason your car drops more than the spring pad thickness is because the wheels are further out on the suspension "lever" and the spring pads are close to the pivot.....standard physics, if you remember. The spring pads come in front and rear pairs and are very inexpensive....like $4.00/pair. Do it...it's worth it. Your car will handle better and look better. I would get your alignment checked afterwards...they should do that anyway....mine was fine afterwards.

I've attached a pic of another friends CLK55 side by side with mine right after I swapped my pads...his was still stock (mine is the silver one). It's easy to see the lowering difference by looking at the door locks or the tops of our doors.

 

this was the front driver's side...

 

a nice sunny day.....

 

Thanks! Great info!

mike

 

Wayfst,

Just installed these...but I don't notice a difference in the rear. The fronts are lower, but the rear hasn't moved at all! Will it settle more as time goes on?

mike

 

Mike,

Did the rear settle more after time?

Which size did you go with?

Steve

 

Dropped a little. The front definately dropped...about 1/4''. The rears dropped VERY little...but not noticiable.

I used the following:
front A-210-321-02-84
rear A-210-325-01-84

I"ll be getting my new 19'' wheels in soon. If I don't like the way it looks, I'll be buy Brabus lowering springs....

 

Thanks for the quick response. What size did you have in the rear prior to installing the 5mm pads?

 

Don't have the info w/ me. When I get home I'll check the part no. on the pads and let you know.

mike

 

wayfst - A while back, I found a picture of your front coil compressed, showing the top of the coil with the spring pad. From the photo, it looks like you used external spring compressors. Were you able to get the coil out? Or did you just use them to get the thinner spring pads in? Also, did you use the external compressors on the rear springs?

Thanks,

rob lee