Ron in SC

I've not been able to find heavy duty Bilsteins for my 1992 300E. The Bilstein website does not list any heavy duty shocks for this car. Only Comfort, front V36-4050 and B36-1388 rear.

Are any other brands of shock available that are high quality and heavy duty?

YNVDIZW124

look on ebay!

NorCal124

If you're not lowering it, try KYB. I did some research on it and they're good shocks as long as they're not on lowered applications.

CDP

Agreed, when I was looking for shocks, I saw a bunch of Bilstein HD's

YNVDIZW124

I was going to buy the KYB ones but my car is lowered! DAMN!

Ron in SC

For those of you that installed heavy duty Bilsteins on your 1992, what were your part numbers. Since the numbers I indicated above, which came from the Bilstein website, are for the comfort shocks.

AMG_Fred

why you guys getting sport shocks? not like were gonna be cornering at 60 mph... well at least i don't.. how much better are the comfort shocks opposed to the stock ones??

CDP

It would be rather pointless for me to not get sport shocks with my lowering springs. Perhaps I do corner at 60! Just kidding...I only done 40ish...I bet I could go more with better tires.

AMG_Fred

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33590

they are at 430 right now. nothing wrong with my suspension except squeaking at drivers rear side

YNVDIZW124

I've done 65 on a 35 right here on the 6th street exit in long beach with WTF knows shocks (probably stock from 1986) and eibach springs. My suspension is sqeaking on all fours!! I need to change all the bushing in my suspension. What i think im going to do is just to go with cheap *** gabriel shocks all around for now till i get money and go with some koni shocks, 500e sway bar, sportline rear sway bar and sportline bushings.

Ron in SC

I asked that seller for the part numbers of the shocks he is selling. As of of now I have not received a response. He says they are Heavy Duty, whether they are or not I have no idea until he gives me the part numbers.

I post his response if and when I get a response.

Edited:
That ebay seller got a negative feedback on Bilstein Heavy duty shocks he advertised as follows:

BILSTEIN...The world leader in gas pressure shock absorber technology, brings you WORLD CLASS PERFORMANCE. This is a set of 4 BRAND NEW in the box Bilstein HEAVY DUTY shocks , 2 front , 2 rear , to fit 1995 to 1999 Chevrolet Tahoe 4WD or GMC Yukon 4WD , and 1998 to 1999 GMC Denali 4WD . These shocks will transform your SUV into an awesome handling and smoother riding machine. Day and night difference over stock. Shipping is $29 in the lower 48 states.

Here is what the buyer had to say. "Claims Night & Day difference between stock. These are the Chevy stock shocks"

I have a feeling the shocks, if they are Bilsteins, are not Heavy Duty but just the Comfort models which are listed on the Bilstein website.

Ron in SC

The seller provided me with the parts numbers, which are V36-0365 and B36-1460. According to the Bilstein website they are not Heavy Duty Shocks and they only fit 83-91 cars, not my 1992.

The shocks are listed as SP and are recommended for cars that have shorter springs.

ksing44

FastLane at M e r c e d e s S h o p . c o m definitely has them listed for your car and they have a great price.

FastLane

I purchased my Bilstein HDs from Alleuro.com, before I knew about FastLane. I just checked their website and I didn't find my part numbers, but I bet they can help you if you call them. When I called, the guy on the phone was very knowledgeable about all of the Bilstein shocks. I ended up with the Bilstein HD shocks and I am happy with them.Don't get some other wacky shocks. Almost everyone agrees that Bilsteins are the best shocks. Koni shocks may be comparable in quality and they are adjustable, but I think Bilsteins are the king for the W124.

For my 1995 E320, I had this written in my records, but I checked another website and I may have the numbers switched for Comfort and Sport.
Another website from Bilstein's website
Comfort
Front V36-0365
Rear B36-1470

Heavy Duty
Front V36-0361 $116.33 x2
Rear B36-1385 $72.00 x2 + $14.00 shipping

Sport
Front V36-4050
Rear B36-1388

Here is a link to AllEuro.
AllEuro.com

I bet PerformanceProducts also has them, although they only show the Sports.
PerformanceProducts4Benz.com

Zoom

Ron in SC

I spoke with Phil at Fastlane yesterday and said he needed to do some checking and that he would get back to me on Monday. It seems that maybe Bilstein does not make the Heavy Duty shocks for the 1992 300E for some reason.

ksing44

Comforts are like OEM

Heavy Duty is firmer than OEM, but has the same travel as OEM

Sports are similar in firmness to the HD, but they have a shorter travel for a lowered suspension.

Both the HD and Sport shocks are valved in such a way that they can control the increased spring rates of lowering springs, although Sport shocks should definitely be used with springs that reduce the ride height by more than an inch. Some of us choose to combine the HD shocks with lowering springs that only lower the car by a little bit. For example, the Eibach springs only reduce the ride height by about 1-inch or maybe 1.25 inches, so it is OK to use the HD shocks.

Note that there are reports that the HD shocks may increase the ride height on a car when you replace old worn shocks. It is hard to say if they simply return the car to the original height, or if they actually raise the car. Just be aware that your car may sit just a bit higher when you switch to the HD shock. In addition, the HD shocks will tighten up the ride a bit. You may love this, or you may not.

With any modification that increases handling, there is usually some degradation in ride comfort. It happens with bigger wheels and the lower profile tires, it happens with lowering springs, and it happens with firmer shocks. Adding bigger swaybars may be the only performance modification of the suspension that does not degrade ride comfort.

A nice intermediate improvement in handling can be achieved by adding firmer HD shocks, bigger swaybars, and a +1 wheel size. This combination improves handling, but doesn't do as much to ruin your wonderful comfortable ride. It will be firmer, but it shouldn't be terrible. In fact, you may absolutely love it. You can also reduce the size of the spring pads for a very subtle lowering that should not cause much trouble with the alignment.

I took what I thought was an intermediate approach to modifying my suspension. I went with Eibach ProKit springs that are advertised to be comfortable and lower the car by only about an inch. I also went with Bilstein HD shocks, and (+1) 16" x 7.5" ET37 AMG wheels. I am very happy with the improved handling and I have learned to love the firmer ride. I also love the slightly lower stance. I did have some issues getting the camber adjusted to within specifications, even though my car is only about 1-inch lower. I simply added K-MAC bushings and now my camber can be adjusted to within specifications. It isn't a problem now, but it was trial and error to get it figured out.

Zoom Zoom

ksing44

I think you are on the right track with Phil, but these guys seem to think you can use HDs on the 1992. Besides, I thought a lot of things were interchangeable on all W124 models.

Another website from Bilstein's website

Ron in SC

What I want is to firm up the suspension on this car. I've always installed heavy duty Bilsteins in my MB's cars when they were due for new shocks.

Frankly the car is very loose if I try to drive it in a spirited manner. For instance entering an interstate on ramp that is quite curvy can be interesting. While I'm not interested in getting it to handle like my Porsche which has been lowered and has an adjustable H&R coilerover suspension; I would like to improve it a little.

Part of my problem is if I get into the 300E or any of my other cars after I've driven my Porsche they seem horribly loose, have way to much body lean, and feel very unconnected to the road.

ksing44

Nothing may ever feel as good as your Porsche, but the HD shocks should help. My 1995 E320 was too floaty for my tastes, when it was stock. On winding backcountry roads, I just didn't feel secure floating around. Now I can let it rip with confidence. I bet HD shocks and big swaybars would go a long way to make your Benz a very confident handling machine. Not a Porsche of course, but certainly very confidence inspiring.

That is my favorite Porsche body style. It still looks enough like the old 911, but it is just a bit smoother and modern looking. I don't love the newest iteration, but I absolutely love yours. I looked at a 1995 Porsche when I was looking for my car. I loved it, but I needed a car that could carry my family. The Porsche just wasn't practical for me at that time. Maybe someday I can be like you and have my E320 and a Porsche.

Ron in SC

I have emailed the last website you mentioned to ask about fitment of the Heavy Duty shocks on my 1992. I know the Bilstein website shows they are only for 83-91 but maybe they would work on my 92 also. I would have liked to email Bilstein but I could not find an email address only a phone number. I want something in writing that says they will fit before I buy them.

You're right on as far as the Porsche not being practical, nor is as comfortable as a MB. I definately agree with you on the looks or the older Porsches too. I don't want to say anything bad about the 996 and now the 997's because everybody like different things, but for me the 993 C2S was the only way to go.

EKL

Get the Boge/Germany Shock Absorber, I think they are OEM. You can find them on: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...category=33590

ashman

this might be at least a start to help you in deciding on your suspension

http://www.mercedesshop.com/sportline_suspension.htm

I have ridden in a 300E witht his setup, in fact the exact 300e from the article, and it rode fantastic, smooth, yet the handling felt good.

You should definately try to get a ride in a sportline model then decide.

If it was me, I would go for H&R Springs and bilstein sport shocks....

I would assume there should be no difference between shocks for a 1991 model and shocks for a 1992 model.

My lowering springs were said to be for a 4 door, but guess what they are the same for a coupe as I found out when at my mechanic.

I need to do my shocks soon, I'll be doing bilstein sports. because my car is lower.

AshMan

ksing44

I wasn't content to go with the Sportline modification, because it seemed quite expensive and in the photos it didn't look like it would lower the car much at all. I think it is true that too much lowering creates issues with negative camber, but you can fix that with adjustable camber arms or the K-MAC eccentric bushings. For me, the problem was that my car was just too darn high when it was stock. Even with only the +1 wheel and tire combination, my car looked like it was on stilts or that it was ready for the Baja. I think that if the Sportline modification lowered the car, then it would have had to include some kind of camber adjustment. Since Mercedes chose not to allow for rear camber adjustment, I think it is safe to assume that the Sportline isn't much lower than a normal suspension. I wasn't looking to slam my car or anything. I just wanted to get rid of the 4x4 appearance.

I chose the Eibach springs, because I read that the Eibach springs were a bit more comfortable than the H&R springs and I knew that AMG had used Eibach for some of their parts. They may have also used H&R, however, so H&R is certainly also a good choice. There are some guys on the forums saying great things about Vogtland springs. They claim that the Vogtlands are comfortable like Eibach and that the springs defy the laws of trigonometry by not affecting the rear camber even though they significantly reduce the ride height. This may be one of those things that sounds too good to be true, but I did check some reviews for Vogtland and they do sound like very good springs.

If you don't want to tempt fate with lowering, then I honestly think the best thing to do is to just get the Bilstein HD shocks and big swaybars. I bet the car would handle very well with very little degradation in ride comfort. It also wouldn't cost much to just change the shocks and the swaybars. You could also reduce the spring pads for some very subtle lowering. I think shocks and swaybars would go a long way to making the car handle like a Sportline. Changing to a +1 or +2 wheel and tire combination would also help the handling and even professional car reviewers have commented that the stock wheels were a little small. Finally, when your car needs bushings, you can simply replace things with Sportline parts.

A little lower is cool