Members have indicated that Vogtland Springs seem to have the most comfy ride compared to Eibachs or H & R's. On Chris Pham's recommendation I purchased Vogtlands. I was interested in lowering my 1992 400E to remove the '4X4 look', but to also retain a good ride. I also wanted the car to clear a standard 5.5" high parking curb, so I didn't have to worry about scraping my (newly painted) front air dam. For those of you who want your ride to look "slammed" and as low as possible, this mod is not for you; however, just use the part of the article about the spring compressor and put in the thinnest pads.

The problem with the Vogtlands is that for some reason the front comes out too low. By low I mean that the height of the wheel arch to the ground is less than the diameter of the tire, which is around 24 inches. While the car looked really good, it did not fit MY needs. This article is about how I changed the front spring pads + shimmed the front up so that the car was level again. It now sits about 24.5" from top of wheel arch to the ground, or, my thumb can barely fit between the wheel arch and the tire.

Another benefit I noticed was that as I slowly shimmed the front up, the ride got progressively better. This is no doubt due to the factory shock absorbers' ability to once again work in the range of compression that they are designed to work in. When the car was too low the shocks were WAY stiffer.

WARNING: THIS MODIFICATION IS NOT ENDORSED BY MERCEDES BENZ, OR I. THIS ARTICLE SHOW HOW I DID THIS MOD, AND IS NOT INTENDED TO SUGGEST THAT IT IS SUITABLE, OR EVEN SAFE, FOR YOU. DO YOUR DUE DILIGENCE AND PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Tools:
- special spring compressor for Mercedes, $200
- 19 mm socket, 6" extension, 1/2" rachet
- car jack, 2 jack stands
- electric drill with 3/8" drill bit
- duct tape

Parts:
- M-B spring pads of the 'correct' thickness
- (for Vogtlands only) - 8 1/4" stainless steel bolts, length depends on pad thickness; flat head


Time:

- allow 1 hour per wheel

Skill level:

- low. If I can change a tire, I can do this!

I needed to either rent a special spring compressor for the Mercedes, or buy one. The M-B one is made by Klann and supposedly costs about $1,110. I was able to buy a Klann copy off Ebay that is made in, (where else), China, for $200. I just searched for "Mercedes spring compressor " on Ebay.

Pic #1 shows the spring compressor. The bottom plate slides down the shaft until it stops. Pics #2 & #3 shows how the top plate need to be inserted through the shaft, then rotated 60 degrees to "bite".

 

I first removed the front wheel. Note the pin in the wheel in Pic #1; in case you were wondering what that aluminum rod with the threaded end is for in the tool kit ( I sure did when I bought my car); it's to make taking the wheel off easier!

Pic #2 shows the car on a jack stand, with the jack also as a backup, and the wheel thrown underneath the car as a second backup. As I will be yanking and pulling on the spring, I wanted to make sure of my safety!

Pic #3 shows the (purple) Vogtland spring with the spring pad being the rubber thing at the top. (Note stainless steel braided brake line.)

 

First, I inserted the bottom spring plate as close to the bottom as possible.



Next, I inserted the top plate a few coils from the top.



I then inserted the spring compressor shaft from the bottom, through the hole in the A-arm.



I made sure that the top plate is rotated 60 degrees and engages fully the spring compressor shaft. I used a flashlight to check.



Now I rotated the top plate by hand to as high as possible, until it was touching the spring pad. I had to manually adjust the spring compressor shaft's length to do this.

 

I used my 19 mm socket on an extension and a 1/2" rachet to start shortening the shaft.



Having compressed enough, I simply tilted the spring, with the pad on top, out of its holder.



Here is the pad, removed from the top of the spring; it's just a friction fit.



A view of the pad.



Here's another view of the pad, along with the compressed spring. Note the 4 "bumps" on the edge of the pad, this shows how thick it is (in this case, 23 mm; see below). Pads come in the following thicknesses for the front suspension; there may be other numbers also that work:



M-B Part Number # of Bumps Thickness

201-321-09-84 1 8mm
201-321-10-84 2 13mm
201-321-11-84 3 18mm
201-321-12-84 4 23mm

Please note that since the spring is about halfway down the length of the A-arm, 8 mm pads will translate to probably about a 12 mm increase in height at the wheel. (For you Americans, 25.4 mm = 1 inch.)

A view of the compressed spring, from the top end:

 

Here's where it gets interesting. Even with a 23mm pad I found that it still wasn't high enough. The solution is to place another pad on top, cut down to a "donut" by removing the thin sides with a sharp knife. I found that cutting it first from the inside, then the outside, then trimming the high spots, worked well.

In the end, to achieve the height I wanted, I had to stack a 23mm donut on TOP of the 23 mm spring pad:





However, the problem is that the pad now sits slightly out of its holder, and I was worried that it might pop out:



The solution? Hold it together with duct tape (it's a Canadian solution to everything!)



No, seriously, the duct tape is used to hold the two together while I drill holes to insert the 4 stainless steel bolts:



I started with a small drill bit as a pilot, then gradually worked up to a 3/8" bit even though the bolts are only 1/4" because the rubber moves as I try to drill it. My pics show round head screws but I really should have used flat-head screws. As my pads are 23mm + 23 mm I used 1.75" long bolts.



The unit with all four bolts inserted and duct tape left on, ready to be re-installed in my car.

 

I bet removing the blades from the spring compressor after installing the springs back on was a B@#$@#$...and a PITA...1 hour per wheel is about right !!

 

Before re-inserting the spring, I used my 19mm socket to compress the spring as much as possible:



Getting the spring in position:



I slipped the pad assembly on top of the spring. The pad has side grooves so "screw" the pad a few turns onto the spring:



I carefully released the spring compressor with my rachet:



I released the top plate and pulled out the center shaft:



The finished product (I removed the bottom plate):



I torqued my wheels to 80 ft-pounds with my Snap-On digital torque wrench:



The final height:

 

Actually, no, not at all; the plates come out really easily!

 

this is exactly what i need to do to my car. so the heads of the screws don't make any noise against the metal?

 

Nope, no noise.

 

the noise is what i am afraid of and so i skipped the bolts. You will have the nuts hitting the spring below and the bolt head hitting on top to bare metal

 

Sunman, I bought washers & nuts but ended up not using them - the bolt heads are sufficient to hold'em in place. I sized the bolts so that they are slightly shorter than the thickness of the pads. And, to repeat, no noise, at least not so far. Or maybe it's because I have the stereo cranked up too loud : ).

 

Eric,

you may want to consider using flat pan head screws or bolts. You can counter sink them into the rubber slightly and fill the top of the head with silicone.

 

^^^ and silicone clings to the rubber?

 

Awesome post Eric !!

Mucho thanks, I think I shall attempt it. Provided I can find the spring compressor.

However could you post some pics of your entire car. Both from near and far. UP close to the fenders too, and the wheels turned sideways !!

I know I'm asking a lot. It just seems like it might rub, and plus I want to see how close it comes to the fender.

Thanks !!

 

I don't see how his would rub considering my car is lower and I run 18x8 ET35 215 40 18s with NO rubbing whatsoever.

 

Shhh.....I want pictures !!

 

ohhhhhhh, sorry

 

Why do you have to use 2x23mm spacers?
Surely if you have the correct springs you wouldn't need to?

 

Although vogtland claims the springs are for most 124 cars, I my 400e, the front was waaayyy too low. It would rub every time I turn. I doubled up on the front springs pads with two No. 4 pads. I did not like the way the spring bowed a bit. These springs are definitely comfortable though. I later replaced all my springs with sportline springs and am much happier.

 

i'm just curious, but isn't the reason vogtland's sag more on 400e's is the heavier engine? I don't know, nor did i search, I was just wondering.

 

That's the tricky thing, getting the correct aftermarket springs for our cars. OE springs have point system to determine the exact springs you need, like the number of cylinders, or if you have sunrroof, cruise control, asr, abs, etc.
Vogtland, Eibach, or H & R did not consider these, they'll just specify that it's for a 124 with a drop of 1.5 or 2 inches. It's more of a general application to all 124's regardless of the gross weight of the car.

 

MB does indeed use a points system but it's not true that other suppliers use a 'one size fits all' policy.
H&R, for example, list over a dozen springs for the W124 (choice of 2 for the E320!).
I can't help thinking that if you need to double up on spring pads then the spring is the wrong one.

 

Can post a link for the H&R's. Thanks

 

Couldn't agree more

Doubling the spring pads could create an unsafe condition as the pads may, with time, compress unevenly.