Well, I was considering going a different direction, but I have decided to drop some cashishe into the E420 and make it the car I really want to drive every day. having said that, I realize I have some questions regarding parts compatibility as well as sourcing, so I am hoping those of you in'the-know will help me out. Here goes:

My car currently sports 17 X 8 (et 35) split spoke wheels with 235-45 R17 Falken Ziex ZE512 tires at all four corners (plus the spare). I like the rims well enough that for now I plan to keep running them. but, the car is sitting on box-stock suspension to the best of my knowledge.

The car needs tires, brakes and front shocks RIGHT NOW, so I figure it's a good time to have a little fun. Originally, I wanted to run coil-over's so I could dial in the ride height, but after much searching it seems there is not a compatible coil-over setup that will work with W124's. If I have that wrong, please let me know.

So, my shopping list is preliminarily shaping up like this:

Tires:

The Falkens are good, albeit pretty soft...is there a better tire?

Brakes:

Cross drilled or slotted rotors (still debating this but they would look cool)
Brake pads (probably stock to accomodate the wear indicator sensors)
Stainless Steel braided brake lines

Suspension: (I welcome all suggestions here for the right setup)

Shocks: Bilstein Sport
Springs: H & R or Eibach or Voughtland??? (Chris?)
spring pads (I am thinking #2's, as Phoenix roads are not the smoothest)

Chassis: (again, suggestions welcomed)

E500 or Sportline swaybars, front and rear
AMG fender spacers (I think I have to have these based on my rim/tire size?)

That will complete the first leg of the trip. Up after that will be the diff swap (Thanks Eliot), a body kit (this probably has me the most skeptical and confused) and a respray of the current color. I would love to do something with the exhaust too, but I have not really looked into what can or cannot be done to help performance or sound without turning the car into someting I do not want.

Lastly, just like many of you, my map pockets are shedding their vinyl. They are in perfect shape otherwise. So, I may try to fix them ( I have seen some how-to post on this) or buy new ones if there is a source for them and they wear better than the originals. Which by the way, is a perfect segway for my last question of this post: Where is the best place to locate and purchase these various items? I have bought stuff previously from Bekkers, Performance Products and MB, but if you guys know of better places (based on price or availability) please let me know.

As always, I tip a cap t0 those of you who have blazed this trail already and appreciate any help I can get as to not screw it up or spend money foolishly.

Thanks in advance!

 

Don't take what I say too seriously because I have not done this but rather have read up on it. Good luck and love your w124!

 

oh and use the search feature. Many of these topics have been discussed in depth already.

 

Thanks for the feedback and the heads up. BTW: I have searched many of these topics, and to be honest, many times nothing definitive is said...just lots of opinions and guys bagging on other guys for their choices. Also, there is lots of 300E talk, but little 400E or E420 stuff, so I figured it might get someone to offer a different perspective if they had a V8 car. My hope was to try and get one post that tied many of these issues together so not only do I get some good feedback, but in the future, when others search, they find this thread and maybe get several questions answered at one time. Sort of a FAQ on the topic. Just a thought.

 

So, you're keeping the car Shannon?

Anyways, you're right about a coilover system not being available for our cars. I wish there was a set up out there however.

Falken's are REALLY good daily driving tires. IMO, I had them and liked them each and everytime. Perhaps you can step up to the Azenis model or switch over to Toyo T1R's which is what I plan on doing when I need to change out my tires soon.

Suspension: I would go with the Bilstein & Vogtland set up for our cars. They are V8 springs and H&R V8 springs are NLA. Plus, the drop is soooo perfect on my car especially being on #1's and I don't rub whatsoever or run into any problems. If you want to see close up pictures of what my 17" with 215/45 & 225/17" set up looks like with the Bilstein & Vogtlands let me know. I don't know how many kits my friend has left but I'll call him and reserve a set for you. After they are all sold - no one will be able to get them anymore. Unless they get Vogtland to custom make another batch of sets.

Go with E500 sway bars all around. One of the best mods I did to my E420. I might have a extra set of AMG Fender spacers laying around - I'll let you know if I do. Nice choice on the diff swap - I want to do that as well but thats wayyyy later down the line. If you're still having mixed feelings about the exhaust - Wait until I get a custom set up done on my car and see if you like it.

Anyways, when you're ready to buy a few suspension products - let me know and I'll see how much my friend can get you a set.

Good luck!

 

Tactful comeback! haha

If youre going to get rotors, DEFINITELY do an upgraded set up all together. Once you do all that chassis work youre gong to be real disappointed if you don't. Apparently c32 calipers take the least modification to fit for how much improvement you get. You can do the whole set up for around $500 pending you find a good used set. Trust me, its a reallly good investment especially on a 420. Oh, and skip the braided steel lines. Absolutely no performance increase.

 

C32 would a nice choice but does take a lot of modification. Not many people will be able to get their hands on a exact 345MM MB Caliper like I did. I lucked out and was able to use CL500 rear pistion of the front caliper so I can avoid trimming down the steering knuckle.

Most people will have to trim the steering knuckle a tad bit and running the brake lines is a B!TCH! Basically all you need is the right adapter though however.

You can find a used set for around $500-600 or you can buy a new set for roughly $900 and up.

 

Yeah Chris, my mind was more or less made up for me...: I'll be keeping the E420 for the time being.

Now THIS is the exact kind of feedback I was hoping for! THANK YOU ALL for not flaming a guy trying to get ahead of the power curve, and giving me some straight info. Chris, I am literally days away from being ready to pull the trigger on suspension parts, so please PM a number I can call you at and a good time to call and I'll blow you up to discuss.

I'll skip the braided lines thanks to you guys, and see what I can do about sourcing a good, used brake upgrade. Worst case, those can wait until I get the diff. and I can slap OEM brake stuff into it for now. My stock rotors are waisted, and the pads are just about gone too, so some sort of brake job is a priority. Tires as well. I'll check out the Falken's you suggest and a few others as I have a hook-up for treads.

 

No Problem Shannon. I emailed you my number since I no longer have PM'ing capabilities due to my probation here on MBworld. HAHA

Anyways, Can't wait to see how your car turns out. Don't worry about not getting the car we discussed through Emails. Another nice one will turn up.

If you want to get performance brake pads - Try investing into Porterfield R4-S pads. They have a mean bite to them and are REALLY good. I plan on buying a set when I do the typcial brake and rotor job soon.

 

Oh yeah, I ran Porterfields on my '66 Mustang coupe when I did the disk brake conversion.....they are simply awesome, but can be a BIT LOUD.

If I cannot find the right brake upgrade scenario, do you guys recommend maybe running Powerslot or EBC drilled rotors with EBC green pads? I have had great luck in the past on my bikes with EBC, but have never run an auto application.

I have another question that maybe you Chris or Eliot can best answer: If you go for a pretty low drop via the H&R or Voughtland springs coupled with Bilstein or Koni Sport shocks, is camber correction necessary to keep the tires flat through the stroke of the suspension? If yes, can it be avoided by maybe running slightly more spring pad? I love the look of a drop with #1 pads, but am worried about ride quality really suffering as well as rubbing on my 225-45 R17's (future size from my current 235-45 R17) and would be willing to let it sit a bit higher to keep the ride with no rub.

Lastly, has anyone here ever run Dunlop Sport Maxx treads?

As always, thanks again...in advance.

 

Well first congrats on being able to own one of the most fun to drive car I have ever owned!! The first thing I did on Bigblue was to order set of 500 E sway bars. I went with the KYB front and rear shocks. They are a bit stiff but I like the tight feel it gives me. I went to a indie shop in Asheville NC to install. I could have installed the front bar ok but the rear one is a bugger!! You have to drop down the whole rear suspension to install. As for brakes I just went down to my local Advance Auto and ordered up a set of Beck Arnley pads . They have the sensor holes already drilled and are no dusters and give me good braking! Still has the stock rotors as they seem to be doing the job for my kind of driving. If your gonna hot rod it , ya you may want diff rotors. As for tires and wheels I just went with 16 in late model C class rims and Cooper SLE speed rated tires! With just these few improvements Bigblue is a blast to drive on the twisty roads we have here!


Smokie

 

wow, that part about the rear sway bar is really good to know. Maybe I'll start out by just installing the front one myself, and wait to do the rear one when I have the diff. swap done...thus killing two birds with one stone labor-wise. BTW: whewre did you order your E500 bars...an MB dealership?

Thanks!

 

for repeated high speed stops you will gain a benefit from using braided steel brake hoses.

in my old BMW 2002 going with the steel braided hoses may not have increased actual performance but i definitely got better feel as the (old) rubber hoses were not expanding under pressure.

if you live in a hilly area, do canyon runs, any kinda auto crossing or racing, get em.

 

Correct me if im wrong, but I cant find any rubber brake lines anywhere on the 124...

 

Update:

so far, based on much of the feedback I am getting, I have farely decided to go for the following:

Dunlop SP Sport Maxx (225-45 R17)

Voghtland springs (#2 spring pads)

Bilstein Sport shocks

E500 sway bars/bushings (anything else required for swap?)

Porterfield cross-drilled rotors & R4-S pads (all around)

AMG-style fender spacers (insurance)

Any feedback on my choices thus far? Anything you see here that throws a red flag? TIA.

 

Update:



As you can see, I made a few changes along the way. I opted out of the Porterfield setup and went with EBC/Centric rotors and EBC Greenstuff pads. The delta in price afforded me the K&N filters, which was nice.

I struggled to find the Bilstein Sport shocks, but I finally bagged a set. A HUGE shout-out to our compadre' Chris Pham for help with the Vogtland springs.

Items not shown are the new pad wear indicators and the #2 spring pads (which I don't think I'll be using). Also not shown are the upper and lower rad hoses, and the 225-45R17 BF Goodrich G-Force Sports I chose to go with. Very nice tires.

I am expecting the spring compressor tool in about two days and am taking all of next week off, so you can do the installation math.

After this I am going to emmulate Zorro's headlight setup, 2Phast's inlet panel mods and I am picking up a FGSS module too. After that, it will be the E500 front sway bar and bushings and the 2.82 diff swap. The last few might have to wait for the tax refund in the spring.

This is FUN.

BTW: thank to everyone for the feedback and info along the way thus far.

 

Looking good! I can't wait to see it all installed.


I need to finish school already so I can do these things...

 

i completely disagree about the stainless brake lines

i just did mine and the pedal feel is WAY better, maybe if your pads are low? it can be crappy...?

i thought it was worth the money for them....

 

Could have been a number of things during the changing of the lines. If they put new pads on or flushed the fluid then of course your breaks are going to feel stiffer.

I doubt it was because of the lines alone.

Nonetheless, it is a mod that does provide some improvement. Just normally not much for a daily driver...


Anyways...looking great.

Those are stock size rotors correct? Cant wait to see them installed. Chris's BBK looks amazing in person but its more money than I was looking to spend...

 

Yup - Stainless steel brakelines don't do anything at all for our cars or simply in general. It's pretty much all "mental" or should I say the users state of mind. If you were into the more performance scene for example track days and etc then I can understand the reason behind swapping out to stainless but other than that it's pretty pointless and a waste of money.

I didn't even bother putting them on with my C32 AMG brake swap. Why? because you don't need them.

My BBK's aren't big enough... I wanna go bigger. hurry up and buy them justin. I wanna go 6 or 8 pistons. haha

 

Ill buy them in Jan for what we talked about. I thought I was waiting on you not the other way around.... :-/

 

the compressor tool shipped yesterday....so, for sure I will have everything in next week. I am very curious to see and feel the ride difference...particularly because I have a blown front shock now. Just getting new tires made a world of difference, so the rest really should tighten the car up substancially. Getting an E500 sway bar setup later may or may not be required as a daily driver.

Interestingly enough, dropping the K&N's in made an immediate improvement in roll-on torque...serious seat-of-the-pants kind of difference. The car pulls harder now without the need for a kick-down, and when it does kick-down, you can not only feel the difference (prolly 10% improvement) but HEAR it too. The intake/exhaust note is a little throatier to my ear. The stock filters I took out looked pretty clean, but they must have been pretty choked up with AZ dust! I wonder if a I-6 car would/does realize a similar benefit? For sure, I am now thinking that a free-flowing exhaust would finish off any power-gains. I already have it chipped.

Anyway, I will definitely post pics as I do the work.

 

Give me your phone number and I'll call you while I'm driving.

Im sure you won't want a free-flowing exhaust after we attempt a conversation. Far too impractical for what little gain you will get. I have a decent sounding system with the car off, put I seriously get headaches while Im driving because the exhaust drowns it out.
Maybe straight pipe with a chambered muffler?

 

LOL yours sounds like **** because the Muffler shop you went to half assed the job.

I should just get mine done already.

 

Eh...The piping actually looks pretty clean, and it doenst sound bad when I floor it.

Its the everyday driving that kills me...