Hey guys got a question here...

well a few of you here have no spring pads at all and i would like to know is it safe to leave them without pads at all or number #1 which is the lowest..

i am getting ready to take mine off or at least thinking of doing that but need some advice on what should i do...

If you leave it with no pads is there anything to put there so there is no metal to metal contact?

 

Hey there mate.
I'm running around without spring pads on my slow rusty little thing. I, too, didn't want metal to metal contact so I used some high pressure hose (brake or something) and slipped the top coil into the hose. I know this won't last too long but I was really fed up with the height of my car.
IMO if #1 pads are not low enough for you, then using my method wouldn't lower it significantly.. Perhaps 5mm max. I'm going to cut half a coil or so, especially at the back. I'm on H&Rs with Bilstein Sports.

Sorry mate this is the best pic that I've got.
Cheers

 

I don't know much about cars, but I don't think I need spring pads, the winter ones work fine...

 

The thinnest pad for the W124 is only 8mm thick...what would be the benefit from not running them?

 

in no particular order:

1) increased road noise

2) fretting of metal on metal and subsequent rusting

3) lower stance

 

8MM more of lowering means a lot to some out there.

 

hey chirs you have NONE right? how your ride and such

 

My ride is perfect bro. Love everything about it.

 

but is it safe tho without spring pads... metal to metal and stuff?

ohh and wre you getting me those clips at all? if you do let me know so i can snd you money ohh with that you should pick me up the 8mm pads with it as well

h@ller at me meng

 

anyone has a pic Write up? of this proces?

 

just took my rear pads out this afternoon. took it down a bit, but it's still sitting too high, not sure why the vogtlands are doing me like this...

 

H&Rs my man...H&Rs....

 

H&Rs x 2 ! Or even sportline springs... Go too low and the suspensions geometry will not be kind. Not a good idea to cut springs for this kind of car either. But sure , yes, people do it all the time and live with it.

The 8mm thick front number 1 pads are these:
201 321 0984

rears are:
201 325 0944

about $7 each here in CT.

 

I have H&Rs and with #1 pads they are no where near low enough.
I'm cutting the rears this summer. Far too high..

 

LOL ...

 

LOL. I really think my rears are lemons. The front is slammed but the rear is like 2" taller than the front. It's ridiculous. My rear, with H&Rs and no pads, is only around 1.5" lower than a stock 124 with #3 pads.. Ah well..

 

What shocks are you using? Are they like brand new?

New springs and shocks often need some time to 'settle down' ...sometimes its many months and many miles before they 'sit' how they are advertised. Sometimes not tho... In my case with H&Rs on the 500E I had to adjust my rear SLS because it kept raising the car to the neutral setting that was stock to it. But the weight of the car settled them down pretty fast I'd say.

Throw a couple of 80lb concrete bags in the rear to squish them down !!

 

Hey Jim,
I'm running Bilstein Sport B8s. They are over a year old now and when I first got the kit fitted I did let it settle for 2 months before I got fed up
I don't have SLS on my rusty little thing hence I see no reason why it's sitting that high on the ****. I have a heavy sub in there too!
With a full tank of petrol it is lower but nothing near what I want it to be. I mean, it's obvious that it's lowered, but it's not enough. I want the rear fender to be covering the top portion (perhaps the top 1") of the tire.
Actually I'll just wait until the 18"s arrive and see how it looks. It may be OK.. I'm really against cutting springs too but I just have no choice

 

Correct me if I a wrong, but to fully tuck the rears your going to have to be lowered more than 2"....true? I seriously doubt you can get that low with your spring/shock setup. remember, those pieces were designed to enhance handling...i.e. performance...not VIP drop. I would think that means something more like 1.50" give or take a .25".

That isn't to say that you might have a mismarked spring that is designed for a V-8 car or something which would leave you higher than you expect. But getting your car to the point of tucking your tires is waaaaay low.....and I think you can expect your camber to be very, very aggro too BTW.

 

I'm in the same boat. H&R and the front is too high. I dropped it to a #1 pad, but it still has the wedge look since the rear dropped just fine.

 

Hey mate. To be honest I'm not asking it to tuck the wheels/tires at any great extent. All I want is the top most portion of the tire to be tucked. I don't know. Maybe being a VW guy at the same time doesn't help my tastes
Camber I'm not that fussed about. I drive the car around 2000km max every year and mroeover I have the adjustable camber arms anyway.
I want mine to tuck the tires because from what I've seen on this forum, nearly everyone's 124 with H&Rs or anything have lower rears than I do. I just hate it when the rear is much higher than the front, looks to me like a dodgy cut spring job..
Ah well. Might have to live with it then!

 

I guess what you, Jeff, are experiencing isn't so odd. Yep, could def. be mis-labeled spring from the factory for another model like Shanman says or cooled incorrectly after manufacturing (?)

Instead of cutting off a coil, maybe heat it up with a torch and sag them a bit more (?) My opinion means zilch but cutting springs for cars is not an option in my camp.

Hmmm...VWs ... finally went to the H&R coilovers on my 16V.... it rarely sees the street anymore. If you got the cash that would be your ticket on your W124 I'd think.