ksing44

Does anyone know the diameter specifications for the 1994 E500 and the 1995 E320 front and rear anti-roll bars? I already received good information about the front E500 anti-roll bar, but I don’t know about the rear of the E500 and I don’t know about the E320. I also need to know if the rear E500 anti-roll bar will fit the E320. I already have information about mounting the front E500 bar.

The dealer only knows the part numbers. They tell me that they have no idea about the size differences for the two cars.

Thanks for the help.

ZorroAMG

According to the W124 Owners Bible from Bentley Publishers " The fact that all sway bars for the E Class W124 are the same shape, factory parts can be used for upgrades. See Table a."

Table a.
E320 (not 4matic)
Front 26.5mm
Rear 14.5mm

E420/400E
Front 26.5mm
Rear 16mm

E500/500E
Front 28mm
Rear 18mm

Hope this helps

ksing44

ZorroAMG,
Thank you for getting back to me with such complete information. If E500 bars are 28mm front and 18mm rear, then why did you use the Eibach bar? The Eibach bars are 28mm and 17mm, although they appear to be a different shape. The Eibach bars appear to be thick all the way to the ends. Are they more stiff? Do you like your Eibach bar? Did you do front and rear? Do the Eibach bars have polyurethane bushings? Is polyurethane a pain in the neck to keep lubricated?

ZorroAMG

I put the Eibach on the front only and it was before I knew about the 500E. I like the bar, not sure if it is better than the 500E's but should be similar. I think the 500E 's would be more heavy duty because it is special for the hot rod w124 and it is a heavier car due to the V8 up front...can't compare though, sorry. As for the bushings....not sure, I'll ask my tuner, thanks for the heads up and you are welcome for the previous help.

Mark

ksing44

Does that W124 Owners Bible from Bentley Publishers have any information that would help me compare E500 vs. Sportline swaybars? Is there a difference in the bushings, other than just being large enough to fit the bigger bar? Is there any indication that the bushings could be stiffer?

ZorroAMG

There is no sizing for the sportline sway bars in the book but i know that the sportline stuff is not as aggressive as the 500E suspension stuff. Think of it as in between. I asked my tuner about poly bushings and he said as long as you use the right type of grease it is no prob. The bushings for sportline sutff is different than regular 300E/E320 stuff but I would go with 500E/E500 bars and bushings.

ksing44

I am going for it. In a month or so, when I switch back to my summer wheels, I think I am going for the E500 bars and bushings in the front and the rear. I will let you know how it feels.

Thanks for the help.

ksing44

I am still not quite able to make my decision about the bars.
First, good things about E500 bars.
I like the idea of using the OE E500 bars and I know that the E500 rear bar is actually 1mm larger than the Eibach rear bar. In addition, based on what gsxr wrote in a previous post, it sounds like the OE bushings may be made from some kind of polyurethane and they have a Teflon inner sleeve. The Eibach probably does not have the Teflon sleeve. The taper on the big E500 bar may provide some degree of compliance at the ends that translates into a more comfortable ride, while still giving pretty flat cornering ability. The E500 bars sound pretty good.
Now on to the Eibach bars.
I understand that different materials can affect stiffness, but I still think the taper will make the E500 bar less stiff than the Eibach bar and most people seem to want the stiffest, biggest bar they can find. I have read that even super stiff bars should not have a dramatic affect on ride quality. It is not like changing the springs and shocks. Although it is important to match the front and rear bars, the front seems to be a much larger concern to most people, so the 1mm smaller Eibach rear bar may not be an issue. The Eibach rear bar is 2mm larger than my skinny little stock 15mm bar and that skinny little rear bar couldn’t be doing much work back there. I just read that Eibach is painted on the front swaybar of Chappy’s '02 CLK55. I thought I was right about Mercedes using reputable aftermarket suppliers for some of their "sport" parts. I learned from a previous post that Bilstein was not used in the earlier cars, but I knew for sure they used Bilstein more recently and I had read that AMG used the Eibach springs among other suppliers at different times. Now Chappy says that he has the Eibach swaybar. So actually, to get an AMG-like and still "Mercedes-correct" E320, I can use Eibach springs, Bilstein shocks, Eibach swaybars, and some AMG Wheels. This should give me the handling characteristics of the AMG. Hey, I know that I still won’t have the speed, but that is OK because I am really very satisfied with the engine performance of my 1995 E320. I am curious about the big V8, but I am in love my I6 motor and stock performance, compared to AMG tuned, may be more likely to give me the years of reliability that Mercedes is known for.
Back to the bars. I am still trying to decide. Based on my list of concerns, I guess I am leaning toward the Eibach. Then I go back to E500 to be more "Mercedes" correct and to get that "taper" for a more compliant but still flat ride. If I pay about 1000.00 dollars to purchase and install the E500 bars and don’t get a flat ride, I will be very disappointed. Then again, if I spend about the same for the Eibach bars and end up sacrificing too much ride quality or end up ripping the wheels off my car when I am cornering, I will also be very disappointed. Thanks for all of the information, but I am still having a hard time making a decision.

ZorroAMG

well al i can say to that is ride in a 500E and see if you like the handling....You definitely won't lose a wheel on either set up

ksing44

There is an E500 for sale in Naples Florida. I was kind of kidding with my wife that I would drive down and buy it. A Mercedes that is hand made my Porsche. I would have a real collector’s car. I am going to keep my little E320.

cap'n jasper

Sell the 320, buy the 500.
There you go, decision made!

ZorroAMG

I agree with the Captain!!

ksing44

From what I’ve read, even with E500 owners, it never ends with the modifications. E500s still get H&Rs, Bilsteins, 18” AMGs, and I guess they want to upgrade to the E60AMG motor. There is a silver one that parks in a parking lot near where I work. It looks fabulous.