zach1328

Ok so for now i have decided to ditch all performance upgrades and buy a new rim/tire/suspension setup.

For a Lowering Kit i will definately get H&R or Eibach.
Suspension i will get Bilstein Sport shocks. Do i go for B8 (sport) B6 (comfort) or B4 (touring).
I would supose that B8 would be the best to go with, but i didn't know.

Now Rims are what really confuse me! I looked over some of the threads about what will fit, and i also went to alloywheels.com or whatever that link was on "v9"s thread.
I read over "Zorroamg"s thread and NO ONE had 17x7. Also on the alloywheels.com, there was nothing about 17x7s fitting?

Anyways, i decided to get 17x7.5 or 17x8, depending on what i can find and the price of it. With the 17x7.5s does your OFFSET have to be 42? And 17x8 has to be 28 or 30 offset?
The rims i found that i like do not have the right offset? What do i do about that?

http://www.xxrwheels.com/xxr_521.shtml#
Will those fit on my car??

http://www.raderwerks.com/
From there go to "FLAT LIP STYLE"
Then click on any of the FIRST 4 rims on there. I think those would look pretty good on my car in 17x7.5 or 17x8. I dont want to go any bigger!

Can anyone help me on finding rims like that, that will fit my car? I like the BBS LM look in the deep dish style.

http://media.photobucket.com/image/5...l4Life/lms.jpg

Something like that in 17x7.5" or 17x8". Anyone who can help PLEASE DO.

Sorry for all the links and for creating another thread. Since you guys hate when i do this.

THANKS!!!!!

YNVDIZW124

Lmao, I make those wheels. Raderworks are just rebranded wheels from my friends manufacturing company. Look up kyowa evolve. The STP-1 are sold by DZ Exclusiv

The last link are 19" BBS LM wheels....

You can go up to 18x8.5 front and 18x9.5 rear with the right offsets. 17x7 should be no problem at all...

zach1328

I don't want them to be quite that wide though. I don't find a need in going any bigger than 17x8 because thats plenty wide, any wider and your just wasting money and slowing your car down. IMO.

And yeah i knew the last ones were BBS LM's, but dropping 4 grand on rims isnt my goal =(. I was just wondering if anyone knew of BBS LM replicas that will fit a 300E.

http://www.bilsteinus.com/cart/index..._id=2322&zenid=

http://www.bilsteinus.com/cart/index...s_id=394&zenid=

Is that all i need for the Susp upgrade? Or will i need other parts..I will be getting them installed my a European Auto Performance shop.

rayhennig

I got (in Europe) 4 Bilstein B8 (Sport) shocks with matching springs (H&R) in a Bilstein B12 kit for 750 Euro. Four kits were available for the W124 and the chosen kit matched the "points total" font and rear for my car.

Totting up the points was quite precise with even the radio adding a single point to the total for the front. Points are added for things like auto box, sliding roof etc. etc. You can find the points charts at Bilstein and other web sites (here, in fact: http://www.mobeck.com/mt/Bilder/Bilstein/B12.pdf).

Anyway, the kit was installed very easily and I'm pleased.

Good luck to you.

RayH

ps2cho

Get your Bilstein Sport struts from MBpartswarehouse they are the cheapest place around hands down. Everything else on there is not...but for some reason the struts are.
$120/each front
$84/each rear

http://www.mbpartswarehouse.com/part...920+4294965759

zach1328

Why does that website only have one thing for the 1993 Model? All of them except for 1 say 1986-1992. They should still fit the 1993 300E 2.8L model right?

Also which of those things on that website do i have to order? Lol i have no idea what is needed.
Any idea where i can go (website or store) that will know what rims will fit the 1993 300E 2.8L?

RHW

Best place to figure out wheel fitment is the search function, where you can benefit from the hundreds of us that ask(ed) the same questions. (Actually, the best place is the pinned wheel fitment thread)

If you want the easy path, tell em you want et35-40 17x7.5 wheels, 225x45 tires and you won't make the 1001 mistakes I made.

tec nine

im not sure about the whole black wheel on a w124

ps2cho

It'll fit fine. All 124's use the same struts when it comes to upgrades. Check your strut mounts for cracks. If there are any -- replace them. Meyle HD from autohaus are the best ones for the best price.

YNVDIZW124

People, this guy is trolling you....seriously, he knows everything about everything.

RHW

I've spent so much time on these boards with similar idiotic questions and observations, that I wants to gives him the benefit of the doubt.

Plus I thought Brett was trying to show us an example of tolerance.

190E 16V

You're a noble fellow, RHW! Brett, too.

I think he's dragging out the threads just to keep up the interaction, though.

I suppose we all want to belong to a community.

...But Halo might be better.

zach1328

What offset would you need for 17x7.5"? I know it says 42 offset on the wheel fitment guide..but will like 40-45 offset work? Or does it need to be exactly 42.
And then what about the 17x8" rims?

Also im curios about how Low Profile you can go for tires. I mean i want them to be pretty low profile to keep the car as low to the ground as i can. But i don't want them too low profile.
Whats a good size for 17x7.5" and 17x8"?

ps2cho

You don't go with low profile tires to sit low to the ground. Use lowering springs and pads to do that. Low profile will ride like crap. Get a nice balance and lower the suspension to het where you want to be.

zach1328

Oh ok thanks. Yeah i definately don't want to ruin the Comfort part of my car. And when i day low profile i kind of meant more like yours. Do they still keep the nice ride quality??

Any good ideas on where to get some BBS LM replicas that will fit the W124?

Another thing i was wondering (kind of off topic), is how does a 2004 BMW M3 produce 333 hp with its Inline 6 3.2L? What makes that car go 0-60 MPH in way under 6 seconds??
I mean, the M3 and 300E 3.2L are pretty similar. M3 weighs about 3415 lbs and the 300E weighs 3505. Both use Inline 6's. They both use DOHC with 24 valves. A few main differences that i noticed are:

The M3 has an 11.5 compression ratio compared to MBs 10.0. The M3 uses a 3.43x3.58 bore/stroke ratio while the MB uses a 3.54x2.89. I understand if the bore is higher than the stroke then it generally lacks in low end torque.

Honestly, what the hell makes the BMW M3 produce 117 hp more than the 3.2L 300E? Stuff like this is why i am convinced the 300E can easily put out 300+ hp.

Once again SORRY for the OFF TOPIC questions. But i couldnt help asking

neanderthal

Just because product A is similar to product B does not mean that they are going to perform in similar ways.

A 230lb rugby player will not perform like a 230lb american football player; one is primed for short explosive bursts of energy, the other for sustained energy.

Horsepower is mostly found in how the cylinder head is designed. Things like mechanical drag on the crankshaft are very very similar on pretty much all engines if they are the same size big ends and number of pistons. How big your pistons are can increase drag. A longer stroke can increase friction (marginally) and reduce horsepower. But these are very small, almost incidental differences.

The trick to horsepower is
a getting air into and out of the cylinder quickly
b using that air/ fuel mixture wisely while it is in the cylinder.


Valves, angles of inclination of valves, restrictions in the path of air as it goes towards the cylinder, timing of cams and valves, stroke of valves, design of the chamber, these contribute more significantly.

Suffice it to say, for the most part, Mercedes made engines that had great torque, BMW made engines that had good horsepower. This is why passing is so effortless in a Benz, while a comparable BMW might need a little more kick, and result in greater exhiliration.

Acceleration is the result of gearing....

Screw it. Go to the library. D your own research

zach1328

Yes i did see that the later 300E's had a rear differential of 2.65 while an M3 has a differential of 3.64, probably because of the 6 speed manual tranny in which the MBs lack.
Ive been wanting a 3.69 rear differential, but idk how expensive that would be.

But then we are back to the M3 which does 0-60 in about 5 seconds..The 2004 model i mean. And its pushin out 265 torque.
The 300E 3.2 is 230 torque and doesnt weigh too much more than the M3. So a 265 torque car doing 0-60 in 5 seconds and a 230 torque vehicle doing 0-60 in 8 seconds. That leads me to believe it is the way the engines are tuned, like for acceleration or top speed.

I know the 300E is built for top speed since it does 149 and weights 3500 lbs, but what simple things can i do to make it built for top acceleration>?

ps2cho

You cannot compare a 2004 M3 with a completely different form of injection to the M104's....at all. Keep your performance out of this thread. You keep repeating the same question over and over. If you want information about Suspension then keep that here.

My car rides pretty nice IMO. 'Comfortable' is all an opinion. Mine rides nowhere near as stiff as let's say an STi, but not as 'Smooth' as the stock setup. I think I got a perfect compromise between sport and daily driver. I tell you what though...Fast cornering in this thing now is incredible. There is no comparison!

zach1328

Yeah i know. I was just wondering what makes an M3 so fast and powerful, but idk i dont really care about acceleration and top speed anymore. I mean im only 15.

Ive got the rest of my life to learn to drive, and then buy a fast car when im older. Or hopefully keep the same car and just put some money into it.


But anyone find any websites that sell BBS LM replicas for the W124. Or a design similar to the BBS LM's.
If not my next pick would probably be MANDRUS Milleniums or something like that.

So if anyone see's some 17x8 or 17x7.5" rims out there that look like BBS LM and fit the W124 PLEASE LET ME KNOW! =)
Thanks

YNVDIZW124

use google and check ebay...it's not that hard...

zach1328

Well i mean it has to be a 5x112 bolt pattern, 42 offset for 17x7.5" rims or 28 or 30 offset on the 17x8 rims.
Does the offset have to be exactly 42 on the 17x7.5" rims? Or would like a 40-45 offset work?

I just wanted a website where you can specify those things so that i buy rims that will FIT FOR SURE =).

Oh Also, about how much do the stock rims weigh on the W124?

zach1328

Ok so i just found these rims while checking on ebay as i was told to do. I simply typed in 5x112 for the bolt pattern and found these rims:

http://www.dragwheels.com/product.asp?ID=59

Now i would ofcourse get them in silver as black would not look good on the white with the two tone.
They are perfect i think..
5x112 bolt pattern
Offset is 42
17x7.5"

I was just wondering if these are good rims? Like, nothing will go wrong with them (easy chipping paint, fading paint etc) right?
I think they are $500 or $600 for a set of four.

ps2cho

You might need a 5mm spacer for the fronts so the tires do not touch the struts, but they will work.

"good" rims are subjective. Some would say they are fine. Others would say nothing but OE rims are not good quality.

Chipping paint and fading can only be determined by research.

zach1328

Ok thank you. Arnt spacers pretty expensive? Like $350 or is that for both front and rear. But i will look into that, even if i get bilstein sport shocks will i still possibly need those spacers?

And for the Bilstein sport shocks can you tell me all the things i would need?
Ps2cho, you were saying earlier that the front struts were $120 each and the rear shocks were $84 each..Is that what i will be paying? Or will i need addition things?

Because that will total up to $408 already just for the front struts and rear shocks. And how good are these shocks (ride quality, reliablity, noise..etc)?
I am just curious because my friend has custom shocks (idk what brand), and you can hear the sound every bump you hit, and even the slightest bumps in the road are like hell to go over.

ps2cho

You can get some 5mm spacers on ebay for like $50. Some people will recommend nothing less than the best, and it can cost you $350, but a 5mm spacer even by H&R should only cost you $50. Just remember you'll need longer lug nuts too. It adds up I know...Just the way it is. You only need spacer for the front. The rear will be fine.

Also if you are lowering I would get some stiffer strut bump stops to limit the travel so you don't bottom out or scuff your bumpers on the ground (I discovered this a few days ago and I will be swapping mine out) and new strut mounts as they crack over time.

Bilsteins are quality products. You are going for sport shocks though there will be more road noise and a rougher ride -- but it is stiffer. It's all subjective. You can't get sporty without stiffness. One or the other. I consider my setup perfect because I sacrificed a 'bit' of comfort for a considerable amount of change in the way the car handles.

So yes $408 for shocks all around, $20? for mounts x2 for front then the strut bump stops not sure on price...but probably < $20 for front. Rear are non replaceable but I experienced no issues on the rear.

Budget about $500 said and done inc tax + shipping if applicable.