jrmd01

Hey guys, just picked up my 2nd W124. 1st one was an 86 300E. I didn't do much to that car other than adding some rims. This time around, I picked up a 1994 E320 coupe black exterior with beige interior. Already got the 17" chrome AMG monoblock II.

Help me decide if I should lower the car next, or paint the lower cladding.

If I lower the car, still debating on shock spring combo. I usually carry 4 people in my car so I can't have it slammed. I also want to perserve the ride quality and don't want to deal with the excessive camber.

What's your vote?
a. H&R w/Blisten sport
b. H&R w/Blisten HD
c. Eibach w/Blisten sport
d. Eibach w/Blisten HD

If I paint the lower cladding, what should I expect to pay?


JR

pifcat2

my vote: c. Eibach w/Blisten sport
I find the Eibachs are more comfortable than H&R

Paint prices vary and depends on the shop, good prep costs $. Get multiple quotes and ask lots of questions on how they do the job...

rayhennig

My vote is for:

e. Bilstein B12 Kit - specially tuned spring (H&R, usually)/Bilstein B8 Sport dampers.

Look here:

http://www1.carparts-cat.com/webkat....3018004&ROOT=1

Find your car and then the B12 kits. You do need to add up your points.

Be sure to choose the right kit - as with any springs, you must make sure that the spring rate matched the car - more options (aircon/auto box/radio!) equals more weight equals stronger springs. You will have to do this whether you go for H&R, Eibach or Bilstein.

Good luck.

RayH

Saijin_Naib

Where do you add up points?

spetz

Choice C

RHW

c. Eibach w/Blisten sport

rivcal4life

If you're going to have 4 people in your car, I say D. I like my car slammed as much as the next guy. Option C will look great, but ride quality will suffer greatly with a full car.

jrmd01

Thanks guys, I think I'll paint the lower cladding first, hopefully visually it'll look lower. Will getting 18" made the car appear lower?

If I still have the urge to lower, I'll start collecting the parts. I think I'll go with the following
1. H&R
2. Blisten HD
3. Still debating on caber arms vs Kmac.

rivcal4life

I say lower first. Getting 18's will actually make your car look more monster-truck. The smaller sidewalls would draw more attention to the space between the fender and the tire.

jrmd01

rivcal4life,

Yeah, I saw a post in Benzworld of a Wagon lowered and it had me re-thinking the paint.

Anyway I'm currently researching the suspension. I'm worried about the camber....unfortunately there's not much information on it. Most have the KMAC kit, but I read that it makes "squeaking" noises later. Some have the camber arms. I've read about the RDMtek REAR SUSPENSION COMPONENTS but only found one person who has it. I want to everything all at once. I don't want to do it little by little.

ksing44

I currently have Eibach Pro-Kit springs with Bilstein Sport shocks and K-Mac bushings. It is a great set-up, although I always wondered about the H&R springs. It seems the H&R springs are the most common and most loved. From what I have read, they are a bit lower and a bit stiffer.

Bye the way, I started with the Bilstein HD and the Eibach springs, but one started leaking after about 5 years. I know there is a warranty, but I didn't want just one new shock and went for new Sports. I really can't tell a difference between Sports and HD, but I do wonder if the HD went bad because they should have been Sports.

Regarding the K-Mac squeaks, yes mine started to squeak after about 5 or 6 years. They squeak now, but it took a long time to get the squeak. I suppose they could be re-lubed, but I think it would be a royal pain in the a$$. i can live with the squeak and actually that is the least of my concerns with the car. My 1995 E320 has many other issues and my teenage son is now driving my car just around town.

RBYCC

Stop with this...

The HD is fully suitable and compatible with lowering springs.
HD and Sport are identical in size, shape valving.
Only difference is the Sport has an internal stop that limits the travel by one inch compared to the HD.


Ed A.

AndreNY

HMMM interesting because on most other cars i have compared the Bilstein Sports and HD's the sports had a thicker shaft and a shorter shaft, if what your saying it's true about them on the W124 i'm happy because i got a sick deal on new Bilstein HD's so i wont have to sell them to get Sports

RBYCC

Only the color is different...

jrmd01

So I went out and got three quotes to get the lower cladding done:

$1500
$1200
$450

The first 2 is are professional shops. They will take the cladding and bumper off. Warranty is lifetime. The 3rd one is from a small mexican shop. Will paint w/cladding on car. I think I'll wait on this. I'll message others on this forum who are in Washington to find out where they got their cars painted.

In the mean time, I'll keep my eyes open on the suspension parts.

JR

ZorroAMG

If it was an E500/500E I'd pay the big bucks...300E? Just spray it on the car.

pifcat2

Quality costs but even then it doesn't guarantee the paint won't lift or peal in a few years. Maintenance, covering, and garaging the car extend the paint life. Ideally the cladding should be removed so the shop can remove the chrome trim and sand all the edges. Taping edges or part breaks and any edges are that are difficult to sand allows for future paint lifting.

funkgab

i say lower it first.. function over form..

rivcal4life

Even the best shop's paint will eventually, or immediately in some cases, look wavy and inconsistent compared to the original paint. It's the nature of the cladding itself. For one, paint does not adhere the same way as it does to metal, so after drying it will not be the same color as a metal surface. Two, most paints are not made for plastic surfaces that stretch and bend, and if the plastic ever becomes depressed, the paint will not rebound to where it originally layed and will be apparent in the finish. Plastic-specific paints absorb and refract light in a way that will diminish this effect, and are also made to be stretched and still return to place.

I have read stories on this board (which I can link after I get back to a computer) which detail multiple re-visits to the body shop to try and get the tone corrected. In the end, I remember the member saying the body shop offered a discount in exchange for the "lifetime warranty being discarded and accepting that they would accept the car as close as the shop could get it.

I have no personal experience repainting my lowers, but I have seen this wavy effect on other cars, so I'm just regurgitating the info as something for you to consider.

Whatever you decide, be sure to throw up some pics!

jrmd01

rivcal4life I agree. For now I want something that will last at least 5 years. If I move (which is possible) before then, the lifetime warranty is moot. If the old car is still running well at that time, I may just treat it to a fresh paint job (my son will be in High School then and will benefit from that).

I'm still searching for the suspension parts. I'm keeping my eyes open on ebay and on this forum as well as others. I'll definitely go with the H&R springs. I'm still debating the shocks, but Blisten HD has the edge based on RBYCC's comments. I still don't know about the stuff for the camber....I'm leaning towards the arms...but I'm still not quite sure. Still researching it.

What did you go with. And by the way what about the fronts can I do anything to make sure that's correctable?

RBYCC

If you are going to install a lowering spring like an H&R Sport with about a 1.5" drop, there is no need to mess with camber arms....

I have zero camber problems even with 10" wide negative 7 offset rims in the rear...

Pix are only so you can see the position of my front and rear tires...notice no unusual camber...

rivcal4life

Ed, are you sure you don't have ANY camber issues? My tires on my 300e and even my 500e look fine sitting, but rolling, they camber out slightly farther. This was evident in the way the tires wore. Inners were always drastically more worn than the outers. I plan on picking up some RDMtek shortened rear LCA's to offset this.

I would be surprised if, after you get your car on the road for some number of miles, your tires wear perfectly evenly.

RBYCC

No problems in the three years since the suspension and turbo install running 8" wide rims...

So far in road testing with AMG/OZ 3 piece 8.5" ET+18 front / 10" ET-7 rear wheels to find body/chassis/tire interference nothing looks unusual...

My drop was only about 1.5".....

Ed A.

rivcal4life

I suppose that's not too drastic of a drop. I agree with Dave though in his opinion that even factory height cars could benifit fom the RDMtek LCA's. 8" is a lot different than 10", especially with such a low offset. Only time will tell if your tires wear evenly. If they do then more power to you man! I'm sure you'll address it if and when it becomes an issue. Still one good looking rear end!

jrmd01

RBYCC I hope you're right. However I've read countless post that say they needed to do something to correct their camber after they've lowered the car. I'd hate to have to buy new tires every year. I'd rather spend the money upfront now to do it right.

For those reading this post, how many of you lowered your car and have no issues with camber like RBYCC?