qdessa

I'm going to mod the suspension on a 88 300CE and I am considering the sportline conversion. How does the sportline conversion compare to an aftermarket version? If seems the sportline would be more complete than just getting springs and HD bilstiens.

Anyone who has done the conversion I would like to hear your opinions.

I would like the car to handle more like 5 series BMW.

Thanks
Alan

cap'n jasper

Sportline is the way to go if you're using 15 or 16" wheels. If using 17 or 18s it will look better lower but lowering any more than Sportline will give you wheel alignment problems, uneven tyre wear and possibly some rubbing.
The sportline anti roll bars are worth having.
The sportline cars handle much better than standard but can be a bit harsh on rough surfaces. Go for it!

E320BENZ

That's the way to do it.. that's the right way. Sportline is for 15' or 16'

Chappy

Interesting.....

There is a similar thread on mercedesshop at the moment as well. I had OE Sportline-spec parts installed about three years ago. All I can say is you won't be disappointed.

Chappy

Chappy

qdessa

Chappy,
Did you replace the subframe and control arm bushings?

Are the different for sportline than stock?

Thanks
Alan

Chappy

Parts Required for 1992 300CE Sportline Suspension (except steering box)

Part Number Description Quantity

A 124 320 64 30 Front Sport Strut 2
A 124 320 23 31 Rear Sport Shock 2
A 124 321 30 04 Front Sport Spring 2
A 124 324 28 04 Rear Sport Spring 2
A 201 321 10 84 Front Spring Pad 2
A 201 325 09 44 Rear Spring Pad 2
A 124 323 68 65 Front Sport Swaybar 1
A 124 323 45 85 Front Swaybar Inner Bushing 2
A 124 323 51 85 Front Swaybar Outer Bushing 2
A 124 326 19 65 Rear Sport Swaybar 1
A 124 326 01 81 Rear Swaybar Bushing 2
A 201 330 01 75 Front Lower Arm Bushing Kit 2
or A 124 330 09 75 (Need VIN to determine part #)

My "old" list (from 3 years ago) didn't have the part numbers for rear bushings or the rear subframe mount. My MB Tech took care of that for me

Good luck!

cap'n jasper

There are several different spring part numbers depending on model and accessories (eg air-con). More of a problem in Europe I guess as more things were 'extra' but be careful when ordering springs.

ksing44

Sportline Springs?
From the pictures I’ve seen, the Sportline set-up doesn’t drop the car very much, if any. If you really want your car to "sit" a bit lower, you may have to consider Eibach or H&R springs. I believe that the Sportline suspension couldn't drop the car by very much or there would be camber issues. Since Mercedes doesn't provide for camber adjustment in the rear, the OEM Sportline must not drop the car much at all. If you do drop the car, then get the K-MAC rear bushings so that you can adjust the rear camber.

Sportline Shocks?
From what I have read on the forums, the Sachs/Boge shocks from the Sportline set-up aren’t as good as Bilstein shocks. Bilsteins are arguably the best shocks in the world. These people may not agree.
http://www.gti-vr6.net/library/suspe...lure_rate.html

Sportline Swaybars?
As for the swaybars, it sounds like it is better to go for "Sportline Plus" swaybars, if you have a 6-cylinder, and E500 bars if you have a V8. "Sportline Plus" swaybars are the "Limo" front bar and the E500 rear bar. I am hoping to order these in the not too distant future. I have read that they improve over the Sportline bars by as much as the Sportline bars improve on the stock bars. That is a 2X improvement!

Sportline Bushings?
I was planning to upgrade to the Sportline bushings when I need new bushings, but it seems foolish to just replace everything before I really need them. When you need bushings, get the Sportlines.

Another alternative: (I think I would do this, if I did it again.)
If you really don’t want to lower your car, then I would just get Bilstein HD shocks and the big swaybars. I bet you get plenty of improved handling for much less money by not messing with the springs and you avoid the issues that arise when you drop the car. For just a little bit of a drop, you could also reduce the thickness of the spring pads, but it is quite a bit of work for such a small change.

Chappy

The OE Sportline spec shocks are Bilstein, not Sachs/Boge.

Here's the link from my post from three years ago....

http://www.mercedesshop.com/shopforu...rade+completed

"I got an immediate 1.5-2 inch drop in front and about 1.5 in rear....1 bump on all corners."

Good luck and have fun!

ksing44

I just wanted to add this link.

You can thank "gsxr" for an amazing, complete list of the bars for a W124 and the directions for installation.
You won’t believe how much information this man has collected.

http://www.meimann.com/images/mercedes/W124_stuff/

ksing44

You might be right Chappy. After all, you actually did the installation. Then again, I have read many many times that OEM Sportline was Sachs/Boge. Maybe you used Bilstein, but OEM was Sachs/Boge.

I guess it doesn’t really matter, I was just encouraging him to get Bilstein shocks, just like you did.

cap'n jasper

Isn't it about time you actually bought those swaybars Ken

Chappy

Interesting. I just got off the phone with the service manager at a local dealership. He told me that BOTH Bilstein and Boge/Sachs produced dampers for Mercedes-Benz, often under the exact same part numbers!

I suppose it could be "luck of the draw" as to which company made a particular damper.

ksing44

Hello cap’n jasper,

My wife retired, so I always seem to be on some kind of a budget. I could have purchased them for myself as a Christmas present, but I bought my son a very nice Tornado CycloneII foosball table instead. The foosball is plenty of fun, but I bet it would be plenty of fun to corner with those big fat bars too. Last year we ended up with new tile floors in the kitchen, so I never got the bars. The imported Italian slate tiles are very pretty, but I bet those big fat bars would look pretty too. I have been telling my wife that this year I am going to use part of my annual bonus to get the bars. I sure hope J&J gives me a good bonus.

Do you still like your grille?

Ken

ksing44

My understanding is that the current standard OEM shocks are Bilstein, but the Sportlines were Sachs/Boge. I think the AMG and Sport suspension shocks are Bilstein too. Similarly, I read that different vendors have been used for the springs. For example, I read that Eibach has made springs for Mercedes. These facts/rumors were part of the reason that I decided to go with the Bilstein shocks and Eibach springs, when I modified my suspension. I know there are people on these forums that know all about this kind of thing. Hopefully, they will chime in sometime, if they are listening to this.

ksing44

Hello Chappy,

That CLK55 must be awful fast, but how does it compare to driving your W124? Does the CLK seem as solid, or is it impossible to compare, because it is such a rocket ship?

I don’t want to be critical of your awesome car, but one thing I absolutely hate about the CLK is the way that rubber strip shows where the bottom of the door meets the body. It just messes up the sleek lines of the car. I could never accept that look on my own car. Didn’t they fix that on the latest versions of the CLKs? It reminds of when they had universal black rocker panels on the W210 E-Class for a year or two. I could never buy one of those W210 E-Class cars that had the black rocker panels, unless my car was all black.

Black rubber strip or not, that CLK must be fun to blast around in.


Solid!

Chappy

I can confirm that Eibach is painted on the front swaybay of the CLK55.

Chappy

Black rubber strip...lol...I suppose that's one reason why I've still got my daily driver 300CE

It is difficult to compare the two cars. I would have probably never purchased the CLK55 *IF* Mercedes-Benz had produced a W124 500CE. The leather on the CE is thicker, but the CLK's Nappa leather is more supple.

Overall, the CLK has many more gadgets (pneumatic seats, Xenon lights, rear sunshade, heated seats, auto-dimming mirrors, turn signal on exterior mirrors, rain sensing wipers, touch shift transmission, split fold-down rear seats, remote lock/unlock.....the list goes on)....but, ultimately more gadgets to break at some point

BUT, some of the things I prefer about the W124 (which I've had for ten years) is the pillarless design, classic interior appointments, excellent reliability...I just passed 197K miles....and intangibles like heavy steering and bank-vault construction.

ksing44

Hello Chappy,

That is a nice little collection of Mercedes coupes that you have started. It is very cool to have a couple of iterations of very similar vehicles from the same manufacturer.

I know you guys with the coupes put quite a bit of value on that pillarless design. I suppose it is sexy when the windows are down, although I think the seatbelt mechanism messes up the perfect lines. In my sedan, I value just the opposite. I love that fact that I have a real body-colored pillar/window frame that is actually part of the body and not just part of a mass-produced window insert.

In general, I like the utility of the sedans. Nobody has to crawl into the cramped backseats, but I guess you don’t worry about that kind of thing with a sports car. The sports car coupe that captivates me, is the Porsche 911. I almost purchased a 95 Porsche 911, instead of my 95 E320. I finally decided to get a sedan to transport the entire family, so that I wouldn’t have to drive around in my wife’s Honda whenever we wall went somewhere. My E320 is just such a well-rounded automobile. It has a little bit of everything, even a real pillar.

It sounds like that CLK does have many neat gadgets to bring you into the 21st century. I think I would like to have a rear sunshade. It must be nice and we all know it is fast. I am not desirous of the CLK in general, but the 55-version has to be admired. After all, they beefed up the suspension to handle all of that power. As you said, it has Eibach bars and it probably has Bilstein HD shocks. I’m sure it feels more solid than a standard model.

I like the looks of the new CLK500. In some ways, I think I like it better than the new E-Class. Did you check out the new CLK500? If you did take a look at it, how did you think the new one compared to yours?

Chappy

I bought the CLK in June 2002, so I knew what the W209s looked like. My preference was for the W208, so my money followed!