Hey guys,

On my e320, i took the suggestion of many to use go from a #5 pad up front down to a #1. I think the stance is perfect, dropped about .75" in the front. But now i hear this clanking noise whenever i go over bumps or steep inclines/declines. I took the wheels off to investigate and it seems like the clanking is not from the bottom where the spring sits on the control arm but where the spring is sitting in the spring pouch. Since the spring is compressed, it kind of arches a bit and the 2 or 3 coil towards the top of the spring perch is very close to the side of the spring pouch. I'm guessing this was not a problem with the thicker spring pad because then it pushes the spring lower about .5" more than it is now.

So wraped duct tape all around the part of the spring where its close to the spring pouch so then when it does hit, the clanking noise is minimized. I know this is really getto but i don't see that I have any other choice other than to put on the thick #5 pads on again. And i have double and triple checked where the spring is sitting on the lower control arm and above in the spring pouch, no way i can fix this issue by moving the spring around.

Does anyone else have this problem with just the #1 pads, also to those that have put in some eibachs, is this a problem? I'm thinking maybe thats what I need to do next. But i really don't have the money for new struts as well, arg! Anyway some KYB gas-a-shocks are better than stock shocks so that they can handle lowering springs?

I had a similar problem with my car the second time I lowered the car. I did some CSi work and spun one on the rear spring s tiny bit and it fixed the problem.

I think stock shocks are Bilstein (at least on the 55's). I'm using Koni adjustables and H&R springs. The ride quality is near stock, but it looks way better. I going to have my front suspension looked at because when braking and corner at high speeds (90mph +) there is some shaking and the car gets unpredictable.

Mario

The 210 chassis is designed for many different spring pads. Since many different engine/options are used the height of the car needs to be adjusted. This is done through the use of the pads. A #1 pad should not cause any problems. I did my car and I can tell you that the spring can move in the pad when reinstalling the springs. You have to make sure that the spring is seated properly in the pad. You can look up at the pad with a flashlight and a mirror to check. Also double check the bottom of the spring to make sure it is seated properly. You might also check your alignment, as it will change when you change the height.

my springs make a awful noise sometimes too. i think the front springs are getting hung on the chasis some where...

Yea i made sure the springs are sitting correctly, this is about the 4th time i checked.

hey E55cent, I spung the spring a bit on the passenger side where it was making noise and it went away but now i get the noise on my driver side! How annoying, this time around when I tried to turn the spring on the driver side, I can't get the top a-arm loose and i could not rotate the spring. I don't know wtf is going on wit hthe a-arm but the bolt thats connected from the a-arm down do the side arm would not disconnect.

With your current configuration, with the H&R and konis, did you have this problem as well? Or with the much lower stance of the H&R springs, did this problem go away?

Even with my new set up I did have to do some adjusting. If the spring is too hard to move you might want to rent a spring compressor for a few bucks. This wll make things a lot easier. Or you can have a friend set on the rotor as you turn the spring.