I don't want to get lowering springs because my diesel will sit really low in the front, was just wondering how much ONLY #1 pads will lower my e300td on the stock springs w/ kyb or bilstein inserts?

 

Pads change about 4mm per number,I think.
Raymond is the pad doctor,seek him out

25.4 mm is an inch so figure out from where you are to where you are going,but it does not look like to big of a change can be done with just pads.
ohlord

you def do not want kyb they are far to stiff for all but a track car(diesel not)
you would not like the ride quality.

 

Go for the bilstein's -- did it a few months ago and love 'em. Others on the boards provided valuable guidance telling me KYB stood for "keep your bilstein's" heheh. Aside from sachs/boge which I think are the OEM shock, seems like everyone uses bilstein or koni.

 

the amount of the drop will depend on what number pads you have on the car now. if you have #5 you might drop about an inch (i think) by going to a #1

 

Spring pad W210 part numbers and thicknesses:

Front:
210 321 01 84 - 5mm
210 321 02 84 - 9mm
210 321 03 84 - 13 mm
210 321 04 84 - 17 mm
210 321 05 84 - 21 mm

Rear:
210 325 01 84 - 5 mm
210 325 02 84 - 9 mm
210 325 03 84 - 13 mm
210 325 04 84 - 17 mm<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>

 

illest,

Did you change yours yet?

 

nope not yet too cold outside. I want to get it done soon. I need to find out what # pad I have now.

 

if you have standard, OEM springs, their removal may be a bit more challenging.
if you have since replaced with sport/lowering springs, swapping out the pads
should be quite a bit easier/quicker. the reason is that the longer spring requires
that you carry out a couple more steps of disassembly in order to get the spring
to clear the shock mounts. simply compressing them till the coils touch still isn't
enough to allow them to be tipped out.

during the past 12 months, i've swapped out and experimented with various
spring and shock combinations to where I've performed this about a dozen
times now.

 

how many finger u can put in between the gap?

 

Look at my signature photo.... E55 springs all around. #1 pads up front and #3's in the rear

 

how much shorter are e55 coil springs? i want to lower my e320 (suspension all stock with 17' wheels) but don't know what to use, e55/eibach/h&r/vogtland coil springs, with #1 pad front and #3 rear. which setup do you guys think will have the best ride feel? do i have to change to bilstein sport shocks afterwards, or if i leave the original shocks the ride will still be ok? also do i need to have the mb spring compressor, or any other spring compressor like the one in the picture will do the job?

 

Don't forget that the geometry of the suspension means that the actual drop will be slightly higher than the difference in thickness.

 

MY original springs up front appears to have an additional coil when compared to the E55 units I installed.

That spring compressor will not be safe to use....

I personally used this one. I purchased it on eBay from this retailer and they had a slightly better price.
ZDMak Mercedes Spring Compressor

 

i couldn't get the website to work for me, will try again tomorrow. why wouldn't the other spring compressor be safe? is there something different about the mercedes coil springs?

 

given the spacing with MB, I dont think the claw type spring compressor can be
tightened enough to allow the spring to tip out of the mount/lower control arm.
the pancake design allows this to be done within the limited spacing of the MB.

if you look at the claw design, even at full tighten....if you measure between
high/low claw, there will still be X inches between them. whereas with the
Klann/pancake design, you simply position the pancakes as far apart as possible
and then tighten......until the coils touch. all of the coils between pancakes
will be at maximum compression. this isnt so with the claw design. (my opinion)

the claw will operate with self aligning center spindle and will not have the
inherently (slightly) more flexible design of the pancake's spindle. this allows
a margin of alignment so that the ratchet can access the 19mm driving head
through the access hole at the bottom of the lower control arm.

klann design
http://video.tinypic.com/player.php?v=48pwb5s

 

All one can recommend is that spring compressor I listed. It's an internal type compressor that allows to completely compress the spring virtually flat.

www.zdmak.com
- click Mercedes from the menu on the left.
- either Item: MK-1801 Spring Compressor Kit
OR
Item: MK-1941MB MacPherson Strut Coil Spring Compressor will work.

Both will allow to completely flatten the spring, which you will have to when replacing the springs, especially the front. The MacPherson is more versatile so you can use no other vehicles as well.

 

thanx raymond and michakaveli for your replies. i have a friend who actually used a lowering kit like the one in the picture to lower his bmw, without having to change coil springs or pads. i think it's a universal one and pretty easy to use. ride quality didn't really change according to him. i wonder if it would work for w210. it works by tightening it to the desired height. what do you guys think?

 

I'm not an expert, but I would never use that type of a lowering system. Buy lowering springs or change the pads and do it right. You don't want your ridability messed up, or compromise the safety of your suspension in any way.

 

tirona:
I can't help but think that, given the design of this doo-dad, it will result in
an abrupt stop upon rebound. Of course ride quality will change, because
what you've done is to modify the preload qualities of the spring...and....
shorten the rebound capability as well. So for the seller to boast that it
will not affect the ride quality is lacking in candor. Simple laws of physics
here.

You previously used the term "best ride feel." Let me ask you this: what
do you hope the result to be in terms of your ride...versus what is is right
now? If the ride is acceptable to you now, why change? Aesthetics...or
improved handling? If the former, then there will be trade-offs, as you
will always encounter some loss of comfort with the shorter springs. Will
you be changing shocks? Will you be changing tires/wheels?

Once you monkey with the suspension, you are modifying a delicately
balanced combination of parts, which up till now, all serve to give you
the ride which is classic M-B. So you go back and quantify on paper
what you hope to accomplish through these mods....then mix and match
the components towards that end (including your pocketbook).

 

i would never put those things in my coil springs, i had never heard of them until now and didn't know if you guys knew. to tell the truth my ride's height is perfect for me now, but i;m planning of changing shocks and i;m worried if the wheel gap will increase with the new shocks. i know that springs determine the height and not the shocks, but i have seen a couple of times where the car did sit a little higher after changing shocks. i;m on original shocks and the odometer is approaching 150k miles, so even though the ride quality is fine, i;m sure they are almost shot. but i don't want the car to sit higher after changing shocks, so i was thinking since i;m down there, might as well change the springs too. i definitely don't want a car that sits very low.

 

it is almost impossible for the new shocks to increase the ride height, simply
because their rebound spring is designed to work at a much lower rate/#
compared to a spring. all things being equal, they shouldn't at all.

take a coil spring and try to compress it with your body (nil). take a shock and
put your body weight on it (it'll fully compress, damped by the hydraulics and
gas). If the gap changes at all, it'll subside after a little bit of shock break in.

this is all in simplistic terms. in reality, there may be instances where the ride
height will change slightly due to other considerations, such as primary sag of
the older springs (plus old shocks)....versus adding new springs and new shocks.

another consideration would be for you to switch to Koni adjustable shocks. this
would allow you to slightly tune your compression dampening and give you a
scootch more choice than a fixed rate shock.

I actually have a spare set of Koni adjustable for the E320. I used them for
about 300 miles before switching over to the Bilstein Sports which offer more
dampening. Even on highest setting, the Konis were a tad softer than I'd like.

 

thanx for your reply raymond. do you have all 4 of them? how much are you selling the koni set? was actully thinking about getting the bilstein sport ones, but haven't made up my mind yet.