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Hey folks. I have a ‘99 E430 that I picked up to see what a the old Mercedes V8’s were like - turns out they’re good :p
The suspension on this thing needs a refresh. I can hear what sounds like bad ball joints on the front left and I think the dampers are getting worn as the car feels a little boat like - at least more so than I imagine it should be as a stock car.
I think this car was lowered at some point in its life as it looks like the fenders were rolled. With a machine or by tire I don’t know. This makes me think there could be some other parts a little worn as well.
I feel like fixing it so any worth while upgrade recommendations before I go at it? Is there any difference between the E430 suspension and the E55? Anything from the AMG version worth adapting?
If you are serious about keeping it for a few years, I recommend the following (this is what I did to my then-somewhat tired '99 E55):
-Bilstein shocks (you'll need a "crowfoot" wrench to remove/install the upper shock mounting nuts)
-Upper control arm (with installed ball joint)
-Lower ball joints (these make a huge difference)
-Control arm bushings (replace on the car or remove control arm and replace bushings off the car or just swap the control arm with a new one)
-Inner and outer tie rods with new boots. As long as you are in there it only takes a few minutes more to replace the inner tie rods.
-If you replace the sway bar bushings and the sway bar links be advised removing/installing the sway bar links is a PITA. Use plenty of KY jelly to lubricate the sway bar so you can slide the bushings into place. The brackets were, for me, another PITA to reinstall.
-Consider replacing the upper and lower rubber pads for the springs. You'll need an internal spring compressor to compress the spring; an external compressor will not work. Be advised the lower pads come in different thicknesses; count the nubs to determine thickness and research a bit.
Rear suspension:
-Obtain one of the kits that has every part required to replace the multi-link suspension. FCPEuro has a "Mercedes Control Arm Kit with hardware" that has everything you need. Don't forget you need to set the rear toe once you replace the parts. Not difficult but it needs to be done.
-Bilstein shocks.
-Consider replacing the inner and outer bushings on the control arm. The outer bushing takes a special tool to press out/in due to the angle of the hub where the bushing is installed.
FWIW, I own E55s in W210 and W211 flavors. The W211 is the hot rod and handles better at the cost of significant NVH compared to the W210. When I have a 300 to 1000-mile road trip to make, I always take the W210.
For your car, I would recommend keeping it fully stock. Heck, I don't know if you can even locate W210 E55 springs in stock anymore. FWIW, I posted at some point in the past the list of part numbers for the E55 springs; search and you should find it under my user name. Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and find new old stock.
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