i wanted to lower my 4matic wagon with standard suspension. just like all modifications, it's prudent to do all research upfront prior to execution. though there has been some threads on lowering 4matic sedans, there was not much done on lowering a wagon. here is my (on-going) experience in this endeavor, in hopes to help future folks who dare to follow.
i chose to convert the rear self leveling airbags to accept conventional springs before even attempting to lower. i could have used lowering links there but i wanted a stiffer ride quality. i harvested some sedan rear lower control arms from my local junk yard and while i was there i took the springs as well. the donor vehicle had sport suspension. i opted to install everything on the wagon just to gain experience plus one of the bags was leaking overnight. after a few weeks of driving with a carolina squat (rear was much lower than the front), it was time to dive into lowering.
the quick choice would be to go with the coilover route. BC Racing is the only folks who make a kit specific to 4matics. H&R makes a coilover kit but only for non-4matic so only the rear kit would bolt up. i’ve had prior experience with BC Racing on previous cars (LS400 on airbags) which was generally fine but i did not want to spend over $1k. this leaves lowering springs as my other route.
i first inquired about what springs would be ideal, as there two manufacturers that make lowering springs for the W211: eibach and H&R. I went with the latter after hearing that eibach gives an uneven drop. i've also had great success with H&R on my past vehicles.
next was to choose which springs. there are two choices from H&R: sport or non-sport. being a non-sport wagon, this would seemingly be an obvious choice however the springs are designed for sedans, not wagons. i wanted springs with a higher spring rate so sport springs would likely be the answer. to be sure i emailed the H&R technical staff however they could not definitively answer which i understand since my application is out of the norm. they do make wagon specific lowering springs however only the front springs are included!
on a related note, i also asked H&R about shocks. between OEM sachs and bilstein, i opted for the billies (sad they don’t make B8s for 4matics). like H&R, bilstein makes sport and non-sport shocks.
in the end i chose option 1 from the thread: 29324.2 for E350 without sport package + bilstein shocks for non-sport package. former bought from ECS Tuning, and latter from FCP Euro. let's get this installed!
front initial measurement
searching youtube and online showed different ways to remove the front strut assemblies. i opted to disconnect the upper ball joint. i found out that you need to remove the axle from the hubs to give more room as well. the upper a-arm needs to be loosened to be able to pry upwards to give more clearance to remove. it's hard to see in the picture but the sway bar lower endlink was disconnected as well.
comparison of the front OEM non-sport vs H&R/bilstein. i used the lowest c-clip setting on the shocks here. thankfully i was able to locally source low mileage top hats, dust boots, and bump stops so i could preassemble things.
for the rear, you really need the MB special tool (Laser 6384) to remove the upper shock nut. i was grateful that an MBWorld member was able to help with a free tool loan, even after all these years. the tool was used to hold the “nut” while turning the shaft CLOCKWISE to remove.
i also chose not to remove the interior trim completely as others have shown in the past, but certainly it would have made things easier. i found this to be sufficient to remove the upper shock nut.
comparison of the rear OEM non-sport vs bilstein shocks which interestingly is shorter (p/n 2113264100)! not sure if i bought the wrong ones.
comparison of the rear OEM sport sedan vs H&R springs. for the rear spring tops (not pictured), i used MB shims with 3 burls = 13mm (p/n 2113250384).
post install, i was not expecting the car to be this low! granted my driveway is slopped so the rear is slightly exaggerated too.
front final measurement revealed a drop total of 3.25”.
first drive impressions were uneventful. car was much more compliant and solid but i immediately noticed the car would hit the front bump stops often…yeah too low! i will have to live with this for now since i was physically beat from the install. it's times like these i wish i had a personal lift. more to come!
after driving for a month, the front axle boots ripped on both sides ☹ ! likely this was a mix of old age (original axles at 126k miles), being too low, and me disrupting the rubber during the lowering spring install. this gave me a chance to raise the car while i swapped over new front axles.
for the rear, i bought 4 more MB shims with 3 burls = 13mm (p/n 2113250384), with the plan to take the extra disks to increase the shim count to raise the rear end. the final count was 7 burls (6 disks), exactly the same as this post:
this is just the rear with the added burls! it's a subtle increase but i’m much happier. now to tackle the front!
axle swap was straightforward. i ended up using GSP axles from rock auto. removal of the driver’s side was simple. removal of the pass side required a 3” exhaust clamp to give some place to pry, as explained here in figures 6 and 7:
as suspected, i found the bump stops to be disintegrated! sadly i was unable to replace them so i ran them as is.
i raised the front strut lower spring perch c-clip 3 notches from being at the very bottom!
i also sourced some camber correction bolts for a 4matic (febi bilstein 220 990 00 99) and installed them. NOTE: the very front nut was almost impossible to tighten w/o removing the front sway bar, which you cannot do w/o dropping the subframe. opted to simply tighten things 1mm at a time (as much granularity as my 22mm ratcheting box wrench could do). you cannot turn the bolt as it needs to remain stationary for camber correction.
final stance, though subtle in being raised, is much MUCH better! i believe adjusting the c-clips up front on the shocks added more spring preload which equals a slightly more floaty ride (not like stock however), a small gain in height, with minimal bump stop strikes.
a wheel alignment still shows ~2deg of negative camber up front despite the camber correction bolts, and almost 3deg neg out back. i suppose this is next on the list.
This is cool. -2 up front isn't horrible, but a tad rougher on tires than necessary. -3 out back is nuts. Sticky tires and thay thing would surprise a Miata in turns. 😄😄
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