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Looking good…..I see you squatting in the rear….I just replaced shocks and springs with sacs all the way around before doing any research (mainly because the fronts had been replaced with sacs right before purchase and I’m super ocd) and while on the beach man it was bouncy….I’ll be for sure driving a bit slower next time to alleviate most of it (first time on beach) but a stiffer spring and shock would make a world of difference out there too….looking to go all metal bumpers and whatnot in the future also !!!
Last edited by ChrisVannoy; 07-19-2021 at 02:37 PM.
I ran 35" tyres on mine. With a lift kit,
Done over 15000 miles running mega torque from the engine. (was 370nm now 730nm) with no issues.
It's been abused off road with no issues
Andy
My alignment shop is having difficulty aligning the ML. It sits on 33 inch wheels with reindexed torsion bars and spacer plates on the rear. I have about 14 inches of clearance under the subframes. Rear control arms and front tie rods replaced. All four lower ball joints replaced..The car drives well but for some reason, the tech is telling me the arms are moving on the right side. He says alignment is holding on the left but the right side keeps shifting. He will set the toe at 0.1 and after driving it it shows 0.55. Same with the camber/caster settings. He says he is tightening the nuts and somehow things are shifting still. Make any sense? Anyone familiar with this behavior? Should I get new hardware from the dealer for the control arms?
what ended up being the problem here also the lower corner did you figure out why it was sagging
The cheapest and simplest improvement is just to fit good all terrain tyres like BF Goodrich KO2s. They are still expensive though and would be more than $200 each I guess. They are not noisy on tarmac and would be capable in poor road conditions and last quite a long time too. Some say you can fit 265/75/16 tyres without rubbing or needing a lift or spacers but if your country's testing regulations are strict, like in UK, any rubbing at all on full lock is not accepted. A full size spare would be handy if you went larger than stock size. Any sort of lift will be expensive and badly affects the ride and handling. Other types of vehicle seem more suited to off road mods, or have more ground clearance to start with, like a Landcruiser, but that might be heretical!
Thanks for getting back to me. We're planning to drive from the New York area (specifically from NJ) through Texas and Mexico, into Belize which is our final destination. I'm going to stick with street tires for the trip down, but will look into purchasing a set of all-terrain tires and throwing them into the trailer to be mounted when we get there. I already bought a full-size rim for the spare and a roof basket to hold it. This car/truck has been in the family for years, it still runs great, and replacing it is not an option. We'll supplement it with a Hilux or something similar for my wife once we get settled in.
I thought I replied earlier, but I might have f*cked it up. Anyhow, thanks for the reply. Going to keep it stock on the trip down. I'll get 5 all-terrain tires and put them in the trailer to have them mounted when I get there. I already bought a full-size wheel and tire, plus a roof basket to hold it. I'm not the paranoid type, but I'm also not eager to break down in Mexico with my family and only a donut to get us another 1000 miles.
Thank you Bezalel.
Last edited by BelmopanGringo; 07-26-2021 at 12:00 AM.
2012 Ml 450, 2010 f150 King ranch, 2017 Ford edge, 97 f250 powerstroke
Originally Posted by V12toHybrid
i just bought a 02 320 and i am very interested in lifting it about 2 in. please let me know if anybody knows how or where i can find a kit.
I don't know about that model but I had to import my 4 inch for my ml 450 from Germany it's super common to lift them over there they are kind of like the Toyota of Europe!
2012 Ml 450, 2010 f150 King ranch, 2017 Ford edge, 97 f250 powerstroke
Originally Posted by jswedberg
I imagine it could be done, but it would be very expensive. The bigger tires would wreak havok with the ESP, for instance. Those other vehicles typically have leaf springs, as well - you'd have to figure out how to handle coil suspension. Maybe another subframe? Very expensive.
And I doubt there is much out there as far as parts. Ford/Chevy/Dodge/Toyota make a LOT more vehicles than MB, so an aftermarket supplier is not going to be interested in tooling up for the relatively few (one?) that want to jack up their ML.
And, of course, it looks ugly!
They are really common to lift in Europe I ordered a 4" a couple years ago from Germany I want to say it was around 2000 for the lift and to have it shipped the MLS are the Toyota pickup over there
* Front: 35" from ground with new OEM MB shock and torsion bar index 1 notch. Better handling compare with maxing out torsion bar index. Slight rubbing lower rear inner fender when steering from full left lock to full right lock or three-point turn. No issues during normal driving.
* Rear: 35” from ground with new OEM MB shock with 20mm spacer. King KMRR-91SP springs are out of stock until Feb 2021. I hear slight rubbing top inner plastic fender when running over the potholes on freeway. No rubbing during normal driving over speed bump. Front and rear at 35" off the ground.
Wow, very nice stand!
Do you use spacers? If so, what size?
How did you lift front and rear? Ok, front with torsion bar (indexing + setup i think). What about the back? Body Lift parts on the shocks?
and was wondering if anyone had any experience with them. I have a W164 that I ideally want to put 33's on. I dont want to have to go the whole suspension route. Just something to give me a little more clearance. Here is the current set up.
Wheels: 17x8 +43mm offset
Tires: Falken WildPeak AT3W 245/70R17
Last edited by BlackBisonAMG; 11-22-2022 at 02:29 PM.
Reason: correction
After playing around with my car's setup I'm finally done. I'll probably end up posting a new video on everything I've done and everything I've learned. I know this car inside out now and as much as I respect its solid engineering and design, I scratch my head at why Mercedes did certain things the way they did. Like the tight clearances between body and frame and most importantly why they simply did not use half inch to one inch longer control arms, ball joints and related chassis parts. This one thing would have completely transformed the natural capabilities of this chassis.
The car finally has the correct stance and I no longer have any bottoming out under any circumstances when on the trail. This car weighs 6,200 with all equipment and driver so it required a lot of work to keep it safe and capable. I'll keep enjoying it but most likely start on a new project soon - probably a G wagen or a new Defender.
Do you use spacers? If so, what size?
How did you lift front and rear? Ok, front with torsion bar (indexing + setup i think). What about the back? Body Lift parts on the shocks?
Thank you!
Sorry for late response.
Do you use spacers? If so, what size?
yes, 15mm structural quality steel plate spacers for rear. Custom order from SMP Machine at San Francsico. I gave them my old rear shocks to ensure the fitment.
How did you lift front and rear? Ok, front with torsion bar (indexing + setup i think). What about the back? Body Lift parts on the shocks?
Front: torsion bar index 1 notch, Bilstein (24-186735) 5100 Series Front Shock Absorber 2-2.5" lift, SuperPro Front Torsion Bar Suspension Bracket Pad Kit Fits Mercedes-Benz SPF2844K, PART NUMBER: SPF2844K
Rear: No Body Lift parts. 15mm steel spacers. King KMRR-91SP springs are out of stock so I just installed new OEM Mercedes Quick Strut Assembly - Bilstein 41-173435. Not easy to install these with spacer. I used 2 jacks and clamps to install bolts.
15mm steel spacer SMP Machine Shop at San Francsico SMP Machine Shop at San Francsico Mercedes Quick Strut Assembly - Bilstein 41-173435. Spray painted steel spacers
Thickness of the mounting frame.
2 steel washers at bottom this is the hardest part. very difficult to attach lower control arm bolt. Not easy to push lower control arm to install bolt. Need 2 jacks to lift the arm slowly. Use clamps to squeeze the arm into position then install bolt.
Infidel garage on you tube. He now sells a kit. I lifted mine about 3 to 3.5 inches. Not using his kit but with his ideas. It’s setting on 285’s.
he runs 35’s.
Quarantine was driving me crazy so I lifted my car and installed new tires. Thank you everyone for sharing photos!
Wheels: Mercedes AMG, 18x9, MPN 1634011802
Still here? What color did you paint your wheels? I have a set of those AMG wheels that the PO (poorly) painted flat black. I was going to have them blasted and powdercoated the standard silver, but that grey would look great on my Silver ML.
If anyone needs to really lift up these cars like I had to do due to all the increased weight of the steel bumpers, winch, rooftop tent, awning, interior drawers, fridge, etc, let me know. The front is easy but the back is really hard. I went through 6 different springs until I got the height and firmness I needed. I really love how these cars turn out with a small amount of lift and larger tires without adding all the weight I did.
If anyone needs to really lift up these cars like I had to do due to all the increased weight of the steel bumpers, winch, rooftop tent, awning, interior drawers, fridge, etc, let me know. The front is easy but the back is really hard. I went through 6 different springs until I got the height and firmness I needed. I really love how these cars turn out with a small amount of lift and larger tires without adding all the weight I did.
what springs did you settle on I got Dobson heavy duty tow springs with b6 on the rear
16 inch Eibach 800 pound springs. The coils are flat top on both ends so I cut off the flat part on one side to make it like the original spring profile. I invested in a heavy duty spring compressor. No way you can compress 800 pound springs safely with the $30 parts store units. I had to use a one inch spacer on top of the left strut and half inch on the right. For some reason my left was always sitting lower. I also had to elongate the upper control arm bolt holes to remove the extra negative camber. I ended up with -1 degree camber all around. From ground to wheel fender I have 39 inches. If I had to do it all over again I'd drop the car off at King Shocks and have them do a custom setup front and back. Front is easy. But not having longer shocks for the back is the main problem. I thought I had found a solution using Bilstein shocks from the Porsche Motorsport program but it didn't work. The other thing I would also do is take the original control arms, go to one of the warehouses that sells longer control arms for Chevy, Toyota, Ford etc and try to match something. If each arm and ball joint had been made about an inch longer, Mercedes would have had a real winner with this chassis.
If I didn't have all the extra weight I think a 650 or 700 pound spring would work really well. Right now the ride is good. Not stiff. I removed the rear sway bar and I have no issues. I wish I had your V8. The V6 has a big heart and doesn't struggle 99% of the time but 33 inch tires reduced the rear drive ratio by about 15%. The V8 torque would be really useful.
I still have a few extra sets of OE Bilstein springs in original strength and the +300 kg version that I'd ordered from Germany if anyone needs springs. The +300 will work really well if you're not adding too much weight like I did.
Not much content of the ML in this video that my friend just made and sent me. I'm hoping he will feature the car in an upcoming video where I get to talk about the car in more detail. Still a fun video though.
07-19-2021, 02:00 PM
