Dapkeo350

hello fellow members.. i have an 08 ML350 with 22" rims that has so much space between the tires and the wheel well. I would like to lower the car so that i can limit that space as much as possible. I see that there are two options when it comes to lowering springs..either the eibach or the H &R's... For the fellow members that have already lowered their ML350's, please give me some advice and info concerning this topic... Something i would like to know is which brand do you guys recommend that i use, do i just swap out the springs or do i need to swap out shocks and other parts too, and what else i should do after lowering the car like getting it realigned?

Dapkeo350

thank you in advance for those that reply with helpful information regarding this thread.

yister

I can help, as I've had both of the springs. First were the H&R's, looked the best (lower than Eibach). It looked like a beast from the back with my 20' amg w 295's. But,it Blew the stock shocks prematurely and gave me -2.7 degree of camber. A year later I just changed them out for the Eibachs with Bilstien hd shocks and rides well. Still a bit stiff over stock set up but it;s a lowering after all. The rear end sits abit higher than the H&R's, but much better camber at ~-1.7 now. I think the shocks play a big roll in the setup, I would upgarde the shocks with the springs definitely. I wish I could've felt the H&R springs with the Bilstien hd's, maybe I would stayed with it. I'm on my second week with the new setup, hopefully it'll settle a bit lower as I miss the H&R look.

AMGC60-3

I have had H&R,s on mine for well over two years with no problems at all.

Dapkeo350

thank you both for the replies......Yister, i would like to know how much i should be looking forward to spending...cost of springs, cost of shocks, cost of labor, and any other cost that will come with lowering the car. SO i should be able to lower my car with just aftermarket springs while using the stock shocks? or do you recommend that i buy after market shocks also? please let me know, thanks greatly!

AMGC60-3

I also have my H&R springs with stock shocks.

Dapkeo350

AMGC60-3, so you just bought some H&R's, took them to a mechanic, had them switch your originals with these, and drove home with nothing else done or was there another step along the way? if this is correct, i hope my process will be this simple too. Can you please reply me back with the cost of labor? thank you once again!

yister

Dap, the shocks would be optional depending on the milage on your vehicle. If you went with the Eibachs, maybe you can get away with just the springs. But with the H&R's, I would surely go with the shocks s well. Because of the labor involved just for the springs, it would be wise to opt for the shocks. The stock shocks weren't calibrated for the lowering spring rates. I get good prices because a buddy owns a body shop with a alignment center(don't forget the alignment). He chaged $1500 for springs and shocks and swaping of front and rear lights.

Bilsteins HD~$850
springs~$225 plus labor, good luck which ever way.

GT-ER

I have eibach and bilsteins all around. The car feels great but I wish the rear was stiffer...it feels too loose. Changing the springs on the ML is a lot harder than just about any car I've ever changed springs on so I'd do everything all at once.

Dapkeo350

yister....i have a little over 37k miles on my ML350, and is there a website that you would recommend for purchasing the bilsteins because i looked on ebay and could only find sets of 2 rear shocks? so i should probably estimate that i will be paying about $2000 for shocks, springs, labor and alignment?

Dapkeo350

this sounds like alot of work and its kind of making me not want to lower the car anymore even though i want to so bad just to make it look better.....i wish that i have a good buddy like yister does, who i could just give my car to him for a day along with $1500 and get the results like yister did...sigh

GT-ER

I bought everything from shox.com for under $1000. Labor shouldn't be more than $400-$500 tops.

yister

Dap, I would go with GT-Er's recomendation of shox.com. I've bought stuff there before and the prices are good. Also, tirerack has everything you need as well. Like you I almost gave up as well after the H&R's, but I'm glad I didn't. Even though being 41 with 2 kids, I still gotta look good.

Dapkeo350

yister...you originally asked me how many miles my ML350 had...which is about 37000 miles. i was planning on buying just H&R springs and putting them on the stock shocks since a previous member commented and said that he didnt have any issues with this? do you think i will be okay in doing this? or do you recommend that i buy both springs and shocks? please let me know..thanks once again.

yister

Maybe with Eibachs you can swing the stocks, but I wouldn't with the H&Rs. The H&R's are lower than the Eibachs which puts the stock shocks range in compressed state too much.

Fly-CDI

<br />
<br />
Alright fellas, speaking from experience. I did the mistake of only swapping my stock springs with H&amp;R springs. My ML has been floating around like a boat in turbulent waters for about 8months. When the weather is cold out the stock shocks were stiffer and it didn't rock so much. Now that it's spring. I just ordered the bilstein's HD shocks hoping that my ML doesn't jump around all unevenly. <br />
<br />
My 2 cents: <br />
1. DO NOT change the springs without changing the shocks!<br />
2. Get an alignment every time you modify anything to do with your suspension. <br />
<br />
<br />
My questions: <br />
On the bilstein's HD shocks (that I'm still waiting for delivery) there's adjustable dampening, anyone have recommendation for the dampening settings. <br />
<br />
Also, since I've been ridding on my H&amp;R springs for about a year now. Will this affects the ride quality after the bilstein's HDs are in?<br />
<br />
All your comments and help are very much appreciated!

Dapkeo350

where did you buy your bilsteins from? next week..i have an appointment to swap out my stock springs with eibach 1.4" lowering springs, and getting realignment. Does this sound okay? or does anyone have any suggestions such as installing bilstein HD's too? please tell me before my appointment, if you guys recommend me buying after market shocks too, then i will cancel my appt. and buy, because i dont want to go through with this and regret it, meaning having issues with the suv afterwards. But if you guys think that my suv will be okay after, then i will go ahead and keep my appt. please let me know...

yister

Dap, I'm at end of my ropes on this lowering thing. It felt good after the eibach/bilstien combo, but there's annoying bounce on the front end. Didn't have this with the H&r's, but the eibach's getting on my nerves. Nothing bad as a slammed civic, maybe because it's not a v8 and little lighter on the front end. Eibach rears are good, not too low as it'll give you better camber. I'm to a point of cutting the stock springs at this point, or get a X5 with some coilovers. This is the last time I'm getting a car no coilover option.

Fly-CDI

If your ML has 100,000KM (60,000MI) or over. I recommend changing both shock and springs if you want it lowered. I had my bilsteins installed and WOW. There is a HUGE difference in the ride quality - Trust me, I was riding on 22's and on H&R springs for all of last summer. Not fun. Any bump I would feel like the stock shocks would bottom out and it got worse when I had 2 or 3 people in the suv. The bilsteins are one of the the very few and only aftermarket shocks I could find, I got mine from http://www.bilsteincanada.com/. I was hesitant to get them off of ebay just out of the fear of getting the wrong parts. Keep in mind, it's not easy to install or modify the suspension on the ML and you have to get an alignment every time they take your suspension apart - I could have easily saved $1,000 if I had just got everything installed at the same time.

Hope this helps!

N4HHE

Which Bilstein did you get? Yellow or black? I believe yellow is the HD and black ins the original equipment.

Fly-CDI

Went with the yellow HDs. They are more performance tuned and they were cheaper than the factory replacement.

N4HHE

Thanks! I'm thinking pretty much the same. Bought my W164 at 45k miles and now at 55k am pretty much convinced the suspension isn't what it should be but hasn't gotten worse the past 10k. And considering that, I can't hardly bring myself to put the same thing on it again that didn't last 45k.

Would consider lowering at the same time but want to keep all possible ride quality, else I would have kept my Ford, or bought another Ford.

N4HHE

You know cutting the stock springs will make them stiffer?

yister

I don't think so, since stocks are linear rate instead of progressive like the eibachs.

N4HHE

As a mechanical engineer I think so. If you cut the stock springs the result will be lower but stiffer.

Proof: Forget the springs are coiled, coiling doesn't change their properties. Think of the spring as a long uncoiled rod. Anchor one end and put a load on the other with the spring horizontal. The loaded end deflects. All along the length the bends just a little.

Now lets say you cut the rod in half and put the load at the new end. Because there is only half as much rod it only deflects half as much. It now takes twice as much load to deflect the same as before. The spring got stiffer.

Same holds true when the rod is coiled. Put a load on the spring and every infinitesimally small section of the rod carries the full load and the amount it bends is determined by its modulus of elasticity. If you cut the spring there is less length to bend so it will compress less under the same load as before.

Another way to look at it is to consider two coiled springs made of the same rod, coiled to the same diameter, and of the same length. The one with the most coils will be the softest.

The spring will be stiffer.