Thinking about lowering my S
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 312
Likes: 3
From: San Francisco
2000 mercedes benz s430
Thinking about lowering my S
Hey guys I am thinking about lowering my s430 with the stock airmatic. I got a some of concerns to ask people who have done this.
1)Does the ride stay as soft and nice as when its normal height
2)Doing this will it increase my chances of having my airmatic fail?
3)Will my wheels rub?
Thanks everyone
1)Does the ride stay as soft and nice as when its normal height
2)Doing this will it increase my chances of having my airmatic fail?
3)Will my wheels rub?
Thanks everyone
Super Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 646
Likes: 2
From: Seattle, WA
2001 S430
1) yes and no. u know the drill, avoid anything on the road thats bumpy and/or drive slow.. hit speed bumps and driveways at an angle.
2) yes and no.. its normal for airmatic struts to fail around 80-100k drive with caution and again avoid anything on the road that could harm your suspension, make sure u get an alignment after lowering.
3) hard to say, theres a combination of things that could cause rubbing - size profile of tires, size of wheel spacers, size of wheels and tires and extremely low ride height.
all in all, youll be fine but the big question is.. sacrificing comfort for looks, thats my $0.02 cents.
2) yes and no.. its normal for airmatic struts to fail around 80-100k drive with caution and again avoid anything on the road that could harm your suspension, make sure u get an alignment after lowering.
3) hard to say, theres a combination of things that could cause rubbing - size profile of tires, size of wheel spacers, size of wheels and tires and extremely low ride height.
all in all, youll be fine but the big question is.. sacrificing comfort for looks, thats my $0.02 cents.
Super Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 766
Likes: 0
From: The Jersey Shore
Garage Temporarily Empty
I lowered my S and it does sacrifice ride quality by a small amount. It's something I noticed but personally I don't mind it at all. It's minimal.
First I used lowering links and then removed them to lower the car via STAR. Same results in ride quality for both methods of lowering, but w/ lowering links there is a possibility of the car needing to be adjusted multiple time to get the ride height even.
With 19" wheels and an inch of lowering you can really change the look of an S class to take up that gap between the tires and wheel wells.
First I used lowering links and then removed them to lower the car via STAR. Same results in ride quality for both methods of lowering, but w/ lowering links there is a possibility of the car needing to be adjusted multiple time to get the ride height even.
With 19" wheels and an inch of lowering you can really change the look of an S class to take up that gap between the tires and wheel wells.
Last edited by Vabene7; Aug 28, 2011 at 02:28 PM.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 312
Likes: 3
From: San Francisco
2000 mercedes benz s430
Thanks guys I am going to sleep on it. I don't know if I am ready to drive around town looking for every bump like I did when I owned a integra LOL. But then again I seen some w220's lowered and wow they look GREAT
Super Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 766
Likes: 0
From: The Jersey Shore
Garage Temporarily Empty
I have a hit a few NJ potholes and no damage occurred.
You really don't have to spy every imperfection in the road to avoid any hole and bump....I don't and have no problems.
Not the best light in this photo, I admit, but it may give you a better idea of what one inch lower will look like....
You really don't have to spy every imperfection in the road to avoid any hole and bump....I don't and have no problems.
Not the best light in this photo, I admit, but it may give you a better idea of what one inch lower will look like....
Last edited by Vabene7; Aug 29, 2011 at 11:02 AM.
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 414
Likes: 1
From: Grand Rapids, MI
S55 AMG
I've been looking to lower my car as well, and just found these on ebay.......anyone heard of these guys.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...item230e598191
For the price, I might go ahead with something like this.....however I got a friend tracking down a STAR system to lower it that way....we'll see which one comes first.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...item230e598191
For the price, I might go ahead with something like this.....however I got a friend tracking down a STAR system to lower it that way....we'll see which one comes first.
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Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 162
Likes: 0
From: Peoria, AZ
W220
I've been looking to lower my car as well, and just found these on ebay.......anyone heard of these guys.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...item230e598191
For the price, I might go ahead with something like this.....however I got a friend tracking down a STAR system to lower it that way....we'll see which one comes first.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Merce...item230e598191
For the price, I might go ahead with something like this.....however I got a friend tracking down a STAR system to lower it that way....we'll see which one comes first.
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