S-Class (W221) 2007-2013: S 320 CDI, S 350, S 450, S 500, S 550, S 420 CDI, S 600

Lowering module question

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Old 12-13-2008, 03:33 AM
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S6 LP640 E500
Lowering module question

Wanting to know what brand of lowering module will lower the w221 the lowest.

1. Carlsson = 30mm

2. Renntech = ? 50mm (thanks s600ed)

3 kleeman = ?

4. Lorinser = ?

5. Brabus = ?

Last edited by jagata; 12-14-2008 at 12:51 AM.
Old 12-13-2008, 10:54 PM
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2007 s600 2007 cls63
My renntech module can go up to 2.0 inch on all four corners. Never really measured the actual drop amount though.
Old 12-26-2008, 03:12 AM
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S6 LP640 E500
WTB

Looking for a lowering module, I want the lowest drop possible. Anyone has one that they no longer want please let me know.
Old 01-27-2009, 07:53 PM
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mostly a Lorinser C-Class
Hi,
the Lorinser lowering kit will lower your car approximately. 30mm
PM me if you are interested!
Old 01-28-2009, 11:54 PM
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Mercedes S550
Does lowering the W221 affects the airmatic suspension? Also, does it affect your warranty through Mercedes? I've been interested in lowering my car but was concern with voiding my warranty or affecting the airmatic suspension.

Last edited by emagni; 01-29-2009 at 12:07 AM.
Old 01-29-2009, 02:16 AM
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Does lowering the W221 affects the airmatic suspension? Also, does it affect your warranty through Mercedes? I've been interested in lowering my car but was concern with voiding my warranty or affecting the airmatic suspension.
even with my car set at 1inch drop I'm still able to raise the car by pressing that button next to the command screen when I approach a steep incline. When I bring the car into the dealership I usually just raise the car back to stock height so they dont question it. Ofcourse anything you do to the car (even by tinting the windows) the dealer can use that against you when anything goes wrong.
Old 01-29-2009, 12:36 PM
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I have the brabus lowering module, it s about 25mm but you can adjust it through the module, at least thats what they told me. I have a set of 21 in brabus rims and I always get the comment that the rims make it look lower.

Last edited by slau2332; 01-29-2009 at 12:39 PM.
Old 01-29-2009, 02:11 PM
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mostly a Lorinser C-Class
Originally Posted by emagni
Does lowering the W221 affects the airmatic suspension? Also, does it affect your warranty through Mercedes? I've been interested in lowering my car but was concern with voiding my warranty or affecting the airmatic suspension.

After installing the lowering links you have to adjust it at a Mercedes-Benz dealership with Star Diagnostic. If you install lowering kits it will affect the warranty for the suspension for sure. If you want to lower a car just a little bit try it at a Mercedes-Benz dealership. They have the possibility to lower the car with the Star Diagnortic. It won't be 30mm but maybe 10mm. I know some dealerships will do it.
Old 01-29-2009, 03:40 PM
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Mercedes S550
Originally Posted by Chris Albrechts
After installing the lowering links you have to adjust it at a Mercedes-Benz dealership with Star Diagnostic. If you install lowering kits it will affect the warranty for the suspension for sure. If you want to lower a car just a little bit try it at a Mercedes-Benz dealership. They have the possibility to lower the car with the Star Diagnortic. It won't be 30mm but maybe 10mm. I know some dealerships will do it.

Thanks for that info Chris! Do you know if dealerships charge for this and how much?
Old 01-29-2009, 04:54 PM
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mostly a Lorinser C-Class
Sorry I don't know how much they charge for it but it shouldn't be to much.
Old 01-29-2009, 05:41 PM
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2005 E55, 09 S63 & 04 SL55
do you have air or do you have ABC? do you have stock wheels?

I had ABC on my 550 and I lowered it through the dealer...



Old 01-30-2009, 01:26 AM
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Does using an ELM or getting it lowered through the dealer make the suspension more harder and therefore a more harsher ride?
Old 01-30-2009, 03:17 PM
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Originally Posted by zuby84
Does using an ELM or getting it lowered through the dealer make the suspension more harder and therefore a more harsher ride?

I was riding low, I was riding on 22s and I would drive through the canyons here in Los Angeles and I would say it makes the ride more harsh but at the same time with those modifcations I was still very comfortable and every time I took passengers I never had any complaints.

Also depends if you have ABC or airmatic.
Old 01-30-2009, 04:41 PM
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Mercedes S550
How do I know if I have Active Body Control (ABC)? Is there something on the instrument panel that I can use to validate if I have ABC?
Old 02-01-2009, 01:54 AM
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Originally Posted by emagni
How do I know if I have Active Body Control (ABC)? Is there something on the instrument panel that I can use to validate if I have ABC?
Yeah me too, how do I know if my car has ABC or not?
Old 02-05-2009, 05:47 AM
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Adjustable Air Ride Lowering Links are fully adjustable so you set the vehicle to whatever height you like. For the S and every other vehicle except the E & CLS there is no unbolting and the wheels don't have to come off. Simply pop off the stock Links and pop the fully adjustable 1's on. Really that easy!!!!
Old 02-24-2009, 10:01 PM
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Originally Posted by DC Performance
do you have air or do you have ABC? do you have stock wheels?

I had ABC on my 550 and I lowered it through the dealer...



Hey DC,

What type of wheels are those on the ride and what type of price are they going for?

Tony
Old 02-25-2009, 02:08 PM
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Originally Posted by DC Performance
I was riding low, I was riding on 22s and I would drive through the canyons here in Los Angeles and I would say it makes the ride more harsh but at the same time with those modifcations I was still very comfortable and every time I took passengers I never had any complaints.

Also depends if you have ABC or airmatic.
how did the dealer lower your 550?
Old 02-25-2009, 02:40 PM
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07 RS4 sold, R53 Cooper S, 2008 Cayman S, 2012 GTR
The dealer used the Star tool to lower your vehicle, if you are in San Diego we can also do the star lowering for you.

For the gentleman who is having an error code with this RENNtech ELM, do you have the version 1 or 2? was it a plug and play model or did you have to spice the wires? Also what was the fault that you were receiving?

Hopefully I can help so that you no longer receive the faults.

We are also the RENNtech dealer in San Diego, and stock the RENNtech ELM's if anyone who is interested.

James
Old 02-26-2009, 12:53 AM
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James

Hi James,

Can you PM me with your email address at work. I live in SD and would be interested in speaking with you regarding some mods on a S550.
Thanks
Old 04-03-2009, 01:59 PM
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Originally Posted by TDwayne69
Hey DC,

What type of wheels are those on the ride and what type of price are they going for?

Tony
Those are Forgiato Concavo. Its a local company in CA, you may purchase them also through DC Performance.
Old 04-09-2014, 08:59 AM
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Looking a mb dealership or mb service that will lower my s550 using the star lowering in the Las Vegas area. Any suggestion out there?
Old 04-09-2014, 09:48 AM
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2016 C300
Originally Posted by mlc44
Looking a mb dealership or mb service that will lower my s550 using the star lowering in the Las Vegas area. Any
suggestion out there?

My recommendation is that you achieve the drop using links. Lowering via module, links or by STAR produces the same net result. All three methods rely on "tricking" the car into believing it's riding higher than it is. It responds by lowering itself. Each method has its own benefits and downsides. Links seem to be the most cost effective, give you full-range lowering, and can be installed by yourself in your driveway in under thirty minutes without tools.


(This is a cut and paste from a tutorial I'm working on to explain how lowering works)


AirMatic 101

The air suspension system uses inflatable chambers on top of the conventional struts, connected to an air pump system. A computerized controller monitors the car's ride height via sensors on the suspension and instructs the air pump to add more air volume to the struts, or to vent air and reduce the volume as necessary to maintain a designated ride height.

For example, if you add passengers, or fill up with gas, the car will drop a bit for a moment under the added load, and then the controller would sense the change and add air to compensate, restoring the original ride height. When your passengers depart, the system compensates again in reverse.

The key to lowering is to "trick" the controller into thinking the car is riding higher than it actually is, and respond by lowering the suspension. The controller gets its information about ride height from a small sensor located near the strut of each wheel well up front, and a single sensor located near the rear differential for the rears.

The sensors have a little mechanical lever with a small socket ball attached to it. For the front wheels, a few inches away, on the upper control arm of the suspension there's another small socket ball.

Connecting these two points is a small metal arm with a female ball socket at each end, called a "link". It looks like a tiny open ended wrench. The link is not a working, load bearing part of the suspension. Its only job is to continuously report the position of the upper control arm down to the sensor.


If the suspension moves up, the link moves up along with it, which in turn pulls the little lever on the sensor. The sensor converts the mechanical position of the lever to an electrical signal, the strength or voltage of which varies in proportion to the mechanical input. As a result, by interpreting the voltage readings being reported by the sensor the controller has constant real time information on the ride height.

Lowering On Links

Your car currently "rides" on links. The system's accuracy is entirely dependent on the fact that the factory link is a fixed length. A lowering link allows you to increase the length of the link. This in turn pushes the sensor lever down further than the OEM link would, which causes the controller to believe the car is riding too high and respond by venting air and lowering the car.

Lowering links allow for fairly precise control of the car's height. They snap on and off the ball sockets without tools and can be removed and reinstalled quickly just by jacking up the wheel and pulling them off.

If for some reason an issue develops with the car where you think the drop might present a warranty issue, (highly unlikely, BTW) pop the adjustable links off and the OEM links back on before you take the car in.

Trusted link fabricators:

www.adjustableairride.com (Beautifully machined pieces, BTW)
www.ghostmotorsports.com (Not as pretty, still get the job done)


Contrary to an earlier post in this thread, your car does not need a STAR diagnostic session after installation of links. Once you've settled on a drop level, regardless of method, the car will require a new 4 wheel alignment.


Lowering By Module

A lowering module replaces the controller and allows you to input whatever value you want for ride height. The controller then interprets the signals coming from the sensors differently and adjusts the ride height accordingly. They are expensive, and require some skill to install. Once installed, making changes is easy.

Lowering By STAR

This involves a tech connecting your car to a STAR diagnositic terminal, and telling the controller to interpret signals from the sensors differently. There is a limited range (about 1") of adjustment available with STAR. It's also a one-shot deal, requiring another STAR session to change or reverse.


Ride Degradation & Alignment Issues

Debate about the wisdom of lowering rages on. Certainly it's not how Mercedes engineers intended the suspension to behave, however the "harm" seems to be limited to a stiffer ride, and a tendency to shred front bumper lips or bottom out the entire car, and it's entirely reversible. (In fact, your car's "lift" function will still add a couple of inches of height if you do occasionally need more clearance. Just remember that if the car goes over 80 mph the lift will be cancelled.)

The car's signature silky, insulated ride relies entirely on having a sufficient cushion of air in the strut chambers. Lowered cars ride stiffer. Whether or not this is a tolerable side effect is entirely a personal choice. There is a "sweet spot" when lowering in which the car looks aggressive but still provides a reasonably compliant ride, and then a steep drop off in ride quality. ("Slamming" the car by completely evacuating the air chambers and relying entirely on the mechanical struts themselves puts an unintended load on the struts and may hasten strut failure, air chamber failure and then by extension AirMatic pump failure.)

When you modify the front ride height, you change the front suspension geometry and can push the alignment outside of factory specs. Generally on a moderate drop there is enough range in the adjustment points to bring the alignment into spec. Failing to have an alignment performed after a drop will result in uneven and premature tire wear. However, I recommend you live with the results of your drop for a few weeks until you're satisfied on the final amount of lowering, and then get the alignment once the drop is "locked in".
Attached Thumbnails Lowering module question-link.jpg  

Last edited by Mike5215; 04-09-2014 at 02:26 PM.
Old 04-09-2014, 04:32 PM
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Great write-up!

I also leave the air matic on "sport" all the time. It retains this setting even after turning off/on the car. If I remember, it makes the car a glaf an inch lower. I read this in the manual. I would hope everyone has their car on "sport" via the top dash switch by the navi.
Old 04-10-2014, 08:40 PM
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Mike...Nice and a welcome explanation.

Hd


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