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New CLK550 owner and I just purchased lowering springs, have a question on compatibility. I bought a set of springs that claim to lower the fronts 1.3" and rears 1.1" instead of the other sets which sag the rear. The part no. is 29259-2 and I am not sure if it is specifically for the clk55 or clk550. Is all suspension compatibility the same for all w209 chassis (I understand it will be slightly different between the v8, v6, coupe and vert). Amazon claims that they fit, just want to make sure before they are installed. Thanks in advance!
Those are H&R springs. ZYou can probably just call H&R and they will te3ll you if you have the right set. I will let you know if I have the receipt for my purchase and install of H&R springs. But it will be a couple days before I can do that.
The website says it fits the 2003-2009 clk55 convertible. The clk55 stopped production up to 2006...also I have a coupe and I understand the verts are heavier. Is it pointless to install or would it still lower it?
I’m getting these things installed in a couple days so buying new ones and returning these is very very difficult at this rate. I might give H&R a call and see what they say
Can you call H&R to verify as others have suggested?
Also, if you can't get a definitive answer prior to the installation date, it would make sense to me to err on the side of caution and hold off on installation until you know for sure. You're going to have the springs probably for as long as you own the car, so it seems like a small wait is worth it in the long term.
Congrats on the 550 BTW. I just picked up one myself a few weeks ago. So far so good!
Can you call H&R to verify as others have suggested?
Also, if you can't get a definitive answer prior to the installation date, it would make sense to me to err on the side of caution and hold off on installation until you know for sure. You're going to have the springs probably for as long as you own the car, so it seems like a small wait is worth it in the long term.
Congrats on the 550 BTW. I just picked up one myself a few weeks ago. So far so good!
thank you! Just after I got the car the windshield cracked and a rear right spring is collapsed, btw I got a set of bolstering b4 shock absorbers all around to go with springs cause they’re shot
i got on the phone with H&R they said “they don’t recommend I use them if they aren’t directly compatible with my car” but she just said what the website said which said it’s for a “2003-2009 clk55 or clk500 cabriolet” which makes no sense since the 55 and 500 stopped in 2006...I picked these springs cause they sit higher than the others but looks like I have to return them and get the other ones. I’m worried about bending wheels and hitting potholes since roads are pretty bad up here in the north east.
Can anyone with a clk550 chime in on the eibach springs? I’m really worried about damaging the car suspension and what not since H&R springs were so stiff in my previous car and I bent rims all the time (jaguar s-type R) I really would prefer the eibach springs but need to know if I need the rear pads as well. I’ve searched everywhere and found things here and there but no definitive answers for the clk550 coupe specifically.
So gave eibach a call since I’ve read their springs are softer. Apparently they never made a kit for the 550 ever. So looks like the only 100% truthfully compatible option is the H&R springs with the part no. 29392-3 but those are apparently very stiff which I would like to avoid. I bought bilstein b4 shocks all around as well. Seems like my only option but if anyone could give any more input? Thanks.
thank you! Just after I got the car the windshield cracked and a rear right spring is collapsed, btw I got a set of bolstering b4 shock absorbers all around to go with springs cause they’re shot
i got on the phone with H&R they said “they don’t recommend I use them if they aren’t directly compatible with my car” but she just said what the website said which said it’s for a “2003-2009 clk55 or clk500 cabriolet” which makes no sense since the 55 and 500 stopped in 2006...I picked these springs cause they sit higher than the others but looks like I have to return them and get the other ones. I’m worried about bending wheels and hitting potholes since roads are pretty bad up here in the north east.
Yeah, my CLK needed about $2800 worth of work as well to get it up to par. There's only 62K on the odometer though, so I'm hoping it lasts a while now that I've put some money into it. I spent more than I intended overall, but hopefully it's worth it!
Back to the spring issue: given the issues you're having, I wonder if lowering it is even worth it, especially given the crappy roads in your area. I think most of the 550 coupes came with the sport suspension, so they already look pretty good stock.
I ended up buying a white 550 with stock AMG wheels, but check out this Cubanite Silver one I almost bought (pictured below). It has 19s, and looks really good at the stock ride height. Maybe a good option for you would simply be 19s (assuming you can get sufficient sidewalls to mitigate bent rim issues)?
Also, you mentioned that you bought Bilstein B4's. Hopefully you got part number 22-218537 (for sport suspension). I kind of doubt the B4's for the regular suspension (part number 22-141705) would work very well if you're lowering. I actually think B8s would be best if you're lowering, but those are a lot more pricey. I just got the B4's installed in the front on mine (stock ride height), and they're decent so far.
Yeah, my CLK needed about $2800 worth of work as well to get it up to par. There's only 62K on the odometer though, so I'm hoping it lasts a while now that I've put some money into it. I spent more than I intended overall, but hopefully it's worth it!
Back to the spring issue: given the issues you're having, I wonder if lowering it is even worth it, especially given the crappy roads in your area. I think most of the 550 coupes came with the sport suspension, so they already look pretty good stock.
I ended up buying a white 550 with stock AMG wheels, but check out this Cubanite Silver one I almost bought (pictured below). It has 19s, and looks really good at the stock ride height. Maybe a good option for you would simply be 19s (assuming you can get sufficient sidewalls to mitigate bent rim issues)?
Also, you mentioned that you bought Bilstein B4's. Hopefully you got part number 22-218537 (for sport suspension). I kind of doubt the B4's for the regular suspension (part number 22-141705) would work very well if you're lowering. I actually think B8s would be best if you're lowering, but those are a lot more pricey. I just got the B4's installed in the front on mine, and they're decent so far.
wow what a beautiful car on a beautiful set of wheels. Congrats on the purchase! Yeah my last car had the same spring set up and it handled beyond amazing but at times it was a little much. I went ahead and just ordered the correct springs for the clk550 (part no. 29392-3) and the # 4 spring pad shims just in case (part no. 2103250484) I’m taking it to the dealer the next weekend after this one to finally get the springs and new shocks all around installed. The reason I’m doing so is because the right rear spring is broken and I can feel all the shocks being shot so might as well do a mod I plan on doing anyways. This thing handles like a boat right now. If the ride is stiffer I could care less since it’s super comfortable right now. But at highway speed it’s extremely bouncey and kind of jiggles through turns. I spend a lot of my time on the highway anyways. The previous owner gave me 2 sets of wheels but I think the car will look so amazing lowered. The bilstein b4 shocks I got were (part no. 24-114714) for rear and (part no. 22218537) for fronts. At this rate I could care less and want the headache to be over with ordering parts. They’re both bilstein B4 struts for standard or sport suspension.
Got my car with 53k on the clock. It’s a beautiful feature filled vehicle and better fit and finish than my jag, hopefully a lot more reliable too since this will be my daily driver. Had a black jag and jumped into a white Benz. Bit of bad luck just purchasing the car but hopefully this is the last of the issues. Hopefully more mods to come once this is all sorted!
The one pictured is the one I didn't buy lol. I bought the same color as you, just with about 10k more miles. I just wanted to show what 19s looked like.
Anyhow, it looks like you have everything in order to make it yours. Good to hear, and hopefully the install goes smoothly.
Yeah I’d love some 19s but I’m worried I’d shatter the wheels instantly or rub along with a billion other issues. 17s offer best comfort, ride quality, and cheapest tires since my rear tires magically lose tread a lot quicker than my fronts
in other news. Before install I want to make sure I’m doing everythign right. My front struts that I ordered are claimed for cars with sport suspension. I looked up my VIN on DataMB and it doesn’t have the code #486 which signals that it’s for sport suspension. Does that mean I need the sport suspension sway bar links? I might just go ahead and grab the upgraded sway bar in this case which includes the sway bar links.
Your rear tires wear faster than the fronts due to the camber of the rear tires. You can not adjust the rear camber (at least not enough to mitigate this issue). I got a bushing kit from K-MAC that allows for adjustment of the rear camber. I now get 80%-90% more wear out of the rears. I went from replacing them at 12K miles (with the cords starting to show on the inner edges) to more than 20K miles and the tires wear pretty evenly (no cords showing).
I believe the camber was set so aggressive is to help holding during cornering. I have a front strut brace and the car is lowered; I haven't found myself yearning for more grip in the corners I encounter. You will probably start to experience understeer in curves approaching 60 degrees above 30 mph. You need to slip the rear to handle really tight curves anyway.
Your rear tires wear faster than the fronts due to the camber of the rear tires. You can not adjust the rear camber (at least not enough to mitigate this issue). I got a bushing kit from K-MAC that allows for adjustment of the rear camber. I now get 80%-90% more wear out of the rears. I went from replacing them at 12K miles (with the cords starting to show on the inner edges) to more than 20K miles and the tires wear pretty evenly (no cords showing).
I believe the camber was set so aggressive is to help holding during cornering. I have a front strut brace and the car is lowered; I haven't found myself yearning for more grip in the corners I encounter. You will probably start to experience understeer in curves approaching 60 degrees above 30 mph. You need to slip the rear to handle really tight curves anyway.
Do you have a link for the rear camber kit? I have a guy installing everything next weekend and it would be nice if it went in at the same time versus wearing out the tires too fast. My rear tires already wear out too fast anyways lol
03-18-2019, 10:06 PM
