SL/R230: Coilover time
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 131
Likes: 15
2003 SL500
Coilover time
ABC pump took a big dump today... Zero pressure, car is on the ground. Time to go with coilovers so we can road trip this car without having to worry about needing a tow for the suspension ever again. I keep telling the Mrs we should have gotten a Corvette. These old ones are a headache, but damn, when is runs, it runs good. New ABC pump is $1,300 and there are still plenty of more parts to fail. Strutmaster kit is $1593.31 shipped and never have to worry about it again. I have a neighbor with an SL.. He had a shop put a Strutmaster kit on his and swears by it.
Who's done a Strutmaster kit in the driveway??
Who's done a Strutmaster kit in the driveway??
Last edited by Blazeracer; Dec 12, 2019 at 06:59 PM.
Member
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 96
Likes: 12
SL55 AMG
Strutmaster's are extremely over priced and have zero adjustability compared to the competition. Go with BC or Ceika but just remember, none of these options come with sway bars or power steering conversions.
Member
Joined: Mar 2021
Posts: 166
Likes: 17
From: Long Island, New York
2006 SL55 AMG
Silver's Neomax and VVK front and rear sway bars. I was there when one of my mechanics installed CEIKA and he and the car's owner would not installed CEIKA again if they did it from start. i strutmasters are not the way to go if you want real adjustability and handling.
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 436
Likes: 79
Former R230, W220 and W221 owner
ABC pump took a big dump today... Zero pressure, car is on the ground. Time to go with coilovers so we can road trip this car without having to worry about needing a tow for the suspension ever again. I keep telling the Mrs we should have gotten a Corvette. These old ones are a headache, but damn, when is runs, it runs good. New ABC pump is $1,300 and there are still plenty of more parts to fail. Strutmaster kit is $1593.31 shipped and never have to worry about it again. I have a neighbor with an SL.. He had a shop put a Strutmaster kit on his and swears by it.
Who's done a Strutmaster kit in the driveway??
Who's done a Strutmaster kit in the driveway??
Neomax has a lot of good reviews and Brandon who lives in Ohio has been installing them for customers for a long time now. He's a good guy and will answer all your questions. People from all over the country are shipping their SL's to him to get Neomax installed. If I ever decide to purchase an SL again, the first I will do is ship it to him to get rid of ABC.
Check out his youtube and hit him up. He's installed hundreds of these by now. he really knows the ends and outs of this car and will install and adjust the new coilovers properly.
https://www.youtube.com/@goldelementautoworks
Last edited by imtheking; Jul 10, 2025 at 09:16 AM.
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 436
Likes: 79
Former R230, W220 and W221 owner
He removes the entire ABC system from your car. Pump, lines etc....customers from what I see and hear have been very happy.
Trending Topics
Junior Member
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 43
Likes: 5
2006 SL55 2007 ML320
ABC pump took a big dump today... Zero pressure, car is on the ground. Time to go with coilovers so we can road trip this car without having to worry about needing a tow for the suspension ever again. I keep telling the Mrs we should have gotten a Corvette. These old ones are a headache, but damn, when is runs, it runs good. New ABC pump is $1,300 and there are still plenty of more parts to fail. Strutmaster kit is $1593.31 shipped and never have to worry about it again. I have a neighbor with an SL.. He had a shop put a Strutmaster kit on his and swears by it.
Who's done a Strutmaster kit in the driveway??
Who's done a Strutmaster kit in the driveway??
MB World Stories
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
6 Mercedes Models That Did NOT Age Well (But Are Somehow Still Cool)
Verdad Gallardo
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Verdad Gallardo
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction
Verdad Gallardo
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping
Verdad Gallardo
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 449
Likes: 129
From: Melbourne Florida
SL500
I did mine in my driveway. Pretty straight forward. I didn't go hard at it and took about 6 hours. Getting the old strut bottom out of arm was tough. I went with strutmaster. The car does not handle corners as well and it's much softer and smoother ride. I don't drive mine hard around corners, just love to launch it. I could use sway bars. But very happy with the confidence my wife and I have to drive it now without worry.
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 744
Likes: 73
From: PNW Wa State
R230, C5 Corvette Convertible, Audi Allroad, Lexus RX350, AE86 Hachi Roku
now that it has Coilovers & VVK sway bars.
Couple positives not mentioned ditching the ABC are 100-125 lb weight loss, mostly off the front end and the power bump from an AMG PS pump swap over the parasitic draw of the ABC pump
The front end lift? I don’t miss it. It’s not a problem Our car is lowered on 20’s and doesn’t bottom out on large speedbumps
Last edited by Hary Gahtoe; Jul 21, 2025 at 04:52 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,057
Likes: 341
From: NJ
2009 SL63 AMG
Silver's Neomax and VVK front and rear sway bars. I was there when one of my mechanics installed CEIKA and he and the car's owner would not installed CEIKA again if they did it from start. i strutmasters are not the way to go if you want real adjustability and handling.
Member
Joined: Mar 2021
Posts: 166
Likes: 17
From: Long Island, New York
2006 SL55 AMG
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 744
Likes: 73
From: PNW Wa State
R230, C5 Corvette Convertible, Audi Allroad, Lexus RX350, AE86 Hachi Roku
I went with Silver's Neo Max coilovers which went on without any trouble. Quality is a little better than a BC of comparable prices.
The upper mounts are engineered to a higher level, specifically on this application. Not to say that the BC's might function just as well
I have BC's on our 86. I've never seen Ceika in person or used them
Nobody mentioned you will need to cut a hole in the trunk carpeting unless you feel like dismantling the best part of the the entire trunk enclosure for mounting and each time you want set the adjusters on the rear
Regardless of the brand.
I found automotive carpeting the was a solid match and now I can remove my foam backed patch whenever needed. You can't even tell it's there.
VVK bars are really nice. The mounts are CNC'd Billet. No noise, just solid fit and work very well.
You have to use an engine support and drop the front subframe to get the bar in place and the rear must be lowered also.
The upper mounts are engineered to a higher level, specifically on this application. Not to say that the BC's might function just as well
I have BC's on our 86. I've never seen Ceika in person or used them
Nobody mentioned you will need to cut a hole in the trunk carpeting unless you feel like dismantling the best part of the the entire trunk enclosure for mounting and each time you want set the adjusters on the rear
Regardless of the brand.
I found automotive carpeting the was a solid match and now I can remove my foam backed patch whenever needed. You can't even tell it's there.
VVK bars are really nice. The mounts are CNC'd Billet. No noise, just solid fit and work very well.
You have to use an engine support and drop the front subframe to get the bar in place and the rear must be lowered also.
Last edited by Hary Gahtoe; Jul 24, 2025 at 01:10 PM.
Member
Joined: Mar 2021
Posts: 166
Likes: 17
From: Long Island, New York
2006 SL55 AMG
I went with Silver's Neo Max coilovers which went on without any trouble. Quality is a little better than a BC of comparable prices.
The upper mounts are engineered to a higher level, specifically on this application. Not to say that the BC's might function just as well
I have BC's on our 86. I've never seen Ceika in person or used them
Nobody mentioned you will need to cut a hole in the trunk carpeting unless you feel like dismantling the best part of the the entire trunk enclosure for mounting and each time you want set the adjusters on the rear
Regardless of the brand.
I found automotive carpeting the was a solid match and now I can remove my foam backed patch whenever needed. You can't even tell it's there.
VVK bars are really nice. The mounts are CNC'd Billet. No noise, just solid fit and work very well.
You have to use an engine support and drop the front subframe to get the bar in place and the rear must be lowered also.
The upper mounts are engineered to a higher level, specifically on this application. Not to say that the BC's might function just as well
I have BC's on our 86. I've never seen Ceika in person or used them
Nobody mentioned you will need to cut a hole in the trunk carpeting unless you feel like dismantling the best part of the the entire trunk enclosure for mounting and each time you want set the adjusters on the rear
Regardless of the brand.
I found automotive carpeting the was a solid match and now I can remove my foam backed patch whenever needed. You can't even tell it's there.
VVK bars are really nice. The mounts are CNC'd Billet. No noise, just solid fit and work very well.
You have to use an engine support and drop the front subframe to get the bar in place and the rear must be lowered also.
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2025
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
SL500
strutmaster
We did ours in our own shop. Not a huge deal. But the ride sucks. Tech told me to drive it for a few hundred miles so the springs could settle in. It sat for a month before it came out of the shop so I disagreed, but have driven it anyway. No improvement. Tomorrow I will call again, but since there is no adjustment, I do not think anything can be changed? Can anyone give some advice?
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 436
Likes: 79
Former R230, W220 and W221 owner
We did ours in our own shop. Not a huge deal. But the ride sucks. Tech told me to drive it for a few hundred miles so the springs could settle in. It sat for a month before it came out of the shop so I disagreed, but have driven it anyway. No improvement. Tomorrow I will call again, but since there is no adjustment, I do not think anything can be changed? Can anyone give some advice?
Super Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 744
Likes: 73
From: PNW Wa State
R230, C5 Corvette Convertible, Audi Allroad, Lexus RX350, AE86 Hachi Roku
We did ours in our own shop. Not a huge deal. But the ride sucks. Tech told me to drive it for a few hundred miles so the springs could settle in. It sat for a month before it came out of the shop so I disagreed, but have driven it anyway. No improvement. Tomorrow I will call again, but since there is no adjustment, I do not think anything can be changed? Can anyone give some advice?
Huge red flags. ^^
If you are part of this shop you should've been aware that setup is the crudest/cheapest possible suspension available. You did although got what you paid for. A low cost, entry level shock designed only to facilitate a dead suspension removal with no adjustment and a considerably short lifespan.
Whoever the "tech" was also knew it was not up to the chassis level standards but I'm sure his thoughts were; WTH it got the car at least somewhat drivable and out of the shop.
I don't envy You, having the uneasy choice of driving a < enjoyable Mercedes or putting the suspension right (removing the pogo sticks and re install decent coilers/sway bars) to enjoy a sussed out car; Or selling it and let someone else pogo down the road
Good Luck whichever way you go
Newbie
Joined: Jul 2025
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
SL500
One thing i did opt for is the SWIFT spring upgrade on the Silver's Neomax. That install will be the next project. I'm going to remove the hydraulic lines and all the ABC hardware, do it right instead of a half assed install job and have the ABC weight still in the car.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 449
Likes: 129
From: Melbourne Florida
SL500
That is an interesting prediction which I don't see happening. When I purchased my 2004 Sl500 I was thrilled knowing I didn't have to spend 2 grand on top of the price of the car to make it a safe reliable car without worries of a collapse on the interstate. Let's face it the car has a terrible reputation with that ABC Suspension. .
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 1,481
Likes: 310
95 SL600
