Background info:

I had just recently bought an SL55 and asked around on the boards for the best way to lower this car. This thread will hopefully be used by future owners who find themselves in the same position I was in.


The Problem:
I have 20" Lowenhart LSR's on my car. They look great, however, at stock riding height, I thought the car didn't look good. I knew it needed to be lowered for aesthestic as well as handling purposes.

Here are some BEFORE pictures:






My Research:

So, I started a thread in this forum and asked for advice. I received many well thought out and informative answers. see this thread:

https://mbworld.org/forums/sl55-amg-sl63-amg-sl65-amg-r230/127469-i-just-bought-sl55-pictures-question.html

Some people expressed their satisfaction with various aftermarket lowering modules. A good summary of the different types of modules can be found in this thread:


https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...light=lowering


I think most of these modules are fairly similiar and run around the $2000 ballpark range.


My Solution:

Ultimately, I wanted a solution that was the best, easiest, and the most cost effective. I also wanted a lowering solution that wouldn't void the warranty.

What I ended up doing was have a Mercedes dealership lower it using their diagnostics computer. I was told by an "expert" on this board that it couldn't be done, but I am here to tell you it can. The trick is finding a dealership that will do it for you. I live in Columbia, SC and I drove 3.5 hours to Atlanta to Atlanta Classic Cars... an authorized MB dealership as well as Renntech, Brabus, and Carlsson.

They were able to drop the car to my liking. There is no scraping, no rubbing, no error codes and best of all NO VOIDING of the warranty. The car still lowers at higher speeds, just not past the factory pre set limit.

I can still raise the car almost 2" by pushing the adjustable ride height button for steep driveways, etc..



The icing on the cake is that the total cost was $505.


After pictures:

















Thanks to everyone who helped me in my decision making.


.

 

talk about UGLY *** rims

 

That's not right, to each his own, this is what makes his car different from everyone else's. Wheel size and offset are perfect, guaranteed that this car is a sensation to see driving by especially with the new drop.

 

Thanks for the update Dan, sounds like you've found the best way of doing it for most people.

 

Didn't I say that was the way to go?...I don't remember. The trick is always in finding an intelligent, experienced shop to do the mod....
Enjoy! (and I almost put those Lowenharts on mine....)

 

I replied to your last post about those wheels(rims) of yours but........again, I just love those wheels on your car. I was researching those wheels and they make several varieties of the Lowenhart LSR's. Exactly which wheels are they, if you don't mind me asking? Machined, or Silver, or Chromed, etc.
Thanks and by the way.....I had no idea that your car could look any better but after lowering it, WOW! You've crossed another plateau! SUPER!

 

lol. That's okay if you don't like them Bux, I'm sure you're not alone in that opinion. :p

I realize rims are a very individual item. Heck, there are more than a 1000 different rims out there and I only like a few of them myself.

These Lowenhart LSR's are a bit "over the top". They are definitely not for every one. I happen to like the way they make my car look more aggressive. I drove her to my local mercedes dealership for the first time yesterday, and basically the entire service department emptied out, coming over to look at my ride. The service manager mentioned that he thought mine was the best looking SL55 he'd seen.

So, there ya have it. Either you love them or hate them, but either way, it's still cool with me.

 

SJAMROD...you may be the only one interested in this info , but here goes:

These are 20" Lowenhart LSR's. They have a painted silver body with a 4" machined lip on the rears and 2" machined lip on the fronts. They are wrapped in Continental SportContact2 tires, 255/30R20 in the front, 305/25R20 in the back.

warning: Bux- shield your eyes, this may hurt.

 

The Lowenhart LSR is a very popular combo with SL R230 in Japan and they do look good. Here's a pic of an E55 with the LSR:

 

I love your SL. Hell, the wheels as well. I wonder how it'll go with the rest of the car if the rims were blacked out.

 

It would look PIMP!

 

ANY car with airmatic or ABC can be lowered using the SDS computer at the dealer.

 

I'm trying to see the difference...........how much did they lower it. The back looks a little lower, but its hard to tell.

Anyway.......enjoy your car. The wheels aren't for me either, but to each his own. Have fun and B safe!

 

Does anyone know of any dealerships near Washington DC that will lower the 55?

 

I'm going to guess that the car was lowered as much as possible before it threw any kind of fault code.

Docdan, If you like the stance of the car as it sits, great, I think this was an excellent —and certainly affordable— option for you. However, my preference was to lower the car a fair amount more than you did, and as such, will stick to my belief that a lowering module was the best answer to satisfy my needs.

To each his own... There's different answers for different needs.

 

Could you tell us how much in inches you lowered it

 

I wish I had a precise answer for you, but unfortunately, I don't. The tech told me he was going to drop it approx 1.5" in the front and approx. 2" in the rear. He said this was the "standard" drop they found suited most SL owners.

I was okay with the way they had dropped it, so I didn't ask it to be lowered any further. It was my understanding that they could have gone lower if I had asked.

 

Actually, the service rep at the Benz dealership told me that they could lower my car to the point it was "slammed" if I wanted it. I told them I didn't want it slammed.

I specifically asked about error codes associated with excessive lowering, mainly due to your post in my other thread. They assured me that they could clear any error codes and they shouldn't come back again.

I specifically asked them about the car lowering at higher speeds, after I have them lower the car. They assured me the car would still drop at higher speeds, but not past the factory pre-set limit.

I still don't doubt there are reasons to go with the lowering modules. Obviously, many people have gone with them and are very happy, you being one of them.

 

oh, I just thought of this. If you're judging the front drop based on the close up solitary shot of the front rim, ....that was a "pre-lowering" photograph.

IF not, never mind.....nothing to see here.

 

$505?? I was told by my dealer that it would be about $280. I should run down. I don't know why I'm still sitting here.

 

Ok, now how about a pic at 81mph.

I love seeing my car on the interstate at high speeds. Looks bad!!

 

Could you please tell me the name of the dealership where you had it lowered at
& any names of the people there that you dealt with so I could have my local
dealer call them with ?s

Since my dealer says it can't be done

Thanks for any info you can give me

 

Those rims are very sharp. I particularly like them color matched to the car.

A local Laguna Seca Blue BMW M3 has the centers color matched to the car.

There are also two local black CL's with the same wheels with black centers, one CL500 and one CL55.

Love them

 

lol. Actually, I would like to see a picture of my car at 81 mph also! My wife has trailed me in our Jaguar while I was driving the SL55 on the interstate. She tells me the Lowenharts look pretty sharp when in motion. It's all about the painted centers contrasting with the polished shiny lips on the rims.

I'm going to get a picture of it, and when I do, it'll be posted.

 

Absolutely, my man. The name of the dealership is Atlanta Classic Cars. They are an authorized Mercedes Benz Dealership.

www.atlantaclassiccars.com


The guy to talk to is Nash Solanki. His direct phone number is 770-279-3686.

You should DEFINITELY talk to this guy, he's more than happy to dish out advice over the phone. First time I called him, he talked to me for about 30min. regarding car options. Actually, I would recommend anyone needing more knowledge about these cars call this guy. No joke, this guy knows his stuff.

He has an engineering background and is extremely knowlegdeable about all the different aftermarket offerings from Renntech, Brabus, Lorinser and Carlsson. They are authorized dealers from all these companies also. He can easily compare and contrast all the different products from all these different companies.

When they do ECU upgrades from Renntech, Brabus, etc.., they are able to do it at their own facility, not needing to send it out to have it done. They tell me that they are the only tuning facility that does it all "in house".

Specifically, regarding your question, he definitely can tell your techs how to do it. He was very detailed and specific with me when he explained how they were going to change the voltage on certain height sensors.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

P.S. Nash also told me it would be no problem to get rid of the very loud and ANNOYING supercharger chirp. And they did! The car is 100% quiet, even when applying full throttle, ....and they billed the warranty for the work.

BTW, my local Columbia, SC dealership also told me they couldn't lower my car. They also told me that all Mercedes Superchargers "chirp" like that, and there was no way to fix it.