After going back and forth for a while about which suspension set up for my 2000 E55 - H&R/ Bilstein or H&R/Koni or just spring pads etc. etc. etc. - I bought a set of H&R springs and also ordered Koni yellows. When I contacted the owner of my indy shop, a German dude who is really into cars, including building his own supercharger and intake etc. for his merc, he suggested I just trying cutting the springs first and then go from there.

Obviously, I've heard the horror stories too about folks cutting their springs, but this guy said he'd done it many times, and he uses some precision instrument. Anyways, I sent back the H&R's and made an appointment to get the springs cut yesterday. I ended up leaving the car overnight because, due to bad weather here in Houston, they had no driver to come pick me from the shop to get my car. Well, I picked it up this morning, and it's just famtastic!!!! The car was dropped exactly .75 inches all around, it sits really nicely, and the drive is so much better I'm not sure whether I should bother putting the Konis on them. I've decided to return the Koni sports and order the Koni FSDs instead. I guess I'll put them on at some point - my car has 49K miles, so perhaps when it gets around 60k I'll swap the shocks out, unless I'm convinced it woudl make a huge difference, because right now I'm in love with my car again. The most immediate impact is that I feel like I'm driving a smaller, sportier car, and am able to change lanes with more confidence and less roll, yet the ride quality has not changed. If it has changed, it's definitely for the better. I was charged $400 for the job - maybe a lot - but I love the results, and would rather this than pay $260 for H&R springs, plus another $150 -$300 to install them and then hate it.

Ok, I know - THIS POST IS USELESS WITHOUT PIXS YADDI YADDI YADDA - so I'll try to take some soon. I'm just not sure if I have enough posts here to post pictures but we'll see. For any folks who happen to be in Houston, the shop is Texas German Autohaus, and you should ask for Hans. I'm seriously considering having my 00' 540is springs cut too at this point.

I don't think most folks appreciate how agonizing a decision it can be with all the conflciting info. and experiences out there, so, for those still trying to make the call, good luck with your suspension decision.

 

Sounds good! Any idea how much of the factory spring he cut?

 

Yep I have done the same mod with great success after having both Eibach's and H&R's on my car and experiencing great dissappointment with both.

Right now I have the cut stck springs(1 coil cut on both F&R) and I have no complaints on the ride or handling whatsoever.(Some folks may only have to cut 1/2 spring depending on car options. Not every E55 will have the same spring. This will also determine which spring pad to use which I figured out thru trial and error)

Another well known MB mech who has done this with great results is Mbenzman. He has done the cut spring mod to his W208 CLK55 cabriolet and has had great success.

However I would not recommend cutting the springs on a car that uses McPherson struts which is not the case with the MB's from 2k2 to times past. The 2k3 and up MB's use air shocks or Mcpherson struts. Don't cut the springs on the newer models with the mcpherson struts..

 

He dropped it .75 inches, but I'll have to check on how much of the actual coil he cut. It was either a quarter or half of a coil, but I'll find out for sure and let you know. Conservative-looking drop, but feels really nice, even just sitting in the car. Thanks again for your feedback - hope yours gets sorted soon.

 

Since you cut the springs I would have chgd the shocks as well. Why do this twice now.

 

I still have my factory springs and was thinking of docking them each 1/2 coil and putting them back in with #1 pads all around to see the difference between that and the H&R's. My H&R's have not settled yet so my ride height is level with #3 in the back and #1 in front.

Also, anyone who jumps in and says cutting coils automatically increases your spring rate 100%, is ghetto, etc. doesn't know what they're talking about. You have to cut 50% of the spring in order for the rate to go up 100%. 0.5-1 coil or so isn't going to affect much besides ride height.

 

 

cos i can get the shocks installed for just $200, and it was worth it to me to do it incrementally so I could be sure they (SHOCKS) were necessary, and i'd like the change. plus FSDs are not here yet . . .

 

I don't see if you've answered this yet but what size spring pads are you running with the cut coils? Also, hurry up with a nice side pic will ya, lol!

 

Every car will be different. I'm using the W210 #3 pads upfront and #2's in the rear. I need to take some pics but an E55 will be a better ex.

 

Yeah, I'd like to see on a W210 but thanks for the info. I'm on stock E55 springs and #1 pads right now...

 

Sorry for the long delay in getting back, but I just heard back today. He cut about 3 inches, but also said it could differ from one car to the other.

 

That makes sense
if he cut 3" of the spring (3" from the spring end) thats equate to "between 1/4 - 1/2 coil"... which explain the conservative 0.75" drop


Regardz,

 

Actually, the spring rate stays the same unless you cut them using a torch. It will still require the same amount of weight to compress the spring one inch, though you have less spring to compress. I'm quite surprised to hear of MB guys doing this, I used to get flack for it when I cut the springs in a couple of my Mustangs but I've sworn up down and sideways that the ride improved and so did handling. But then again, I'm an actual racer and not a ricer like most of the import crowd these days. I go by what I find out for myself rather than hearsay.
I think the bad rep chopped springs got is when idiots started cutting mass amounts off and just wanted to get the car as low as possible. If you cut a small amount off, provided there is enough travel in the factory suspension system, ride and handling should improve as a result. In a worst case scenario, ride would be the same but handling would increase. Just measure twice and cut once!

 

Shortening any spring makes the spring rate higher. For a constant rate spring if you cut the spring in half the spring rate doubles. Think about it for a minute - if you put the end bar of steel in a vice and apply a force to the end, it will deflect twice a much had the bar been half as long. For practical purposes a coil spring acts just like that bar of steel. A coil spring is nothing more than a modified torsion bar.

That said, I dying to do this mod myself as a buddy has a two-post lift and another buddy has offered his pneumatic spring compressor. I thought I would go to #1 pads and clip a 1/4 of a coil at a time until I liked the look, hopefully without shortening the spring by more than 5% +/- as I could live with a slightly stiffer ride.

 

Not sure if you mean using a torch to cut the end or to heat sag the spring while it's in the car. It is possible to cut the spring with a torch using a bucket of water but it's not the best way. I like to use a cut-off wheel in a bucket of water (very messy but not enough heat generated to change the temper of the spring).

If you heat sag the springs in the car by just applying the torch to the spring until in drops while the car is on the ground, you destroy the temper which could easily cause the spring to fail. Don't ever do this!

 

John, having done back to back tests at a spring manufacturing shop I am sure that the rate itself does not change. The strength and density of the steel, as well as the density of the coils determines the spring rate. Cutting a piece, or even half does not change that springs resistance to the specified weight.
What you're saying is that if I were to cut a specific rate spring in half, then that half of a spring would compensate for the missing half by being twice as stiff. This is a physical impossibity because nothing has changed the strength of the steel, nor has anything changed the space between coils. This spring would still operate at the same spring rate, albeit with a much shorter travel distance.
I was referring to cutting the actual spring with a torch, as that creates much much more heat than cutting with a cut off wheel. Not only that, it isn't as precise which could lead to different height springs.
Nobody with half a mind would consider heating a spring to lower a vehicle, it is the uttermost ridiculous and dangerous method of lowering a vehicle. Have you ever driven a car with heated springs??? It's like driving an old Caddy, except all four corners bounce with different levels of strength.
I hope this clears up the cutting of springs for you. Cheers.

 

Nate

Maybe my description wasn't as clear as it should have been. The actual spring rate of the metal doesn't change when you cut the spring in half but the force needed to get the same spring deflection does. If you were to cut your springs in half it would take twice the force to deflect the suspension the same amount as the un-cut spring hence it feels twice as stiff.

FWIW I was pretty sure you knew not to heat the coils with a torch. Just didn't want anybody else to use this old trick.

 

I think this is the most common misunderstanding with cutting springs (I've actually thought the same in the past), but cutting a length off a spring does in fact change it's rate. Here's the equation for spring rate - as you can see, number of coils is a perimeter: 11,250,000 multiplied by wire diameter to the 4th power divided by 8 times the active number of turns times the mean diameter cubed.

 

I don't know about "cutting the OEM springs"....but installing the #1 spring pads all around gave me the ride height I was looking for. It sits about 1/2 inch lower...rides the same...nothing rubs when filled with four fat assed guys either....

I did install two new AMG OEM Bilstein shocks up front....(most expensive shocks I've ever paid for....about $600 each!) Car handles great...corners flat as new...will do rear shocks when I come across the extra cash! ha ha

 

Even if you paid $600 each with installation you still got rapped by Stealer. You can get Bilstein on line for about $360 a set, front & rear.

 

OUCH!!! Wow dude, you need to spend more time in here before you spend any more money on your car out there! Peter is right on, less than $400 bucks shipped for all 4 Bilstein Sport shocks and a couple hundred bucks for install.

 

I was told by MB that there is only one shock for that car...the OEM AMG/Bilstein's....I did obtain a discount from a parts guy I know in Marin County....($390 ea)...I only paid $50 to install them.

I was not aware there were any other shocks out there that fit appropriately on this car....if the sport application shocks used on the standard E420 sedans fit without any issues, I may utilize them for my rear application. I have a source for those for about $100 ea.

Its good to learn from all of you who have owned this car for a while, what applications work best...and are most affordable. Thanks!

 

My previous car was a 97 E420 all Carlsson'd out! The Bilstein Sport shock is the ideal shock to use when lowering your car. It has a shorter shaft to fully respond to shorter springs. When using the Bilstein HD shock it is at stock length and meant for stock springs at stock height. The Bilstein Sport shocks work on all E class cars except for the W211 with air suspension.