mtnhouse

Hi Guys,
I need advice on my suspension setup. When I bought the car 8 months ago it had a stock springs and some bilstein hd shocks. After a few months later I replaced the springs to a H&R springs and did not change the shocks. After installing the H&R springs the car got really bouncy and it started to rub on the right passeger side. Do you guys think the car would be still bouncy if I put back the stock springs and get some new bilstein sport shocks and put a #1 pad?

Thanks

maxwerks

The car getting bouncy is usually a shock issue not springs , if anything the change to H&R should firm up the car ....do you know the age of the HD shocks on the car ? ( The HD Bilstein were not OEM ) , most of us using Bilsteins with H&R opted for the Sport Bilsteins not the HD. Also , it is strange that the rubbing is only on one side , H&R usually dont drop the car that low for it to rub, you might want to check the springs installation , make sure the springs are seated correctly on the spring pad, then check the shocks ...to me bounce is shocks related .

grane

As a rule Bilstein Sports are recommended for use with lowering springs like H & Rs.

Either Shock can be used with stock springs.

Hope this helps.

desired_speeds

It must be dipping really hard for it to rub on H&R springs because it's unheard of. You can run bilstein HD with lowering springs, it would be like running slightly stiffer stock shocks with lowering springs. Maybe your shocks are just worn? grab some bilstein sports and #1 pads for the front. It should even out and look nice.

btw, do you happen to have a Mercedes spring compressor tool I can borrow one day for an hour or so so I can pop in some #1 spring pads?

mtnhouse

Thanks Guys! @Maxwerks I know its only rubbing on one side I think its a blown shock. I will replace all my shocks this weekend.
@desired speed. Im going to my friend shop in south city this weekend to change all my shocks and pads. I will ask him if it is cool if you could barrow it. Do you think I should put the stock springs back to elimate the bounciness and rubbing? I go to Socal alot with my family and when go the car is loaded. I just hate doing long drives when your car is bouncy and rubbing all the time, it stresses me out. Do you think with a H&R spring, Bilstein sport shocks and #1 pad setup will rub? and hows the ride with this setup?
Thanks

maxwerks

mtnhouse , while youre at it , get a flash light and inspect both spring perches in the front for good measure , most likely you have blown shocks , but the rubbing with h & r is a bit strange , unless they used the wrong bilstein hd shocks i just cant see this happening , i had h&r and had to change to eibach because the drop wasnt enough for me , keep us posted ...also you might want to read up on the koni fsd shocks , several members are very happy with these

Strigoi

I'm running H&R springs, #1 pads and stock shocks and have never rubbed. Last weekend I had several hundred pounds of stuff in the back to the point that my wheels were tucked. Never had one issue even on some nasty bumps/dips on Highway 12. Even when the back is empty, I can barely fit a finger between the tire and fender on the rear.

Mine isn't really bouncy at all, so I'd guess that your shocks are the issue and not the springs.

mtnhouse

Maxwerks thanks I will check it. When you had the H&R, was it sitting really low? did you have any rubbing problems when you are loaded with passengers? I was going to get those koni's but it was not available where i was trying to buy it.

mtnhouse

Strigoi, Thats good know that its not rubbing at all. Usually when I go to Socal with the family (my wife and 2 kids and the trunk is loaded with luggages) I just hope it wont rub at all. Hey I see you are from Concord. I know a few members here are from the bayarea we should plan like a meet and greet. I tried posting before but nobody replied
Do you have any closeup pic showing how low your car is?
Thanks

desired_speeds

The bounciness is from the shocks under-dampening. What exactly is the tire hitting when it rubs? I don't think it should rub at all with stock wheels even when it is very low. If you put the new shocks on and it still rubs, perhaps you have another suspension component that is worn? I'll be leaving to Monterey for the AMG private lounge meet late morning on Saturday, if you'll be in the area before I leave, I'd be glad to stop by and take a look at your suspension setup. I'm in San Francisco.

Strigoi

I've brought up having a Bay Area meet a couple of times but haven't had any interest. Back when I had my Mustang and Z28 we used to have meets all the time (many of which I organized and don't really want to do that again). I have seen a couple of other people mention it in threads though, just like you did here.

Here's a pic showing how it sits. The front gap is still too large for my liking, but I'm hesitant to cut the springs.



Rear, not fully settled yet



Day after getting the springs put on. It's getting a rear camber kit installed once my mechanic and I can sync our schedules. The tires already have some noticeably bad wear on the inside after several thousand miles.

mtnhouse

@Desired Speed I think we are going do it on Sunday. pm me your cell.
@Strigoi Thanks for posting some pics!! I like how your car sits low. Your looks really nice. Its not rubbing at all? If I do this setup I also need to change my camber ?

Strigoi

I haven't rubbed once with it.

I bought a camber kit because I didn't want to deal with the tire wear from the rears sitting like they are (19's aren't cheap, they're the ******* size). It's not necessary, but is a good idea IMO. Like I mentioned before, the wear is noticeable after only a few thousand miles. The kit was $180, so it should pay for itself after awhile. The arms I got are gold anodized and not black like the ones in the link.

Here's the one I picked up.

https://mbworld.org/forums/w210-amg/...-kit-sale.html