dragonAMG

The "visit workshop" message will display if I try take it any lower. The message will remain until the problem is fixed, i.e., the car is raised via the Kleemann ELM.

In the photos, it's on Comfort setting. I thought those settings (comfort, sports 1, and sports 2) were only for suspension stiffness, do they actual change the ride height?

CynCarvin32

So I am in the middle of trying to get this ride height thing squared away and I hope some fellow forum guys can take a second to give me some data from their cars.

VIC55, DragonAMG, Vrus, Rafal and all of E55 owners modded or stock --

Can you guys please take a second to measure the ride height on your cars? I am trying to take a survey here to see where I want to finally set my ride height for the last time. I have moved it up down and all around but I am still not pleased. Currently I am back to about stock and that is too high of course!

Here is what I am looking for:

I am looking for the distance from the center of the hub (center of the "Mercedes star" if you guys have the mb center caps) to the fender lip. This way we take wheel and tires sizing out of the equation.

Put your car in Sports 2 (since this is where it sits the lowest and is the stiffest) and drive it for a bit and then get out and measure with a nice measuring tape of some sort.

Also please note which method you have for lowering the car if any. It your car is stock just say stock! A stock reading would be of great help to since I never bothered to check mine stock...I know I am retarded!


So I will start:

1) Current -- Front: 13.9 inches, Rear: 13.75 inches -- Set via Star Diagnostic
2) Previous when I felt it was "to low" for regular use and hard driving -- "bouncy"
-- Front 13.00 inches, Rear: 12.9 inches -- Set via Star diagnostic


Not trying to jack your thread Dragon. Just trying to get actual numbers on how low these cars are all going with the various methods of lowering. Hope you do not mind this going here. People all just seem to be paying attention to this thread!

CynCarvin32

According to what I have read Sports 2 is a bit lower than comfort setting. And dont forget the car lowers a bit more when you pass over 68 mph or so as well. They say "a bit" = 10mm but I have never been able to verify that specific figure.

I know my car sits lower in sports 2. Do you not see any difference with yours?

dragonAMG

I will be more than happy to and I don't consider it a thread jack at all. It will be great information. I didn't bother measuring mine, so I have no idea how much I lowered it... LOL

I won't be home until about 10 pst. So I'll do it then.

I guess I didn't bother to look. I'll check it out tonight.

Vic55

Ok Cyn I just did what you asked for... keep in mind that measuring tape was not anchored to the center of the hub so there might be some minor variances.

** Lowering via Kleemann Module
** Rear Drivers side measured 12 7/8 inches or 12.875
** Front Drivers side measured 13 inches even
** Front Passenger side measured 13 inches even
** Rear Passenger side measures 12 7/8 inches or 12.875

I have had mine car lower with the Kleemann in the past but am not sure by how much. Maybe 1/8 of inch but I kept getting VW's.

Before I had the Kleeman module I had my car dropped via Star and it was bouncy but I cant remember how low it was since it was almost a year ago.

CynCarvin32

First off thanks for taking the time to do that. It will be a big help.

Second that quote i kept above is VERY interesting to me. Why would the car be more bouncy with StarDiag than with the Kleemann ELM?

I spoke to Cory and Brandon and they said their ELM only lowers the car but it does nothing to any of the suspension settings.

Was the StarDiag lowering on your car even lower than it is now or is this a difference in characteristics with the two methods?

I have some thinking to do!

tbone

Bouncing has nothing to do with the method of lowering. It depends on how low the car is lowered. The car was lowered too much initially, and he lost enough suspension travel, where the car felt bouncy.

tbone

I feel the same. Your car looks great, but IMO, will look even nicer if you raise the rear end just a tad, where the "gap" between fender and tire is even on both the front and rear ends.

I think your current setup gives an illusion that the rear end sits lower, similar to a "lowrider" look.

Vic55

My car was lower with the Star and it had some gimmick washers added in too that I didnt know about. I did this with a shop that didnt tell me how they were going to lower it. When Evo installed my module they had to fix the links too.

The car feels more stable with the Kleemann than with the Star- is it just me? With the Kleeman the ride height is stable throughout all speeds right??? but with the Star doesnt the ride change at 75 mph...?? I am not sure so this is why I ask...

dragonAMG

I was thinking the exact same thing. I'll probably raise the rear a bit. Probably wait until my my wheels arrive next week.

What does "rake" mean?

rbc55

crash bolts are'nt necessary,just allows the car to be brought closer back to specs.i should have saved my money as i rarely even drive the car.

CynCarvin32

Well as far as I know from Brandon and Cory the ELM still has the car lower at speed. The height is not a solid setting and still remains variable like the factory set-up.

I will likely go down half an inch with my car and see how that goes. I just drove to vegas and that road has the worlds most messed up overpasses. A low ride height on those and you will have broken control arms and smashed floor pans!

I need a ride in your car I think Vic... where do you live in LA? PM me if you would like.

Still looking for a stock height measurement since we all forgot to measure that before playing around

Vic55

rake is the front height versus the rear height-axle vs. axle.

rbc55

the module drove me crazy until i realized,after obsessively measuring each corner of the car at different times for days that once the visit workshop appears just adjust it up incremently until it stays away then leave it alone because it will vary depending on if it has sat for a while and the way you drive as well as having extra weight.also , the module lowers the entire car the same ,you then have a choice to adjust the rear seperately.the appearance of the car sitting lower in the rear is an illusion created by the arches of the fenderwell,the rear arches are cut lower making it appear that the fenderwell to tire distance is less than the front which has arches cut higher than those in the rear

Vic55

See, from what I was told the height is stable- my car currently stands with the wheels tucked and if it lowered anymore at 75-80 mph I dont think it would be possible?? I thought the module defeated the speed lowering portion.

CynCarvin32

Looking back at your specs my car before I raised it up and your current car were exactly the same in ride height.

While on a daily basis its was ok, larger bumps were clearly an issue for the car.

I will pm you so I can see your cars reactions to some bumps you may have encountered around the southern california.

Could you give me a ride sometime?

As for the ELM not lowering any futher at speed, I can only say what Brandon told me on the phone about 2-3 weeks ago when I started playing with all the fun stuff! I could be wrong or maybe he was mistaken as to what I was asking. But the amount it lowers is not a huge distance so maybe its just enough to still be ok. OR maybe the car has a different threshold for what is considered to low while going over 68.5 mph.

All just thoughts on my end however.

Vic55

See my car right now is actually ok with bumps- I live in the OC though and work in Irvine where the roads are generally ok. But I used to work out of Woodland Hills and would drive Canoga Blvd alot and that road is tweaked out. I think you live out that way?

dragonAMG

What road and/or overpasses are you referring to?

newton22

Too low for my tastes. And you sure you want to go with THAT much camber? The fronts look like they're at -3 degrees.

CynCarvin32

OOps I for got you were in vegas so you know all about the 15 im sure.

I was driving back to so-cal and left at 2am sunday night the other week (after realzing i needed to get work done the next morning) and hit the road. I was back home in under 3 hrs but some of the overpasses along the 15 south are just a mess. The car felt as if it were going to come off the ground on some of those bumps and others gave my stomach that feeling of SERIOUS compression as the car compressed up to the floor pan (exaduation im sure). But had the car been riding at 13 inches up front and 12.8 in the rear I think there would have been some broken parts involved and a big big bill!

I guess I should state I was not following the posted 70 mph speed limit

A member in the C32 forum had the same problem but his car caught a couple feet of air over the bumps (going 130+ mph) and he needs a new round of front control arm bushings since his just blew apart when he landed.

I was not going quite that quick but those bumps at 100 sure make you repect suspension travel!

CynCarvin32

Yes I live up here towards west la and I work in the Encino area. I used to see you driving up and down Malibu Canyon a lot I think a year or so back. Was that you?

The streets up this way are 100% different than those in the OC. I had my lowered car down in the oc for a day visiting a friend and it was fine. I only had issues as I started to drive home along the pesky 405 freeway which has some nice sized bumps. The worst ones would be around the Wilshire area where there are some nice sized bumps where the freeway passes over Santa Monica Blvd and the next few streets. At 65 my car got oh so close to bump stops up front and bounced up like a ricer civic Plus all the residential streets around here have wonderful speed humps that mess everything up.

There is a chance I may be down in Irvine tonight but of course with such short notice I expect you are busy.

CynCarvin32

Its a fantastic thing huh???

I personally love front camber! It makes the car TURN and GRIP. Something MB's never do all that well

But if you dont throw the car around much its good to put the camber bolts in and try to go back towards stock.

I have the bolts installed to try and create as much camber as possible!! 3 degrees is not possible but 2.5 is with in reason!

Vic55

Yeah its Friday so I am off like a prom dress.... to a bar. But I have been driving Wilshire with my new set up many times and really had no issues. I also have been driving the 405 and its the same thing- rough but not to level of being worried about my suspension. Maybe you have a bad airmatic system?

newton22

Not saying camber isn't good. I'm running roughly -0.5 in the front.

2.5 is a bit extreme. The inside of the tires will wear away really fast.

CynCarvin32

I hear ya on the prom dress... thats why im going to Irvine to have some food and a few drinks to boot.

I think im just one overly senitive person when it comes to suspensions. I like a car to feel controlled at all times regardless of what I throw at it. I bet my car is similar to you car but i just hate the idea that a car is nearing the bump stop. Plus shocks have less control at the top of their travel so as you get near that bump stop you tend to have less control of body motions.

I think I will set the car around 13.5 front and 13.25 rear and see how that goes. That should be close to the factory .25 fore aft height difference. Not looking for a drag car look here.