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I’ve replaced the front air struts with new bilsteins and would like to refresh the rear as well. I will be replacing the shocks and the springs, however I see that the subframe will have to come down to remove or install the Bilstein springs/reservoir. I do not have the tools to accomplish that.
The fronts I replaced were arnotts, it’s a night & day difference between the worn out arnotts and the new bilsteins. What do I loose if I went with the arnott ARN-A2725? Will the ride quality difference be as noticeable as the front ?
Last year, we replaced my entire suspension; control arms, ball joints, wheel bearings, and air suspension components. I don't remember which model Arnott air struts and air spring I have, but I can tell you that the ADS system does work, and you can feel the difference in the various suspension settings.
you only have to drop part of it....and also you can cut the rubber line connecting the air spring to the reservoir. still not the easiest, but it is possible. had to do this when I replaced with Arnott's.
The reason I was asking this question was because the drive quality of the car always felt weird, my lowered m5 project car with shot front suspension rode smoother.
When I had bought the car the previous owner had replaced both the front air struts with Arnott remanufactured air struts, and on the rear only replaced one side with an Arnott (which I know is a no no, should be replacing in pairs). I ended up replacing the entire suspension on the front end except for the shocks & sway bar, but it did not make any difference.
Recently one of my friends ended up buying an E55 which has new Bilsteins all around, it rode so much smoother than mine. I bit the bullet and got the genuine Bilsteins for the front and what a difference it has made in how the car feels. The Arnott struts were less than 2 years old and had less then 10k miles on them.
With that in mind I wanted to see how much of a difference would it make on the rear end, if anyone had any experience going to Bilsteins air springs from Arnott air springs.
I already have new Bilstein shocks for the rear end, just haven't tackled the job as I wasn't sure about going with Arnott A2725 air springs instead of the Bilstein with the reservoir.
The reason I was asking this question was because the drive quality of the car always felt weird, my lowered m5 project car with shot front suspension rode smoother.
When I had bought the car the previous owner had replaced both the front air struts with Arnott remanufactured air struts, and on the rear only replaced one side with an Arnott (which I know is a no no, should be replacing in pairs). I ended up replacing the entire suspension on the front end except for the shocks & sway bar, but it did not make any difference.
Recently one of my friends ended up buying an E55 which has new Bilsteins all around, it rode so much smoother than mine. I bit the bullet and got the genuine Bilsteins for the front and what a difference it has made in how the car feels. The Arnott struts were less than 2 years old and had less then 10k miles on them.
With that in mind I wanted to see how much of a difference would it make on the rear end, if anyone had any experience going to Bilsteins air springs from Arnott air springs.
I already have new Bilstein shocks for the rear end, just haven't tackled the job as I wasn't sure about going with Arnott A2725 air springs instead of the Bilstein with the reservoir.
I cannot find the Bilstein with reservoir anywhere.
2009 E63 AMG WAGON 2018 BMW M5 2008 BMW 550i 2006 BMW Z4
I’d wait and get Bilsteins when budget allows. Replace it once and forget about them for years to come. Dropping subframe is not that hard. Just a little time consuming and you will need help to put exhaust back on the car. I have just replaced subframe bushings. This made substantial difference in how the car rides now. Check them for cracks. If you see even hairline marks they are shot. This could also be your problem with ride quality.
I had been compiling parts to completely refresh the rear end of my 2007 M156 E63 in the years preceding C0V1d, but once it hit, there was no better time for me than the present to commit to undertaking that project! I ended up installing new rear shocks, RMT ReBuilt AirSprings, Subframe bushings, rear torque arms with new bush in Carrier, K-Mac Poly Bushings for both upper rear arms, New Drive Discs and Mid DS Bearing, Rear Main Seal, Tranny Mount, Hubs, Painted Brake Dust bracket?, 3.06 Gear swap w/LSD, EVap Canister, UPD Toe Arms.
As to the rear Air Springs, since the Air Ride Control Switch in essence sets the Compression / Rebound to one of 3 settings, and since those setting features would be applied in the case of the rear end to the Shocks leaving the Air Spring to vary in accordance with ride hight presets, my worry would be that perhaps the Arnott may not work as Mercedes intended. That said, the Control Switch Features should work! I ended up dropping the whole of the rear subframe by disconnecting the e-brakes, Air Lines, and separating the Drive Shaft from the rear Diff. I used a Tranny Jack under the Diff ( after fashioning together a brace to stabilize the Diff ) to lower the whole rear end. Removed the entire Subframe to replace all the Bushings for the Subframe to Car as well as those of the Arms (see shiny Poly KMAC replacement bushings), the Rear of the Differential, the front Diff Carrier to Subframe, wheel carrier to Torque Arm Bushings!! Rear Subframe Installed with new UPD Rear Toe Arms. Notice all the alignment marks I made making sure to install those huge bushings just where they needed to be!! My DIY Subframe Bush Removal Tool! Same tool used to replace all the bushings. This is after 10k miles, still going strong! This is what the Racing Brakes looked like when they were newly installed.
Just for those reading this post and worried about the rear Arnott springs, they work just fine with the ride setting switch. I have had a set on my car for thousands of miles now and use the ride setting switch multiple times during a multi-hour drive. The ride quality is the same or better than the OEM springs.
It is fine if people want to go to the trouble and expense to use the OEM air springs. I just do not want people to be afraid of going the Arnott route because they are worried the settings won't work or they are too harsh. Just my $.02
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