[W126 Coupe] lowering

Markus Meyer markusfmeyer at gmail.com
Wed Apr 28 08:58:58 EDT 2010


Dick - there are many factors that go in to this, including:

1) personal preferences - what you think is firm I might not
2) tires - this can make a world of difference on the same rims, even at 18"
size. I think Mike Ramay tried Z rated and H rated 18" tires and noticed a
big difference in handling.
3) condition of all suspension parts - simply swapping out springs and
wheels on an old, tired suspension isn't the best solution - the tired
components won't like it and will "fight back".

I personally hated the stock ride and suspension, so much I almost got rid
of the car in the first year of owning it. It was 11 years old with only
58K when I bought it. The changes I did made the ride much more enjoyable
to me. But I'm also still "young", like a firm ride, and don't mind the
occasional "bumps". That may change as I age! :)

Cheers,
Markus

On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 8:07 AM, Richard & Nancy Diefenbach <
diefenbach at kingcon.com> wrote:


> Wow - I have never seen so many (and varied) responses to a simple

> question. There appear to be a lot of pro and cons on the subject. I

> really like the way my '87 560 (Euro) rides and handles and have considered

> new wheels but there are a few photos that really enhance the car.

> Personally, I'll stick with the stock suspension but enjoy reading about

> other results.

>

> Dick

> Danville. VT

>

>

>

> attila sen turk musun?

>

> On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 7:03 AM, Attila <attila13 at bellsouth.net> wrote:

>

>> Hello Ramon. I run 18’s all the way around. 8” in front,

>>

>> 9” rears. Koni adjustables, H&R’s. The car rides way

>>

>> better than stock. (Less harsh than the ’94 E500). Better

>>

>> center of gravity, better cornering, no adverse affect or

>>

>> wear on the tires. No rubbing, no rolling the fenders. I

>>

>> didn’t even do the 4 wheel alignment. Looks better too.

>>

>> These cars were not engineered ‘perfectly’, especially

>>

>> performance-wise, otherwise there would never have been

>>

>> an AMG, or the countless other tuning shops in Germany.

>>

>>

>> ------------------------------

>>

>> *From:* mbcoupes-bounces at mbcoupes.com [mailto:

>> mbcoupes-bounces at mbcoupes.com] *On Behalf Of *Dick Spellman

>> *Sent:* Tuesday, April 27, 2010 10:37 PM

>>

>> *To:* Mercedes Coupes Mailing Lists

>> *Subject:* Re: [W126 Coupe] lowering

>>

>>

>>

>> On 4/27/2010 2:30 PM, m0nm0n at aol.com wrote:

>>

>>

>> Whats the best way to lower my 1982 380 sec? I know you buy the lowering

>> springs and new shocks but, do you still have to take the rubber shims

>> located on top of the springs out? if so How many? I'm putting 18 inch rims

>> on my vehicle.

>>

>>

>>

>> Thanks

>>

>>

>>

>> Ramon

>>

>> Hi Ramon,

>>

>> You indicate you will install new shocks. This is a good decision if they

>> have been on there a long while. Even if they do not leak at present, once

>> you lower you will force the piston to a new depth. If there is a ridge or

>> dirt embedded in the piston it will eat the shock piston seal causing it to

>> leak. The Bilstein Comfort shocks give you the performance without the

>> harsh/hard ride once the H&R springs are installed.

>>

>> The MB rubber spacers or nibs (available from MB directly) need to be

>> selected to give the sec the correct 'rake' or slope from rear to front. I

>> no longer have the notes I wrote up when doing the lowering but, you will

>> need to change these up to get the right ride height and look when going to

>> 18's.

>>

>> I am running factory bolt on (no spacers for the offset or tracking)

>> Lorinser 18's all around and have the same early front fender style (not

>> flared) that you have. The clearance to the inside of the metal lips on all

>> 4 wheels is scant and the distance from the top of the Pirelli's to the

>> fender edge is maybe 1/2 inch. There is no rub and no connection between

>> tire or chassis at any time. You may need to roll the rear fender lip some

>> depending on the wheel offset and tire width you install. My tire set up on

>> the Lorinser rims is 275 35 zr 18 rear and 235 40 zr18 front. Running 18's

>> requires grater precision in the set-up. I was lucky as the alignment shop

>> at the time I did my work, let me fuss for several hours to get the 4-wheel

>> alignment within factory spec's. From what I have read on others efforts to

>> align after lowering, I got lucky. The Pirelli's have been great, no noise,

>> no vibration smooth even wear. They are about do for renewal in 5-10k

>> however.

>>

>> I love the ride by the way and see no serious side effects. The ride was

>> engineered by BergWerks (Carl and Steve) in Van Nuys, CA and then put

>> together here in Boston over a period of months/years. I tried posting this

>> earlier with an image that proved to be too big. Maybe this cropped version

>> will make it.

>>

>> Regards,

>> Dick

>>

>> The MB Coupes Website!

>> W126 SEC Mailing List

>> Postings remain property of MB Coupes, L.L.C.

>>

>

> ------------------------------

>

> The MB Coupes Website!

> W126 SEC Mailing List

> Postings remain property of MB Coupes, L.L.C.

>

>

> The MB Coupes Website!

> W126 SEC Mailing List

> Postings remain property of MB Coupes, L.L.C.

>

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