lowering facelift w202 4cyl

[ip_simon]

I need to lower my W202 c230k elegance year 1999, just for looks and trying not to ruin the ride. Being a elegance, i would would be happy if it had the same ride height as a sport. I actually regret not buying a sport.

Anyway, I dont want to spend mega money on a B12 kit. I just want to change the coil spring and my budget would be Under £150. Labour is not an issue as I changed springs before.

I don't mind secondhand sport springs if its really cheap, however if i'm going to spend over £100 then i would prefer new springs. Question is which make should I go for? I seen 3 makes on Ebay all within budget. They are Apex, Gmax and Pi. I previous had Apex on a renault clio before and the ride was harsh. Not sure would it be the same if it was fitted on a merc.

-simon

 

[Sonny Burnett]

the sports arnt that low.. koni do a 40-30mm drop i droped my c180 elegence as to be honest was at a shocking ride height looked like a 4x4.... but after the drop i dident notice anychange in comfort.. made it feel more stable overall try ebay search mercedes lowering will do the trick..hope this helps

 

[stevesey]

This thread might help - mine sits at 330-335mm from wheel centre to arch.

I recall from specs somewhere that the sport is 30mm lower as standard.

 

[Alps]

cheapest thing to try first are the spring shims, get the #1 shims front and rear and see if your happy wit h that, if not then replace springs. I have H&R`s and they are exactly the same comfort factor as the ones i replaced with. The car was decked with #1 spring shims, so i raised it a little and it sits perfect now.

 

[Sonny Burnett]

cheapest thing to try first are the spring shims, get the #1 shims front and rear and see if your happy wit h that, if not then replace springs. I have H&R`s and they are exactly the same comfort factor as the ones i replaced with. The car was decked with #1 spring shims, so i raised it a little and it sits perfect now.

perfect advice... the spring pads make a little but noticable difference i tihnk stocks are #7 or #9

 

[KillerHERTZ]

cheapest thing to try first are the spring shims, get the #1 shims front and rear and see if your happy wit h that, if not then replace springs. I have H&R`s and they are exactly the same comfort factor as the ones i replaced with. The car was decked with #1 spring shims, so i raised it a little and it sits perfect now.

What exactly is this? is it something I could do myself? I want to lower the fronts of mine slightly...

 

[andy27168]

To remove/replace the "shims" you need to remove/replace the road spring, once the spring is removed, it is easy to replace them.

 

[d w124]

How about BRABUS Sportfedern Mercedes C-Klasse W202 mit Niveau bei eBay.de: Fahrwerke (endet 27.07.09 19:30:00 MESZ)

 

[Shude]

perfect advice... the spring pads make a little but noticable difference i tihnk stocks are #7 or #9

Not quite!

Essentially the spring perch/shim/pad is designed to level out the front and rear of the car and maintain even ride height among all the cars in a certain range. Engine and transmission type, aircon, electric windows etc lots of options dictate which shims are fitted to each car. Essentially the higher the spec of your car the higher the number on the pads in order to counteract the weight of the options making the car appear lower than less-well-endowed models. If you have a poverty-spec car with the lowest capacity engine and a manual transmission then you probably already have #1 shims front and rear, no point changing them but if you have a C280 I6 with auto, leather and air etc then you might have #3 or #4 shims with up to half an inch of lowering possible for about £10 per shim plus fitting.

Here are the part numbers:

For W202 mid 96-99
Front(W210 part number) :
210 321 01 84 pad#1 5 mm
210 321 02 84 pad#2 9 mm
210 321 03 84 pad#3 13 mm
210 321 04 84 pad#4 17 mm
210 321 05 84 pad#5 21 mm

Rear(W210 part number) :
210 325 01 84 pad#1 5 mm
210 325 02 84 pad#2 9 mm
210 325 03 84 pad#3 13 mm
210 325 04 84 pad#4 17 mm

For W202 94-mid 96
Front(W201 part number) :
201 321 09 84 pad#1 8 mm
201 321 10 84 pad#2 13 mm
201 321 11 84 pad#3 18 mm
210 321 12 84 pad#4 23 mm

Rear(W201 part number) :
201 325 09 44 pad#1 8 mm
201 325 10 44 pad#2 13 mm
201 325 11 44 pad#3 18 mm


The different between W201 and W210 part number is because of the different shape of the spring.

The W201 spring pad has flat surface where W210 spring pad as a grove where the spring will sit.

On the earlier W202 cars the edges of the spring is tappered, that's why they use W201's spring pad which has flat surface..

compliments of J Irwin

 

[Adam230K]

I have a set of lowering springs on my 202 and they make it sit at the same height as the sport, they are red in colour but i have no idea what make they are, was told by the seller that they were Eibach, a mechanic told me they are H&R. But i'm taking these off my car soon as i'm making way for B12's, you can see how low they let my car sit by clicking my album in my sig, let me know if you're interested.

 

[Alps]

my H&R`s are blue, but i have seen other models in red

 

[Sonny Burnett]

Not quite!

Essentially the spring perch/shim/pad is designed to level out the front and rear of the car and maintain even ride height among all the cars in a certain range. Engine and transmission type, aircon, electric windows etc lots of options dictate which shims are fitted to each car. Essentially the higher the spec of your car the higher the number on the pads in order to counteract the weight of the options making the car appear lower than less-well-endowed models. If you have a poverty-spec car with the lowest capacity engine and a manual transmission then you probably already have #1 shims front and rear, no point changing them but if you have a C280 I6 with auto, leather and air etc then you might have #3 or #4 shims with up to half an inch of lowering possible for about £10 per shim plus fitting.

Here are the part numbers:

cool thanks i think il slip #1 pads in my 202 and 210

 

[kth286]

PREVIOUS POSTS.

Not quite - not quite.

The pads alone will NOT accommodate the whole spectrum of different engines and options accross the whole of the 202 range.

There are various different springs and pad combinations.

So, an alternative 202 spring MAY be an answer along with alternative pads.

 

[Sonny Burnett]

PREVIOUS POSTS.

Not quite - not quite.

The pads alone will NOT accommodate the whole spectrum of different engines and options accross the whole of the 202 range.

There are various different springs and pad combinations.

So, an alternative 202 spring MAY be an answer along with alternative pads.

all the 202s i have lowered just took some koni sport springs 40mm all round lower and it gives a better look handling without sacrificing the drive quality..

 

[ip_simon]

Thankyou, I think i go with koni's springs as it's within budget and a well known brand.

 

[derin100]

Not quite!

Essentially the spring perch/shim/pad is designed to level out the front and rear of the car and maintain even ride height among all the cars in a certain range. Engine and transmission type, aircon, electric windows etc lots of options dictate which shims are fitted to each car. Essentially the higher the spec of your car the higher the number on the pads in order to counteract the weight of the options making the car appear lower than less-well-endowed models. If you have a poverty-spec car with the lowest capacity engine and a manual transmission then you probably already have #1 shims front and rear, no point changing them but if you have a C280 I6 with auto, leather and air etc then you might have #3 or #4 shims with up to half an inch of lowering possible for about £10 per shim plus fitting.

Here are the part numbers:

Just reviving this thread to ask a question:

I've just bought a very low mileage W202 C240 Elegance (12K miles). Everything's good except I really don't like the stock ride height at the rear. The front looks ok but the rear looks almost crazily high! And so the car looks quite 'nose down'. In fact, unloaded and just sitting there it looks so high that it almost gives the rear wheels a positive camber look! You know that look when you've jacked a car up and the rear wheels are just daggling?

I don't want anything 'slammed' at all just to reduce that rear ride height a little. I'm guessing the easiest and cheapest way is to substitute in thinner spring pads on the rear?

Will this affect the handling etc in any way? Maybe even improve it as at the moment I think that high rear ride height might be why I don't feel comfortable and confident at very high speeds in a straightline in this car? Just doesn't feel all that well tied down at the back and too 'bouncy' somehow?

Thanks in advance.

 

[andy27168]

Hi,
I think if you are going to the trouble to remove the rear springs to change the pads, I would think of replacing the springs with springs from a Sport model.

 

[derin100]

Thanks. Will the standard Elegance shocks still be ok with those springs?