W124 Front Shock Absorbers

[mark.porthouse]

Hi All,

I'm still trying to sort my car sickness feeling in my 1988 300TE W124:
http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=37224

However, I'm turning my attention to the front dampers where the damping here is much less controlled than the back.

When I bounce a front corner down and release, the corner rises up to above normal and then falls to normal height where it stops.

I'm wondering if anyone's standard W124 (without Sportline suspension) behaves in the same way OR is it more damped so that the corner simply rises to it's normal height without overshooting and returning.

I'm trying to figure out whether I should replace them with standard shock absorbers or sports ones (for normal length springs) - but I'm struggling to find shock absorbers for my 300TE (estate) that are sportier for standard length springs - I can see lots of such shock absorbers for 300E saloons and kind of imagine that they would fit the estate fine...???

Cheers,

Mark

 

[mark.porthouse]

Looking on Euro Car Parts I see that the part number for standard shocks are the same whether you have a saloon 300E or an estate 300TE. That bodes well for aftermarket sports shocks that are listed as for the saloon - they should therefore fit the estate fine.

Any thoughts?

Cheers,

Mark

 

[Will]

As the car is nearly 20 years old (probably a fair few miles too) I think you'd be amazed at the difference in replacing the shocks for original new MB items. If they've never been changed they will be surely shot by now and doing very little damping as you've noticed with your earlier 'test'. I think that the disatisfaction you're experiencing isn't that the current shocks aren't 'sporty' enough, more that they are working as they should.

Before chancing it over at euro car parts/GSF etc have you had a price from your main dealer? At least you'll have a ball park figure to work from

IMHO new shocks are one of those items that you will really appreciate the small investment in. Significant change in driving experience for not a great deal of cash

Will

 

[big x]

Buy the standard Bilsteins from ECP thay are not expensive.Don't wreck the smooth ride these cars have.
Sports suspension requires stiffer springs with shorter travel and matched dampers that have more rebound damping to cope with the higher spring rate.If you have standard springs or very tired sports ones the standard Bilsteins are required.
If the car still rolls to much new anti-roll bar bushes are required.
Even new these cars where never exactly sporting handling wise as the road tests at the time pointed out.In fact Autocar thought the Sportline W124 was a joke compared to certain BMW's.


adam

 

[grober]

Bilstein do a normal ride height "heavy duty" shocker AFAIK.
http://www.carparts-cat.com/webkat.asp?SID=0082401291417907018004&ROOT=1
heavy duty strut part no v36-0361
standard strut part no v36-0185

 

[big x]

..

 

[grober]

Buy the standard Bilsteins from ECP thay are not expensive.Don't wreck the smooth ride these cars have.
Sports suspension requires stiffer springs with shorter travel and matched dampers that have more rebound damping to cope with the higher spring rate.If you have standard springs or very tired sports ones the standard Bilsteins are required.
If the car still rolls to much new anti-roll bar bushes are required.

adam

Not disagreeing about using the standard struts rather than the shorter sport spring/shocker setup by the way just thought I would give Mark another option to firm up the suspension without lowering it?

 

[mark.porthouse]

Thanks everyone. Until I get feedback on how a car with good standard shock absorbers 'bounces' I'm going to be a little wary of going standard.

My last vehicle (3 years) has been an old Range Rover with uprated towing suspension which was quite hard (terrible understeer though!). Prior to that I had a Citroen XM for 7 years which would switch into sport mode with stiffer springing and damping at the drop of a hat.

Grober, that link didn't work for me. I can see the heavy duty Bilsteins for sale in the States, but not here in the UK. I'm considering these:
http://www.europerformance.co.uk/pages/products/product_info.mhtml?id=433424
because I see that the standard shocks are the same part number for saloons and estates.

Cheers,

Mark

 

[grober]

Sorry that link doesnt work try this instead? http://www.bilstein.de/cms_website/root/index.php?page_id=32
I would have thought ECP could get them for you. Try telephoning their London mail order branch.

 

[mark.porthouse]

Ah yes, found that there. Thanks grober.

http://www.motorsportworld.co.uk/framefix.asp?ProductCode=V36-0361&PID=344662

Cheers,

Mark

 

[mark.porthouse]

Well, I've just bought those. Will report back.

Cheers,

Mark

 

[mark.porthouse]

Got the new Bilstein shock absorbers fitted just before going on a tour of Europe. Now we are back from the mountain passes: BIG IMPROVEMENT. Body control is much better - much less wallowing, much less nausea! I reckon that the new uprated shocks have probably added between 1 and 2cm to the front ride height, which I reckon was quite high to start with. Not that it is a problem.

I don't think that it is a problem that I'm running the standard SLS struts on the back (which I assume have a much longer life than conventional dampers). By the way I realised that you can test your SLS rear accumulators (gas springs) by loading up the back (to bring the gas springs into operation) and then bouncing the car - rock hard equals shot accumulator spheres. Mine seem fine.

Cheers,

Mark

 

[grober]

Glad your pleased with them. I take it you went for the HD ones in the end.

 

[Dieselman]

By the way I realised that you can test your SLS rear accumulators (gas springs) by loading up the back (to bring the gas springs into operation) and then bouncing the car - rock hard equals shot accumulator spheres. Mine seem fine.

Not from THIS post by any chance.?


Anyway, nice to hear you have now sorted it out.

 

[mark.porthouse]

grober,

Yes, the uprated heavy duty ones
V36-0361
as per the link:
http://www.motorsportworld.co.uk/framefix.asp?ProductCode=V36-0361&PID=344662

cheers,

Mark

 

[mark.porthouse]

Hi Dieselman,

ah, that's embarrassing! Maybe that's where I picked it up (about how to test your spheres). At least I read your comments!

It is worth noting that you have to load the car to test it as unloaded the SLS isn't in operation.

Cheers,

Mark

 

[Dieselman]

No problem Mark.

Just glad it's now all working as it should.

 

[mark.porthouse]

Hi Dieselman,
It is worth noting that you have to load the car to test it as unloaded the SLS isn't in operation.

Worth correcting my above statement. The SLS is in operation in normal, unloaded, use.

Cheers,

Mark

 

[andy_k]

Worth correcting my above statement. The SLS is in operation in normal, unloaded, use.

Cheers,

Mark

worth noting that some of us tried to tell you that from the start

Thanks for the update though

Andy

 

[armandjones82]

This forum is seems to be a good knowledge for me in terms of Front Shock Absorber of the W124. This might be an old thread, but when I found out about this one, it really gave me new knowledge in order to really see the better deal of it. Great job!