W124 H&R/Bilstein Advice needed

[Dee-124CAB]

Hi guys,

I thought it would be good idea to sort out the suspension & future stance of my E220 cabriolet before she goes off to paint, that way any work to the bodywork can be carried out then & not after..

Anyway been investigating & have decided on a H&R springs & Bilstein shocks combo.

I have stumbled across some H&R springs on www.hrsuspension.co.uk ,the site says suitable for 4/6cyl cabriolets (part no:HR-29-894), this should bring the height down by 30-40mm, they are up for 179.00gbp if you add vat & postage, it will be close to 220gbp. Is this a good deal for these spring?... If not any ideas where else I can get them?

Finally, for these springs & the amount they will bring the car down, what Bilstein shocks would be the correct ones to mate to them?

I have heard of Comfort & Sprint ones. I dont want them to be too harsh, & will not be flying around corners, so am open to opinions on both , & would also appreciate part numbers/ model numbers that i will need for these shocks.

I know Im asking alot so cheers in advance!

Dee

 

[grober]

As has been said many times before the shorter lowering springs require a shorter stroke shock absorber as typified by the Bilstein B8 SPRINT
FRONT V36-0365 REAR B36-1470 Better still-- go for the BILSTEIN B12 suspension kits where the springs and shocks are matched for optimum suspension rates.

 

[Dee-124CAB]

How do you think the H&R/Bilstein set up compares to the all Bilstein set up?....I only ask as the H&R's come highly recomended from so many people, they seem hard to ignore.

 

[bolide]

Subtle technicalities aside, a spring is a spring. What matters is the rate and the length

If you buy a spring from manufacturer A and a damper from manufacturer B there is no guarantee that the damper will be the correct length or correctly valved for the weight of the car & spring rate

If you buy a Bilstein kit it will be suitably matched

I don't see how H&R sell one set of springs for the 220 and 320. The cars differ in weight by around 100 Kg, almost all of which is ahead of the front wheels, so the spring rate required would be different for each. MB specify springs according to model & options fitted and there are about eight springs listed per model

I suspect H&R specify one spring because ride height is more important to their customers than the correct spring rate & length. If you care more about the stance than the ride then the H&Rs may be just what you're looking for

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[Dee-124CAB]

Nick, that is exactly what I thought, how can there only be one type of spring for 4 & 6 cylinder cars, but it seems to be the case on the sites I have managed to visit.

The primary reason for me to be changing my set up is to do with the looks/stance. With the 17" AMG style 2's & the AMG kit, I feel a reduction in ride height is the only way to go, to make it all come together.

I have contemplated a factory Sportline set up, but would be left dissapointed, if it were not low enough.

I just want to find the best compromise between looks & comfort, like i said im no racer, just wafting along suits me fine!

 

[bolide]

Do Sportline with thin spring pads, then, or go for a Bilstein setup. Have a look here:

http://www.carparts-cat.com

They list specific parts for the E220 E Class S124 Cabrio for each year and each part number has a front & rear shock

Bilstein 000393 - B4 gas pressure
Bilstein 005830 - B6 sport for standard chassis
Bilstein 005831 - B8 sprint for sports chassis

Here are all the products they produce

http://www.bilstein.de/cms_website/english/Products/Street_Performance/BILSTEIN_Products/

If you want to go high-end the PSS9 setup is meant to be superb

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

 

[Adam230K]

The B12 kit is highly rated by alot of W202 owners here on this forum, in terms of stance and overall driving feel. It might be worth looking at reviews for that kit too.

But as people have already suggested, i'd try to avoid mix&match springs/shocks, because you might end up with a horribly wrong combination, which is only going to hurt your pocket and waste your time.

 

[ray_hennig]

In support of the Bilstein B12 ...

I've had my B12 on a 124 300CE Sportline for nearly a year and it's great. I I wholeheartedly recommend the B12.

The B12 kit contains B8 dampers and a choice of springs. DO MAKE SURE you chose the right kit - they have references like (for the 124) SE5-8170, SE5-8175 etc. These 81xx numbers refer to the springs' weight rating and you need to tot up the number of "points" your car has in order to specify the correct kit.

Items like engine size and extras like aircon, radio, sunroof etc. effect the number of points. I have a Bilstein document that shows how to calculate points for 124 and other MB series. Email me if you would like a copy of this PDF.

Good luck with your suspension and I feel sure you won't regret it if you opt for the B12.

RayH

 

[Dee-124CAB]

Reviving this thread, since it was last active I have made a few phone calls to a few H&R suppliers who have in return been in contact with H&R themselves, & also checked out ebay.de.

As it turns out, its the same story with the Springs H&R make for the W124 cabriolet over here & in Germany, unbelievably there is only one type of spring kit for the 4 cylinder & 6 cylinder cars.

The kit in question (part no: 29894), if put in a 4 cylinder car will lower the car by 30mm, & if put in a 6 cylinder car will lower it by 40mm. That is why the kit is described as suitable for 4/6 cylinder & lowers by 30-40mm.

Can this be right? Can the spring rate be suitable for two models without compromising ride quality?...What are H&R playing at?


If the panel like me are not too impressed with this arrangement, I shall be looking into Bilsteins for sure....

 

[pupsi]

It cant be right.
That just means that the reason the 320 is lower is because of weight, which means the spring is more compressed which then affects spring rate etc.

Go for the Bilstein B12 kit i suppose, i remember someone on this forum sells them?

 

[bolide]

It cant be right.
That just means that the reason the 320 is lower is because of weight, which means the spring is more compressed which then affects spring rate etc

Load doesn't affect rate for single-rate springs. If you used one spring for 220 and 320 models then the front of the 320 would sit lower, the fundamental frequency would be lower and the suspension would have less travel than the 220

There's around 100 Kg more weight in a 320 and it all sits just ahead of the front axle

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk