W202 front lowering springs

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babz

Active Member
Joined
Jan 21, 2011
Messages
130
Location
Newcastle Upon Tyne
Car
1996 Mercedes C180
Hi guys I'm looking to give my Merc a slightly better stance on the road. at the moment its looking pretty sweet, apart from the front end sitting a good 50-60mm off the top of the wheel, whereas the rear end is sitting around 20-30mm off the top of the wheel.

So any suggestions on what i could do? :dk:

I would prefer to just lower the front so it isn't sitting as high as it is now and so its level with the rear. But that said, if I could lower the rear by 30mm and the front by 50mm id be a happy man. :rock: is this possible without having to spend an absolute fortune and without having to buy 2 lots of lowering springs (30mm and 50mm)

ANY HELP IS ALWAYS APPRECIATED!

Thanks again!
 
..spring pads, the cups in which the springs sit on. I'm pretty sure the suspension on the C-class is similar of that to the 124 i.e independent.

if so the springs will be sitting on the arms which rest in a cup at the top. Its here where you would have a rubber spring pad called shims.

they are available in different heights. on the shims you will have indicators in the shape of little nibs. 1 nib = thinnest shim, 4 nib thickest shim. I believe on the rear there is only a 1 to 3 thickness available.

pop your car on the ramp and have a look what you have. if you are lucky the nibs are hopefully pointing outwards just full lock the wheels and have a butch.

if you have a 3 or 4 nib in the front, changing to 1 nib should make quite a difference i would say.
 
Last edited:
Correct, check and play around with the pads (much cheaper) before thinking of changing spings (front and rear of course)
 
how much of a difference will it make do you think? I would be happy with a 50mm drop.
 
Have a look at my coupe on the members gallery, im using 1 nib spring pads up front and 3 nib pads on the rear. this may give you an idea.

bare in mind the springs on my car are well bedded in.

have a read of this also

W124 spring pad height differences? - PeachParts Mercedes ShopForum
 
babz

have your front springs ever been replaced ?

if so, it may have had aftermarket springs, which were not correct.
 
Billyw214 are your springs standard? the springs on my w202 are original and are well bedded i would also say. my wheels are the same size as yours and id be happy with the stance you have achieved with your w124.

kth286 no the springs are standard, the fornt has always been a bit 'high' since i bought the car, but since ive put the 18'' alloys on the excessive height has been more noticeable.
 
guys ive uploaded some photos of my car on my profile, take a look and give me your opinion on how much i should be aiming to lower the car by.

Thanks!!
 
Front looks higher than the rear. I think a decrease of 1-2 inches would be perfect
 
Billyw214 are your springs standard? the springs on my w202 are original and are well bedded i would also say. my wheels are the same size as yours and id be happy with the stance you have achieved with your w124.

no mate mines are lowered. 30-35 mill
 
im thinking a drop of 40mm all round? 50mm may be too extreme for the rear. what you think?
 
im thinking a drop of 40mm all round? 50mm may be too extreme for the rear. what you think?

40 will be ok, but to do it properly you'll need to buy better shocks. 50 not practical.

its your preferance?
 
yes i think 50 is a bit ambitious given i have a family to drive around. 40 should be spot on although i think it may still not be enough for the front end.
 
...all comes back to the shims i think.

first see what u have under there to give you a better indication. then you can visualise going forward on the drop you want to achieve in comparison to the current height of your springs
 
ive got 2 weeks until i decide how im going to go about doing it. so in the meantime i will check out all my options. thanks for the help guys! i will post up pics when i get it sorted!
 
let us know how u go mate, if you get stuck let us know
 
Hi guys, thought id update this thread and let everyone know how things are going on my little W202.

So after a long time on considering whether or not to lower my car, I've decided to start doing rather than thinking.

In the end, I went for a 40MM drop for the front and a 10MM drop on the rear. Since I regularly have passengers in the car, I went for a small drop to reduce the chance of the tyres rubbing (especially on the rear arches).

Ive also fitted a set of 20MM aluminium hubcentric wheel spacers on the rear with 46MM radius bolts. (after the drop my back wheels seemed to sit too far into the arches, so the spacers gave it a wider stance and filled up the arches nicely without ANY rubbing).

I have pictures of before/after are on my profile, unfortunately I couldn't figure out how to upload them onto the thread.

I'm happy with the outcome, the car seems to sit nicely on the wheels... compared to before. The ride is still silky smooth (if anything, its better than before).

So, if anyone is considering doing this, I hope this thread has been a help to you.

What are your views on the ride height now?? All feedback is always appreciated.
 
Sorry to say but if the photos are correct (before and after) I think the car is still too high. Even my standard C240T on 15" wheels and winters tyres is lower....
 

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