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View Full Version : Finally finished shock and spring install:results



coolcarlskic43
08-04-2004, 08:38 AM
I finally finished my new eibach prokit springs and bilstein shock install. Did all four and it took me all day. Car has #2 pads all around and to my surprise the car sits pretty damn low with the 17" stock mono's. Car has no finger gap in rear and barely 1 fingergap in front.I was almost able to stick my whole fist in literally both front and rear with stock setup(maybe a lil exaggeration) but definitely a tooo obvious difference.! I dont know who claims that these springs dont drop car low enuff. When I put on the 18" monos it will be worse. If it tucks too much I will go with # 3's in front and #4's in back.


Pics coming very soon. PS ride is now an absolute delight.Ride feels much better and car handles very very well.Really looks a whole lot lower than I wanted. You talk about slammed. This thing sits LOWWWWWWWW!

SpEeDy230
08-04-2004, 09:45 AM
sweet cant wait to see the pics.

manny
08-04-2004, 12:39 PM
When I installed my Eibach Pro-kit springs & Bilstein Sport shocks, I had to use # 5 front & # 4 rear pads, to get a 1 finger gap, front & rear. ;)

kameraguy
08-04-2004, 12:52 PM
Sorry as this is off topic, but sorta related.

But since you guys have messed with your suspension and ride height after suspension mods, do y'all have any issues with one side being higher/lower than the other?

On my car one side (rear) is slightly higher than the other. I am trying to determine if this is a spring issue or a worn spring pad.

I changed my shocks recently and that didn't make a diff.

Looking at the new cars at the BMW/Porsche/MB dealerships, it seems even new cars have this more often than not too.

coolcarlskic43
08-04-2004, 01:01 PM
Originally posted by kameraguy
Sorry as this is off topic, but sorta related.

But since you guys have messed with your suspension and ride height after suspension mods, do y'all have any issues with one side being higher/lower than the other?

On my car one side (rear) is slightly higher than the other. I am trying to determine if this is a spring issue or a worn spring pad.

I changed my shocks recently and that didn't make a diff.

Looking at the new cars at the BMW/Porsche/MB dealerships, it seems even new cars have this more often than not too. Just as long as you placed the spring in the spring pad correctly where the end of the coil meets the end stop in the pad and the other end of the spring is sitting correctly in the slot and stop on the control arm. I have'nt noticed a difference in ride height from one side or the other. I was very careful to make sure that the springs were placed in proper position to avoid any kinda height deviations.

coolcarlskic43
08-04-2004, 01:06 PM
Originally posted by manny
When I installed my Eibach Pro-kit springs & Bilstein Sport shocks, I had to use # 5 front & # 4 rear pads, to get a 1 finger gap, front & rear. ;) Wow and this was just to raise it huh! I will take b4 and aft pics with 17's vs 18's. I'll see if it tucks too much because right now the rear tires sure do.With the fronts I can barely,I mean barely get my finger in there.I was really surprised. If it does tuck too much ,I'll have to decide on what pads.And this time I'll probably pay someone to do it.LOL

manny
08-04-2004, 08:00 PM
The rear of the car is supposed to sit 1/2 - 3/4" higher than the front ( with no load in the vehicle ). ;)
I hate the look of old, neglected MB's, that drag their rear bumper on the ground.:eek:
Looks like ass.

coolcarlskic43
08-04-2004, 09:12 PM
Originally posted by manny
The rear of the car is supposed to sit 1/2 - 3/4" higher than the front ( with no load in the vehicle ). ;)
I hate the look of old, neglected MB's, that drag their rear bumper on the ground.:eek:
Looks like ass. Yea,If worse comes to worse I'll try #3 or 4 in the bac

Tom Q
08-05-2004, 10:22 AM
Stupid and naive question:

When you guys say #2, #3 etc all around, what dotually you actually mean? What pads are these?

:rolleyes:

Denlasoul
08-05-2004, 10:39 AM
When people say #2, #3, etc. etc, they mean the size of the spring pads being used. #1-5 spring pads correlate to different thickness of the pad, which can vary ride height...#1 being the thinest and #5 the thickest.

When people say "all around" they mean for the entire car. For example, if someone says I am using 225's all around, that means they have 225 size tires on all four wheels. This can also apply to spring pads, like "I am using #3 all around."

Hope this helps.

Tom Q
08-05-2004, 10:47 AM
Thanks for the info. So does that mean that a #5 pad will give you a lower ride? Can I install a #5 pad using my stock springs?

Sorry about all the stupid questions :(

Denlasoul
08-05-2004, 11:02 AM
Originally posted by Tom Q
Thanks for the info. So does that mean that a #5 pad will give you a lower ride? Can I install a #5 pad using my stock springs?

Sorry about all the stupid questions :(

Actually, it's the other way around. A #1 pad will lower you car b/c it is thinner. Think of it as a cushion for the spring. The higher the number, the more cushion..thus the thicker it is.

You can install any size pad #1-5 on any stock or aftermarket spring. From the factory, the spring pad used is determined by the options of the car. Therefore, two 1998 C280's may have a different spring pad setup.

coolcarlskic43
08-05-2004, 11:33 AM
Originally posted by Denlasoul
Actually, it's the other way around. A #1 pad will lower you car b/c it is thinner. Think of it as a cushion for the spring. The higher the number, the more cushion..thus the thicker it is.

You can install any size pad #1-5 on any stock or aftermarket spring. From the factory, the spring pad used is determined by the options of the car. Therefore, two 1998 C280's may have a different spring pad setup. Yea I was shocked that mine had #2's all around stck as oppsed to some having #4's all around stk:D o

Sunapollo
08-09-2004, 06:11 PM
Just wondering where can I get the Eibach springs and bilstein shocks with good price ? Thanks

coolcarlskic43
08-09-2004, 06:30 PM
Originally posted by Sunapollo
Just wondering where can I get the Eibach springs and bilstein shocks with good price ? Thanks I got everything brandnew off ebay! shox top link,springs bottom link



http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7914503127&category=33590




http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7909999040&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT

Sunapollo
08-09-2004, 07:35 PM
Thank you very much for the links :) Did you DIY ?? Is there any instructions that I can follow somewhere ?? Thanks again!

coolcarlskic43
08-10-2004, 02:53 AM
Originally posted by Sunapollo
Thank you very much for the links :) Did you DIY ?? Is there any instructions that I can follow somewhere ?? Thanks again! I did it with a little assistance. I also had a floor jack that came in very handy.The front springs were a real bastard to come out.Had to use a spring compressor.it was still a pain in the ass. The rear springs came out much easier without the compressor being used.The directions given earlier in this thread were pretty helpful.I would definitely use assistance and a floor jack which I used to help hold up the control arms and used to gradually release pressure when needed.I'd pay some one to do the front at least if I had to do it again.Car sits nice in the front but kinda low for my tastes in the back.Good Luck.

allirroz
08-10-2004, 07:16 AM
[QUOTE]Originally posted by coolcarlskic43
[B]I finally finished my new eibach prokit springs and bilstein shock install. Did all four and it took me all day. Car has #2 pads all around and to my surprise the car sits pretty damn low with the 17" stock mono's. Car has no finger gap in rear and barely 1 fingergap in front.I was almost able to stick my whole fist in literally both front and rear with stock setup(maybe a lil exaggeration) but definitely a tooo obvious difference.! I dont know who claims that these springs dont drop car low enuff. When I put on the 18" monos it will be worse. If it tucks too much I will go with # 3's in front and #4's in back.


Had the same result. Had H&R springs installed last week on the c280 sport re-using original factory pads . Rears had pad 1, fronts had 3. Vehicle dropped very low in the rear, will need to use possibly pad 4 to get a finger gap. Fronts dropped perfectly with pad 3 in my IMO. I am currently rolling on MB 17 x 8.25 evolution wheels on 225/45/17 Toyo proxes with the original Bilstein HDs'. no rubbing at all......love the handling
]