hey guys...I've read alot of the posts, but would like a more concise refresher course from those more experienced...I'm obviously thinking about new shocks and springs and have a few ?'s...'90 300E, 138k, strong and tight...I want to tighten the handling w/out going harsh...I don't want to feel every expansion crack and I really don't want to rattle my fillings over less than good roads...will the Koni's (adjustable) give me enough flexibility to maintain my sanity or would the Bilsteins be a better choice (sport or HD?) Also, will lowering affect the ride quality adversly? I've heard that H&Rs are not as smooth as Eibachs and that Eibachs are not as smooth as Sportlines...One more - keep my stock springs and add just the shocks?...I know what I'm asking is somewhat of an ambiguous question(s), but I would like to hear the opinions of those who have been there before to help me sort out the confusion in my head...thanks for listening and please respond so I can get rid of this ball of confusion in my brain...Bill

Im in exactly the same situation as Bill, so Im looking forward to the responses as well.

I think your best bet would be OEM Sportline Springs with OEM Sportline Blistein Shocks/Struts.

I think the second runner up is the Eibachs. Don't lower as much as the H&Rs. The second runner up for shocks would have to be Blistein Sports.

KYBs straight suck when it comes to ride, but guarantee to keep you glued period.

I say the H&Rs aren't as bad as people tend to make them sound. However, beleive everyword about the ride of a KYB. If you want to compromise a little handling for alot of ride, stay Blistein Sports. If you want almost no compromis in ride, but alot more in handling, then go with the OEM Sportline.

My opinion off things.

Good Luck.

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Chirag (Charlie) Patel
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- 03 Mercedes S600 Sport TTV12
- 97 Acura NSX-T
- 99 BMW E36 M3 w/500+ HP
- 04 Lexus RX330
- 04 Dodge Dakota Quad 4x4 V8

4 Sale:
- 99 BMW M3 E36 Coup with Dinan SC, Upgraded to an RMS Stage 3 with Aftercooler, 12psi, and 500+hp @ flywheel.

i've had both eibach and H&R springs on my 16v. the eibachs were a smoother ride but the H&R perform much better without adding too much harshness. it is a noticeable difference from stock so you should be prepared for a little more harshness. the ride quality is mainly dicated by your shocks anyway. for your best performance and durability go with Koni. the adjustability is nice. if you don't want the racecar feel go with the Koni special "D" shocks instead of the Koni sports. they're just a beefy but valved to be softer. any spring that lowers your car needs to be stiffer so lowering will effect your ride quality by stiffening. be sure not to lower too much because you'll mess up your camber settings.

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dew
86' 190e 2.3L 16v

I'm all for Bilstein HD's. the sports just plain suck.. but I love the HD's.

You can't go wrong with the warranty they come with. I'm sure my "rally" driving will destroy these soon enough.

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Matt
2003 Jetta Wagon TDI 145,000MI
1999.5 Jetta TDI 287,000MI
2001 Suzuki SV650S 26,000MI
2008 Yamaha Vino 125 11,000MI
http://www.crazymatt.org

My Blisteins are about two years old. I bought the car from a Woman who had it serviced at a local MZB dealership, and they put the HD's on them for her. They seem to handle very well. Cant complain.

I just installed the Bilstein Sport shocks on my car. These are the recommended shocks if you have aftermarket springs (H&R, Eibach). Since the car had H&R's and 150,000 shocks/struts, the dampening was very bad (wore the tires wrong as well). After I changed the shocks (by myself, really easy job), there was quite a difference! The car handled very well, almost as well as my Miata (Koni adj. shocks, Eibach springs, aftermarket sways), surprising considering how heavy the 300CE is. Make the switch, you won't regret it.

So, if you are going to change your springs, the Sport shocks are better. HDs if you're staying with stock springs. The Konis are nice, and you can adjust dampening, but my experience has been with the Miata. Ride quality was hardly compromised.

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89 300CE
91 Supercharged Miata
99 E320 Wagon

Squid, did the new sport shock change your ride height or is barely noticeable? By the way, do you have problem with your camber setting, I just install a set of H&R on my 89 300E with 105000 miles and stock shock, still waiting it to settle down, but the rear end appears to be lower than the front which I am not that happy with, also I can see I might run into the excess rear camber problem.

chc,

So, I take it you have the original shocks, right? I got my car used and noticed that the rear was lower than the front (H&Rs installed). The camber was very negative as well, and quite harsh on the tires, even after the alignment was done.

Upon the new shock installation, the overall pitch of the car wasbalanced. The front and rear appeared level, and ride (as well as handling) was improved significantly. I am led to believe that worn out shocks induce that low rear look, and replacing them with Sport shocks in your case, would remedy this. Phil from Fastlane will give you a really good deal. You can also save $500 by doing the installation yourself. No need to compress the springs, especially since the Sport shocks appear a tad shorter. Good luck!

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89 300CE
91 Supercharged Miata
99 E320 Wagon

On a W124 you need to go twice the spring height in the front at the back in order to avoid the front being higher than the back when using HR's.

So if you have 1 bp pad in front you need 3 bp (or 2bp) in the back, if you have 2 bp in front you need to go 4 bp (or 3 bp) in the back.

If you use the same height spring pads all round H&R's will give you a lower back than the front. Its really annoying.

Hope this helps.

How difficult is it to change the shock/strut on the 300e with H&R? Is there any where I can find the instruction? And has anybody try the camber kit/adjustable arm to correct the excess camber?

A 3 on a scale of 1 to 10. Should take you less than 3 hours, tops! No need to compress the old shocks.

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89 300CE
91 Supercharged Miata
99 E320 Wagon

My suggestion would be to look at a few different areas of the suspension.
If your looking for less lean in the corners and your willing to change the outer appearance of your car I would start with a set of larger diameter wheels (16" or 17").

If your stilll not satisfied or you have determined that you need to change the suspension both Koni and Bilstein's are great. I used Koni adjustables and in the stiff setting you could feel everything but you could also make a hard right turn at 30mph. I never actually tried the softer settings so I can't offer any help there. The Bilsteins were a bit softer but definitely helped the handling. Both are good quality and offer great warranties.

Lowering springs will obviously help your handling since it lowers your center of gravity. I believe there are variable rate springs available that offer a soft feel over the small bumps but if hammer into a turn they stiffen up as they compress. That might be somthing to consider as well.

Another area to look at are the bushings on your suspension and sway bars. I upgraded my sway bars and that made a nice difference.

Overall everyone is right, its not the springs that make the ride harsh, its the shock. So choose wisely if you haven't already.

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Afshin

Current:
02 C32 AMG

Previous:
92 500E
84 190E 2.3 5 Spd

I've experimented with H&R's; Bilstein Sport and Bilstein HD; Mercedes SportLine front shocks (made by SACHS); Mercedes SportLine springs (front & rear); and Mercedes SportLine swaybars.

Best handling and the most stiff but not lowered much: Mercedes SportLine all around.

Beautifully lowered combo: H&R springs with Bilstein SPORT; SportLine swaybars.

Improvement to stock but still comfortable: Bilstein HD's only.

Per Bilstein, the only difference between HD & SPORT for the Mercedes W124 line is the length of the strut. SPORT is for lowered springs.

Hope that helps,
:-) neil
1988 360TE AMG (SportLine front; 500E rear)
1993 500E

My experiences with the Eibach/Bilstein Sport combo has been good. That's my vote. Readily available at a discount.

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2000 E430 Sport (European Delivery)
Brilliant Silver/Ash Leather
Brabus Leather/Wood Sport Steering Wheel
PowerChip
Euro Front Bumper Strips, Debadged
E55 "Carbon Fiber" Door Pillar Trim
E55 Tail lights
E55 AMG/Bilstein Shocks
Eibach Springs, #1 Pads
H & R Sway Bars
Speed Yellow Calipers
18" x 8" SSR Integral Wheels
245/40ZR 18 Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS Tires

1986 Porsche 944 Turbo
88K miles