Looking to put H&R Sport springs and Koni Sport adj Shocks on my C230K. Want to lower a bit (1.25") and reduce the lean in turns. Will keep the Koni's at "soft" setting. Anyone have experience with these products or similar setup? Running on '02 C230K 7 spoke 16" Wheels and new Turanza 205.55.16 tires (which by the way are great). Not trying to make it a race car, just take it up a notch.

TIA

 

I would go with a thicker front and rear roll bar first, I know Eibach makes them, not sure about H&R. Lower the car won't necessarily keep it fron leaning, it will corner better as the center of gravity is lower, I think thicker roll bars should do the job. Also, when you lower a car, especially a newer Benz you could have problems with the electonic's like the stability control or ASR and perhaps the ABS etc. This happened to a fellow who was at the dealer's one day having his stock suspension reinstalled. I lowered the suspension of a 3 series BMW I had. Got the parts for one of the best known BMW parts stores, and had them installed by one of their recommended installers, the car was never right again, as far as the electronic went and it rode horrible. Your Benz will too, will ride a lot stiffer, the roll bars should change the ride quality, and will eliminate andy hoping when cornering hard.

 

This is a 2000 C230, which I think is the same chassis as your 99 C280. Thanks for the info, I thought slightly stiffer springs would assist in more ride control. Lots of twists and turns in my back yard.

 

No, no necessarily, if you want to eliminate the lean, then go with the thicker roll bars, screwing around with a Benz suspension with all it electronics could be a problem. The My 99 is a W202 your 2000 should be also a W202?

 

He means anti-sway bars, not roll bars. Roll bars help keep your head round if you roll the car. They don't help a car handle better.

Keep in mind that anti-sway bars are heavy. The bigger, the heavier, normally. Just as an example, the unsprung weight can be so pronounced that racers usually remove them or get smaller ones, not that you'd want to. The front bar is the heavier and stronger of the two. Technically, you want stronger anti-sway bars, not necessarily bigger, thicker, or heavier. The strongest ones are hollow. They're not only stronger, but lighter.

I'd be careful about modifying the suspension, as suggested, but you can get lowering packages from competent tuners that complement the car's design rather than ruin it. Not cheap, but experimenting on your own could become an even more expensive challenge.