Hi Everyone,

I just upgraded the my wheels on my "new to me" '01 E320. I was cheap so I ordered the new E320 style wheels (chromed) and kept the tires I had.
Maybe next year 18's from an E55
I see that quite a few companies make lowering springs for my car. What do you think is the best Spring kit and should I change shocks while I am at it?

Regards,

John Meara

PS I know about the pad change and I did a search on the forum already but the results were not many results

 

Eibach, Intrax, and K&R are three makers that seem to know what they're doing. If you want to preserve as much comfort as possible while improving handling, you want a progressive rate spring. Very important.
Re your shocks, how many miles are on them (probably the originals)?
If they've got anything beyond, say, 20-25K miles, I'd replace them with Bilsteins or another quality shock. Be aware that a stock shock regardless of its age can begin to wear a bit more quickly if it's partnered with a performance (i.e., shorter and stiffer) spring, so if it were my car I'd go w/better shocks while the springs are being changed. Also about the pads - they are various millimeter thicknesses and I believe are used by MB to establish an equal-to-that-model height for all cars produced - makes up for some variances in springs, etc. These can be swapped for thinner pads if you've got thick ones, but the amount of drop is minimal.

 

I've got a '96 E320. I bought a set of 17 inch AMG wheels and wanted to lower the car .. big mistake. I used Tokico shocks and s set of Eibach springs. Over the last 6 years the springs have lost enough of their strength that the car dips down over bumps enough to scrape the chin skirt in front. I've seen this happen on other Eibach springs. Also, I found out that the control arm geometry is not friendly to lowering the car. I had to replace the upper control arm bearings due to the lower geometry. I'm not sure what springs you ought to use .. but stay away from Eibach. cp