For other DIY'ers, be sure to have the suspension at ride height before tightening the control arm bolts. Tightening them at full droop will put tension on the bushings which will cause them to wear sooner.
Thank you for that video , never done a job like that before . One of the very best how to mechanical videos in a long time. Detail , part numbers and everthing . Keep them coming
Actually I used that before, car was very loow , the tire was rubbing to metal , and then I changed to regular but I cutted just one line 😁😁 looks very sexy 👌 !! Good luck buddy ✊🏻
When i was doing it on my W210, i placed wood piece between rotor and the fender inside, it helped to avoid compressing whole control arm and i removed the spring way easier.
For anyone who is worried about the firmer ride of the Bilstein B8 dampers, and still want an upgraded performance damper for the higher spring rate H&R, try the Koni sport. They are twin tube design so they don't have the initial high gas pressure to overcome and have excellent small bump and body roll feel. Also, Koni sports are used in a lot of racing series and you can send them to Koni to get re-valved to your preference.
Thank you! That's good information. Even on terrible Southern California freeways, the Bilstein shocks do really well. As slower speeds on rough road is where they are less fun.
Would you recommend the strut/shock set up with original springs? My 95 E420 is a bit bouncy on the original suspension and I am looking to buy replacements struts/shocks. What would you use to get the closest ride to the original factory set up? As always, thank you for the videos!
I honestly don't know how that would work or if it would work. I did not check to see if the original shocks were dimensionally different than the Bilsteins. If anything, you'd have a firmer ride with the stock ride height. If they're available, I'd definitely source factory shocks. Probably going to be made of Unobtainium though and cost a quart of Unicorn tears.
@alanOHALAN I do. It's firm, but it won't rattle your teeth out. I find it very smooth on the freeway, and I live in Southern California, where the freeways are notoriously bad. Depending on your wheel and tire setup, you might get some rubbing. I'm using 17" W203 Sport wheels and 225 wide tires. I rub in places on the freeway and certain dips. To help with that, I made a pad out of 1/2" high density rubber and put that on top of the upper spring pad in the front. I still rub but not as bad. If I had a narrower tire, I might not rub at all. Front and rear wheel arches are rolled but not stretched. Just enough to fold in the inner lip. Otherwise the 225 tires would rub in the rear. Now I only rub in the front on the inside on very large dips.
Hoi, thanks again for the detailed video; what i could not see was the part number for the rear shocks. This H R springs ,are them also ok for the 500E 1991 ? Thanks Regards geert
You're welcome! The part number for the shocks are 22-003652 and 24-014700. I don't remember which are from and which are rear. I don't know if they would fit or not but I wouldn't suggest installing them on a 500E because of the self leveling suspension. There would be too many complications for it to work.
@@FriendlyMBTech very much thanks from belgium. I Remember the rear are self leveling. But thanks for the warning. It by following your video's That i open the engine. Big Thank
Do you think the no. 3 (18mm) spring pad size is good for the R129 also? I assume you did the same front and rear. Same Chassis and suspension set up i believe….
Yes, I did the same front and rear. I think the 18mm pad is a good starting point. If you're thinking about doing lowering springs and shocks then I'd definitely start with the 18mm pads. I wouldn't be surprised if it still rubbed with the thick pads though. I have stock 15 inch wheels and 205 wide tires and my car rubs.
My 400E didn't have the self leveling suspension. If it did, I would have left it alone and not lowered it. If you want to remove the system, you'd have to swap out the tandem pump for a power steering pump, remove the lines and reservoirs, remove the rear shocks and level sensors.
So lowered the spring, heightened the rubber stop. Only costs money in my opinion. It all looked very good original, with not much wear and tear. Getting it lower could also be done by just replacing the rubber stop for a thinner one and maybe the shocks, if you want the newer technology and not oil filled older style dampers, which maybe arguable because gas filled dampers do give a harsher ride on these older vehicles and does not belong to this era.
I already had the thinnest spring pad in front and rear. Lowering it further with the H&R springs made it too low. That's why I had to switch to the thicker spring pads. The Bilstein shocks definitely do have a firmer ride but it isn't unbearable.
@@FriendlyMBTech I worked a lot on suspension and shocks on a 350 slc and 500 sl w107. I noticed that the original dampers have the ride that belongs to the car and era and have excellent life expectancy. Yes, there is tons of roll. But if you move to gas filled dampers with these vehicles, the whole driving experience changes and is not as it was designed. Also, the '85 500 SL has a much firmer drive due to harder springs than the 73 350 SLC. They made it a bit more sporty, but the convertible chassis isn't sporty at all, the chassis has a lot of flex in it. The coupe has the best driving experience.
@@Nollekeuh the 80s SL still had a comfortable ride. As parts start becoming more hard to come by, most will have no choice but to use aftermarket parts such as gas filled shocks vs oil filled. Since I bought the car, it was never my intention to keep it 100% original. As repairs are needed, I'll use as many factory parts as I can to demonstrate proper repairs according to the work instructions.
Took mine to a shop to replace the front lower control arms. As soon as they found out their perceived cost of a spring compressor, I got a phone call, not interested in the job.
I did roll the fenders not that long ago. It helped a bit. The problem was the fenders rubbing while turning. Recently, on a whim, I got 1/2" thick dense rubber mat and put it above the spring pads in the front. I already have the thickest spring pads also. That got rid of 99% of the rubbing. The car is more level front to rear also.
These springs are terrible after a few months. The ride quality will get worse and you will hate driving the car. I’ve hated the way mine drove for the longest. The best way to lower a w124 is to remove the shims and place a small piece of garden hose in the beginning of the spring to eliminate any noise. The ride will lower about 1/2 inch and will lower eventually a little more with time. The ride is as comfortable as to stock. I’ve done that with Bilstein struts and it rides even better!
I don't mind the way it rides. It's more firm, yes. 95% of my driving is on California freeways. I actually find it comfortable and smooth on the freeway. Doesn't bother me much.
@@FriendlyMBTech Mine was firm as well but after a few months it started getting annoying on bigger humps on the road…. I also didn’t feel safe driving it as it felt a lot of body roll driving 65mph…. I had the springs on my 91 w124 om602 and eventually went back to stock and sold the car… they looked great but didn’t feel like a w124 should ride at all…. I ended up buying a w124 e420 and went with stock springs/shims removed with Bilstein struts and it was the best decision so far.
@@adayjimenezgonzalez ¿Quieres los números de pieza para los muelles? ¿Es eso lo que estás buscando? Si prefiere español, podemos comunicarnos en español.
@@jameseastwood4984 not quite. It does rub some because I have 17" wheels with 225 wide tires. I have the thickest spring pads already. I raised it some with a 1/2" chunk of high density rubber above the front spring pads.
A year later, how are those H&R springs working for you? I just installed these same springs in my 400E and the suspension is sitting on the bump stops. It seems like these springs are not really made for the 400E.
They still feel great. They still feel like the did when new. My car never sat on the bump stops. I also have the thickest spring pads front and rear, which are 10mm thicker than the thinnest. Right now I only rub on heavy dips on the freeway, but that's how it's always been.
Finally someone who knows how to film, explain, give all the details and information. All the respect!👌👏
Thank you!
Ditto.. Nice production. ..
@michaelschneider- thank you!
For other DIY'ers, be sure to have the suspension at ride height before tightening the control arm bolts. Tightening them at full droop will put tension on the bushings which will cause them to wear sooner.
This is a good tip, I forgot to mention it. Thank you.
Your videos are a huge help. I have a 1992 400E and they are helping me keep it on the road. Thank you for your dedication to these awesome sedans!
You're welcome!
Our '94 E320 Coupe is right behind ya ..... The W124 series auto's are legions... The C124 rules!
Thank you for that video , never done a job like that before . One of the very best how to mechanical videos in a long time. Detail , part numbers and everthing . Keep them coming
Thank you much!
Actually I used that before, car was very loow , the tire was rubbing to metal , and then I changed to regular but I cutted just one line 😁😁 looks very sexy 👌 !! Good luck buddy ✊🏻
When i was doing it on my W210, i placed wood piece between rotor and the fender inside, it helped to avoid compressing whole control arm and i removed the spring way easier.
For anyone who is worried about the firmer ride of the Bilstein B8 dampers, and still want an upgraded performance damper for the higher spring rate H&R, try the Koni sport. They are twin tube design so they don't have the initial high gas pressure to overcome and have excellent small bump and body roll feel.
Also, Koni sports are used in a lot of racing series and you can send them to Koni to get re-valved to your preference.
Thank you! That's good information. Even on terrible Southern California freeways, the Bilstein shocks do really well. As slower speeds on rough road is where they are less fun.
Would you recommend the strut/shock set up with original springs? My 95 E420 is a bit bouncy on the original suspension and I am looking to buy replacements struts/shocks. What would you use to get the closest ride to the original factory set up? As always, thank you for the videos!
I honestly don't know how that would work or if it would work. I did not check to see if the original shocks were dimensionally different than the Bilsteins. If anything, you'd have a firmer ride with the stock ride height. If they're available, I'd definitely source factory shocks. Probably going to be made of Unobtainium though and cost a quart of Unicorn tears.
Planning to buy my own 400e, though im curious on what bilstein shocks you used, or are they all the same?
nvm i found it at 2:51
Do you think you would recommend using Bilstein B8 and HR springs for daily driving?
@alanOHALAN I do. It's firm, but it won't rattle your teeth out. I find it very smooth on the freeway, and I live in Southern California, where the freeways are notoriously bad. Depending on your wheel and tire setup, you might get some rubbing. I'm using 17" W203 Sport wheels and 225 wide tires. I rub in places on the freeway and certain dips. To help with that, I made a pad out of 1/2" high density rubber and put that on top of the upper spring pad in the front. I still rub but not as bad. If I had a narrower tire, I might not rub at all. Front and rear wheel arches are rolled but not stretched. Just enough to fold in the inner lip. Otherwise the 225 tires would rub in the rear. Now I only rub in the front on the inside on very large dips.
Hoi, thanks again for the detailed video; what i could not see was the part number for the rear shocks. This H R springs ,are them also ok for the 500E 1991 ? Thanks Regards geert
You're welcome! The part number for the shocks are 22-003652 and 24-014700. I don't remember which are from and which are rear. I don't know if they would fit or not but I wouldn't suggest installing them on a 500E because of the self leveling suspension. There would be too many complications for it to work.
@@FriendlyMBTech very much thanks from belgium. I Remember the rear are self leveling. But thanks for the warning. It by following your video's That i open the engine. Big Thank
I'd better make a constructive comment, thanks for posting, good film.
@@jameseastwood4984 😂😂😂 thank you!
Do you think the no. 3 (18mm) spring pad size is good for the R129 also? I assume you did the same front and rear. Same Chassis and suspension set up i believe….
Yes, I did the same front and rear. I think the 18mm pad is a good starting point. If you're thinking about doing lowering springs and shocks then I'd definitely start with the 18mm pads. I wouldn't be surprised if it still rubbed with the thick pads though. I have stock 15 inch wheels and 205 wide tires and my car rubs.
@@FriendlyMBTech thank you. Ill probably roll my fenders too. Keep up the good work 🤙🏽
Hey, I know I’m a bit late, but what about the self adjusting factory suspension? Did you delete the system, if so how did you do so?
My 400E didn't have the self leveling suspension. If it did, I would have left it alone and not lowered it. If you want to remove the system, you'd have to swap out the tandem pump for a power steering pump, remove the lines and reservoirs, remove the rear shocks and level sensors.
im lowering my 91 300e with b8s and h&r springs. Did u reuse the bumpstops?
I sure did.
How does the comfort of the car compare with the stock shocks and springs, is there a big gap or is the comfort still there?
It's a little more firm but far from unbearable. I drive it on Southern California freeways every day and those are notoriously terrible.
So lowered the spring, heightened the rubber stop. Only costs money in my opinion. It all looked very good original, with not much wear and tear. Getting it lower could also be done by just replacing the rubber stop for a thinner one and maybe the shocks, if you want the newer technology and not oil filled older style dampers, which maybe arguable because gas filled dampers do give a harsher ride on these older vehicles and does not belong to this era.
I already had the thinnest spring pad in front and rear. Lowering it further with the H&R springs made it too low. That's why I had to switch to the thicker spring pads. The Bilstein shocks definitely do have a firmer ride but it isn't unbearable.
@@FriendlyMBTech I worked a lot on suspension and shocks on a 350 slc and 500 sl w107. I noticed that the original dampers have the ride that belongs to the car and era and have excellent life expectancy. Yes, there is tons of roll. But if you move to gas filled dampers with these vehicles, the whole driving experience changes and is not as it was designed. Also, the '85 500 SL has a much firmer drive due to harder springs than the 73 350 SLC. They made it a bit more sporty, but the convertible chassis isn't sporty at all, the chassis has a lot of flex in it. The coupe has the best driving experience.
@@Nollekeuh the 80s SL still had a comfortable ride. As parts start becoming more hard to come by, most will have no choice but to use aftermarket parts such as gas filled shocks vs oil filled. Since I bought the car, it was never my intention to keep it 100% original. As repairs are needed, I'll use as many factory parts as I can to demonstrate proper repairs according to the work instructions.
Took mine to a shop to replace the front lower control arms. As soon as they found out their perceived cost of a spring compressor, I got a phone call, not interested in the job.
The factory spring compressor is about $1200 not counting the plates. I don't see why any universal spring compressor won't work.
Would rolling the fenders help?
I did roll the fenders not that long ago. It helped a bit. The problem was the fenders rubbing while turning. Recently, on a whim, I got 1/2" thick dense rubber mat and put it above the spring pads in the front. I already have the thickest spring pads also. That got rid of 99% of the rubbing. The car is more level front to rear also.
Also, I forgot to mention that I need new tires also. So just getting new tires would make it rub quite a bit worse.
18MM pads front and rear?
Exactly.
These springs are terrible after a few months. The ride quality will get worse and you will hate driving the car. I’ve hated the way mine drove for the longest. The best way to lower a w124 is to remove the shims and place a small piece of garden hose in the beginning of the spring to eliminate any noise. The ride will lower about 1/2 inch and will lower eventually a little more with time. The ride is as comfortable as to stock. I’ve done that with Bilstein struts and it rides even better!
I don't mind the way it rides. It's more firm, yes. 95% of my driving is on California freeways. I actually find it comfortable and smooth on the freeway. Doesn't bother me much.
@@FriendlyMBTech Mine was firm as well but after a few months it started getting annoying on bigger humps on the road…. I also didn’t feel safe driving it as it felt a lot of body roll driving 65mph…. I had the springs on my 91 w124 om602 and eventually went back to stock and sold the car… they looked great but didn’t feel like a w124 should ride at all…. I ended up buying a w124 e420 and went with stock springs/shims removed with Bilstein struts and it was the best decision so far.
Hi, Could you send me a photo with the reference of those spirals h&r that you have assembled in the video? Thank'u
Do you want the part numbers? Is that what you're asking for? If you want to communicate in you're native language, we can do that if it would help.
@@FriendlyMBTech the numbers of suspension springs
I'm from canary island, and I dont speak english 😞🙏🙏
@@adayjimenezgonzalez ¿Quieres los números de pieza para los muelles? ¿Es eso lo que estás buscando? Si prefiere español, podemos comunicarnos en español.
@@FriendlyMBTech sii, justo eso, muchas graciaas
Does it lay frame 😂
@@jameseastwood4984 not quite. It does rub some because I have 17" wheels with 225 wide tires. I have the thickest spring pads already. I raised it some with a 1/2" chunk of high density rubber above the front spring pads.
A year later, how are those H&R springs working for you? I just installed these same springs in my 400E and the suspension is sitting on the bump stops. It seems like these springs are not really made for the 400E.
They still feel great. They still feel like the did when new. My car never sat on the bump stops. I also have the thickest spring pads front and rear, which are 10mm thicker than the thinnest. Right now I only rub on heavy dips on the freeway, but that's how it's always been.