I have been running cut stock springs for over a year. The ride was fine on the smoother roads but I wasn't happy when hitting bumps. The KYB shocks helped a lot but I have now decided to see if any more improvement is possible and try some new springs. After reading as much as I could on here and on the Benz sites, I have decided to give Vogtland springs a try. The have been shipped and I should get them any day now. I will let you all know what I think of them.

 

what ride are you after,, i have a srt and already installed the front springs from a limited,, a little softer but hard to tell with the srt springs in the rear,,, i am have the rear changed in the next week or so,
I can tell you this the srt springs are .610 dia and the loose height od 14" and 12"
the limited springs are .550 dia and 14" and 13" tall
I also have two springs that are .550 dia and 15" tall ,,i was told they are from a limited also.

 

I am after a firm but not harsh ride. The roads are not very smooth where I live. The other Problem I have is that I want my car lowered which doens't improve the ride. I have had Eibach on another car and didn't care for them although many on here do. I decided to give Vogtland a try after reading many reviews from MB owners which included SLK's which are basically the same as our cars.

 

how much, and whered you get them?

 

Ditto! Part numbers, where to buy, all the juicy stuff. Looking forward to a review!

 

We've got a customer with the Vogtland springs and the ride is very smooth. No bumps or jars, just what you would expect in a GT car.

 

Hey Lantana - Ever get your Vogtland's installed? Wondering how they worked out with the KYB's?

 

I received the the Vogtland Springs a couple of weeks ago just as I was leaving on vacation. I finally installed them on Saturday and went on a 350 mile road trip yesterday. The part number is 952070 and cost me $237.00 from Vogtland USA. I came across these on the Benzworld and MBWorld forums. People on those web sites loved them and was even replacing Eibach springs for them. Vogtland are made in Germany seem to be very high quality. The box says 35mm which is a 1.4 inch drop. I was running stock n/a springs with exactily one coil cut off. I loved the look but they caused cranky female sounds to come from the passenger seat.

The Vogtland springs were an improvement and work very well with the KYB shocks. The one thing you should know about Vogtland is that they keep the stock rake which means the rear is slightly higer than the front. I was used to my car being lower in the rear but this is a nice look and I am getting used to it but still may switch to the thinest spring pad in the rear latter on.

I have been after a firm but compliant Grand Touring ride. I am not totally there yet but much closer. I think the real issue is the weight of our wheels and tires for such a small car. The mods I have made that effect the ride are:

Vogtland Springs
KYB Shocks
K-Mac rear camber kit
Chrysler camber bolts in the front
18" wheels to save some weight and get a little sidewall in the rear
my tires are 225 40 18 front on 8" rims and 265 40 18 in the rear on 9" rims

What is next?

Lighter wheels, I am looking at going to 17x8 in the front with 235 45 17 tires and running my 265's on 18 x 9.5's in the rear.

I will be at the the Texas Speedway event this month if anyone wants a ride to test the ride.

 

Good info Lantana, thanks! How's it handle in the corners any softer or does it stick? I'm thinking of doing the same setup when I need to replace my shocks.

My Limited has a bunch of roll in the corners and the back hops-out any time the road gets a little rough. I would love to have something a little more precise and predictable but not harsh. Your setup sounds like the ticket. Do you think an SRT sway bar would help the cause?

 

The Vogtlands have noticably less body roll and much less nose dive under braking. I did notice that the the coils are made from thicker wire than the stock springs. The rear springs looked exactly like my one coil cut stock springs except the wire was thicker and the fronts were a little shorter than my one coil cut springs again the wire is thicker. The car sits about the same as with the cut coils but the rear is about 1/4 inch higher. I have to assume they are stiffer but they actually feel smoother or less harsh over the bumps and seem really well matched with the KYB shocks. My son rode in the car tonight and really liked the ride. He could tell the difference.

 

After driving on these for a few days now, I am really loving these springs! No more harshness on bumpy roads. they seem to have gotten even better with a few miles on them.

 

Sounds like you made the right choice Lantana. Any problems with alignment? I noticed you have a K-Mac rear camber kit and front bolts. Do you think a heavy duty rear camber arms, (like the ones speedybenz.com sells) would also work?

 

I have ordered the thinest spring pad for the rear and will be changing the wheels and tires in the next week or two. Once I am satisfied with the ride height and have the new tire and wheels on I will have the alignment checked again.

The adjustable control arms are a great way to go and eliminates the hell I went trough to get the old bushings out of the stock control arms. I am excited that I have a lowered car that now has a better ride than when it was all stock.

 

Nice job — as always!

 

performance wise do you think these springs handle better than the stock srt6 springs? are these just for the convertibles?

 

lantana any pics of the new set up?

 

These are a great performance springs. Car is much flatter in cornering and less nose dive under hard braking. But the ride is very good good. If these are just for convertibles, I am in trouble! These springs are listed for all n/a and SRT's and SLK from 230 - SLK32. Also remember I don't have stock shocks. I have KYB's which seem perfect with these springs.

I don't have any pictures yet but it doesn't look much different than my signature picture. It is just slightly higer in the back and not noticable to people who see the car. I have the thinner spring pads to put in but decided to wait and see how my new wheels and tires look. I may move up to 275 40 18's in the rear and 245 40 18's Exclaim UHP's which will fill the wheel well out a little more.

 

thanks for the info.

do you know what the spring rate is on them?

 

Sorry, do not know the spring rate. I asked many of the suppliers that make springs for our cars and they seem to treat this as a trade secret.

 

Did you end up putting the thinner springs pads? Which spring pads did you use at the front and at the back before you sold the car? do you remember? This thread is super old but I'm taking a chance.

Thanks