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Increase ride height

15K views 39 replies 10 participants last post by  SohrabGulam 
#1 ·
Hi, I'm new to the forum so pardon if I don't know the proper decorum for posting a question but I couldn't find my particular question anywhere.

For some background, I have a 2014 CLA 200 which I recently purchased. I live in Colombia, South America. The roads here aren't the best but the biggest bane of my existence are the non uniform "home-made" speed bumps I come across regularly. Usually taking them SUPER slow or at an angle helps but some are just ridiculous. I've gotten by barely scraping on most but I have bottomed out twice and its not a good feeling. No damage so far, since it was at a snails pace but I worry for the longevity of the car if this continues.

Long story long, what options besides getting a different car do I have to increase the ride height of the car either variably (raising and lowering at will) or fixed (leaving it 1-2 inches higher permanently)?
 
#2 ·
Hate to say it but the GLA is a better fit for your particular roads ...
Only so much you can do with existing springs and shocks ... the taller springs and longer shocks from say the GLA parts bin may be a start but the alignment to compensate would be an interesting exercise, and that cost and effort almost hints at a trade in path towards a small suv
 
#3 ·
Hate to say it but the GLA is a better fit for your particular roads ...
Only so much you can do with existing springs and shocks ... the taller springs and longer shocks from say the GLA parts bin may be a start but the alignment to compensate would be an interesting exercise, and that cost and effort almost hints at a trade in path towards a small suv
Not a fan of SUV's at all. Honestly this car is perfect aside from this one very annoying issue. The difference between the GLA and the CLA is about 1.7 inches. If I could raise it up an inch i think my problems would be solved. However you are correct, it might not be cost effective.

Any ideas as to alternatives, i really don't want to get rid of this car.
 
#5 ·
haha I want to look into some air shocks, I have no idea what would be needed to make that kind of conversion. In theory at least it would solve all the issues i have. Is there a thread on air shocks? I'm gonna try to find one on here but if you know of a specific one I should check out I'd appreciate it.
 
#7 ·
I know my fathers 2012 CLS has this system. Maybe you could get someone to retrofit it on your car. Tho I cant imagine the cost. Maybe if you find a wrecked CLS and get the suspension parts and code it on one of the blank buttons haha
 
#8 ·
Hi, I'm new to the forum so pardon if I don't know the proper decorum for posting a question but I couldn't find my particular question anywhere.

For some background, I have a 2014 CLA 200 which I recently purchased. I live in Colombia, South America. The roads here aren't the best but the biggest bane of my existence are the non uniform "home-made" speed bumps I come across regularly. Usually taking them SUPER slow or at an angle helps but some are just ridiculous. I've gotten by barely scraping on most but I have bottomed out twice and its not a good feeling. No damage so far, since it was at a snails pace but I worry for the longevity of the car if this continues.

Long story long, what options besides getting a different car do I have to increase the ride height of the car either variably (raising and lowering at will) or fixed (leaving it 1-2 inches higher permanently)?
I had the same problem, to fix it I had to change my tire size from 225/40/18 to 225/45/18. This raised my ride height significantly without any rubbing issues. By removing battery terminals and putting them back on the CLA rebooted and recalibrated tire rotation and speed. I am also considering strut spacers.
 
#20 ·
Quick update: I spoke with a tech at the MB dealership who confirmed that a 225/50R17 wheel would be the largest it could take and would increase ride height about 1cm. The other option would be the new A class tire which is 205/55R17 if i'm not mistaken and would increase ride height about 1.5 cm.

Neither is a huge change but sometimes you make sacrifices to have nice things. I also asked about the speedo and was told the change is so minor that it falls within the margin of error so no change would be necessary. If anything from what I've noticed in my daily driving it might actually make my speedo more accurate than it currently is.
 
#21 ·
Hi, I'm new to the forum so pardon if I don't know the proper decorum for posting a question but I couldn't find my particular question anywhere.

For some background, I have a 2014 CLA 200 which I recently purchased. I live in Colombia, South America. The roads here aren't the best but the biggest bane of my existence are the non uniform "home-made" speed bumps I come across regularly. Usually taking them SUPER slow or at an angle helps but some are just ridiculous. I've gotten by barely scraping on most but I have bottomed out twice and its not a good feeling. No damage so far, since it was at a snails pace but I worry for the longevity of the car if this continues.

Long story long, what options besides getting a different car do I have to increase the ride height of the car either variably (raising and lowering at will) or fixed (leaving it 1-2 inches higher permanently)?

I have the sports package , and the ride height is fairly low for me, but it works okay in terms of speed bumps. Just the parking stalls , some of which has the stop cement block , if you are driving front side first into the lot, you run the risk of scraping the front spoiler lower lip. I did that once, and after repairing the small cosmetic blemish, I now reverse into the stalls with the cement stop block.

In regards to the "bottoming" out of the shocks, I also experienced that when going over the speed bumps with a fully loaded CLA (4 passengers). I attribute that to the shocks not meant to handle loaded weight over say 5 adults in the car. I think if you swap the springs and shocks for say using Eibach and Bilstein combo, you will not see the bottoming out issue.
 
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#29 ·
you might as well upgrade it further with the B12 PSS system from Bilstein, which is marked enhancement over the stock 45AMG suspension, and for a much cheaper price.

The factory adjustable system from Mercedes will cost you an arm and a leg, and more...
 
#30 ·
Oh i am sure it will be a fortune ... new
May get lucky and find some gently used 19 versions [emoji4]
The aftermarkets may indeed be good though most start at -25mm which is not the -10mm i prefer and thats all i need/want
 
#36 ·
Did you ask MB what they would recommend?
 
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