looking to bag a W210

[siopaolover]

Hi guys, I'm tired of driving around static and I was looking at going with bags. I'm a noob when it comes to air suspension, and I'm not too sure what management packages are out there for these cars.

I contacted a reputable shop and was quoted around 3k for e-level, brackets, and bags, and around $1500 for install. What are my other options?

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

I can't speak to install costs since I did my own work, but IIRC W210 suspension is not dissimilar to the W124, so you're looking at fairly simple brackets that should be easy to fab.

Regarding management, the three families are manual management, pressure-based, and height-based. Manual can either be mechanical paddle valves or electrically-actuated valves like a traditional switchbox or something like SwitchSpeed. V2 is the big pressure-based system, and it's very popular. E-Level is height-based, which I prefer. It's the most expensive and complex of the common options, but the additional complication and cost of height sensors has some pretty major benefits in terms of ease of use and repeatable height presets.

Basically, the pros & cons table looks something like this:

Manual Management: (Paddle Valves, Switchbox, SwitchSpeed)
+ Dead reliable (paddle valves)
+ Cheap or extremely cheap
+ Simple
- Can be fussy to use (have to watch pressures and/or check ride height on a regular basis
- Paddle valves dump air into the cockpit (loud and smelly)

Pressure-based systems (V2 and similar)
+ Easiest to install
+ No height sensors to potentially break (though the new e-Level height sensors are pretty tough)
+ Manages bag pressure so you don't have to look at gauges
+ Offers presets so you don't have to watch gauges while you air up / down
- The correlation between bag pressure and ride height is loose and load-variable: add a passenger, and you have to make a manual adjustment to the system such as choosing a different preset.
- Electronics means more stuff to potentially fail than a manual system

Height-based systems (e-Level)
+ Offers presets like pressure-based systems
+ Actually measures changes in ride height, so it will nail your desired height every time, no matter the load, with no manual adjustments or additional presets
+ Can be used essentially hands-off, requiring no gauges and no fiddling with.
- The most expensive & complicated of the options
- Requires running wiring to each corner and installing height sensors

I went with e-Level and love it to death. In day-to-day life, I never have to worry about it, never have to look at any displays, and never have to touch a thing unless I want to air out.

[siopaolover]

Thanks a lot for all the info! Glad to know the details of the differences between the management systems. How reliable is the e-level system? I daily drive this and that's why I originally chose static. lol

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

I've got ~1500 miles on mine so far, and nary an issue. I've been daily driving mine this summer since the A/C has been on the fritz in my daily driver, and it has been superb. The only issues I've had have been from not allowing enough clearance between the height sensors and my wheels at full lock - certainly not the system's fault.

[siopaolover]

Thanks man!

Out of the 3 options actually, would e-level be the least reliable since it has the most components? It definitely seems like it's the most convenient though. lol

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

It's hard to say. E-Level handles error conditions in pretty sane ways, so even if the ECU loses contact with a sensor, it typically won't do anything stupid. Under error conditions, e-Level ceases attempting to monitor ride height, but with both the rocker switch system and the touchpad system, you still can take manual control. To be fair to AccuAir, the only time I've seen an error condition is when my wheel rubbed through a sensor arm due to stupid installation. I still drove the car for a week just fine until I had a chance to get under there and fix it.

E-Level does have the most components, though the height sensors are very simple devices (they appear to just be Hall effect sensors, which are pretty reliable little things), and if you can route air lines without rubbing or chafing, you can run some thin little cables safely. I can't speak to the relative failure rates of AccuAir's components versus other brands, but I do know that neither V2 nor e-Level spark many complaints on the sites I read. I would be more worried about valves freezing in winter (which you don't really have to concern yourself with) or leaks than I would worry about any of the e-Level-specific components failing.

The other comment I will make is that AccuAir's customer service is simply astoundingly good. I fucked up my pressure sensor last winter when a bunch of water got in it and froze, and they walked me through troubleshooting it and immediately sent me a new one. Awesome, awesome service.

If you're worried about absolute cannot-fail reliability, go for paddle valves, since there's basically nothing to break or freeze up. That said, I would not hesitate to take my car anywhere in the country with e-Level.

[siopaolover]

It's hard to say. E-Level handles error conditions in pretty sane ways, so even if the ECU loses contact with a sensor, it typically won't do anything stupid. Under error conditions, e-Level ceases attempting to monitor ride height, but with both the rocker switch system and the touchpad system, you still can take manual control. To be fair to AccuAir, the only time I've seen an error condition is when my wheel rubbed through a sensor arm due to stupid installation. I still drove the car for a week just fine until I had a chance to get under there and fix it.

E-Level does have the most components, though the height sensors are very simple devices (they appear to just be Hall effect sensors, which are pretty reliable little things), and if you can route air lines without rubbing or chafing, you can run some thin little cables safely. I can't speak to the relative failure rates of AccuAir's components versus other brands, but I do know that neither V2 nor e-Level spark many complaints on the sites I read. I would be more worried about valves freezing in winter (which you don't really have to concern yourself with) or leaks than I would worry about any of the e-Level-specific components failing.

The other comment I will make is that AccuAir's customer service is simply astoundingly good. I fucked up my pressure sensor last winter when a bunch of water got in it and froze, and they walked me through troubleshooting it and immediately sent me a new one. Awesome, awesome service.

If you're worried about absolute cannot-fail reliability, go for paddle valves, since there's basically nothing to break or freeze up. That said, I would not hesitate to take my car anywhere in the country with e-Level.

Thanks a lot for the help Sam. I've decided to go with a manual setup because of your advice and my budget. lol

[EuroFlaw]

hey bro don't forget about me haha I'm looking for a bag setup as well if you put together somewhat of a parts list maybe you would share so i would also get a idea how much it would cost I just recently bought a 91' 300sl 5speed manual and i was thinking about pulling my coils out and putting it on the sl and going bags on the e because i went pretty wide so i would like to dump it ps remember if you need help with the camber arms or toe arms for the rear i can help I'm still working on the adjustment for the front

[Oh Damn, it's Sam]

I'm sure you've both seen it, but Bag Riders has a pretty decent diagram for manual management that covers the basics. There are a couple things I'd do differently, like add a safety valve on the same manifold as the pressure switch and I'd refrain from using vampire taps unless someone were actively holding a gun to my head, but it's got 90% of the work done for you.

[EuroFlaw]

yea i have seen it I'm just wondering if a manual set up is a the right way to go i want it to be a nice setup but i could probably change into a electronic management setup later on that you for your input and help sam