I spent a significant amount of time researching the coilover aftermarket for the MB R230 series. Out of the 4 possible options I considered, Silvers Neomax appeared to me to provide the best performance at a reasonably competitive price.
I was not wrong!
Similar to other reviewers experience, there is only a minor difference in ride when compared to the ABC system (when working) when traversing rough road conditions. On reasonably smooth road, there is no difference. Another major advantage of the Silvers Neomax solution is that there definitely is no need to add sway bars. While I do not drive my car like a race car, I have had no adverse experiences in those instances when cornering hard, or coming to sudden stops (I did not select the Swift spring option).
The other big advantage is that Silvers Neomax have user-adjustable ride stiffness. Other options did not offer this. I have made a few adjustments since installation.
While I used to do my own auto maintenance in my younger days and would have attempted this conversion myself, my days of knuckle-busting and getting greasy are over. I, like others, enlisted the support of Gold Element Autoworks LLC to execute the conversion project. I was please to learn that Brandon at Gold Element also prefers Silvers Neomax, which further validated my selection decision. By him removing all the now-unnecessary ABC ancillary hardware, the vehicle dropped several hundred pounds.
The cost of the overall project was about 1.5 times as expensive as a typical single ABC repair job, plus my stress level from worrying where and when the ABC system would fail has dropped to zero
Extremely happy with the outcome.
My total cost for the coiliver conversion was a little under $5k and worth every penny. I took the car through a 25mph hairpin curve this morning at 60 and all 4 wheels stayed firmly on the pavement. I have the swift springs option. The ride is as comfortable as it was with the ABC system. The car is 100% more fun to drive: it’s 50% faster off the line probably due the the weight reduction and the loss of the hydraulic drag from the ABC pump. I had every aspect of the ABCsystem removed. The car is an 08 SL550 AMG. Since I have no intention of selling this car, I’m not worried about the 5K investment in it. The boost in performance and, above all, loss of the ABC worry, make the conversion an unqualified success. It will be years before I can comment on the Silvers coil overs performance but I can say dealing with Silvers was a very pleasant experience and I liked having the Swift Springs option.
Warren Tucker
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Silver's NEOMAX Coilovers Mercedes SL Class (R230) 03-11
Excellent Quality
I bought a salvaged SL500 from a junkyard, with the ABC suspension sitting half way on the ground. Watched some YouTube videos and determined the Neomax Silvers where the obvious choice for myself! And I am more then satisfied with my purchase! Thank you Silvers North. Shout out to Gold Element Autoworks LLC for all the videos and knowledge about these specific coil-overs!
