Unbelievable, but even the Mercedes-Benz S-Class W140 is over 30 years old. Of the just over 406,000 sedans produced, around 104,000 luxury sedans were registered in Germany from 1991 to 1998.

A small group of die-hard W140 enthusiasts continues to cherish and care for their Mercedes-Benz S 350 Turbodiesel, S300 Turbodiesel, S 280, S 320, S 320, S 420, S 500, S 500, and S 600. Especially for the fan curve of the S-Class sedan with its powerful capital eight- and twelve-cylinder heart, we have now launched the KW V3 Classic coilover suspension kit, including the parts certificate. After all, the standard suspensions of that time are technologically outdated.

As with many Mercedes models of the time, the W140 also has a multi-link rear axle, and the front axle featured a newly designed double-wishbone setup without MacPherson struts. So, the dampers and springs are separated, similar to those on the Mercedes-Benz (R107) SL, Mercedes-Benz (W124) E-Class, Mercedes-Benz (W126) S-Class, Mercedes-Benz SEC (C126) and Mercedes-Benz (W201) 190. Thus, no coilover struts are used.

The lowering still works. The desired lowering is adjusted on both axles of the Mercedes-Benz (W140) S-Class via the KW height adjustment directly on the springs.

As part of the parts certificate, you have a stepless margin of 10 to 30 millimeters on the front axle. The infinitely variable adjustment range on the rear axle is between 15 and 35 millimeters.

If the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W140) has the optional self-leveling system on board, we offer a kit to deactivate it. Of course, this kit is included in the specific delivery program.

In our online shop and at our specialist dealers, you will always be asked whether your S-Class is equipped with the self-leveling system.

The KW V3 Classic coilover suspension is far more than a replacement part. It elevates the legendary 1992 World Car Award-winning S-Class to new heights of performance and handling.

Proven KW V3 Classic suspension technology for the Mercedes-Benz S-Class (W140)

For years, our KW V3 Classic suspensions have been the first choice for lovers of classic vehicles regarding finding the right suspension. This is mainly due to the KW multi-valve technology used. Adjustable low-speed valves for compression and rebound are combined with non-adjustable high-speed valves.

Despite a tightly adjusted setup, these preconfigured valves allow the sporty coilover suspension to compress harmoniously on rough side roads with many transverse joints and bumps.

Another special feature is that the low-speed pressure and low-speed rebound valves can be tuned separately from each other. With many other suspensions, on the other hand, the compression and rebound settings change in parallel for each setting. This is not the case with all our KW V3 coilover suspension kits.

The V3’s independent adjustment of low-speed compression and rebound enables more precise fine-tuning. Compared to a KW V3, other parameters can be tuned separately with our KW V4 and KW V5 coilovers.

For example, our KW V4 and KW V4 Clubsport coilovers allow the compression damping to be individually adjusted independently in the high-speed and low-speed forces. We also use such a technology in our Special OE coilover suspension, which we supply to our customer Mercedes, who equips the Mercedes-AMG GT-R Pro. But back to the W124.

A common question regarding the old S-Class and coilover suspension is how the W140 drives with a KW V3 Classic suspension. Sportier and yet with convincing rolling comfort, it doesn’t matter whether the S-Class is driven slower or faster than 60 kilometers per hour—despite the maximum lowering!

But it’s not just the ride comfort that is convincing; the S-Class also has more precise steering behavior and remains good-natured in all situations. The Mercedes is starving for curves and by no means loses its long-distance driving capability, which all W140 enthusiasts appreciate. From Hamburg to Lausanne – it’s all a pleasure.

If you want to experience this in your S-Class, you don’t have to touch the setup on the KW V3 Classic coilover suspension because we always deliver all our KW coilover suspension with a preset basic setup.

Our motto for the KW coilovers from our Classic range and the Street Performance category is always to design the interaction of dampers and springs as tightly as necessary and as comfortably as possible.

If you want to “experience” a little more sport or a little more comfort, you can take the shock setup into your own hands. For this purpose, every KW V3 Classic coilover suspension always comes with adjustment instructions. First of all, it won’t be as comfortable or more comfortable than the standard suspension with the KW V3 Classic coilover suspension; that wasn’t the goal of development either.

Simply put, compression damping refers to the resistance that the damper hydraulics provide when the spring compresses and thus also counteracts the compression of the spring on asphalt bumps. In addition, it supports the body structure and thus has a significant influence on the rolling behavior of the car in curves. The compression is tighter, for example, when closing the compression valve cross-section, while a wider open compression damping supports driving comfort.

Rebound, on the other hand, is responsible for how an automobile is connected to the road when the spring is rebounded after driving over a bump. This way, it controls the body’s resonance and influences its handling. If, for example, the rebound valve is closed, the steering becomes more direct due to the lower body movements. Opening the rebound valve, on the other hand, supports driving comfort.

If you are looking for an installation partner, we have also integrated a dealer search directly to our KW specialist dealers on our KW homepage. So you are sure to find a competent partner in your area, or you can contact KW Sales directly.