G500 Ohlin + Thor Spring Lift

R-F-L

New member
Hello all,

I am hoping for some advice from your collective knowledge.

I live in a small Costa Rican beach town. The roads are terrible. Mainly dirt, some gravel, some decayed mixes of dirt and gravel. My daily drives are what most would consider light to moderate off-roading. Pot hole mine fields, aggressive corrugations, deep ruts, steep hills, and the occasional fallen tree to, drop off due to a washed out road, and river crossings :).

Getting anywhere is slow going and bone jarring. So, I am investing in suspension in an effort to be able to drive faster safely, as well as to be better prepared for the frequent moderate to difficult off-roading situations I also encounter living down here.

I am about to pull the trigger on ordering some parts from a US distributor and having them installed here by a local shop. Order:

MEU MS47
Ohlins 73-17 Mercedes-Benz Gelandewagen/GClass Adventure Damper Set w/o Springs (Custom
40mm Lift)

TM-SPR-KIT-1
G-Wagen Coil Springs / Suspension Kit by THOR
Motorworks

4634630132
MERCEDES OEM 13-18 G550 Steering GearSteering Damper

ORCG61112
ORC Brake Line For W463 G-Class trucks with rear
disc brakes and 4-Channel ABS (from year 2001-
present). Comes with 6 brake lines (2 front, 2 rear &
2 at calipers) and 2 locker lines (front & rear).

The Thor springs are 70mm (2.75"). Forgive my poorly educated question but the reading I have done says that you need to correct for caster and camber anything above 2". But the supplier did not recommend anything for these corrections. Do I need additional parts for this?

Also, in general, I would appreciate any feedback on the parts list that has been recommended to me for my use case.

Thanks!
 

nbutze

Active member
I would go with KING Shocks from Filthy Motorsports in Colorado. The ORC springs are great. Ohlins doesn't seem to have the best customer service if you happen to have a seal go bad or start leaking.

ORC will sell you their Eibach springs direct and the price and quality is better than Viking.
 

RBA

Adventurer
How are the Eibach springs better quality?

Personally I don't think you need the Ohlins. I've had King shocks in another vehicle and they were fantastic. I purchased them from Filthy motorsports also but they recommended the standard setting so Filthy didn't do any customization for me. So perhaps the standard King settings might be right for you also.

As far as caster and camber. There are caster correcting bushing for the castor arms. Once installed you need an alignment where you dial back the caster and adjust camber up front.
 

nbutze

Active member
How are the Eibach springs better quality?

Personally I don't think you need the Ohlins. I've had King shocks in another vehicle and they were fantastic. I purchased them from Filthy motorsports also but they recommended the standard setting so Filthy didn't do any customization for me. So perhaps the standard King settings might be right for you also.

As far as caster and camber. There are caster correcting bushing for the castor arms. Once installed you need an alignment where you dial back the caster and adjust camber up front.

So, what I noticed with the VIKING springs is that they bow out excessively in the rear. They look like they are going to bust out of the spring retainers all the time. I think the spring rate is too soft and the springs are too tall for the soft spring rate. That is my opinion and I have looked at 3-4 G's that all have the same issue with VIKING Springs.

The ORC springs from Eibach stay straight up and down for the most part and the spring rate is super comfortable. On and Off road. I think that the Eibach springs are made by professionals and the VIKING springs are made by a general spring shop or something.

ORC Worked at the spring rates with Eibach and Bilstein for a long time to get it right. Viking has WAY over priced the ORC springs in the USA to show their Viking springs as the cheaper option. In reality you can get the real thing shipped direct from Germany (in just a few days) (they are really quick) for about the same or maybe even a little less money than the Viking knock offs.
 

RobMBush

Member
I would recommend the Ohlins L version (for lifted trucks) with ORC heavy springs. Jackwagon overlanding has some of the best prices I've seen for Ohlins. I'm running this combo on my 14 G550 and it's great! Mike Horn used Ohlins on his trucks for his around the globe expedition! On my 05 G500 I've got the Thor springs with Fox shocks and as you've pointed out the lift is too much in the front which drove me to install caster correction bushings and adjustable panhards. Without fixing castor you will get wabble on high speed turns and the truck will handle terribly, even for a G :(
 

Eric Edwards

Adventurer
Had the ORC springs on my G550 for five years, love them. I paired them with Koni Raid shocks because they last 2-300K miles with no maintenance. BUT, if I did it over again, I would do the Kings. You might get a very, very slight improvement with the Ohlins, but with far less support.CF76B611-2209-4037-AE68-5E22713F029A.jpeg533EC7B2-37AD-4E65-92D5-562732743519.jpeg
 

imjustdave

New member
Had the ORC springs on my G550 for five years, love them. I paired them with Koni Raid shocks because they last 2-300K miles with no maintenance. BUT, if I did it over again, I would do the Kings. You might get a very, very slight improvement with the Ohlins, but with far less support.View attachment 615477View attachment 615478


Are your brake lines long enough? Front looks like it is tugging on the caliper.
Your rears look factory.

Why would you consider the Kings next time over the Koni. What aspect do you feel the kings would solve?
Do you recall which ORC springs you went with.
 

Eric Edwards

Adventurer
Are your brake lines long enough? Front looks like it is tugging on the caliper.
Your rears look factory.

Why would you consider the Kings next time over the Koni. What aspect do you feel the kings would solve?
Do you recall which ORC springs you went with.

Came with the extended brake lines from ORC.
 

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