The Air suspensions in Range Rovers have been modified for years. With links, later with GAP IIDtool and dealer programming to raise the height. The links are apparently super easy to install. But the computer way allows you to continue to run the car in an OEM fashion.
For Mercedes tuners and enthusiasts the goal is often the opposite. To lower the car. The same options are available to lower airmatic equipped Mercedes. You can go to a place like Eurocharged or OEtuning, an enthusiast independent garage, or a coding place and get the car lowered by directly programming the ecu. You can also do this remotely with a hand held module which is what I would likely do.
As with other tuning, these modules, I believe universally, work by pulling your ECU info, you upload it, and they send you a file that you download to the module via USB. Then you plug in the module and write it to the ECU per device instructions.
One advantage of these hand held modules is that you can go back to stock at any time. For example if you are visiting a place with poor roads, going on a road trip, etc.
Some Options for Hand Held Suspension Lowering Modules
Renntech and other less well known, but cheaper, vendors have ECU modules, suspension modules I believe Renntech markets them as. And you plug it in and basically it lowers your car a an inch or so maybe more in 1mm increments.
I believe these software modules leave intact the ability to raise the car, but I will ask of Renntech.
Alternatively there is a cheaper solution. On facebook I often see these lowering suspension ECU module for the CLS at around $600.
On the CLS with airmatic they claim a drop of 32mm in lowered mode, a custom mode, and factory. Here is what this manufacture claims to work with:
- Mercedes S-Class with AirMatic - (w221)
- Mercedes S-Class with AirMatic - (w222, c217)
- Mercedes E-Class with AirMatic - (w212, s212, c207)
- Mercedes E-Class with AirMatic - (w213, s213, c238)
- Mercedes C-Class with AirMatic - (w205)
- Mercedes CLS-Class with AirMatic - (w218,w257)
- Mercedes GL, GLS-Class with AirMatic - (x166)
- Mercedes ML/GLE-Class with AirMatic - (w166, с292),
- Mercedes GLC-Class with AirMatic - (x253)
