[smartyone]

My 2008 Passion has been making horrible suspension noises for a while now. Changed the bushings, etc etc... Finally took it in. Discovered that the struts were worn and the right front actually had a broken helper spring. Since this shop is owned by my client/friend, he had me order the parts and offered to install.

I thought I got a great deal on front strut assemblies off Ebay. The dismantler had several 2011 Smart Electrics that he was parting out. Low mileage parts at a reasonable price for my extra Smart seemed like the right thing to do..... But, it appears that the suspension is different for the Electric. The front end sits WAAAY higher and seems to handle bumps like crap now. Can anyone confirm that they are different before I order new ones?

I also installed new sway bar end links as well.

Noises are gone btw.... lol

 

[smartyone]

How it used to sit

 

[MB DNA]

I thought I got a great deal on front strut assemblies off Ebay. The dismantler had several 2011 Smart Electrics that he was parting out. Low mileage parts at a reasonable price for my extra Smart seemed like the right thing to do..... But, it appears that the suspension is different for the Electric.]

MY11 ED was a limited production "beta test" whose suspension parts may not have been interchangeable with a production MY08 ICE?

 

[smartyone]

I am beginning to see.... if I wanted to convert my car to a Rally car, they'd be perfect for the extra ground clearance....lol

 

[ShoshTrvls]

Not to be the bearer of bad news (and maybe I'm not), but redoing the front suspension on my 451 was the beginning of the end for the car. Within 6 months, and numerous trips to the repair shop because of continuing suspension and (primarily) brake issues, I gave up and bought myself a 2016.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

Heh, maybe converting to a 2011 ED suspension will be cheaper than a Daystar kit? I'm looking to make my 451 an offroad smart ("Rallyfortwo").

Anyway, on topic, I can't seem to find any public data on the 2011 ED suspension. I suspect your car sits higher because those springs were meant to carry the body of the car plus the batteries. Looking at road tests, the 2011 EDs weighed in at 2,100 lb vs 1,808 that the ICE had to deal with, so it definitely needed a beefier suspension.

 

[InjuredAgain]

Anyway, on topic, I can't seem to find any public data on the 2011 ED suspension. I suspect your car sits higher because those springs were meant to carry the body of the car plus the batteries. Looking at road tests, the 2011 EDs weighed in at 2,100 lb vs 1,808 that the ICE had to deal with, so it definitely needed a beefier suspension.

Has anyone looked up the parts number of the springs and shocks for an ED versus the equivalent model year ICE Smart? That would settle the debate on whether or not the ED had the Brabus suspension pieces.

 

[MB DNA]

Has anyone looked up the parts number of the springs and shocks for an ED versus the equivalent model year ICE Smart? That would settle the debate on whether or not the ED had the Brabus suspension pieces.

In October 2010, 250 Gen 2 ED units were made available for field testing (car2go) in several cities in the United States.

For MY11 ED you probably won't find much conclusive parts information as Gen 2 was the very limited (leased) production ED with a Tesla HV battery.

The Brabus rumor didn't come about until Gen 3 or MY13 . . .

 

[InjuredAgain]

The Brabus rumor didn't come about until Gen 3 or MY13 . . .

Has anyone compared Brabus part numbers from a Gen3 MY13/later?

 

[wrumbarger]

The ED is about 600 pounds heavier, so it makes sense that the suspension is upgraded?

 

[smartyone]

Update from the vendor on Ebay. He did change his ad to be more specific. The Electric and Gas Smart use the same Strut but as I've discovered, the Coil Spring is very different. He couldn't source a replacement spring, so now I'm hunting down 2 new springs...... Called my dealer that is 1.5 hours away and I need my VIN which I don't have with me at the moment. I'll be calling them back this afternoon.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

From what I can tell, they use the same exact part numbers too. I reckon smart figured that the 2011 EDs wouldn't end up parted out, so they didn't need a separate part number. I mean after all, they were originally destined to be lease only vehicles that smart would take back.

I might make a move on a set of four. Cheaper than a Daystar kit while offering what appears to be the same lift?!

 

[MB DNA]

. . . so now I'm hunting down 2 new springs......

While I think you are looking for front coils, I have a pair of (less than 5K) OEM MY08 REARS - if you are interested, PM me.

 

[smartyone]

I just ordered stock fronts from SmartMadness (used from suspension upgrades) They were awesome on the phone. If you want these front springs, you can have them, just pay for shipping. Let me know

 

[smartyone]

While I think you are looking for front coils, I have a pair of (less than 5K) OEM MY08 REARS - if you are interested, PM me.

Thanks a bunch. I will keep that in mind. Rear's weren't broken like the front. But I will check mine out in detail to see if I should replace.

 

[1983JZR3W]

The Brabus springs will lower a ICE smart 10mm. There is no way those are Brabus springs on the OP's red car in my opinion.

 

[Miss Mercedes]

You're right.

I think that confusion came from the theory (is it confirmed yet?) that the 453 ED has Brabus springs. These springs are from Phase II 2011 EDs (451s) and have a lift impact on ICE 451s, so they're almost certainly not Brabus springs. That would require a Brabus to be much heavier than a passion/pure.