19's or 20's?

[jdubb028]

TGIF! Hey all you MB fanatics out there! I just wanted to let you guys know that i am a proud owner of a c300 sport. i just picked it up on Friday and i can't wait to start my mods! i've been looking on here for a while now, and i must say i've been very eager to have my c come at least close to some of the beautiful rides on here. So my question to you guys first is...what size wheel fit's best on our cars 19's or 20's? Also consider i'm planing on dropping it too..and would probobly need some advice on what springs to use too. Thanks!

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[Glyn M Ruck]

Both will wreck the comfort.

[Savage c-300]

do 19s. They're the perfect size imho.

[Amaxm]

I've gone from stock 17's to OEM 18's and there is a little difference in comfort... 19's ??? whole new ball game on ride comfort - if that doesn't bother you, then I'd go with the 19's, they just look better in the wheels wells (not that dub/tuner/rice bullsh*t) - plus cheaper cost of ownership when you go to replace your rubber...

[Amaxm]

Oops - sorry didn't see your handle - you'd probably like the 20's then... ;o)~

[NJBNZ]

Another vote for 19s. In addition to a better ride (not by much)...19's looks much better than 20's. I think 20's are just too big for these cars IMHO

[jdubb028]

The reason i'm having this issue is becasue i do want to take into consideration the ride comfortability but im also looking for style...in a sporty look. I've been hearing that with the 20's you loose a lot of the ride quality because of the low profile tires. So i guess im probobly going to look into 19's. Do you guys know of any members that are running 20's?

[envyxc350]

I went from oem to 18's then 19's and i didnt feel a loss in comfort at all, even with my H&R super sport, feels much better in fact..but maybes thats the feeling when i take a corner real fast ;]

[Glyn M Ruck]

Hmm!

19" require very low profiles. Anyone that can't feel the negative effects on ride comfort may as well go for solid wheels. It's a C300 - hardly a hotrod. I would not dream of putting 19's on our 350.

17" is the best wheel size for a 203 & 18 for a 204. Anything larger makes both cars look too short & messes up the ride.

[c3nthusiast]

I have 20x8.5 w/a 225/35 tire in the front and 20x10 w/a 255/30 tire in the back. I use eibach Pro's and have less than a 1 finger gap in the front and back. My ride quality is excellant and no rubbing. I can fit 5 people no problem. The ride is not much different than stock (my girlfriend has the same car). We have crappy roads in the Wash, DC area. My car actually rides smoother over the bumps in the road than hers does. However my tires are noisier than hers due to tread design.

Take it for what it's worth. My opinion comes from everyday experience. No assumptions here. IMO 20's look better. Unless you're sitting on coilovers and have a custom 3 piece wheel; 19's look way too small.

[zankok]

just go as big as ur *** comfy limit lets u

[jdubb028]

Originally Posted by c3nthusiast

I have 20x8.5 w/a 225/35 tire in the front and 20x10 w/a 255/30 tire in the back. I use eibach Pro's and have less than a 1 finger gap in the front and back. My ride quality is excellant and no rubbing. I can fit 5 people no problem. The ride is not much different than stock (my girlfriend has the same car). We have crappy roads in the Wash, DC area. My car actually rides smoother over the bumps in the road than hers does. However my tires are noisier than hers due to tread design.

Take it for what it's worth. My opinion comes from everyday experience. No assumptions here. IMO 20's look better. Unless you're sitting on coilovers and have a custom 3 piece wheel; 19's look way too small.

See that's what I'm talking about someone who actually has 20's and rides them everyday. I love how the 20's look on our rides and how they fill up the wheel wells even after it's dropped. I live in California and the roads here are pretty decent. I think it's more of the potholes I'm concerned about with the 20's

[zankok]

strange how people find 20's good ride
i have 18s PS2s with eibach pro kit
to me the ride is significantly harsher than stock 17s already
been struggling to see if i should get 19s cos 18 does look tad too small but the ride comfort is keeping me back
maybe just me being too careful with my butt and wants a smooth ride

[MBnewby]

17 or 18s are best for the C, higher than that and it may jar loose your grill... The car will also handle like s*&%. Personally I also think 20s wouldn't look right on the new C, it's sleek/sporty design and 20s just don't match up in my opinion. I'd say 19s tops.

[Glyn M Ruck]

And the PS2 is one of the most comfortable & quiet tyres out there.

[eyemd]

I'm riding on my stock 17's right now and the ride is noticeably softer than my 19's. The 19 inch rim tires are already pretty low profile already and fill the fender gaps nicely. For some reason, fender gaps look much bigger with pictures compared to real life so try not to judge based on pictures. Trust me, 20's will look too big on the C.

[mr inkredibul]

Originally Posted by Glyn M Ruck

Hmm!

19" require very low profiles. Anyone that can't feel the negative effects on ride comfort may as well go for solid wheels. It's a C300 - hardly a hotrod. I would not dream of putting 19's on our 350.

17" is the best wheel size for a 203 & 18 for a 204. Anything larger makes both cars look too short & messes up the ride.

If it makes the car look short you need to lower that bad boy. And you won't notice too much a difference in ride comfort unless you go over big bumps and depending on your tire choice. 19's definitely look the best IMHO.

[envyxc350]

Originally Posted by Glyn M Ruck

Hmm!

19" require very low profiles. Anyone that can't feel the negative effects on ride comfort may as well go for solid wheels. It's a C300 - hardly a hotrod. I would not dream of putting 19's on our 350.

17" is the best wheel size for a 203 & 18 for a 204. Anything larger makes both cars look too short & messes up the ride.

I wouldn't say "low profile" Im running 235/35/19 front and 265/35/19 rear and thats plenty of meat on a tire. But most do go for the low profile but thats there personal style. I'll throw a pic of my car for example, Im young and love the look so don't bash to hard

[Glyn M Ruck]

Frankly the whole thing is very personal & people must do what floats their boat. Just don't tell others that a 35 profile tyre is comfortable on these cars. You can't have it both ways. Lowering is not a sensible option on SA roads unless you stick to the highways which are better than US Interstates but our bad roads are worse.

Never mind how you lower - 19 & especially 20" wheels are out of proportion to the car. It's not a Hummer! If you want a truck or SUV then buy one.

[mr inkredibul]

Originally Posted by Glyn M Ruck

Frankly the whole thing is very personal & people must do what floats their boat. Just don't tell others that a 35 profile tyre is comfortable on these cars. You can't have it both ways. Lowering is not a sensible option on SA roads unless you stick to the highways which are better than US Interstates but our bad roads are worse.

Never mind how you lower - 19 & especially 20" wheels are out of proportion to the car. It's not a Hummer! If you want a truck or SUV then buy one.

How can you say 19's are out of proportion? With the right tire size the overall diameter doesn't change.

[mr inkredibul]

Originally Posted by envyxc350

I wouldn't say "low profile" Im running 235/35/19 front and 265/35/19 rear and thats plenty of meat on a tire. But most do go for the low profile but thats there personal style. I'll throw a pic of my car for example, Im young and love the look so don't bash to hard

Sorry to break it to you but a 35 series tires is low profile. Even if they look meaty the profile refers to the sidewall height in relation to the treadwidth. Anything under 50% I think is actually considered low profile so even the 45/40 series tires that come with the 18's are low profile.

FYI I ran 35/30 series all day on the G coupe and loved it. No real difference in comfort from my 50 series tires with 17 inch rims.

[Glyn M Ruck]

Originally Posted by mr inkredibul

How can you say 19's are out of proportion? With the right tire size the overall diameter doesn't change.

The rim itself is out of proportion - I'm not talking about the rolling circumference of the wheel

I think you should leave styling balance to the Europeans - They do it better than anyone else.

[Glyn M Ruck]

Originally Posted by mr inkredibul

FYI I ran 35/30 series all day on the G coupe and loved it. No real difference in comfort from my 50 series tires with 17 inch rims.

Well that's impossible. You must be totally insensitive. NVH measurements would prove you wrong & anybody that is sensitive to ride quality would pick up the difference unless they had an a$$ the size of an elephant.

[mr inkredibul]

Originally Posted by Glyn M Ruck

Well that's impossible. You must be totally insensitive. NVH measurements would prove you wrong & anybody that is sensitive to ride quality would pick up the difference unless they had an a$$ the size of an elephant.

Its all relative to what you like.....and I'm a model as a side job so no my *** is not the size of an elephant....(but my d*ck is the size of a donkey)

[Glyn M Ruck]

Excellent - I'll alert the media!