Wheels and Tires

[JGoergen]

I've decided to trade my wheels and Pilot Sports for more practical wheels and tires due to bent rims and my Pilot Sports are getting worn. Any suggestions? I am going to go with all season tires so I don't haveto change come winter ( I live in Chicago, and we can get quite a bit of snowfall). Anybody else done this?

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[Harris]

I just bought a set of all season tires for my Volvo AWD. Bridgestone RE950. They are VERY good & quiet. They are worth considering.
Regarding wheels....are you staying with 17"? If so, I would suggest you to replace or repair your stock wheel. If you're getting 18", there are quite a few choices, depends on your budget.

[rrf]

I assume you have the original C32 AMG dual spokes in 17"x7.5 and 17"x8.5.

Which ones are bent, and how badly?
Are you interested in selling the "better" ones?

[JGoergen]

Harris:

Please clarify. Can I change the size of the wheels? Didn't know that is an option. Remember, the C32 AMG has Calipar (sp?) brakes.

I have gotten the wheel repaired (actually, don't even know how it was damaged - dealer said on the inside ?!?). Want to change wheels as I have heard that the AMG wheels are very soft. Here in the midwest pot holes and dips in the road are everywhere.

On your Volvo, what is the make of your tires?

[JGoergen]

rrf:

I am keeping the AMG rims, cause if I ever sell the car (actually, I have a few people interested in buying, and it is for sale), I would haveto sell with the original rims, which are as good as new - now, $550 dollars later

But, again, from Dealer, because I drove on the bent rim, my tire has "feathered" and I need a new tire ($350+ per tire - ouch!).

So, I thought I would change out the tires and rims to more practical (inexpensive) ones if I don't sell in the next few weeks.

[JGoergen]

Harris:

Sorry, re-read your post and you mentioned they were Bridgestones.

[Harris]

Originally posted by JGoergen
Harris:

Please clarify. Can I change the size of the wheels? Didn't know that is an option. Remember, the C32 AMG has Calipar (sp?) brakes.

I have gotten the wheel repaired (actually, don't even know how it was damaged - dealer said on the inside ?!?). Want to change wheels as I have heard that the AMG wheels are very soft. Here in the midwest pot holes and dips in the road are everywhere.

On your Volvo, what is the make of your tires?

Oh yes, you can change the size of your wheels ranging from 16" to 19". But if you say potholes and dips are everywhere in Chicago, then I would suggest you to stick with 17". Anything bigger than 17" will "look" much better on a C32, but practicality-wise, its not a wise choice. Take a look at my car's pic on the C32 picture thread, page 1, first pic. You'll see the difference between 19" and 17". There are 32s with 18" wheels also.
IMO, there arent many 17" that will look better than your current split spokes (although I still think they look pretty similar to E36 M3 wheels). But I think they look nice. Dont waste money changing the wheels, all high quality wheels are made with the same materials, you will only bend it again under those road conditions.
I wouldnt say the Bridgestone RE950 is the best, but definitely its one of the best all season tires I've ever used.

[rrf]

Actually compared to other 17ers, the stk 17 AMG are quite rugged. 18s would of course make matters worse. That is one of the reasons that I am happy keeping mine stk.

You will need to be more careful with potholes no matter what you get. I have the same problem here (lots of roadwork/construction) I can't believe I haven't bent these rims yet. I suggest you just replace/repair stock and be careful.


I can tell you my M3 rims are the same size and not as tough as these AMGs.

[Franco]

Hi JGoergen,

I live in Blainville, Quebec, north of Montreal. I have driven rear wheel drive cars through our tough winters and would strongly suggest you go with 4 winter tires if your winters are very cold. All seasons do not perform well below -12 degrees Celcius. Furthermore, because the C32 has staggered tires you will need all the traction you can get in heavy snow especially with all the power in the C32. I am fortunate that I will not be driving my C32 in winter.

Regards
Franco

[JGoergen]

Franco:

Went to the tire place today. They don't suggest using snow tires all year round, as they are too soft and will wear out quickly if used during warm weather. I think I'm going to get the Blizzards for winter driving, and just use my Pilots in the warm months.

And, the plot thickens - tire guy said I should have car checked for alignment and suspension, as buying a new tire will only cause the same "feathering" if my alignment is off.... so.... off the the alignment shop tomorrow for an alignment.

Haven't checked the "novel" of a manual yet, but I don't think that alignments are covered under the Mercedes warranty - damn!

[FrankW]

Originally posted by Harris
Oh yes, you can change the size of your wheels ranging from 16" to 19". But if you say potholes and dips are everywhere in Chicago, then I would suggest you to stick with 17". Anything bigger than 17" will "look" much better on a C32, but practicality-wise, its not a wise choice. Take a look at my car's pic on the C32 picture thread, page 1, first pic. You'll see the difference between 19" and 17". There are 32s with 18" wheels also.
IMO, there arent many 17" that will look better than your current split spokes (although I still think they look pretty similar to E36 M3 wheels). But I think they look nice. Dont waste money changing the wheels, all high quality wheels are made with the same materials, you will only bend it again under those road conditions.
I wouldnt say the Bridgestone RE950 is the best, but definitely its one of the best all season tires I've ever used.

i don't think the C32 can fit anything smaller than 17 on the front because of the bigass brembo caliper. if you are looking for a more rugged rim, try Brabus or Carlsson.

But, like if you are not going to get anything bigger than 17, i would suggest you to stick with the stock dual-spoke. For all season, try P7000 from Pirelli or RE950 from Bridgestone.

[Mr. Vanos]

You will not be able to run anything smaller than a 17" wheel due to the size of the front brake caliper. In fact, other than the stock wheels, there may be one other wheel that can clear the front of the car without a spacer (Moda I think) less of going with a custom HRE, for example. I don't recall the exact Moda wheel, but we have them on our C32 but I hate the looks of them. If they made the stock wheel in an 18", that would be an improvement. If you don't want to deal with spacers and changing tires, then your best bet may be to buy another set of stock wheels and mount winter tires.

[Franco]

Hi JGoergen,

Excellent choice. You will find that you will be more sure footed with 4 winter tires in winter. You should also check the alignment after every winter season to ensure that when you put back your summer tires they will use evenly. You may also want to coat your wheels with a wax that will not harm the finish but that will protect them from the sand and winter salt to avoid surface pitting.

Regards
Franco

[Harris]

Originally posted by FrankW
i don't think the C32 can fit anything smaller than 17 on the front because of the bigass brembo caliper. if you are looking for a more rugged rim, try Brabus or Carlsson.

But, like if you are not going to get anything bigger than 17, i would suggest you to stick with the stock dual-spoke. For all season, try P7000 from Pirelli or RE950 from Bridgestone.

Sorry, my mistake. I meant 17"-19".

I wouldnt recommend P7000, I have 3 sets on 3 cars, and I hated them!!! I was misinformed that they were very good. In fact, they are SUPER noisy, poor on wet, squeaks easily on dry, the ride is SUPER rough because of the harder tire compound. I will never use P7000 again. I've replaced the P7000 with the RE950, what a difference does that make!!!!

[rrf]

Glad to hear that someone feels the same as me re P7000.
I had them on an older car and I couldn't wait for them to wear out. Unfortunately that was their strong suit they seemed to wear forever.

[Boo2]

Originally posted by FrankW
...But, like if you are not going to get anything bigger than 17, i would suggest you to stick with the stock dual-spoke. For all season, try P7000 from Pirelli or RE950 from Bridgestone.

The stock wheels only come in 17".

[Accord]

Originally posted by Mr. Vanos
If they made the stock wheel in an 18", that would be an improvement.

Simon, they do make the stock AMG Dual Spoke wheels in 18" form. I beleive that as of now, the only way to get them is through your dealership. The 18" AMG Dual Spoke wheels are going to be the stock wheel on the 2003 S55, CL55 and CLK55.

My dealership is swapping the 17's out for the 18's at no charge when my C32 arrives.

[Harris]

Originally posted by Accord
Simon, they do make the stock AMG Dual Spoke wheels in 18" form. I beleive that as of now, the only way to get them is through your dealership. The 18" AMG Dual Spoke wheels are going to be the stock wheel on the 2003 S55, CL55 and CLK55.

My dealership is swapping the 17's out for the 18's at no charge when my C32 arrives.

John, I think Simon is talking about a 17" Moda wheel that is supposed to clear the front brakes of our cars, not the stock 17".

[Boo2]

Originally posted by Accord
Simon, they do make the stock AMG Dual Spoke wheels in 18" form. I beleive that as of now, the only way to get them is through your dealership. The 18" AMG Dual Spoke wheels are going to be the stock wheel on the 2003 S55, CL55 and CLK55.

My dealership is swapping the 17's out for the 18's at no charge when my C32 arrives.

Really? Are the offsets the same?

[FrankW]

Originally posted by Harris
Sorry, my mistake. I meant 17"-19".

I wouldnt recommend P7000, I have 3 sets on 3 cars, and I hated them!!! I was misinformed that they were very good. In fact, they are SUPER noisy, poor on wet, squeaks easily on dry, the ride is SUPER rough because of the harder tire compound. I will never use P7000 again. I've replaced the P7000 with the RE950, what a difference does that make!!!!

yes, the P7000 are super noisy. my brother use to have those on his car, but there are two type of the P7000: one is the all-season, and the other is the Supersport summer tire. the traction on the allseason P7000 WAS a little weak, but over all it was acceptable. the Supersport summer P7000 is just bad in wet. My bro switched to RE730 first which was crap, then he now uses RE950 which is very quiet.

[FrankW]

Originally posted by Accord
Simon, they do make the stock AMG Dual Spoke wheels in 18" form. I beleive that as of now, the only way to get them is through your dealership. The 18" AMG Dual Spoke wheels are going to be the stock wheel on the 2003 S55, CL55 and CLK55.

My dealership is swapping the 17's out for the 18's at no charge when my C32 arrives.

On the 2003 brochure i got for the CLK. It says that the CLK55's rim comes in 17 not in 18 on both the spec page and the CLK55 AMG page. I'm thinking that it might be a missprint. From the picture, it sure doesn't looks like 17.

[JustinTRW]

I suggest the AMG Style III wheels in 18" (five spoke). They look really nice and they have the same offset so they would bolt right on.

[FrankW]

Originally posted by JustinTRW
I suggest the AMG Style III wheels in 18" (five spoke). They look really nice and they have the same offset so they would bolt right on.

You mean the one from SL500 sport, right? I'm thinking about getting that one when my pilot worn out.

[JustinTRW]

They are 2nd from the bottom on this page:
http://www.mercedes-benz.com/amg/e/f...ichtmetall.htm


Also, to the author of this thread. Are you sure about all-season tires? You are going to lose mechanical grip, but I guess you have already thought of that.

[FrankW]

Originally posted by JustinTRW
They are 2nd from the bottom on this page:
http://www.mercedes-benz.com/amg/e/f...ichtmetall.htm


Also, to the author of this thread. Are you sure about all-season tires? You are going to lose mechanical grip, but I guess you have already thought of that.

so it's the multi piece. i don't really like multi piece rims, too heavy. i think the single piece thin spoke 18" from the SL500 sport have the same off set as well.