CLK-Class (W208) 1998-2002: CLK 200, CLK 230K, CLK 320, CLK 430 [Coupes & Cabriolets]

18" or 20" on 2000 CLK

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Old 01-06-2011, 06:40 PM
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2000 clk 320
18" or 20" on 2000 CLK

About to get some wheels soon on 2000 clk 320. Cant decide between a set of 18" Staggerd wheels with 225/40 18 and 255/35/18 or 20" with 225/30/20 . Would love to get 20's . Anyone having trouble with 20" and those size tires?
Old 01-06-2011, 07:21 PM
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CLK 320 (2001) and 2015 GTR
check with William, he got 20
i got 19
Old 01-06-2011, 07:25 PM
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Definitely go with 18s. 19s...ehhh, if you really want to push the show envelope but really, our cars looks just as good with 18s without giving up more ride quality and worrying about bending your wheels over the slightest pothole. I strongly recommend you don't get 20s for a few reasons:

a.) ride quality is going to be even worse than 19s
b.) expensive tires
c.) you will more likely than not bend a wheel (almost a guarantee, esp. if it's a multi-piece design)
d.) face looks too big on our fenders
Old 01-06-2011, 07:52 PM
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w208 CLK430, w212 E350, w221 S550
Hey bro I'd stick with 18s unless u were planning to slam it, then 20s would fit but 18s are great for daily driving. I'm on 19s n I love em, I think it's the perfect size
Old 01-06-2011, 07:59 PM
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2000 CLK 320
Going 20's depends on what you are looking for and what you are worried about and how much money you plan to/ want to spend. I got 20's and ride quality is great but I also changed out my whole suspension with H&R Sport CupKit and SwayBars too. Running 20's on Pirelli PZero Nero filled with Gas instead of Air.
Old 01-06-2011, 08:13 PM
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my ride has 20's with factory suspension and it rides and handle smooth I couldn't tell the difference if I am riding on stock of after market rims !! I have 225/35/20 tires
Old 01-06-2011, 08:18 PM
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2000 clk 320
Thanks, good points. Love the look of the 20" and got a real good deal on a set of MKW 104 wheels. I think I will have to settle for reliability over looks. I really don't want to lower the car or change out the suspension. I used to have a Lincoln LS v8 that had 20" on it, and they rode like the stock wheels and never had a problem. I was hoping I could do the same with the clk.

Last edited by spillay; 01-06-2011 at 08:20 PM.
Old 01-06-2011, 08:25 PM
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2000 clk 320
Jbenz99 good to hear that about the 20's. Now I'm back to square one, although I'm leaning more for a staggered 18 set now. how do you like those projector headlights you have, I was thinking of getting some just like those.
Old 01-06-2011, 08:35 PM
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Originally Posted by spillay
Jbenz99 good to hear that about the 20's. Now I'm back to square one, although I'm leaning more for a staggered 18 set now. how do you like those projector headlights you have, I was thinking of getting some just like those.
@spillay ..simply awesome they are (projection head lights) my friend is like night and day !! what a difference and better light vision @ night !!!

here is where @ brought them !!!! good quailty and great low price !!!

http://www.neweggmall.com/product/Se...px?keyword=clk

Last edited by jbenz99; 01-06-2011 at 08:37 PM.
Old 01-07-2011, 03:21 AM
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CLK W208
I have a set of custom one of a kind 19" wheels made just for my clk but i ordered new wheels so these are up for sale, they are a direct fit with not spacers or anything needed. they also have tires on them in practically new condition and i am letting them for for cheap because i dont have the room to store them, below is the link to them and the details.

https://mbworld.org/forums/clk-class...15-feeler.html
Old 01-07-2011, 04:47 AM
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Originally Posted by Williams707
Going 20's depends on what you are looking for and what you are worried about and how much money you plan to/ want to spend. I got 20's and ride quality is great but I also changed out my whole suspension with H&R Sport CupKit and SwayBars too. Running 20's on Pirelli PZero Nero filled with Gas instead of Air.
nitrogen? Any better ride quality or is it just for a stable PSI in temp swings?
Im running 18's if i did it again i would go 19".
Old 01-07-2011, 07:11 AM
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2000 CLK 320
Originally Posted by GiZzO
nitrogen? Any better ride quality or is it just for a stable PSI in temp swings?
Im running 18's if i did it again i would go 19".
Well with Nitro being thicker than Air you don't have to worry about checking PSI every month and since I never ran with air in my tires I'm assuming that it helps because with 30 series low profile tires I would also have to assume that I'm suppose to have a ruff ride and feel every bump but my ride is nice and smooth
Old 01-09-2011, 01:16 PM
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00 w208
Im running 18's. Wasn't sure if I would have to do anything to put 20's on and didn't want to pay the extra money for 19's since it is an odd number. Also chose not to stagger due to not being able to rotate them.
Attached Thumbnails 18" or 20"  on 2000 CLK-w208wheels.jpg  
Old 03-17-2011, 09:40 PM
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2000 clk 320
Finnally ended up going with some Advanti racing Staggerd 18's. They look great 255/35/18 in the rear and 225/40/18 in the front and didnt loose too much of the ride. Still rides nice and comfortable. Will post pics soon. thanks fro all the advice.
Old 03-17-2011, 10:43 PM
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2002 Clk430
I was gunna say to go with the 18's but you beat me to it. I just got a set of 19's and if I can do it again I think I would of gone with 18's myself. I find myself looking down at the road for potholes more than looking around at whats going on with traffic and stop lights and such. you made a good decision
Old 03-18-2011, 11:09 AM
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01 CLK430
18's.
Old 03-19-2011, 08:10 PM
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CLK 320 (2001) and 2015 GTR
Originally Posted by jbenz99
@spillay ..simply awesome they are (projection head lights) my friend is like night and day !! what a difference and better light vision @ night !!!

here is where @ brought them !!!! good quailty and great low price !!!

http://www.neweggmall.com/product/Se...px?keyword=clk
funny u posted it because i ordered mine in black from the same site
Old 03-19-2011, 09:27 PM
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Originally Posted by jbenz99
my ride has 20's with factory suspension and it rides and handle smooth I couldn't tell the difference if I am riding on stock of after market rims !! I have 225/35/20 tires
I use to have 20's now I have 19's staggered !!
Old 04-22-2011, 01:01 PM
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CLK 320 Coupe
18's on my 2000 CLK

I have 18 inch AMG 5 spokes on the summer tires, front are 265/35R/18 and rears are 235/40R/18.

No rubbing issues at all, but they do pull side to side in a rut quite easily. Not at all fun to drive.

Might be the FALKEN ZieX ZZE -912 tires?

Not the car, as I run 16" - 5 spoke MB rims and Blizzaks in the winter up here and it it tracks perfectly. Any ideas why the 18's are all over the road?

Thanks Ian
Old 04-22-2011, 01:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Williams707
Well with Nitro being thicker than Air you don't have to worry about checking PSI every month and since I never ran with air in my tires I'm assuming that it helps because with 30 series low profile tires I would also have to assume that I'm suppose to have a ruff ride and feel every bump but my ride is nice and smooth
Air is mostly nitrogen (over 70%) and pure nitrogen is not "thicker" than air. It's actually lower in density. It doesn't give you a better ride and although it's more resistant to pressure swings than air, it's NOT immune to them

Last edited by Josh K; 04-22-2011 at 01:33 PM.
Old 04-22-2011, 10:12 PM
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99CLK320,
I would be curious to know how much, if any, do oversized wheels and rims mess with speedometer and ESP?
Old 04-24-2011, 09:22 AM
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Dont go with 20's, i have the same size your thanking about getting, and i love the ride, i see alot of cats rides on the side of the road with oversized rims, 18's staggered will do trust me homey!!
Old 04-24-2011, 08:36 PM
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Originally Posted by Josh K
Air is mostly nitrogen (over 70%) and pure nitrogen is not "thicker" than air. It's actually lower in density. It doesn't give you a better ride and although it's more resistant to pressure swings than air, it's NOT immune to them
I quoted what the Japanese Tire shop told me. Nitrogen is more like around 78% to be exact but that's not my point. If you're going to correct my post at least be accurate.

I do know how it feels from my experience AND as you stated "it's more resistant to pressure swings than air" would suggest a better quality ride.

Week I - Put on my new PZero Nero 225/30/20s, for the next few days it just drove like fecal matter, bouncy and unstable especially around curves and twists. Called the shop and asked if they put nitrogen in my tires and/or if they could check the balance. They stated they forgot to put nitrogen in my tires. This was the first time I've ever driven in my ride with those rims and tires without Nitrogen so it was apparent something was wrong.

Week II - Shop put in Nitrogen and there was a Night and Day difference in ride quality and handling. Even my boss that rides to lunch with me daily even noticed the difference, even without me saying anything.
  • Nitrogen maintains pressure better than conventional air
  • Nitrogen keeps tires 20% cooler
  • Nitrogen-filled tires use less fuel
  • Nitrogen prolongs the life of your tires
  • Tests show that nitrogen reduces tire failure by as much as 80%
  • Nitrogen improves handling and performance

Science doesn't always correlate with experience.



Originally Posted by dlbehrns
I would be curious to know how much, if any, do oversized wheels and rims mess with speedometer and ESP?
Shouldn't matter as long as you keep within the same overall diameter. I was worried about the same but where I work the military often has radar speed monitors and when comparing it with my speed is always dead on. There was a website if I can find it that discussed the +/- mph differences. Off the top of my head, maybe it was tirebible.com

Last edited by Williams707; 04-24-2011 at 09:11 PM.
Old 04-25-2011, 03:50 PM
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Originally Posted by Williams707
Nitrogen is more like around 78% to be exact but that's not my point. If you're going to correct my post at least be accurate.
I wasn't inaccurate in any part of my post. I said air is over 70% Nitrogen. Did I google it for an exact percentage? No. But what I said was not inaccurate.

Originally Posted by Williams707
I do know how it feels from my experience AND as you stated "it's more resistant to pressure swings than air" would suggest a better quality ride.
I didn't suggest that - you're pulling that correlation out of thin air (no pun intended)

Originally Posted by Williams707
Week I - Put on my new PZero Nero 225/30/20s, for the next few days it just drove like fecal matter, bouncy and unstable especially around curves and twists. Called the shop and asked if they put nitrogen in my tires and/or if they could check the balance. They stated they forgot to put nitrogen in my tires. This was the first time I've ever driven in my ride with those rims and tires without Nitrogen so it was apparent something was wrong.

Week II - Shop put in Nitrogen and there was a Night and Day difference in ride quality and handling. Even my boss that rides to lunch with me daily even noticed the difference, even without me saying anything.
  • Nitrogen maintains pressure better than conventional air
  • Nitrogen keeps tires 20% cooler
  • Nitrogen-filled tires use less fuel
  • Nitrogen prolongs the life of your tires
  • Tests show that nitrogen reduces tire failure by as much as 80%
  • Nitrogen improves handling and performance

Science doesn't always correlate with experience.

I find it amusing how you dismiss science that contests your assumptions yet you quote "science" to support your experience.

Well, not really science; a quick google copy/paste of those bullet points finds them on tons of dealership service pages that (surprise) sell nitrogen inflation and websites that sell nitro inflation equipment. I'm still looking for that study that shows Nitrogen inflation reducing tire failure by 80%.

http://news.consumerreports.org/cars...nitrogen-.html

Consumer reports' tests showed negligible difference in pressure loss over 1 year (of course a pr/marketing person could say that losing 3.5 psi vs losing 2.2 psi means that nitro filled tires retain over 30% more air and they wouldn't be wrong - it's easy to turn small numbers into big bullet points, but what idiot really doesn't check tire pressure for a year and is 1 psi worth the money for the fills?)

Originally Posted by Williams707
I quoted what the Japanese Tire shop told me.
Quoting what the tire shop told you before they sold you the Nitrogen fill? You sound like a great customer.

Seriously though I hope you're not paying for those fills. Your money would be more wisely spent on a small air compressor for your garage and a good tire gauge.
Old 04-25-2011, 06:53 PM
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Nice long write up without saying anything

Ok, not inaccurate but misleading by almost 10% might as well said Nitrogen is over 1%

You stated in your post "It doesn't give you a better ride" which is why I tried to explain to you that it does.

This car is my daily, the bullet points I listed correlates exactly with my experience running 20z 30 series PZero Nero Tires.

Regardless of contradictory information, it all boils down to the individual trying it for themselves and making their own judgement. Each individual will have a different experience based on countless factors and conditions. My statement is based solely on my experience with Nitrogen for the past 5 years so people can decide for themselves if they want to try it or not. Typically you will only need to check nitrogen filled tires once every 3 months and only had to refill 1-2 times a year.

BTW: I don't worry about small things like how much it cost to fill my tires with nitrogen, even if I had to do it every month..

Last edited by Williams707; 04-25-2011 at 07:31 PM.


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