Holson

I really want to put this set on my car, the specs I believe are:

18 x 8.5 ET 25

18 x 10 ET 25

I realize that they are very aggressive compared to the stock
17x7.5 et 35
17x8.5 ET30

I wonder, what if I put a set of skinny tires on them

225/40/18
265/35/18 or 255/35/18

Do you guys think they'll fit just fine on a CLK55 w/o any fender work?

I have seen pictures of them on a C43 and they seem to fit fine.

Thanks,
Holson

Holson

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...8774&rd=1&rd=1

Chappy

....been drooling over the W208 F1 Safety Car pics again, have we?

Ha ha....not the correct offset, but I have seen pictures of those on a CLK55 on the AMG Owners Club (Germany). I'm not sure what mods, if any, he made to make them fit. My understanding (though not confirmed) is that those 2-piece wheels on the Safety Car were special made to the correct offsets and clearance for the W208.

neilbo75

I have come across some info on the 208 55 CLK F1 Safety Car in a French sports car magazine from 1999. The car was set up with 225/40/18 tires in front and 235/40/18 on the rear axle. Yup, actually a narrower tire in back than the stock AMG (which went on sale in France a couple of months later), although running this rubber on a 10 inch rim translated into about the same or even more of a contact width on the road.

The article explains that the switch to the 18 inch rims was made in order to mount bigger, cross-drilled brakes. As we know, the safety car uses its brakes hard on the track to keep the F1 cars from cooling down too much. The article does not discuss the rims themselves but I doubt they would have been custom made for the safety car. These rims can be mounted on the 208 ; at least Kleemann has told me so.

AMG did however do a custom suspension job, one so stiff that it would not have been streetable, according to this article. The author speculates that AMG overdid the suspension in order to minimize showing any body roll to the millions of race fans. For similar 'showoff' reasons, the exhaust was made louder. But the biggest mod was a totally custom active ventilation system (fans) to cool the brakes after the car was stopped. The details are sketchy, but the problem is that, after hard braking, rotors can warp if not allowed to cool down by driving a couple of easy laps. Of course the safety car has to pull off the track in a hurry, and evidently MB did not want to risk the embarrasment of having its safety car break down!

So, Holson, go ahead and do the mod, and be my guinea pig! But you should know that Kleemann warned me that there may be some hammering involved which could lead to the fenders requiring repainting. We thought 235/40 tires F and 265/35 R would make sense. But AMG's own use of 40 series in back has got me thinking that might be a more fun way to go, and maybe also a more comfortale ride, although fitment would be more of a challenge. There's another thread going about how a guy sweated 275/40/17 drag radials onto his CLK.

Holson

neil,

Good bit of info there.

235/40/18 on 10" Wheels doesn't sound so promising. I'd imagine the sidewalls would look pretty stretched out.

235/40/18s call for 9.5" wheel as the widest.

hhm...

I'm toying with another idea: The SLK55's multi-spoke wheels. Plug and play and sort of look DTM-ish.

NitrogenBalance

I was going to go this route if I hadn't found my renntechs. I actually found that the SL55 AMG multie spokes may fit nicely. They look similar to the SLK55 wheels and they are 18x8.5 and 18x9.5. I beleive the offsetts are correct also. Could be way wrong though, just going by what I remember. Plenty of sets on ebay and stuff. I think a set of these in gunmetal re-finish with some shorter springs and your 208 will stop traffic.

Holson

Wes:

How you doin?

I'm not sure it would stop traffic but I also like that set (the SL55's) and was thinking of getting them.

However, I heard that because the wheels were designed for 14mm bolts, they won't fit right (because the lug bolts' seats are ball-shaped, not cone shaped - or something to that effect).

I do like the SL55's wheels better than the SLK's because of the more aggressive offset, but I think I'm just gonna pursue the SLK55's set (plug and play) and a set of lowering springs (Just waiting to hear back from the parts supplier)

Thanks!

neilbo75

Actually, I was thinking of putting 265/40/18s on the rear axle. But that definitely would be asking for trouble on fitment. Maybe AMG dialed back the width out of necessity. Even 255s would be a push. Worth a try?

Multispokes are classy, if a bit aloof from the 208 five spoke theme. My day dreams currently run towards the AMG forged rims used on the new 63 Black Series cars. But 9 inch rims up front is a no go and at 19 inch, the're too big for best all around performance (including comfort). Who makes those rims? Could one do a custom size? AMG will not give you time of day unless you're buying a new car.

Holson

Check that car out

http://www.mobile.de/SIDvZORzv8BCKqM...1111285304208&

The ad mentions the 18x10 wheels with 225/255 F&R tires. That probably means 225/40/18s up front and 255/35/18s on the 10" wheels.

Chappy

rsr911 brought a CLK55 to the Atlanta meet this weekend (drove down from Indiana). His car had 245 on the front and 275 rear.....talk about MEATY-LOOKING!!

rsr911

Thanks for the compliment Bro!!

See pics attached:

Holson

Is that sitting on Euro Springs w/ 2 bump pads up front and 1 at the back?

It looks totally right! Mine still has the same wheel gap as the Hummer

Chappy

Yes, that is his exact setup.

neilbo75

Good job, Holson, spotting this beauty on the mobile.de site. Those look like the real deal SL 129 2 piece Style 1 wheels all right and the're in great condition! I think this puts to rest any doubts as to the feasibility of putting these rims on the 208... or of AMG's need to customze these rims to fit the 208 F1 safety car. Any comments, Chappy?

My ability to read German is limited, but the car apparently has been delimited and clocked at 295 kmph. The two tone interior and rest of the car look to be in fine condition - despite 90000 miles on the clock - and it comes with a lot of options (more equipment was optional in the German market - post to follow...). What KILLs me is that the seller is asking 20000 Euros and will settle for less ... that includes these rims and tires which would cost a good 6000 Euros from a dealer, if not more.

Getting back to the topic, I am more or less SET on these rims to upgrade my 208. My target set up is 235/40 up front and 265/35 in back. I note that this seller has dialed back the width one size, which makes me pause a bit ... but the MEAT in the above post puts the wind in my sails.

Chappy

Yes. Buy those wheels and get them on your car!!

Clocked at 295kph (183mph)?? I'd like to know if that's stock (other than delimiting) and what ECU tuner he used for the reflash.

neilbo75

Funny you should say so. I called the seller today. I speak keine Deutsch and his English was pretty lousy. But if I got the story straight, it was AMG itself who put those R129 wheels on when the car was new. They also delimited the car. 295 km is about the top limit on the stock gearing ; keep in mind the bump up in wheel diameter would allow for a touch more speed. I don't know if the stock motor can push all the way to the redline in fifth gear. From the high speed test drive on the autobahn in my own CLK (255 kmph indicated on the speedo), I do know that the 208 has good aerodynamics at high speed - and remains very stable, if noisy. He didn't say anything about engine mods and the horsepower listing in the ad suggests none was done. But the ad also talks of an AMG "package" that cost 12000 euros. That would be more than the wheels themselves cost, but throw in the speedo and mounting work, the new rubber, and the delimting, and it might be so. Something like an 030 performance package. He didn't say anything about upgrading the brakes, and I doubt AMG would have gone that far becuse of TUV approval and liability issues.

Anyway, I proposed that we swap wheels! Putting aside the cash incentive, it might even help him unload the car if it goes back to stock trim. And bragging about it being a 295kmph "steamroller" is not going to sway anyone afraid of a excessive wear. BTW the motor apparently was rebuilt at the 60K mile point for some reason.

Seller did not know what to say to my offer, so we didn't start dickering the money. I asked him to think it over.

While an actual swap looks like a long shot, this car is a valuable example of how it's done. And if AMG goes with 225/255 then I gotta figure the're might be issues if the tires get wider. It already looks like a snug setup. Then again, for 12000 Euros you'd think you might have paid for some more radical fender rolling as well.

Holson

Yup, somebody's gotta put those wheels and put this mystery to rest.

Those wheels complement the 208 better than anything else I think. I'm starting to rethink my other idea of putting on the R230's 22-spoke wheels...

I'm surprised that the front wheels seem to tuck in nicely under the fenders. I thought they would stick out past the fenders...

The back wheels fill up the rear fenders perfectly.

rsr911

I noticed his trunk badges are reversed. That seems strange to me. AMG especially, would not make that mistake.
Also his car is sitting on taller spring and spring pads than mine is.

just my .02

neilbo75

Those wheels are calling for you! It looks like 235s might tuck in nicely up front as well.

rsr911 has good powers of observation! The car is clearly a real AMG if you take a look at the seller's web listing - he has pics of it under the hood, dashboard, etc. The only way I can explain reversing the badges is a sloppy job after a rear end collision.

Anyway, the seller hasn't bit on my offer. And now I'm starting to get other ideas (again ...). The problem with these R129 wheels is their scarcity anywhere except at a stealership. I've inquired at several websites that post them only to be told the're long gone. And at the dealer you have to pay a lot for what are really cast wheels. But exclusivity never comes cheap and they do IMPRESS and moreover pay hommage to the 208 F1 Safety car.

Holson

I'm torn between these wheels and the 22-spoke SL55 rims.

My gut tells me the Aeros look better on the W208 - just more fitting.

I guess I gotta keep looking on EBay

neilbo75

What looks better is in the eye of the beholder, but there's no doubt the Aeros are more fitting on account of their glorious past.

Call me a plain vanilla kinda guy, but my latest thoughts run toward AMG Style I wheels in 18x8.5 F and 18x9.5 R. Those wheels also would swap over from a SL, so installation would be tricky but possible. The advantage would be a lower price, same or lighter weight and even more of a classic 208 look. Has anyone done it?

TomCLK55Y

I have 255/35/18 for the rear on mine right now and will be getting wider tires this weekend. I will be on 245/40/18 F and 275/35/18 R. A friend of mine who is a Benz Tech told me that the 255 in the back for these rims were too small. I thought they weren't in the beginning but when i looked at it again, the rims actually stuck out and the tire's sidewall looked stretched.

Doing more research, i found that these rims come with 245/40 and 275/35 stock when they were in the SL's.

neilbo75

Caution - my research on this topic in this thread indicated that 245 on 8.5 inch rims were too wide to fit the front axle. I'm not saying it can't be done, but don't be surprised if you get into rubbing issues. 235 is a safe bet.

On the back 255 is an acceptable size on 10 inch rim, but you can go wider. 265 or even 275 will probably fit.

Do you have these aero wheels? If so, please post pics!

Holson

TomCLK55Y

Actually you are right. The 235/40 are the widest in the front that you can put. The 275 in the back fits fine.