drumminj

Mods, please let me know if posting like this is inappropriate...

I swapped out my stock 19" wheels for 17s on my 2014 GLK, and am looking to sell the stockers (only 600 miles on them). Figured folks in the GLK forum would be most interested.

I have a post up in the classifieds if anyone is interested: https://mbworld.org/forums/wheels-ti...lat-tires.html

anarbayarsaikha

Hi, are these still available? I'm interested in the tires by themselves.

mjhawkins2346

I'm curious about your swap out to 17's project.
What was your reason? What changes did you notice?
I have the 20's right now and they seem just OK, not special.
I don't like the immediacy of the handling - almost twitchy and the wheel / tire combo seems too low an aspect ratio for the car - almost cartoon like.
Where did you get the wheels? Any other issues? Thanks.

drumminj

Yeah, I've been meaning to cobble together a post on the swap.

Went to 17s because I wanted a more "utilitarian" setup. I hike, kayak, ski, etc, and want a wheel+tire combo I can use in these varied environments w/o worrying about bending/cracking a rim, and the ability to get a more rugged all-season tire (I had Geolandar AT-S on previous vehicle and loved them). Of course, the options aren't as good as I'd hoped at 235/60R17.

I purchased a set of C-class tires (the twin-spoke ones) from oediscountparts. I went with 17s because that's a recommended fitment by MB, and one of the OE setups in Europe. However, I think 18s would be a better compromise of higher sidewall but also keeping with the design/handling of the vehicle. There's a marked difference in handling/cornering, for sure, though I think some of that is due to my tire choice (Goodyear Assurance CS TripleTred). While I think the higher sidewall absorbs some of the bumps, I still feel the road quite a bit as this tire is stiff. I wouldn't say I've noticed much of a change in that regard.

On the whole, I wanted an SUV, but with fine appointments. My previous two cars were a Subaru Forester and a Toyota 4Runner 4x4 (1999 - before they started super-sizing it). While I've sacrificed some of the "sporty" handling the GLK came with, I think I made a reasonable trade given how I intend to use the vehicle.

BTW, if you think the 20s are too low-profile, I know somewhere you can get a decent deal on a set of 19s

EDIT: another reason I wanted to swap was to have a tire size where I could easily find a replacement should I get a flat I can't patch. As I have a 250/no spare (well, I carry an inflatable spare in the back most of the time), I also want to make sure I can get back on my way if I'm on a trip, and with the 17s I think it's far more likely for a random shop to have a tire that will fit.

mjhawkins2346

Hmmm, any pictures and details on the 19's? Of course shipping is a potential bear....

drumminj

Pic/details in linked thread (first post). PM me and I can send other pics. Taken off with only 600 miles on them.

drumminj

By the way, if you were curious to see the C-class 17" wheels on the GLK, here are a few pics.

miked807

DJ*: Looks nice !
Nearly for SAME REASONS I chose to go with "non Run-Flats" and got a Wheel set of 18s. (got from a MB dealer in NY (No TAX if ordered via net).That size gave us better & cheaper choice of rubbers.

Question??:- Did you get the 'matching lugs' ? (hope you didn't use the Std Lugs - as they don't quite fit........)


Sent PM for the Std 19s

Cheers

thabeast

mjhawkins2346, I might be interested in swapping my 19's for your 20's. PM me if you're interested.

thabeast

Btw drumminj, those 17's look really nice on the glk. I was actually surprised by how good they looked. Nice job!

drumminj

Yeah, I didn't realize it ahead of time but the shop that mounted them let me know the stock wheel bolts are too long for these wheels. Had to make a quick run to the dealership to get a set of shorter lugs.

What 18" wheels did you get?

Thanks! I really wanted the OEM 17s for the European GLK, but no dealer I talked to could get them - would have to import them from the UK and would have cost around $2k.

miked807

............
17s = these wheels (but I went with 18s in all 'silver wheels' plus Conti tires (that way I bought them already Mounted & Balanced - just swapped them out myself... with Factory lugs)

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseUpServlet?target=runWheelSearch&initialP artNumber=4187744U35BMF&wheelMake=Platinum&wheelMo del=Wraith&wheelFinish=Machined+w%2FBlack+Accent&s howRear=no&autoMake=Mercedes-Benz&autoModel=GLK250+BlueTEC&autoYear=2014&autoMo dClar=&filterFinish=All&filterSize=All&filterBrand =All&filterSpecial=false&filterNew=All&filterWeigh t=All&sort=Price


Hope this helps

mike-nc

I shipped 3 tire/wheel combos a few years ago using my local UPS store. Although I'm not a big fan of UPS, they were delivered to my buyers without any incident. I just dropped them off at the store, they packaged them and send them on the way. It wasn't terribly cheap-about $35-$40 per tire/wheel. So it can be done, but I would insure them since UPS is known for their gentle, loving care they give to their packages.

mikedr

Fwiw, I have a set of 19 2014 glk350 stock wheels. Completely new. Pm me if interested.

drumminj

Really? You're going to hijack my thread to sell your own set of wheels?

mikedr

Sorry! Not cool on my part. Not cool.