1985mb

Recently bought a 1985 380SE. Has stock wheels and tires, which I'm considering changing.

1. Anyone know what size tires I can safely put on an '85 W126 sedan?

2. Anyone know of good sources (online or off) to buy late-model W126 wheels without breaking the bank?

I actually like the late-model W126 stock wheels a lot -- not sure if "AMG"-style wheels would be worth the extra cost at this point.

The only other thing I'm ambivalent about is whether to take a really well-maintained and perfectly stock W126 and soup it up? After all, there is certainly some value (aesthetic and otherwise) in seeing an older car that looks very close to its showroom condition. Any comments?

Diesel

My personal opinion is that the W126 looks amazing with the stock 1986-1991 15 inch rims. I would go with that. It makes the car look like a classic.

D

Hattaresguy

Tirerack.com. They sell the stock 15in 15 holes for about $100 each.

IMHO 16-17 is about as big as you should go on a W126.

1985mb

Yeah, I was thinking of getting the 91 stock-looking 16's on tirerack.com ... any suggestions as to which tires would give the most bang for the buck?

Wheels, tires ... so many permutations!

Hattaresguy

I run Yoko V4S's on mine. Can't complain think I only paid about $95 each.

schwarzwagen

i have run Pilot XGT H4 michelins for years, never any problems. i would recommend those or any michelin tires for that matter. the car came with michelin MXVs from the factory, btw.

1985mb

An independent mechanic I spoke to said that 15" wheels was the max I should go on a W126 chassis sedan.

He said using spacers, etc. to fit 16" wheels or larger was not a good idea.

He seemed to be an older/conservative kind of guy (but otherwise very good), so I understand where he is coming from...

So: 16" wheels a bad idea on a W126 sedan?

bcmbcmbcm

I bought the chrome ones and bought Kuhmo tires for about $50 each. I wanted a cheaper tire so I wouldn't feel bad about replacing them after 3 years.

The quality of the rims is excellent. Everything came mounted up and ready to go!

I paid about $1000 delivered and I sold my bundt wheels and tires for $350!


I also am running 225 60 15 per Lukes recommendation.

Hattaresguy

That is a very simplestic view. You do no need spacers with 16in wheels provided you buy them with the proper offset.

You can also run spacers provided you purchase the right ones, H&R makes them.

16in wheels with 225/55 tires are the best upgrade you can add to a W126. They handle much better, track better ect. I can't really think of a drawback. The stock 15in and 14in wheels are much to small for these large cars.

docs-benz

17" Alloy Technologies wheels with Kumo 40 Series Radials.. They were on the car when i got it.. Not totally impressed, would rather have Stock Chrome's or AMG

Hattaresguy

Yeah, wow, those wheels are way to loud for a W126. They would make a fine addition to a Honda however.

docs-benz

Yea but they have grown on me.. Only paid 1500.00 for the car with them on it, and the tires were brand new.. It rides a little rough, but handles a little better than with stock size tires.

1985mb

Tirerack is pretty good about showing you which wheels will fit your vehicle. How can you be sure if you buy wheels from some place else?

E.g. Tirerack says 17x8 +35mm offset and 18x8 +31mm offset for a 1985 W126 sedan -- are those the only 17" and 18" specifications that will fit such a car? Or, will 17x7.5 or 18x7.5 or 18x8.5 work as well?

1985mb

Yeah, I checked out tirerack's reviews and surveys, and it looks like the Yoko V4S' are the best value for V-rated all-season tires (16" ones are $91).

The Kumho ECSTA ASX and the Avon Tech M550 A/S show up pretty well in Tirerack's survey and reviews, and look pretty good value-wise at $78 and $94, respectively, for W-rated all-seasons... anyone have experience with either of these tires?

Anyone also have experience with brands not featured in TR's surveys, such as Falken, Hankook, Toyo, etc.?

bcmbcmbcm

Ok I don't consider myself an expert but I have owned many cars in the last 10 years and bought 4*many cars tires in the same timeframe. Luke at the tirerack might agree or disagree, but either way be sure to give him the business as he is our mbworld liason.

I see your sig is New York...does that mean snow ability is necessary?

If the answer is YES I would go for the Turanza LSH for $125 a tire. I have owned two sets of these, per lukes recommendation, and they are great. Don't worry about the H speed rating, it is not worth the extra $13 a tire for the V rating. If your budget permits, please please spring for this tire over the Yoko VR4! It is only like $140 total difference and this tire is GREAT.

The only reason I didn't get these for my 15" wheels was the price...I bought Kumhos for $44 a tire (no joke!) from the rack and decided to get cheaper rubber so I could afford chrome wheels....I plan on replacing them in 18 months whether they are worn or not...with...Turanza LSH. This saved me about $275...if the difference was only $140 I would have done it in a heartbeat. (I was also just plain curious about the $44 Kumhos and wanted to try them!)


If the answer is NO (to snow ability) I would recommend the Dunlop SP8000 for $117 if for no other reason than this might be the last time you can own this fine tire (discontinued I think?) This tire is WORLD CLASS. I have owned three sets, 2 on new Audis (standard equipment from 1997 to 2002 and more?? on many Audis including the mighty S8) and 1 set on a Porsche. I LOVE THIS TIRE and frankly I think the only reason it will eventually no longer be available is planned obsolescence...tire manufacturers must re in vent the wheel in order to maintain a fresh perception in the market. (pisses me off...I think MBZ could still make a new 126 but that is a different story!) There used to be a handful of top, reliable tires including the SP8000 (still available buy it ) , Yoko AVS intermediate (discontinued), Bridgestone Potenza RE71 (discontinued).

Another excellent choice for summer use would be the Yoko ES100 for $93. This is a very sticky and reliable tire at a great price. If you are looking at tires in the $75-$85 range from 'lesser makes' by all means spring for the ES100.


As far as cheap tires like Avon etc..the only one I trust is Kumho. The only reason I bought Kumho is because they were super cheap for my deal ($44/tire in my case) in your case, I would spend just a wee bit more and get some really nice rubber!

As a final note, be careful when reading the tirerack reviews. Consider the source. Look at what cars the reveiwers drive. Often times they are crap cars and are happy to just get new tires. Other times, owners are solely concerned with treadlife and base their review around that. Who cares what the 17 year old punk driving the 1989 Nissan NX 2000 thinks about a cheap tire...who cares what a soccer mom driving a Volvo wagon thinks of treadlife...try to sift through and find a driver/car similar to yours...but really, just trust Luke! (and did I say get the SP8000s? )

1985mb

Thanks for your thoughtful input. I totally agree that one has to be careful when reading tirerack reviews and survey results. That's one reason I posted here -- I took your logic one step further and wanted to see what W126 owners thought of different tires (with all due respect, the W126 is a very different car from, say, the W201 190E).

"Snow ability" is not really a must -- my W126 is not a daily driver; it sees action only on the weekends. Don't intend to drive much or at all in the snow. Nonetheless, I am leaning towards all-season tires for a car that will be driven 3 seasons and change. NY being what it is, even in the summer, spring or fall, there is the threat of rain. And you never know when there might be untimely snow or hail, even when you thought the winter was over or had not yet begun.

I will definitely check out the Turanza LSH and will call Luke before making any tirerack purchase.

bcmbcmbcm

You don't need All Season tires for the rain. A summer tire is actually better
in the rain than an all-season tire. I lived in NYC (89th and York, 68th and 2nd, then 84th and CPW) for 18 years. I had a 'summer only'
Mustang that might see first snowfall (around thanksgiving) that caught me by surprise.
I did just fine with summer tires and if what you are telling me is that you might see 1 or 2
snowy drives a year I would go for the summer tires. Summer tires truly rock ESPECIALLY in the rain, and it sounds
like you are a perfect candidate!

I remember W126s double parked on Park Avenue with yellow MD plates back in the day...that was big time.

Hattaresguy

Tires are tricky, it depends what you are looking for really.

For me my car doesn't see snow, only a little rain once in awhile. I just want a sticky cool looking tire that runs real nice on the highway.

The Yoko V4S's have been flawless in this regard, I'd expect 40k miles out of them which is excellent for a semi performance tire. I can't really fault these tires, they just do what I ask nothing more or less.

Next time around I will try something more sporty, like Yoko ES100(?) or Dunlop SP9000, I'd also consider a real agressive set of Bridgestones.

My car is more of a toy so I don't really consider how long they will last or anything like that. I just want looks and performance in the dry, and decent in the wet.

rickyfanmdr

I owned a 1985 380SE until I bought my current car. About 2 years before I sold the car, I upgraded to the stock wheels of the newer models (starting in 1986, I think?) I loved those wheels. I wish I had done it sooner. I highly recommend making that change.

ausie560sel

Hi Zaki,
I've got a beautiful 560SEL, 1986 model and I really want to preserve its classy, original style. However, I'm about to fit a 2003 E55 Kompressor motor and 5 speed into it, so I had to give SERIOUS thought to the tyre's ability to handle 470hp. I've gone for 17x7.5 front with 35mm offset and 17x8.5 rear with 30mm offset, in an AMG wheel. The wheel style is not out of character with the 560 and look good. The rear offset doesn't consern me at all but I'm not happy to alter my front offset and muck up the scrub radius, so I'm fitting 10mm spacers to bring it back to stock. I'll also fit the same spacers to the rear. These rims and tyres clear the body without the spacers, comfortably.
The tyres I've gone for are Fulda, a German brand, which I run on my Porsche 928GTS and they are both quiet and grippy and cheap here in the land of OZ. The tyre sizes are 235/45/17ZR front and 265/40/17ZR rear. I've picked the sizes very carefully to preserve the same rolling radius as the stock tyres, so the gearining, speedo and brake leaverages are not changed.
It's hard when you don't want to alter the 'look' of the car but are committed to changing it,so I've chosen very carefully in the hope I don't muck it up.
Mike

ausie560sel

On the Tyre subject, I swore I'd never run Yoko's again because they were so noisy on my 928GTS with stock 255/40/17s on the rear. These were AVS Sport and they weren't all that grippy in the wet. We don't get snow here but plenty of rain during winter.
However, when I bought my 560SEL, my tyre man convinced me to go with Yoko C-Drives in 225/60/15 on the stock 7x15 rims. I've now done over 15k km on then in both city and country driving and I think they're great. They show no signs of wear yet and I don't detect any unpleasant road noise, plus they hang on well.
I would have gone with them on the 17" AMG rims but they don't come in those sizes.

1985mb

Interesting ... anyone else running a staggered setup on a W126 sedan?

I've noticed tirerack sells the BBS CH (expensive) wheels in 2 sizes: 17x7.5 (+42mm offset) and 17x8.5 (+35mm offset) ... wonder if those sizes and offsets are the best staggered 17" configurations on a 126...?

1985mb

Do W140 or W220 OEM 17" wheels fit W126 sedans?

Generally yes, but need to watch for...?

or,

generally no, with the exception of...?

yakuza560

if you elect to go the "customized" route, check out this thread:

https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w126/131146-pix-my-ride-finally.html

and scroll down to see the info on what's been done... good luck

auser

I recently saw a 560SEL with 18" AMG monoblock wheels and some amazingly wide tires. They made the car look really great.