Richard / E320

I got a great deal on some AMG 18” wheels and Bridgestone Potenza tires. The wheels are AMG 18x8 Style III et30 and AMG 18x9 Style III et39. The Potenza tires are RE750 265/35x18 for the front and RE750 235/40x18 for the rear.

These wheels are for the W211 chassis, so I purchased RAD lug-bolts to fit these wheels for my W210 chassis. Turned out great! Now I just need to figure out what to do with the stock tires and wheels; they only have 3,200 miles on them so they are too nice just to throw away.

If anyone has any questions, I bought the AMG wheels for $1,099 and dealt with Phil @ psperling@globemotorsports.com

If you need RAD lug-bolts for W211 wheels for your W210, contact sales@OtisIncLA.com

raymond g-

Richard:
I have 99 E320, which means 12 x 1.5" x 12mm ball. Inbound are late model
E55 split spokes which use 14mm ball. Can you confirm that what I need to
order are 12 x 1.5 x 14mm ball RAD? Is this the order I place w/Otis? tnx!

p.s. what was turnaround time between placing order and receiving?

Richard / E320

Raymond;

I'm no expert so I wouldn't want to tell you anything incorrect for a proper set-up. Contact sales@OtisIncLA.com with your specifics and they will tell you exactly what you need. Most important, you need to let them know if your AMG wheels are for the older W210 chassis or the newer W211 chassis.

The cost was approximately $56.00, including shipping, for a full-set (20 lug-bolts) of RAD lug-bolts. Delivery time was three days... here is what was listed on the invoice:

Quantity: 20
Item Number# 20-4067-B
Description: RAD 12mmx1.5, 26mm Shank, R14 Ball Seat
Unit Price: $2.17
Subtotal: $43.40
Shipping: $12.80
Total: $56.20

Please contact them to verify exactly what you need. Hope this helps; tell them you saw the info posted on MBWorld!

d2Benz

Richard which wheels and size did U had on your ride be4????
picture/s will help ...

thanks

Richard / E320

Just the standard, OEM factory wheels and tires. Tires are Continental ContiTouring Contact 215/55-16. The tires and wheels have 3,263 miles on them. I waited this long to replace them as it seemed such a waste but I don't drive the vehicle very often, so I finally ordered the new tires and wheels anyway.

I'm hoping to get a picture this weekend of the new AMG's and I'll post it.

d2Benz

Richard, thanks for the pictures, I was hoping that it will be the 5 spoke wheels on the MY 00+ E's....Post pics of your new set up.

cheers!

raymond g-

Richard,
this may be asking too much, but in case you're up to it, is it possible for
you to either post photo of the RAD lug bolts...showing threaded shank
extending below (out of) your newer wheels? ...or measure how much of
the threaded portion is visible? I'm working on the assumption that the
W211 wheels are 'thinner' than W210 wheels. that is why the W210 bolts
are 1.5" and the W211/RAD ones are 1" when measuring thread/shank.

below is what I'm trying to reconcile....before placing an order for RAD
bolts. (RADs are not returnable or exchangeable. if you buy it and they
don't fit, you're out of luck). since the bolt head is also deeper into the
wheel, one will need to consider deeper socket, extension, or aesthetics
as a result.

Richard / E320

I have already installed all of the lug-bolts but didn't take any pictures. The bottom two pictures do look like what was sent to me. I can tell you that the replacement lug-bolts are about half the length of the OEM ones, with the RAD ones having slightly more 'thread' to them. You can see that the OEM lug-bolts are longer, but it has nothing to do with the proper fitment on the wheel, but rather cosmetic.

The OEM lug-bolts, installed on the OEM wheel, are approximately flush with the wheel. The RAD lug-bolts are inset, or deep-seated, and you don't readily see them when installed. (Deep-well socket needed to install.) They are NOT flush with the wheel, clearly because they are only half as long. Your first picture looks like the OEM lug-bolts that I removed form my E320.

After I installed the wheels, I emailed the supplier just to verify that I had the correct set of RAD lug-bolts. I do; they were quite helpful, have sold many sets of RAD lug-bolts and I don't think they would let you order the incorrect ones... I'm not much of a do-it-your-selfer so I can tell you that there was probably 8 emails back and forth just because I didn't want to mess up... post an update on what you decide.

raymond g-

lol....that means i only have 2 more back n forth emails to go. but thanks so
much for your descriptions! r-

Richard / E320

Raymond;

I had to torque the wheels this morning, so I decided to go ahead and remove one of the new wheels so I could show you the length of the RAD lug-bolts. It takes a 17mm deep-socket to install the RAD lug-bolts.

For complete information and more pictures, go to http://www.geocities.com/mymercedesbenze320/

raymond g-

awesome, Richard. thanks much for the information, affirmation, confirmation
of the specs

Richard / E320

Its been raining off and on here in California, so I never got around to washing my vehicle over the weekend but I did take a few pictures of the new 18” AMG's and Bridgestone Potenza tires.

As you can see, it would really look great if I lowered it a bit. Any recommendations on how much it should be lowered, and what's the best way? I would like to minimize modifications to the vehicle as much as possible but might consider lowering to improve the look visually.

raymond g-

Richard: you went from 16 to 18, yes? Can you describe the difference in
ride and handling?

lexrex

Nice choice! Looking good!

I, too, would be interested in your impression of the change in ride quality.

Richard / E320

raymond and lexrex;

I haven't really driven it much yet; I don't drive it if the roads are wet. (Still looks brand-new underneath after 5 years.) I only took it out to a parking lot to take a few pictures to post.

My initial feeling is that the ride is firmer, probably in part to more tire contact, lower tire profile, stiffer sidewalls and I think a slightly higher tire pressure. I definitely could feel road irregularities more. I'm sure I would see an improvement in handling, except I've never really driven the vehicle hard in cornering. My "E" has never even been further than about 10 miles from my garage.

Overall, I really like the looks of the wheel and tire combination and feel that it was well worth the cost. Even though I've said that I would never lower it, I might consider it. I would like some feedback from members if they feel it needs to be lowered or if the tire-to-fender gap looks acceptable.

raymond g-

hah hah...i'm just like you, but not quite so protective. i prefer not to drive
when it's wet out and jump into the 4wd pick up instead. but sometimes, to
drive all muh wimmin around, it has to get its feet wet.

insofar as lowering, i'd stick with form-to-function first. keep it as high as you
need, in order to navigate the roads, etc in your locale. the lowering, for the
most part is aesthetics. I doubt whether you'd notice much the lower CG
given your pampering of the vehicle. yet....having said that, I think it could
stand for at least 1-1.5" drop. hard for me to tell given the camera angles.
it seems it could (visually) lend itself to a little closing of the gap.

i thought similar ie no drop, but perhaps you/I could compromise a little, yet
not go for grand slam effect.

my E55 rims/tires just arrived and the RADs should be here by Friday.
then, it'll be my turn to post driving impressions.

p.s. you ever think clear lens/HID up front?

Richard / E320

raymond g - hah hah...i'm just like you, but not quite so protective. My complains about it all the time. She says we wouldn't have bought it if she knew that it was going to be a garage queen.

the lowering, for the most part is aesthetics. That's really the only reason I would lower it; I'm not looking for performance / handling gain.

I think it could stand for at least 1-1.5" drop. That's about what I was thinking; as you point out, just thinking about closing the gap for visual reasons.

my E55 rims/tires just arrived and the RADs should be here by Friday.
then, it'll be my turn to post driving impressions. Post pictures, of course.

p.s. you ever think clear lens/HID up front? I have thought about it but I remain undecided; most seem to think that it looks good but the lighting-output is poor. Not sure why that should matter to me though, as I have never driven it at night! I've never even turned on the headlights or wipers...oh, oh, don't get my wife started!

Air Marshall Eldritch

Richard, I will post a pic of my car tomorrow, which looks alot like yours (because it is also white ). You will see 17's with a similar 5-spoke design (mine are the sport package w210). The 1.5" drop I did brings the tire more in a natural line with the wheel well lips. There is still room to slip a hand justa bit, and does not looked overly slammed whatsoever.

Richard / E320

Sounds great; would like to see it with a 1.5" drop. Based on your 17"s, do you feel that I could drop mine 1.5" with 18"s? I emailed Kronen Tuning (listed in from another thread here on MBWorld), asking questions. They are going to get back to me on a suggested set-up, which I will post to get opinions.

Air Marshall Eldritch

Yes, based on your pic, you have tons of space with the new 18" wheels. 1.5" drop will look great for you. My pic is coming tonight.

Look closely at your gap at the front of the tires compared with the wider space at the tops of the tires. After the drop, the gap will be the same on top as it currently is at the fronts.

raymond g-

following in Richard's shadow.....

okay, got my W211 AMGs installed in my W210, using the
hybrid RAD bolts. here are the results....











Driving impressions: hint of more road feel.
noticeable pavement joints but not objectionable.
body roll was attenuated by 1/2 (seat of pants gauge) and
I was extremely happy to discover this. it rolled like
a boat riding the waves hours before. now it's much more
sure footed and planted. can be thrown into a turn
with more enthusiasm and far less pitching and rolling.

whereas previously, I had on my list Bilstein
shocks, I'll skip them for now. amazing how much the
shorter sidewall helped to improve in this area.

Tires which came with the rims were Conti Sport Contact
2s in 265-35-18 in back, and 245-40-18 fronts. Rims
were 8 front, and 8.5 rear. No rubbing, no clicking,
and the tires were quiet on this short test.

looks like i'll be looking for #1 pads or something next.

Richard / E320

Hey, it's okay with me! Maybe you can come up with a reasonable way to lower our vehicles. Nice wheels; I like those a lot. I tried to find those originally but couldn't seem to find any deals.

Air Marshall Eldritch

Sorry for the delay. Here is today's pic....


Cannot load up here, too big. So link:

http://www.mysubprofile.com/mbworld/...ures%20034.jpg

Pardon the mess.

EDIT: Richard, this is after installing Vogland sport springs with Bilstein Sport shocks at 1.4" lowering (although I think the actual drop is more like 1" for some reason) . Being a heavy car, this would tilt a lot on cornering on the stock setup. Now, it does not tilt whatsoever no matter what crazy turn I take. Total cost for parts and labor - around $1k.

Punishing ride for the first few weeks, then the Bilstein's broke in and it's more comfy.

Richard / E320

RBrenton88;

Looks great, though on my notebook the suspension area is a little dark; will look at your picture tonight with the desktop. Do you have any pictures that are closer up of that area, front, rear, or both, that you can post?

I believe you had said previously that you have Mercedes-Benz 17" wheels and have lowered your vehicle, correct? I still haven't taken the time to do any measuring, but I'm guessing that I will want a drop of about 1.25" or so, but certainly don't want anything that causes tire rubbing...

Air Marshall Eldritch

I can do close-ups tomorrow. Will post to same place. The wheels you see are OEM 17" AMG Sport package. I bought the car with OEM suspension (same as non-sport) but did the lowering in 2005, as seen in the pic (taken today). Based on your pics, a 1.5" lowering will look exactly like mine, if you do it..