DK23

I noticed when our C350 Coupe is making a full lock turn like parking or in the driveway etc. the front end castor is such that the front wheel leans way over to the side, rolling the tire sidewall quite a bit. I have the AMG 18" wheels, and run 38 psi cold. I have been considering 19" wheels, but worry a bit about the narrowed sidewall and how the wheel could possibly be damaged when full lock turning on any uneven surface. Has anyone else noticed this? I suspect the distortion of the sidewall would be even greater at the suggested lower tire pressure. I don't believe any of my other cars (Porsche, BMW) have this much "lean" when at max steering lock.

johnny--2k

yeah, but that's one of the great reasons we have such a ridiculous turning radius. I don't think i've seen any other car of comprable size that can turn in the same radius.

As far as wheel damage, I wouldn't worry about it. One thing you can do when searching tires for larger wheels is ask about sidewall stiffness, some are stiffer than others. Then there is also tires that have rimguard built into the tire where the tire sticks out over the rim a bit to protect from curb damage etc...

I would imagine MB has done plenty of testing and research on this stuff to make sure there would be no issues. Look at the S-Class AMG's with the big wheels and rubber band tires from the factory.

AV1

Yep, that's what it is ^^^^

And I for one am very impressed with it, I can perform U turns in tight streets or other tight spaces instead of having to resort to 3 or 4 point turns which is the case even in cars smaller than the C Class - outstanding design and built feature for MB !!!

u257993

My left front tire shows wear on the sidewall after tight turns. It ruins my tire dressing job. Kind of annoying but I do enjoy the tight turning radius.

jkyriakou

If you enable the SUV compass in engineering it will give you the steering angle of your wheels.

Lock is 20 degrees I believe. Very cool.