Obviously, I have stock wheels & tires on my car now 16". The tires are practically brand new so I don't want to get rid of them, BUT if I get 17" rims to replace the stock ones will anything else need to be changed? I'm reading stuff about offsetting and suspension stuff and I really have no idea what that all means.... (Yes I am a female and a blonde to boot )

After more searching, I have found a couple of different styles I like at tirerack.com that are actually in my price range.

Any help would be appreciated! Thanx!

Wendy

 

post your pictures and I'll tell you everything you need to know!

 

ok ok.. I'll take it easy on you. First off, welcome to the forum and congrats on the new car. C320's are pretty rare!

If your car came stock with 16" wheels, you can pretty much buy anything off of tirerack that they say will fit. You won't have any clearance issues and thier configurator takes care of all the other considerations (bolt pattern, offset, blah blah).

 

LOL - I will take pictures of MY CAR this weekend and post them next week.

So what exactly does "staggering and offset" mean? I don't understand at all

 

You go to 17's the offset will need to be changed because you will most likely be going to a wider rim and tire combo.Tirerack or discount tire will provide that info.Suspension mods would come into play if you want to drop the car down a bit to make the new bigger rim and tire combo look correct and get the stance of the car looking cool.That entails sport springs and shocks.Plenty of good custom shops down by you that can drop it if you want to.
have fun with the new toy
ohlord
And hey,no need to knock yourself for being a girl.Most of the guys on these forums would have served themselves better by asking and learning the things you inquire about before they went out and got 19 inch rims that require brake work,rolled fenders,camber bolts,rear camber kits,springs and more to get it correct.And when they dont bother to do it right they sell the wheels at a huge discount or complain about poor ride quality or the tires wearing out every ten thousand miles
You will learn by asking,Props

 

Always wondered about the forum name.

 

take pictures of your car AND yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!

Staggered means that the front and rear tires are different widths. Some people do it for looks, some cars put a lot of power and so they need wider tires in the back.

Offset is the distance in mm from the hub to the centerline of the wheel. Basically it just means how much they stick out. Tirerack has a good explanation

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/...jsp?techid=101

If you're exclusively looking at Tirerack, you don't need to worry about offset because the configurator takes that into account.

The 2004.5+ sport sedans have large brakes that need special attention even above simple offset and sizes.

 

In response to my forum name - way back when I was an SLK230 owner - blonde hair blowin' in the wind and my name is wendy - hence the name itswindee

 

I think I understand it, at least I understand more now then before! Thanx so much for the info.

Actually I do have another question, would my stock tires be staggered already - meaning different size in the rear than the front, right? Or am I totally ????

 

And hey,no need to knock yourself for being a girl.Most of the guys on these forums would have served themselves better by asking and learning the things you inquire about before they went out and got 19 inch rims that require brake work,rolled fenders,camber bolts,rear camber kits,springs and more to get it correct.And when they dont bother to do it right they sell the wheels at a huge discount or complain about poor ride quality or the tires wearing out every ten thousand miles
You will learn by asking,Props[/QUOTE]


Thank you for the compliment OHLORD. Sometimes I get intimidated playin' in the big pool with all you guys

 

for long
I have several lady friends on the forum and on the w210 forum on benzworld.org who are now into spark plug changes,can read their own obd2 codes and figure out what they mean and fix the problem or at least not be taken to the cleaner by the rip off dealers.They started out by asking the same things you are.No need to become an expert on all the cars ins and outs but it does help in your enjoyment if you know a bit.
In your tire section in the manual it will tell you the rim and tire size your car came with.Remember 17' rims if in your budget are one thing. Tires for michelins even at costco in a nice wide tire are $220 or more a pop,so you need to budget for that as well.

BTW when you sell the stock c class rims peeps on the w210 e class forum are in the market for them since they fit with the use of special lugs.

 

Well, since you were on a roll (blond) I just fished for another admittance.

 

Since you already want to get new rims and tires, why not get some 19" wheels and tires and lower your car. It'd be even better.

p.s. Post your pictures

 

I don't think I'll be getting new tires, just the rims - not sure yet. And thnx for the tip regarding selling my rims on the W210 E Class section.

 

I don't know what the benefits are to lowering my car BUT I know that getting 19" wheels are going to go way over my budget. Hell, everything is going way over my budget...oh well at least got my windows tinted LOL


will post pics early next week of my "virgin" car

 

haha its funny i guess things never change no matter what car forum your on when a girl pops up everyone is always like lol but welcome non the less and am i understanding you correct you are trying to get new 17" rims but are going to keep your 16" tires?

 

just going to tell her17 inch rims require 17 in tires and so on.
E320 dropped
E320 stock
to give you an idea of what dropped looks like.

 

you're not crazy, valid question. No your wheels/tires are not staggered now.

Also, you'd be suprised at how affordable 19" wheels/tires are. I bought my setup shipped to my door for $1,800

 

Lol, guys, Wendy is a married woman...

Although it probably doesn't matter to most of you

 

WHAT? I can't look???

 

Not unless you want her husband, Bubba, coming after you...

 

oh boy.... and you really don't wanna make bubba's cousin Sam-u-el mad... last time he bit someones head off for looking at his woman folk!

 

I aiin't scurrrrrd. I'll chase him around with one of these:

 

OMG, you guys are too funny By the way, where did you find those pics of my relatives????

Responding to someone asking me if I was going to stay with the my 16" tire while getting 17" rims....I may be blonde, but I'm not THAT dumb (lol)

I found 17" OEM 07' C230 rims that my dad is picking up for me today! Yippy!! And I'll purchase 17" tires from tirerack or someplace like that.

Now my question is, what is a good tire to replace the ones I have on now? I believe the current ones are Cooper-something...

Thnx!

 

Oh, you're of the female persuasion? Do you have any photos of your car, maybe with you in the picture as well?