Hi Everyone:

I need some advice please. I'm about to place an order for a C350 (metallic black) and can't decide on the 18inch versus the 17inch rims. They only had the 17inch to test drive and i love it even though the ride was a bit stiff.

My Questions:

1. How much better does the car look with the 5 spoke 18inch wheels?
2. Will the car's ride be stiffer with the 18 inches?
3. During wet and/or snowy conditions which would perform better? the 17 or the 18? And if I do get snow tires which is actually better the 17 or the 18s?

Thank you.

<<I need some advice please. I'm about to place an order for a C350 (metallic black) and can't decide on the 18inch versus the 17inch rims. They only had the 17inch to test drive and i love it even though the ride was a bit stiff.

My Questions:

1. How much better does the car look with the 5 spoke 18inch wheels?
2. Will the car's ride be stiffer with the 18 inches?
3. During wet and/or snowy conditions which would perform better? the 17 or the 18? And if I do get snow tires which is actually better the 17 or the 18s?>>

1. I spent some time this week looking at the two wheels side by side (on two cars) and finally came to the conclusion that the 18s were what I wanted. First, they visually fill out the wheel well better. Second, the silver painted finish on the 17s is inferior to the 18s plus the sharp edges on the 17' spokes make them look cheaper, somehow, plus the spoke shape on the 18s looks better.

2. Absolutely the ride will be stiffer on the 18s because of the shorter sidewall. And, replacement tires will cost about $100 per corner more.

3. For snow, a narrower tire is always better so the 17's win out.

Maybe Tire Rack will have some kind of snow tire/aftermarket wheel package for the car in a few months which would solve the problem, except for the expense.

Thank you RLE. The strange thing is they look very similar except for the six-spoke versus the five-spoke. Online at least. I only got to see the 17 inch six spoke they didn't have any available.

BTW, are they both AMG? Thing is my wife says lets do the 17inch its better in wet conditions, snow, etc... and I say well lets' do the 18inches and we can always get better tires. The 6 spoke didn't look too bad now that i think about it...

I simply can't decide...

I'd say the car looks much better with the 18". In all honesty, 17" or 18" is not really gonna matter in snow. Our RWD cars suck in snow and we just have to drive carefully and slowly in snow. I'd recomend the 18" AMG

Yup agreed there. Another question if I do get the 18inch and put snow tires on them, what snow tires would you recommend - i have no clue about this stuff i always had sport utilities in the past like the ML and Range Rover.

<<Another question if I do get the 18inch and put snow tires on them, what snow tires would you recommend >>

Your post shows you already have a C350. Or is an older one? On the W204, the front tire width is the same 225mm on either AMG wheel. The 18" rear is 235mm, 10mm wider than the 17" tire. Less than 1/2 inch.

For snow tire advice, I would call Tire Rack. They claim to be experts and will tell you what they know. Personally, I have used Blizzaks in the past and they were good but must be fitted on all wheels only. My current winter tires are Nokian WRs which many say are superior to Blizzaks but they are also more expensive.

And, there are others

Here is the answer.If you are base on 17s. nothing difference between 17 or 18. Only +2s you will feel the difference(same flat tread). However, if you like to spend money for looking and firm ride. go for 19s. Otherwise, don't upgrade to 18s, not worth.

this thread is from 2007 lol

They're probably replicas and have different offsets.

Well if the tire is not on yet and the rims are hitting the front struts then you're out of luck, doesn't matter what tire.

It could also be original but for a different model, as they also use different offsets (ex. C class vs E class).