ATSOBE

I found a car after intense searching almost ready to buy. It a c350 in white with grey interior and 18 inches rim . Do the 18 inche rim make the car faster than the stock 17 inch rims . Like in a biclye the bigger the wheel the faster it is . Does this apply to cars is the a speed diference in wheels rims. What do u think of grey interior s it better than black

trustz

Even the wheel size is 17" VS 18" , the tires diameter should be very close on both wheels , so I don't think you can feel "faster" one than the other.

Dema

Bigger wheels will be heavier, so car will be slower.

RLE

<<I found a car after intense searching almost ready to buy. It a c350 in white with grey interior and 18 inches rim . Do the 18 inche rim make the car faster than the stock 17 inch rims . Like in a biclye the bigger the wheel the faster it is . Does this apply to cars is the a speed diference in wheels rims.>>

All of the four different C wheel/tire combinations are the same overall diameter.

trustz

not all the time, some wheels only weight for 17 lb on 18 inch, I am pretty sure thats lighter than stock 17" MB wheels. plus , even each 18 inch wheel is 4 lb more than stock wheel, total 16lb more weight than stock wheels and you tell me you can feel the car are slower ???

Dema

You need also consider mass distribution. Then far it from center, then more difficult to move it. So bigger wheels will mean slower car in most cases. You win only stability.

imboom

Mercedes, like most other manufacturers that give wheel size options, will offer total tire+wheel diameter of the same as stock. This is because of the temporary spare. However, if you change the total diameter of a wheel and tire you will affect the reported speed of the speedometer. This is called speedometer error.

Diesel Benz

The question didn't mention stock wheels against some specific low weight wheels. Should compare the same type of wheels at different diameters and my humble opinion would be that the bigger wheels only improve the looks, and even that only up to a certain size (I admit other feel it is the better the bigger).

Drive comfort or responsiveness wasn't asked, no comment on that then.

I do agree with Dema, for a generic answer.

KrispyK

Generally, larger wheels will mean heavier wheels, notwithstanding the fact that you maintain the same total diameter when the tires are installed. And wheel weight particularly hurts performance as its part of the unsprung mass of the car. In general, you can multiply the unsprung mass by 4 to get an idea of how much it will affect the car (i.e., if you increase unsprung mass by 15 pounds, think of it as adding 60 pounds to the total mass of the car).

Ultimately, I'm afraid the 18" wheels are more for looks than for actual performance. My "track" car came with 19" wheel, but I'm looking to get lightweight 18" wheels to go with my track tires.

MBTex

it isn't going to make a difference at all in ordinary driving....don't worry about it unless you plan on racing your car.

and if you plan on racing your car....you got the wrong car because it is underpowered for racing.