19's VS. 20's On Lowered 204's
 

Hey guys,

I know that this subject has been touched upon quite a bit in other threads but (to my knowledge), not specifically geared towards lowered vehicles.
Everyone here has their own opinion about what works or looks good or doesn't and is more than entitled to that opinion but what about the facts?
For example; if I wanted to go 20 X 10.5, 265/30 in the rear, with H&R Super Sports, could I? If not, why not? What are the pros and cons? What about offsets and fender rolling?
There are a lot of wheel manufacturers out there who will tell the uninformed anything to make a sale and (unfortunately) a few folks on this forum who will tell the newbie or uninformed "Hey, it's your ride, do what you want to do".
They know that already. They're asking because not only is this forum a wealth of knowledge but because they/ we respect that knowledge.
I for one, am not at all ashamed to admit that I don't fully understand the concept of offsets and how they relate to rim size and ride quality.
I bet that I'm not alone here. Please guys, ladies, if you have knowledge/ experience on this/ these subjects, please share and explain. All of us here that are interested in modding our steeds would greatly benefit from it.
Thank you.

I think 20s are too big and the quality of ride will suffer. I have had 19s on several cars before. I assume you also have a set of winter wheels/tires? Another thing is with 19s, they bend easilly and more so with 20s. Some will argue that good quality wheels will not bend, I call BS. There are threads from the past even with HREs bending. Hit a pothole and it is game over.

+1 20's are a bit too big and will ruin the ride quality a bit

for a small car like C04 18 are the best you can go. 19 is pulling the teeth i wouldnt do 20 at all unless you live in the south with no holes on the road and not caring about your car get too bumppy..

if the look is all you care about go for it , if you got the money. other wise dont do it...

personally I wouldnt do 19 either but I live in new york every other block i get a pothole.

Clarification:

Thanks guys for all of your responses so far but just for clarification, the 20" example in my original post was just an example. for me and mine, it's 19X8.5F & 19X9.5R with H&R Super Sports (H&R Coilovers one day):y.
Please keep the responses and knowledge coming!

I think 19's are too small and 20's are perfect. My car rides the same with 20's or stock 17's. Not sure why everyone thinks the ride quality sucks. Everyone who rides in my car is surprised that it is not a rough ride. I am not lowered yet but will in the future (been sitting on a new set of Eibachs for a few months now). I get no fender rubbing. I do however rub the plastic inside fender well when I hit big dips in the road. Front right only.

I'm in the minority here. I run 20x8.5 fr and 20x10 rr.
https://img204.imageshack.us/img204/3088/dsc02511p.jpg

can you post more pics?

i wanna see how it looks with the eibach springs and 20s !

thanks

IMHO 18s are the perfect size for the W204. I've only seen one set of 19" rims that I actually like...all the others I've seen just look too big. 20"s look ridiculous...IMHO of course

Edit: Whenever I see pics of a W204 on 20"s all I can think of is
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/l...s_big_rims.jpg
lol

I had 20's on my car. There too big crappy ride and had rubbing issues! And in jersey the roads suck and I cracked 2 rims.. I recently got 19's and lowered it with sport springs.. Way better move.. If I didn't have 4matic I would of done supersports! But overall I'm much happier..

I'm going to stick with 18s this time. Pictured here is my 201 with 17" Lorinser D93s, w203 with 19" Brabus reps, and w204 with stock 18s.

https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...-203-20web.jpg

hey gedblaq.... i already ordered a set of 19x8.5f & 19x9.5r (coming soon)... unlike your setup, i am not lowering my car (due to driving environments).. i like to know what tire size did u get??? is there any rubbing issues with the fender? anybody who has the 19in staggered offset, please provide some input... thanks in advance!

Hey burnteggroll! I haven't ordered my setup yet due to having an EXTREMELY hard time choosing rims. I'm picky as hell and absolutely MUST preserve the classiness and heritage of the MB while at the same time looking baaad aasss!
My setup WILL be:
19X8.5F w/ 225/35/19
19X9.5or10R w/ 255or265/30/19
H&R Super Sport Springs (H&R Coilovers when I grow up to be like AZN300):D

From what I've heard and seen, no rubbing issues and for our steeds, this is the preferred setup if you are going w/ 19" rims. Don't forget about your offsets (which I still don't fully get) but most REPUTABLE dealers won't sell you a rim that's going to harm your vehicle/you. Hope this helps:y.

hey c3nthusiast,
post some pictures from a distance, would love to see how your 20"s sit. :)

gedablaq----->

well, i already knew what tire setup it was going to be 235/35/19 or 225/35/19 front and 265/30/19 or 255/30/19 rear... see, i put many miles on my car and driving conditions (farm country) does not permit me to have the setup i would like... ride quality and no rubbing is very important.. all input welcome regarding staggered 19x8.5f and 19x9.5r (especially those who didn't lower their ride).. much appreciated...

i have a guy here try to sell me his wheels from C63 , 245/30/20 front, 285/25/20 rear , wonder will that fit C300 ?

If I'm not mistaken, you're going to run into some serious trouble with those tire widths.

LOL. Your car looks hilarious