Hello,

I am looking to buy rims and tires for my 2008 C300 Sport. Long story short is...i bought my car used (1 year old) and didn't realize till later that the wheel size is wrong as is the offset. What did i know?! They have cool looking 18in AMG rims (apparently off an older E-Class) that make it look good, but the offset is what is really killing me. It rubs when i hit a bump and just makes an annoying sound.

So the factory wheels are a staggered setup but i was wondering if i can just get the same size wheels all the way around so i can rotate the tires. I really want a "comfort" ride. I also researched and it seems like you have to buy tires frequently for the back tires? I wanted to avoid that if i could. I just didnt know if it was ok to stray from the staggered factory setup on the 300 sport?

Sorry for the long message!
Thanks in advance!

 

I have the same question as well. I can see the point of the staggered tires is to have a more sporty ride. But personally, I'd love to have all 4 same tires and wheels on my car.

 

Honestly, having to rotate tires is just a headache. Sometimes you need a balancing after rotating too.

I just replace whatever axle wears out first (the rear obviously) with the exact tire. Then when fronts are bad, do them, and then the rears again, etc.

You don't have to have staggered, but staggered doesn't necessarily hurt your ride comfort. Larger diameter wheels do.

 

only thing about staggered tires is you cant rotate them which lowers their lifespan....i have barely over 20k and already need to change out my rears and tires aint cheap....i mean staggered looks cool and all but you cant even tell on our c3xx's so whats the point.

 

I don't really see how they wear out faster, well they do, but it doesn't cost more money in the end.

Yes, the rears wear out faster, but you only have to replace the rears then.

 

To answer the OP's question - yes, you can do this. Buy 4 wheels with the correct spec for the fronts in an offset configuration.

 

Yes, the c300 lux wheels are all 17" x 7.5" x 47mm offset, and can be used on the C300 sport. Buy non-directional tires for cross rotation capability, for best noise and wear control.

The "look" of the wider staggered rears is minimal, as ALL of the extra width is on the inboard side.

The most comfortable would be the 16" rims found on the canadian C250 model ..... search tirerack for options.

OEM wheel&tire info: https://mbworld.org/forums/3719188-post20.html

For max comfort, if you're a mellow diver, and go solo often, could try removing one endlink from the front and the rear sway bars .... true fully independent suspension. Worth a cautious try.

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Changing from factory staggered to non-staggered may introduce over steering as the car is likely tuned with staggered setup.

 

Thanx to lawyers all cars sold in the US have understeer, for safety, regardless of tire/wheel setup. To change that you'll have to do a lot more.

 

having staggered wheels is not neccessary, it's just a little sporty feature that is on the sport package. The stagger is rather modest, so switching non-staggered is not a big change.

My summer wheel tire set is non-staggered (18"x8.5") which I have been going on 3 years now. I had my car checked by the dealership and Discount Tire and the car performs well within the manufacturers' standard.

If you want a plusher ride, going with a smaller wheel diameter will definitely help. Sure a 16" or 17" wheel doesn't look as sharp as an 18" or 19", but you definitely appreciate it going over pot holes and uneven pavement, especally if you carry a larger load.
Also look at the kind of tires, as some are quieter and smoother than others (high performance tires tend to get noisy and responds more to the road).

 

The answer is Yes!

 

Changed my sport from OEM staggered to aftermarket no staggered a week after I got the car no problems.

 

This effect will be mitigated to some degree by the 20mm gain in rear track width, now matching the front.

My related experience: On a track car, I did nothing but increase rear track by 25mm @ ea rear axle.

Car was balanced before, and now had terminal understeer at the track. Luckily, I had my oem rubber bushing for front sway bar ... out with aluminum greased bushings and in with rubber ones, with washers used as spacers to keep the rubber loosely clamped.

 

I think its already been established that you can use the front tire size for the rears, just be sure to get the right rims.

I'm not an engineer but can't help but believe that you'd be better served returning the car to the original rims and tires. You can often find people selling the rims and tires the selling area of this forum. They've upgraded their wheels to something more "interesting" and just want to get what they can for their rims.

I'm just guessing here, but I somehow think that you'll get the ride that Mercedes engineered into this car if you keep it as much original as possible.

 

Thanks everyone. I really appreciate the feedback. I think i am going to go with one size all the way around. i just really want a comfortable ride.
The ones that came with car are cool looking...too bad they are the wrong size. So these will be going on sale soon if anyone is interested!
they are 18x8.5 and 18x9.5! tires 225/40/18 and 225/35/18 and the offset is too wide for the c-class. but they will look great on an E Class! http://img291.imageshack.us/i/dsc01306we.jpg/
Thanks again!

 

If you take the front up to rear offset/width all you do is increase the scrub radius slightly. The car will be more inclined to tramline but with our castor settings this is not really an issue.

 

Those are some very nice looking wheels.

Before you throw the baby out with the bath water, are you sure that the previous owner didn't lower the car somehow which is causing your rubbing problem?

 

@JimPap, I thought about that, but the few tire/wheel places i took it to all say that the offset on the rims are too wide, so it sticks out almost an inch. Also, the rear tire is 9.5" wide. None of them ever said it was lowered, but i never asked either. So thats a good point...would it matter if I put the 17 in rims on it?

As you can tell, i am pretty new to tires and rims...as a girl, i never thought i would know half the stuff about rims that i know now!

 

vq13,

I just went out into the garage and checked my OEM 17" wheels. My C300 has not been lowered.

If I recall correctly, the outside diameter of tires remain the same when you go from 17" to 18" wheels, the rim's outdiameter increases while the tire's inside diameter increases. Outside tire diameter remains the same. I don't see how they would be rubbing even with a larger offset.

If you want, I can take a picture of mine and post it so you can have a reference point for how much fender clearance you should have.

If your car has been dropped (lowered), replacing the tire and rims might not help. It'll still rub when you make turns.

I went back and reread your original post. In it you mention that you want a more comfortable ride. Have you checked the cold tire pressure?? 17"s will ride slightly better than 18"ers. The reason why is that you literally have more tire between the inside and outside diameter. The additional sidewalls (1/2" all the way around) provides more cushioning to the ride. But its not going to be a huge difference.

 

JimPap,

That's interesting. I am taking it in next week for its Service B and i am gonna have them look at that. i hope its not lowered.
Thanks for all your info. I appreciate it.

 

You're welcomed.

 

Have them verify the offset, located on the back side of the spokes. You need to pull a wheel, or jack a front corner up.

 

Don't think so. Since the oem rear offset is about 10mm more than the oem fronts, scrub radius will be reduced.

More significant is the 20mm wider tire, + more offset, means likely rub on the inside of tire.

.

 

those aren't off the E-class. they're just aftermarket reps the previous owner put on.

 

Yes - I was talking 203 where the offset difference is less - I did not realise it was so big on the 204. If your offset is 10 MM more & the back wheel is 20mm wider - then putting a back wheel on the front should be neutral. This might of course cause interference with the strut.