itsLoonie

Wow that looks freakin' awesome I would have went with 18s though. Wheels look somewhat small.

Couple more weeks and then I'll get my set up on air as well

AkaSigFreak

^+10000000
Maybe its different if you have 4 or 6 Piston Brembos stopping you. I'm tired of people putting large rims on their cars to fill out the wheel well while sacrificing performance and drivability. Why do engineers speed countless hours on aspects like this? Never mind- what do they know anyway?

Cleanbenz

Actually, you're wrong on all accounts but ride comforts friend. 0-60 times, 1/4 mile times etc will be slightly better on 19's than 17's. The testing has been done if you search for it. Also, performance of a 17 with a larger, softer sidewall is significantly worse than a stiff low profile sidewall. Less flex offers better handling and cornering. Braking will have almost no difference with wheel size unless you're comparing 14" wheels and 24" wheels. If you don't like the look of bigger than 17" wheels that's fine but don't say they perform badly. Its simply not fact.

Sportstick

I admit not to have performed the testing personally, but after twenty plus years as an automotive product planner having these discussions with my colleague chassis engineers, I learned from their training, knowledge, and experience. So, no need to search for testing as I had the info directly from those who do it as a profession. Unless you make a 19" from "unobtanium" which is lighter than a 17", the laws of physics for a rotating mass will create the issues I listed above. Your stronger argument may be that the differences may be perceived as small. But, the only counterpoint of yours which has technical merit is handling, and a combination of Michelin Pilot Sport AS+ and Eibach antisway bars provided an excellent result with little to no compromise. I do think that some larger wheels, like xxHotelcrazyxx has, look quite good!

mangoango

iTrader: (1)

Me want.

They documented the rebuild of his wheels here:
http://lowerandwider.com/how-to-mirror-of-my-soul/

Here's the article translated to english:
http://www.google.com/translate?hl=e...-the-system%2F

e23chan

Love this thread. Just got my wheels installed today, so here's my contribution.

Vertini Magic Concave in Matte Black with Gloss Black lip.

19x8.5 and 19x9.5








Let's keep it going.

slowhatch

Actually, you are wrong on pretty much all accounts. While it is true that reduction of aspect ratio will go a long way towards reducing sidewall buckling under high lateral loads, and thus would improve lateral g handling, this is only to a certain extent. A softer tire compound would inevitably have a greater effect on grip. As far as increased radius wheels have decreased 0-60 times, quarter mile times, etc, you are so far off base i dont even know where to begin. Lets not forget that for straight line acceleration from a dead stop it is imperative to have a high aspect ratio to provide sidewall deflection (wrinkling), under launch. This allows the driveline load to be transmitted into the pavement without the "shock" that a stiff, low profile tire would provide--which reduces traction. Have you ever been to a drag strip? No one cutting any 60 foots worth talking about is doing it on 20 inch low pros. Finally, a wheels moment of inertia increases with the square of its radius, thus, two wheels of the same weight but a different diameter would have two different moments. Ie. an 18 inch wheel that weighs 18lbs would have a higher moment of inertia, and thus, a reduction of all measurable performance figures (acceleration, braking, etc), than a 17 inch wheel of the exact same weight. To keep performance playing field equal you would need to reduce weight while increasing size.

Cleanbenz

Actually, details that are important were left out of my reply now that I think about it. Let me correct myself just a bit so it will make more sense to you. The OP was comparing stock 17" wheels which are heavy as hell compared to the 19 and 20 lb wheels I'm running. Rolling diameter if my setup is slightly smaller than stock also so just by using all of your theory's my wheels will out perform stock wheels and tires. Period. And we're not talking about the strip here but real world daily spirited driving. I would never run a street tire on a drag car so comparing the two really doesn't make sense. If we took two of the same MB wheels in 17's and 19's I agree the 17 will perform better.

Sportstick

The last two posts were great discussion. My earlier one which somewhat kicked this off was in response to another poster who said no 17" wheel would look good, and I took issue, pointing out that to some (me, for example) on this highly subjective issue, the right 17" looks quite good. I was referencing the ones I showed in the photo which are not the stock wheel, and are quite a bit lighter. Therefore, one can have good aesthetics and maintain the benefits of a smaller, lighter wheel.

slowhatch

Right, in the end aesthetics, are extremely subjective. I for one enjoy bigger diameter wheels as they, in my opinion, just look better. However i have no misconceptions about their affect on performance.

mykim72

subscribed...

Thaa kiid Jlee

would 18x8 18x9 45 offset work? or its not wide enough?

BenzAMX

I like MOMO. Any one opinions about this?

Benzo swag

19s avantegarde "goldbullion"

frankzappa

I do! Still for sale??

PotatoMage

New to the Merc scene so not much done to the car yet. Pretty close to winter where I live so I've bought new winter wheels for it. Planning on getting the Zito ZS05's as they are cheaper than the forged equivalents of the split Y 5 spoke (HRE P101's, BBS FI's, PUR 4OUR's, etc.). Wanting to get 19" x 8.5" ET40 front and 19" x 10" ET50 rear. Looking for a flush fitment, anyone know if I can achieve that with those sizes, and if there will be any rubbing? Rolling the fenders is not a problem for me but knowing beforehand would be nice (:

Anyways, pictures of my current winter setup (also sorry for crappy pictures):

OEM C63 Rims

18" x 8" ET45 All around

Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta R2 225/45/18 all around

Attachment 443158

ericjhen

I have a 2012 C350 coupe with 19 inch wheels, when I hit some bumps the outer wheel well lip rubs the tire, how can I stop this without dropping to 18 inch wheels?