smileyworm

Hello everyone!

I have just purchased a 2011 C300 sport. I am in the process of trying to replace the stock wheels which I have been told are 8.5 inches in the front and 9.5 inches in the rear of the car. If I replace all 4 wheels with an 8.5 inch wheel would there be any issues with handling? I am also wonderinghow bad the loss of that inch would look under the rear wheel wells?

Thanks in advance as this is my first MB and I want to treat it right.

Here are the wheels that I am looking at if anyone is curious:
http://versantewheels.com/wheels/ind...sante-222.html

aMsupp

You could do it, but you'd need spacers on the rear. Also, you will have less traction (obviously due to less contact patch on the road). Just a couple things to mention. Otherwise if you really want to do it, you'd probably be just fine.

smileyworm

Sorry, for asking but what are spacers?

Also, what grade of fuel should I use?

Sorry, can you tell I am not a car guy.

AkaSigFreak

Are you sure about the rim size? 17" OEM wheels are F-7.5 R-8.5. BTW- your car REQUIRES Premium fuel. Don't try to save money on Regular. If your car allows E85 (Yellow Gascap)- avoid it. It may be cheaper and even though the car is approved for it- it is a very corrosive fuel which decreases fuel economy.

smileyworm

No, I am not sure abou the size but i do know they are factory. So, the spacers go on before the wheel to move it out closer to the lip of the wheel well, correct? Is there anything bad about having these on?

white46

1. even though it requires premium fuel, it won't hurt to use regular. Having said that, I always use premium. lol

2. staggered or non-staggered. It doesn't matter. aMsupp said there will be less grip on rear, but c300 isn't all that powerfull to make it into consideration either. Upside of having narrower tire is increase in fuel consumption. But then, having narrow tires usually looks cheap.

3. Spacers are not something you need. With spacers, it will just look better.

aMsupp

1. It DOES hurt to use regular. Don't mislead him. It will run **** poorly, knock, and cause premature wear and tear.

2. The C300 has good torque, which is what's needed to break traction. It will break traction with narrower tires if you punch it.

3. Without spacers, the car will have ridiculously tucked rear tires and will look like a mexican show car without a dropped suspension. AKA

Just my .02!

shotgun_banjo

The canadian c250 doesnt have staggered wheels and I don't see a huge difference on the look at the rears. Only use premium everytime. only use the regular stuff in emergency situations only and don't rev and load the engine too much.

smileyworm

Thank you ALL for helping me!!!!

If the fronts are factory 7.5 and I am putting 8.5's on, will they look bad because they will be sticking out?

smileyworm

I am buying this 2011 car used with over 25,000 miles on it. This was a fleet vehicle and I am sure the engine was not taken care of. Any help with what maintenance I should do? Fuel additives, etc...

aMsupp

Measure an inch from where they're sitting now and physically see where they'll land. My guess is it will be close to "flush" on the fronts. Then your rears will be way tucked unless you add a large spacer (around 50 mm - 25 mm for getting that inch back from dropping wheel size and then another 25 mm to match the inch gained up front).

kevink2

Actually,

1) the front and rear oem staggered wheels have different offsets

2) the hub face separation, F & R, is the same as the C300 Lux model with 4 identical wheels.

3) the oem rear wheel offset puts all the extra tire width inboard, so the staggered setup has the same position of the wheel face, relative to the fender, as the non-staggered version.

4) 4 same wheels will NOT look wierd in the back.

.

kevink2

NO. see my reply above.

What you need to find out is what the offset is for the new wheels.

Here is all the specs for W204 oem wheels:2008 OEM Wheels & Tires

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finger360

Yea, the grade of fuel doesn't necessarily mean quality; the main difference in the grades is the compression which the fuel ignites properly under. Higher grades combust at higher pressures is all. Hope this helps.


Also, yea I recently purchased a C300 too; my biggest gripe is knowing that the wheels are different sizes so I don't know what to do as far as rotating tires. I guess we just don't do that?

aMsupp

Like a newb, I forgot about mentioning this before posting. Like he said, you need the offset on your new wheels, then do math by knowing the offset of your current wheels and figure out how to space them. Also didn't realize the rears were 8.5s - I don't know why I thought they were 9.5s... brain fart. The rears won't look too tucked at all.

Thanks for correcting my bad info kevink2.

white46

I will not carry on with regular-premium debate. As for traction, we are comparing between 225 vs 245 tires with about or less than 200lb. Realistically it won't make much difference on regular driving. Maybe has little effect on auto-cross session or track days. But then, if the OP is considering about these events, he won't be asking these questions either.
As for spacers, like you said, are for looks only. Generally speaking, on staggered setup, front wheels have lower offset than rear. So if you install front wheels on rear, due to lower offset, the wheels aren't tucked as bad.

smileyworm

The car is getting painted before I pick it up and I took a peek at the tires. 225 in front and 245 in the rear.

RLE

Stock wheels if 18" are 8" in front & 8.5 in back.

RLE

Sure we do. Swap left to right and right to left, assuming they are not directional.

kevink2

The math most likely is not needed. Simply put, the distance between front hub faces, is the same for the common wheeled Lux models AND the Sport versions with staggered wheels. The same is true for the rear hub separation.

So if you buy 4 identical wheel/tire pairs, and the the tire and wheel are like stock C300 fronts, 225/45-17 tires and 47mm offset wheels, the look and exact dimensions will be identical to a stock Lux model.

It just goes back to historic info on what wheel offset and tire size fits.

.

smileyworm

I have ordered falken 7m wheels. They are 18 inch and 8 inch deep. They are telling me that I will not notice the difference between the front and back regarding the depth. Are they blowing smoke? My stock are 7.5 in the front and 8.5 in the rear

Sportstick

8" wheels replacing 7.5 in front and 8.5 in rear works fine. Search for my thread on Powerwheels Pro AMG reps. I'm working with 17s, but the idea is the same. I actually kept staggered tires on 8" wheels all around, which also fit perfectly. Three years later, and doing fine. Check the photos in the thread.

kevink2

Re-read my post #12, read item 4) several times

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DonjuanOriginal

[QUOTE=finger360;5399229]Yea, the grade of fuel doesn't necessarily mean quality; the main difference in the grades is the compression which the fuel ignites properly under. Higher grades combust at higher pressures is all. Hope this helps.


sorry to high jack this tread. But your right grade doesn't always mean quality. Gas price dropped in toronto recently so i treated the benz with some 94 octane. Horrible fuel economy I got on this tank. you just never know what fuel quality your getting these days. But OP use 91 or higher. always. good luck with your wheels and tires.

Matt_Eurojerks

Look at the offset calculator in my signature. Then go measure on your car. When you see the actual difference you will be relieved.