Teju Ben Mafe

Noob here, Have Mercy.

I have no plans to change my 2008 w204 c180 1.8L yet.

It came with 17inch rims and i'm due a tyre change. I think i wanna freshen things up a bit by upgrading the rims too.

Its my daily ride, i do loads of city driving to work and on the weekends i usually have some gear in it (powered audio speakers, turntables, dj mixer etc) for my weekend DJ gigs.

I'm on stock suspension and have no plans of lowering the car.

I have read through the "wheels and offsets FAQ page" and i think the conclusion on that page regarding offsets is Front 45 - 47 (18 and 19inch) Rear 50ishh

I ve been browsing many online shops on this side of the pond (UK) and even if you select a staggered set up the "Highest" Offset I've seen for Rear wheels is 45.
I like the 3SDM 0.01 8.5x19 (Front) & 9.5x19 (Rear) ET42 (Front) & ET40 (Rear)

Now comes the question,

1. Will this "Poke"? I like my wheels to be as flush as possible, i dont want any poking and i will also like a bit of leeway cos my weekend "haulage".

2. There are loads of speed bumps on my daily route, should i stick with 18s rather 19s?

3. The "recommended" tyres with the 19 set up from the online retailer is Size: 225/35/19 (Front) + 255/30/19 (Rear). Will i be Ok with this?

Never knew buying wheels could be this tedious.

I dont want to go the custom route, they will probably charge a Kidney for that sorta work here.

Thanks

dolvio

Hey bud,

Yea it is a process to get that perfect fit and it all depends on if you are lowering the car and what tire you are running. If you drive a ton and have crappy roads, the larger wheels may start to bother you after a while. Walking up to your car you will love it, but driving you may not enjoy so much.

The tire sizes you stated are fine but I would go for a higher offset in the rear. Like 45+. But you are not lowering it so it will not matter as much. If you go 19's you will want to lower the car as it will look a little funny...

If you plan to keep stock suspension, why not roll the 18 inch AMG wheels....? I think those look so sharp and also big at the same time.

Cheers,

A.

Sentosa

Those tyre sizes will be stretched on your rims(8.5 and 9.5). I would at least step up to 235 front and 265 on the rear with those rim sizes. Gives a bit more protection to your rims from gutter rash.

Teju Ben Mafe

Thank you very much for your quick responses.

I shelved the idea of buying the rims online. I walked into a wheel shop and the dude there tried 19s and 18s for me.

He told me that the drive wouldn't exactly be comfortable on 19s. He recommended 18s since i want to keep stock suspension. So i placed a order for the Wheels in this specs 18 x 8 ET 45 (Front & Rear) with 225/40 tyres. He didnt have the tires available so we couldn't try it, but thats the tyres he said i should go with.

I was going to go with the staggered set up but i'm just a regular driver, besides he says it will take 6 weeks for him to get the Rear as 18 x 9 if i want to stagger it.

I will be fitting on wednesday and if i dont like it i can order the 9.

Fingers crossed.

dolvio

I would definitely go 245+ tires in the back... Stock on my car is 245... 225 will look pretty thin in my opinion. go 255 if you can and get the 9 inch rim. You will like the look of it better. The 225's up front will be good for steering

Teju Ben Mafe

Can i put the 245+ on the 18 x 8 (ET 45) at the Rear?

What specific one will be good 245/35/18 or ???

My tires are pretty shot at the moment, doubt if they or me can wait the 6 weeks to get the 18 x 9

dolvio

Yes you can. M3's have this on the fronts I think. I would hold out for proper fit.. get a 9 inch and 265 on back.

dj_marv

OP here again. Just posting with a different account.

The update.

I have scoured every online retailer here. I can't find much options in 18s staggered with 45+ offsets .

I found a deep concave web design I like its specs are
Front 18 x 8.5 ET 45
Rear 18 x 9.5 ET 40

Can I work with this?

Front 225/40/18
Rear 245/35/18

http://www.wheelbasealloys.com/18_In...oy_Weels__6403

What do you think of the ET 40 at the rear?

I just can't find any wheel with a 50+ offset for the rear in 18s without overshooting my budget or going custom.

dolvio

I wouldnt have a 40 in the rear with a 245 tire on that wide of a rim. You could run 275 on that. 40 offset and your rim will stick out.

dj_marv

So that won't work.

ET 45 all around , 8 x 18 all around, 225/40 front, 245/35 rear is what I'm left with.

Last option will be to buy America as they stock 50+ offsets. I don't want to have to go through that route basically because of import duties I will have to cough up.

Sentosa

Even with 8" rims up front I would go with 235/40/18. Rears will be fine. My setup is 8"F and 9"R and with 225F and 255R they are stretched. I am about to buy new tyres and I am getting 235F and 265F Nitto's.

dj_marv

It's the rear that I'm confused about really. Since the wheels are only available in 8 x 18 ET 45 (Rear) which is the same as the front. I'm trying to Stagger, and Dolvio advised me to get a 18 x 9 for the rear with 245+ tyres. That's proving to be near impossible really.

dolvio

Hey buddy,

If you want a true staggered look you will need to get at least a one inch wider rim in the back and run a tire that is 20mm larger than the front. Like 225/245 or 235/255, etc. If you are going with 18x8 all around I would go with 225/245. If you can get a 18x9 I would run 235/265.

Adam

dj_marv

Thanks Adam.

the retailers here don't have the rims 18s staggered.

even the 18" AMG Style Wheels stocked here comes in only one width 18 x 8.


it's only when you move up to 19" that they offer you different width/stagger. I'm guessing it's a demand/supply thing.


I've seen many US online stores carrying 18" with wider rears.

Sentosa

So why note go with a staggered set of 19 x 8, 19 x 9 and 235/35 front and 265/35 rear. Make sure the offsets are OK.

By the way where are you at?

dj_marv

Too scared to go with the 19s, i ve read so much stuff on here not to make me go 19s

Stuff like getting "skinny tires" etc, who has the time for that. Falkens 452, Sumitumos etc. What happens if they stop making those tyres. lol

Read stuff about folks doing everything "right" but still ended up rubbing on 19s.

I dont have the luxury of going to the garage to try out tires. They aint exactly a friendly bunch down here.

Yeah i'm in Dublin, Ireland

I think the safe option is for me to get 18s staggered from America.

I was going to get one of the AMG reps but with the extra 350 its gonna cost to ship to me, i think i will just cop, either a Mandrus or TSW. They make offsets in the Merc range F45 R53.

Sentosa

So long as you go with the correct offsets and wheel/tyre combo you should not have any problem with rubbing because the overall diameter of the setup remains the same.

Take a look at Vic Vipers post on his wheel/tyre setup.

I am surprised you can't get a varied selection of wheels/tyres from across the Irish Sea.

dolvio

Hey buddy,

19's would be totally fine on your car without issues.. I am going to be putting 20's on next year. 19's will be just fine and there are tons of tire sizes. Also, if you are getting something from America anyways... get what you want... I like the 19 inch replicas and just do some research on the right offsets and tires. Post a pic of your car please...!

dj_marv

Are you lowered or on after market springs/coilovers?

Is your car a C63 or the C300?

Mine is a C180 Avantagarde which i think will be equivalent in terms of options and mechanics to the US C300/250.

dj_marv

Here is what it looks like now.

17 inch rims all corners

I was always ok with the rims but my tires are due a change now, plus the finance is up, so i thought i should freshen things up a bit with new bigger rims.

My choices are also attached. Decided to go with 19s now. But im restricting that to a narrow offset choice as recommended by the experienced folks in this forum FRONT ET 45 and REAR ET 53. Im not even looking at any brand or model that doesn't conform to this.

I'm a Silver kinda person, i dont really like dark rims especially on a black car. I dont like Meshy designs too on a Sedan/Salon/Limousine. I think they look better of Coupes and hot hatches.

in no order of preference, but in the order of attachement are my "choices" for now.

TSW Panorama Silver w/ Machined Face (Rotary Forged)
Mandrus Arrow Gunmetal w/ Mirror Cut Face (Rotary Forged)
TSW Rivage Hyper Silver

*the Mandrus arrow is Gunmetal, dunno if the "Mirror cut face" will give a silver look. It doesnt come in Silver, only Chrome/Gunmetal/Black.
I think chrome is overdone tbh.

Anyways, any suggestions lads before i pull the trigger.

Thanks

dolvio

First off. Nice car and looks well kept! Second, I am glad you are refreshing up your ride with some new wheels. I have a 2010 C250 4Matic. They have these in Canada and not the USA. It runs about 200 horsepower and a great city car for my work needs. I have C300 17 inch wheels on it right now and will be putting 20's next year.

As far as your rim choices you have the exact same taste as me. 5 Spoke are always awesome. My thoughts? Mandrus Arrow Gunmetal... In 19 inch, they will look huge and awesome on your car. Looks like you have done some good research on size and offsets... Keep us posted and can't wait to see them on there!!!

Adam

dj_marv

Thanks for the compliment. It just got a wash. Mine is 156hp lol. It's the 4 cylinder version. Europe style. this is big by other folks standard here. I think there was a 1.6L version that came out after mine. &lt;br /&gt;<br />
Most guys even drive diesels here. So the Mandrus eh, 1 vote. You are going to 20s straight from 17s. That's a huge jump

Sentosa

Go with the Hyper Silver. It will really make the car a standout. Like the style of rims too.

Did you see Vic Vipers wagon?

dj_marv

yeah I saw vipers wagon. that's a mean looking machine. he is running 20s on it. I ain't got the nuts for that.