Sunster

First post. Just bought a 2010 C250 and am on the whole very happy with it. The only thing that bugs me is the rather large 3 spoke steering wheel.
Does the forum have any tips or advice on how to go about changing/swapping this to one of the sportier smaller/thinker steering wheels whilst still keeping original airbag and controls in place?

Sportstick

https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...l-upgrade.html

http://www.ecklersmbzparts.com/merce...teering+Wheels

Read all this and come back with questions...either need a laptop to clear codes or disconnect battery first so car does not "read" missing airbag during the swap.

Sunster

Thanks for those links Sportstick.

Once purchased, is it easy to swap around? Bear in mind I have no mechanical skills or DIY experience (except with Ikea furniture!)

How much did the mod cost in total?

dolvio

I own this exact car. You get used to the wheel lol

Sunster

That's reassuring! Having previously owned the VW GTI, frustratingly trying to not only get used to the larger thinner wheel, but also having to rotate the wheel more than 180 degrees to turn a corner!

dolvio

Yea you will get used to it. I hates it at first as it felt like I was driving a bus lol. Just sit with it a bit and you wont care to change it

Sunster

Dolvio, time will tell though I've a bee on my bonnet about the wheel.
Should I also ask whether you felt tempted to get yours chipped to improve the performance, or do you get used to that too?

dolvio

Forget about the wheel for 3 months and see if it still bothers you. For the cost, it's not worth it. As far as performance, I am going to have my car tuned by Eurocharged when they are out in Vancouver in a couple weeks. Adds 20 horsies and 18 lbs or torque. Hardly going to be a rocket but I did not buy this car for that. You may also want to reset your transmission and it will then learn your driving style. I also drive in Sport a lot and the power is fine for me. If I wanted power I would have bought a C63. The cars you and I have are just a nice cruiser and decent on fuel. I have swapped out my wheels, tail lights, upgraded to HID's, and added a spoiler.

Adam

Sunster

Do you think the extra 20 horses will make a noticeable difference? Do the Eurocharger people move around? How much will that cost?

I drive mine in sport transmission also

dolvio

Nice colour... It will not make a huge difference but I do want the torque. They open up the files on your ECU and make some changes. They do have a place in Toronto. They go all over the place. Email this guy and you can reference me (Adam) in Vancouver waiting to have my car done by them. I heard the tranny may shift better also. It's about $500.

dolvio

mike@eurocharged.ca

Sunster

Nice one Adam. Just emailed him.
Keep in touch

Sportstick

I suppose one can get used to a lot of things, but is that the point of having a car like a Mercedes-Benz? There is no part of the car you hold and touch more than the steering wheel. Why should that not be as pleasing as possible? The wheel in my link above feels great! Thick, contoured, flat bottom rim is very nicely wrapped with leather, and because it uses an original Mercedes core, it reuses the original airbag hub. Of all possible mods, I think this one rates high on the priority list. But, if you've never done this before, let a dealer or good indy tech do the work. It can be quick (10 minutes) if you know what you're doing and have the right tools.

Sunster

I have to agree, the steering wheel is your connection to the car. Usually the first thing I look at in the interior. For me a new wheel and little more power and the car would be perfect for me for a good number of years. I'll evaluate in a month. Is it a simple buy the wheel and then maybe ask a local mechanic to switch it over you think?

Sportstick

I watched the entire process when I had my local independent MB tech do the job. It was ten minutes of unscrewing the hub from the rear and using the proper tool to pull the wheel off the shaft. New wheel goes on, replace the hub and done. That was up to the first five minutes. Longest time on one step was spent plugging in his laptop with the proper software to cancel the codes set by the car reacting to the airbag being temporarily disconnected...for that you either need someone who can work on MBs, although I've heard if you go through the process of disconnecting the battery first, the car essentially "sleeps" through the airbag removal and reinstallation and never registers it as having been disconnected. Not sure of other impacts, though....seems easier to just have the qualified tech clear the codes after the job is done. Another month? Why wait for this one? I believe the wheels are shipped from Germany (original MB rim core is used), so you may be waiting a bit anyway.

Sunster

Thanks for the advice

You can guess I'll be asking you guys sometime about your winter tire configuration next!

Sportstick

215/50-17 Blizzak WS70 on all four corners......done.

Sunster

What wheels did you get for them winter tires?

Just got a quote of $300 by a garage to change the steering wheel. How does that sound?

Sportstick

Quote is absurd.....at $100 per hour, it should be $50 or less. Try your dealer or another place. The one who gave the quote may not know how little is involved or it's a ripoff. When the dealer sees it's a genuine marked MB part under that great shape and leather, they should have no problem and should go by the labor op rate for what is a quick job....it's 10 minutes....literally, not figuratively!

I got a wheel/tire package from tirerack.com using Blizzaks on low cost Rial wheels (about $100 per wheel). They arrived mounted, balanced, with TPMS already installed. It's just a matter of removing lug nuts for a quick change each year!

Sunster

Thanks I'll reply to them on that

Not the 225/45s tires?
Which size wheels?

Sportstick

Ask them how much time they assumed? If the shop rate is about $109/hour, ask to watch and pay for actual time, if they agree to that. Let them know the car will throw a code so they need their shop laptop ready to clear the airbag code. If they don't stall, it's 10 minutes.

For winter, you want a narrower footprint for improved traction. Given the constant weight of the car, having a smaller area of contact results in increased psi down force to cut through snow, rather than ride on top of it like wearing a wider snowshoe (exaggeration, but makes the point). The difference in overall circumference is negligible, and the tire size calculator on 1010 tires shows 1.97% variance, a non-issue. At 62.14mph indicated, you would be traveling at 63.36, a 1.22 mph difference which is not a problem for the car, and worth the traction benefit. If that still bothers you, the original 225/45-17 size for some Blizzak WS70s is quite workable too. For the 215/50-16, tirerack.com can set you up with some 17x7 or 17x7.5 wheels. For the OE tire size, 17x7.5 or 17x8 will work fine at all four corners.

Sportstick

Sorry....just recalled you're in Ottawa.....speedo showing 100kph would actually be 101.97 with the 215/60-17.