Lowered 2009 W204: Winter Wheel/Tire Options?
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jul 2014
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From: Delaware/NJ
2009 Manual C300 Sport
Lowered 2009 W204: Winter Wheel/Tire Options?
I am currently trying to find a set of winter wheels and tires for my wife's manual 2009 C300 Sport (lowered, currently with staggered 19" wheels).
Winters are tough on wheels and I don't foresee myself doing a whole lot of wheel cleaning in the freezing weather, therefore I do NOT want to keep the nice wheels she has on the car right now from November to March (I thought of buying All-Season tires for her current wheels but I don't feel they are sufficiently safe...).
Then, an additional concern is that the car is about 2" lower than stock. This makes picking a wheel/tire combo more challenging (i could take it to a shop and have them evaluate the proper setup, but I wanted to try to figure it out myself).
Finally, I want my wife to have the highest level of winter grip available in this manual car, but she doesn't want it to look plain. I'd like something at least 18" in diameter, but can that be achieved without rubbing with this lowered suspencion???
I am pretty sure a staggered wheel setup for winter is out of the question as it already seems tough to find a wide selection of 18" winter tires, but I figured some of you here have already confronted this dilemma with lowered cars and might have some advice.
At the very least, some ideas on wheel types for winter driving would be helpful.
Thank you so much!
Winters are tough on wheels and I don't foresee myself doing a whole lot of wheel cleaning in the freezing weather, therefore I do NOT want to keep the nice wheels she has on the car right now from November to March (I thought of buying All-Season tires for her current wheels but I don't feel they are sufficiently safe...).
Then, an additional concern is that the car is about 2" lower than stock. This makes picking a wheel/tire combo more challenging (i could take it to a shop and have them evaluate the proper setup, but I wanted to try to figure it out myself).
Finally, I want my wife to have the highest level of winter grip available in this manual car, but she doesn't want it to look plain. I'd like something at least 18" in diameter, but can that be achieved without rubbing with this lowered suspencion???
I am pretty sure a staggered wheel setup for winter is out of the question as it already seems tough to find a wide selection of 18" winter tires, but I figured some of you here have already confronted this dilemma with lowered cars and might have some advice.
At the very least, some ideas on wheel types for winter driving would be helpful.
Thank you so much!
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Joined: Jan 2009
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From: Southwest USA
Another round of ICE
I am currently trying to find a set of winter wheels and tires for my wife's manual 2009 C300 Sport (lowered, currently with staggered 19" wheels).
Winters are tough on wheels and I don't foresee myself doing a whole lot of wheel cleaning in the freezing weather, therefore I do NOT want to keep the nice wheels she has on the car right now from November to March (I thought of buying All-Season tires for her current wheels but I don't feel they are sufficiently safe...).
Then, an additional concern is that the car is about 2" lower than stock. This makes picking a wheel/tire combo more challenging (i could take it to a shop and have them evaluate the proper setup, but I wanted to try to figure it out myself).
Finally, I want my wife to have the highest level of winter grip available in this manual car, but she doesn't want it to look plain. I'd like something at least 18" in diameter, but can that be achieved without rubbing with this lowered suspencion???
I am pretty sure a staggered wheel setup for winter is out of the question as it already seems tough to find a wide selection of 18" winter tires, but I figured some of you here have already confronted this dilemma with lowered cars and might have some advice.
At the very least, some ideas on wheel types for winter driving would be helpful.
Thank you so much!
Winters are tough on wheels and I don't foresee myself doing a whole lot of wheel cleaning in the freezing weather, therefore I do NOT want to keep the nice wheels she has on the car right now from November to March (I thought of buying All-Season tires for her current wheels but I don't feel they are sufficiently safe...).
Then, an additional concern is that the car is about 2" lower than stock. This makes picking a wheel/tire combo more challenging (i could take it to a shop and have them evaluate the proper setup, but I wanted to try to figure it out myself).
Finally, I want my wife to have the highest level of winter grip available in this manual car, but she doesn't want it to look plain. I'd like something at least 18" in diameter, but can that be achieved without rubbing with this lowered suspencion???
I am pretty sure a staggered wheel setup for winter is out of the question as it already seems tough to find a wide selection of 18" winter tires, but I figured some of you here have already confronted this dilemma with lowered cars and might have some advice.
At the very least, some ideas on wheel types for winter driving would be helpful.
Thank you so much!
The two best winter tires around now that I know of are Michelin X-Ice xi3 and Bridgestone Blizzak WS70, so those are the ones I would check for size availability.
Full disclosure: If you wind up looking for 17, I am selling OE 17" wheels in another thread. They are staggered 7.5" front and 8.5" rear. According to 1010tires.com, 225/45-17 NON-staggered tires can be acceptably fitted to both of those rim widths. However, you can also order a complete mounted/balanced 17" winter set from tirerack.com drop-shipped to your door or your local installer, although their wheel prices might be above what I am seeking. If you get wheels from them, you might even be able to fit 215/50-17, which are even narrower (better!).
More questions?
Thread Starter
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Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 106
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From: Delaware/NJ
2009 Manual C300 Sport
Thank you for this.
You are totally right.
17" wheels instead of wider 18" wheels will make it a safer car.
I still have to investigate the clearance in the wheel wells and such so as to not have it rubbing.
In the meanwhile, link me to your wheel listing...
Thank you!!!
You are totally right.
17" wheels instead of wider 18" wheels will make it a safer car.
I still have to investigate the clearance in the wheel wells and such so as to not have it rubbing.
In the meanwhile, link me to your wheel listing...
Thank you!!!
Your goal is to have as narrow a contact patch as possible in the winter for maximum traction. That will provide her the highest level of winter grip. If you're interested, we can discuss the physics later on, but narrower is better. The stock size for the W204 is 225/45-17, so you would not want to go wider than that. I have no idea about your setup and what would or would not rub, but one would think you can contain the base wheel for the winter. I know you want at least 18, but you would want then to find an 18" tire with a 225mm tread width. I don't know if that size exists, so you need to scan the tirerack.com size charts. Considering that you know enough to by-pass "all season" tires for the winter, I suggest that getting the optimal size tire (narrowest tread width) is more critical than the one inch differential in diameter for a few winter months!
The two best winter tires around now that I know of are Michelin X-Ice xi3 and Bridgestone Blizzak WS70, so those are the ones I would check for size availability.
Full disclosure: If you wind up looking for 17, I am selling OE 17" wheels in another thread. They are staggered 7.5" front and 8.5" rear. According to 1010tires.com, 225/45-17 NON-staggered tires can be acceptably fitted to both of those rim widths. However, you can also order a complete mounted/balanced 17" winter set from tirerack.com drop-shipped to your door or your local installer, although their wheel prices might be above what I am seeking. If you get wheels from them, you might even be able to fit 215/50-17, which are even narrower (better!).
More questions?
The two best winter tires around now that I know of are Michelin X-Ice xi3 and Bridgestone Blizzak WS70, so those are the ones I would check for size availability.
Full disclosure: If you wind up looking for 17, I am selling OE 17" wheels in another thread. They are staggered 7.5" front and 8.5" rear. According to 1010tires.com, 225/45-17 NON-staggered tires can be acceptably fitted to both of those rim widths. However, you can also order a complete mounted/balanced 17" winter set from tirerack.com drop-shipped to your door or your local installer, although their wheel prices might be above what I am seeking. If you get wheels from them, you might even be able to fit 215/50-17, which are even narrower (better!).
More questions?
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From: Southwest USA
Another round of ICE
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Joined: Jan 2014
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G63
17" with 225's winter tires is the way to go. I see no reason why the wheel diameter would cause issues in a lowered suspension.
I have staggered oem sport wheels that I plan to mount 225s all the ways around this winter.
The wheels sportstick has for sale look like a great deal (no affiliation)
I have staggered oem sport wheels that I plan to mount 225s all the ways around this winter.
The wheels sportstick has for sale look like a great deal (no affiliation)
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 106
Likes: 0
From: Delaware/NJ
2009 Manual C300 Sport
17" with 225's winter tires is the way to go. I see no reason why the wheel diameter would cause issues in a lowered suspension.
I have staggered oem sport wheels that I plan to mount 225s all the ways around this winter.
The wheels sportstick has for sale look like a great deal (no affiliation)
I have staggered oem sport wheels that I plan to mount 225s all the ways around this winter.
The wheels sportstick has for sale look like a great deal (no affiliation)
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 106
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From: Delaware/NJ
2009 Manual C300 Sport
No love for the Continentals XWC? They are giving the favored contenders a run for their money! Whew!!!!
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...180&viewPage=y
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...180&viewPage=y
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Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 106
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From: Delaware/NJ
2009 Manual C300 Sport
whoah, when you look at it like this you really see the full picture:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...r.jsp?ttid=180
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/...r.jsp?ttid=180
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From: The Jersey Shore
W204 Color: 090 / 1999 Honda Civic EX / 2003 Acura TL
i have a set of http://www.tirerack.com/tires/CompareTires.jsp for sale let me know i am local
Thread Starter
Member
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 106
Likes: 0
From: Delaware/NJ
2009 Manual C300 Sport
i have a set of http://www.tirerack.com/tires/CompareTires.jsp for sale let me know i am local
The link above takes me to a general TireRack page...
