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Any C450 Guys W/19" Wheels? Pre Purchase Ride Question
Deal is done, just need to drive 5 hours to Alabama to pick it up. It has the 19" multi spoke. All the C450 I've test driven have been on 18". I drove so many variations of W205 back to back I lost track.
I recall the C450 suspension in Comfort on 18" to be pretty firm. Not uncomfortably so. Sport was pushing it. Sport + was way too much.
I don't want to get there and decide it's too firm. Anybody with some experience in a C450 on 19 v 18's?
It's not the end of the world if the 19's are too stiff...I can always grab a set of 18" and stow the 19's in the garage until the lease turn in, but I'm hoping not to have to.
Ready for pickup already, that was quick. Congrats.
I have the split 19" and although it's firm and a bit rough, even on Comfort, I'm used to it because of my previous vehicle & setup.
This wasn't an ordered car, just happened to match my colors and equipment specs. I can walk away if I'm not into the ride quality. What was your previous vehicle/set up?
Yeah, I'm kinda old and I'm coming from an S Class. Those 19's sound like a recipe for disaster. Anyone have a source for some decent looking staggered 18"? My understanding is sizes are 7.5 ET 35 fronts and 8.5 ET 49 rears.
I'm not that old, but I have lower back issues. There isn't much of a difference in terms of roughness between the two. The 19" enables (relatively) better/tighter cornering compared to the 18", and they look better - except the ugly 5 branches doubles
I recently drove the 450 sedan - the 450 was with 19", it's okay if you keep the suspension in comfort and set the rest in sport or sport +. The 18" is marginally better in city drive/highway, but it looks so ordinary. If I entered either cars blind folded, I wouldn't necessarily be able to tell the difference.
This wasn't an ordered car, just happened to match my colors and equipment specs. I can walk away if I'm not into the ride quality. What was your previous vehicle/set up?
Infiniti on coilovers with 19's; rough and rugged but handled like a beauty.
Originally Posted by Mike5215
Yeah, I'm kinda old and I'm coming from an S Class. Those 19's sound like a recipe for disaster. Anyone have a source for some decent looking staggered 18"? My understanding is sizes are 7.5 ET 35 fronts and 8.5 ET 49 rears.
HRE Flowform's are excellent from style to more importantly the quality. Then there's the forged options from HRE or ADV1 but now we're talking $$$$
I'm not that old, but I have lower back issues. There isn't much of a difference in terms of roughness between the two. The 19" enables (relatively) better/tighter cornering compared to the 18", and they look better - except the ugly 5 branches doubles
I recently drove the 450 sedan - the 450 was with 19", it's okay if you keep the suspension in comfort and set the rest in sport or sport +. The 18" is marginally better in city drive/highway, but it looks so ordinary. If I entered either cars blind folded, I wouldn't necessarily be able to tell the difference.
Thanks! Agree the 5 spoke, which would normally be my preference, is underwhelming on the C. I think the problem is the black or grey painted finish. They'd look better in straight silver.
I thought you said the c450 was too stiff and you already got a c300 with airmatic
Yeah,the 300 with AirMatic was going to have to be an ordered car and I didn't want to commit before the E debuted. I decided to take another look at the 450 but I really didn't remember what was objectionable about the ride. I'd also only driven a 450 on 18" wheels, and on a small car without air an inch of sidewall can make a difference.
Today I drove a couple hours to drive 450 on 19' and it felt fine. I had a good frame of reference with two hours in the S Class and the 450 is a tighter car in general but on Comfort the ride was still compliant.
I have the 18" on the C450 and it rides fine. I've always had bad luck with potholes and nails so I wasn't going 19". The multispoke looks to be a pain to clean and the other one is pretty ugly. I had an E350 before with 18" and its just a little stiffer. The power though is great
I have the 18" on the C450 and it rides fine. I've always had bad luck with potholes and nails so I wasn't going 19". The multispoke looks to be a pain to clean and the other one is pretty ugly. I had an E350 before with 18" and its just a little stiffer. The power though is great
I'm shocked that the relatively non sporty multi spoke are my favorites of the available C450 wheels, although if available I'd take the silver split 5 spoke from the C63 over all of them.
Funny how a lot of people don't like the split spoke 19's. I absolutely love them - not even a contest with me. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder - sounds a bit childish to call it ugly when obviously others disagree. The first time I saw the C450 in a photo was the official MB photoshoot and those are the wheels they chose:
The split spoke was also the wheel that was on the car for the unveiling at the major auto shows, so clearly a lot of people like them too
I think they look fantastic and sporty - less elegant than the multispoke but the C450 is not meant to be elegant, it's a sport model. I do have to say that I do not like the split spoke wheels in Titanium Grey - they need to be bi-color to look good, IMO.
I also like that the split spoke is only available on the C450, can't be ordered on the C300 so it gives it a bit of exclusivity.
As for ride, I test-drove a C450 on 19's and found it less harsh than I expected it to be. I come from a Acura TL SH-AWD on 19's - very stiff suspension on those so I guess I`m used to it...
Funny how a lot of people don't like the split spoke 19's. I absolutely love them - not even a contest with me. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder - sounds a bit childish to call it ugly when obviously others disagree. The first time I saw the C450 in a photo was the official MB photoshoot and those are the wheels they chose:
The split spoke was also the wheel that was on the car for the unveiling at the major auto shows, so clearly a lot of people like them too
I think they look fantastic and sporty - less elegant than the multispoke but the C450 is not meant to be elegant, it's a sport model. I do have to say that I do not like the split spoke wheels in Titanium Grey - they need to be bi-color to look good, IMO.
I also like that the split spoke is only available on the C450, can't be ordered on the C300 so it gives it a bit of exclusivity.
As for ride, I test-drove a C450 on 19's and found it less harsh than I expected it to be. I come from a Acura TL SH-AWD on 19's - very stiff suspension on those so I guess I`m used to it...
I don't know why they call those wheels "split five spokes"...they're all split and almost no spoke. I prefer those over the 18" solid spoke. It gives it sort of a rally car look. I drove a TL, they are really stiff, which seemed silly since it's not a performance car.
I also took out a 2009 SL yesterday. Now that car is incredibly stiff and not in a good way.
With the multi spoke I'm going for more of an S600 thing...mild body look, monster motor.
Last edited by Mike5215; Jan 18, 2016 at 01:17 PM.
HRE Flowform's are excellent from style to more importantly the quality. Then there's the forged options from HRE or ADV1 but now we're talking $$$$
FlowForm Wheels are a great option that will not sacrifice the strength and quality that we all would love for long term usage. The benefit is that your wallet is a little bit lighter compared to a Forged option. All of our wheels come with our Lifetime Structural warranty to make sure that there are no worries with damage.
Deal is done, just need to drive 5 hours to Alabama to pick it up. It has the 19" multi spoke. All the C450 I've test driven have been on 18". I drove so many variations of W205 back to back I lost track.
I recall the C450 suspension in Comfort on 18" to be pretty firm. Not uncomfortably so. Sport was pushing it. Sport + was way too much.
I don't want to get there and decide it's too firm. Anybody with some experience in a C450 on 19 v 18's?
It's not the end of the world if the 19's are too stiff...I can always grab a set of 18" and stow the 19's in the garage until the lease turn in, but I'm hoping not to have to.
Thanks!
I've driven a C450 with both the 18's & 19's, I'd say the 19's in comfort is equivalent to the 18's in sport mode.
I've driven a C450 with both the 18's & 19's, I'd say the 19's in comfort is equivalent to the 18's in sport mode.
Yeah, exactly how I'd describe 19" vs 20" on the S Class. 19" in Sport feels like 20" on Comfort. I live in Florida so the roads are generally smooth and pothole free, I'm just used to the S Class very smooth and insulated ride, but that's exactly what attracted me to the C450...It's a change.
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