nvestr

Hi all,

Winter is coming

Bought a set of 8 inch rims for winter. I bought them in 18 inch (I have the 19 AMG's for summer) and now need to put suitable winter tires on...

I was looking at the Bridgestone Blizzak LM-32 - they are a performance winter tire. Translation: Better on dry, better in deep snow but worse on hard pack & ice vs conventional winter tires that have high silica content (such as Blizzak WS-80). The LM-32's are sportiers and should be less wobbly on dry pavement... should also be quieter and last longer than WS-80's. Just not sure how worse the ice stopping distance will be...

Also, LM-32's don't come in the perfect size. OEM 18" size is 225/45R18. The LM-32's don't come in that size. I have option of 225/40R18 (3.53% speedo error) or 235/45R18 (-1.35% speedo error).

The WS-80's do come in the correct size.

For an 8 inch rim, do we agree that the 235 would make sense?

Looking for opinions!

Tej7

Depending on where you live, wouldn't it make more sense to get tires that are able to perform on ice vs. snow? I've driven through brutal winters, and have never had issues stopping in snowy conditions. It's the ice that you have to watch out for. Personally, I would use the WS-80's or something similar for peace of mind.

nvestr

Thanks - the pragmatic guy in me agrees with you, but on the other hand I would feel bad not being able to do any real spirited driving during those 4-5 months if I have minivan-grade tires on it... (WS-80)... It is a very sporty sedan, afterall...

I too, have never had any real issue stopping in deep snow, but staying on the road when there's a few inches on the highway can be challenging so I see value in having a tire that is exceptional in snow... The times I haven't felt confident during all of my years driving in Atlantic Canada winters have been on the highway going in and out of other people's ruts (before the plow has had a chance to clear them).

The WS-80's are also less expensive... it's a tough call!

Tej7

Haha, I'm subscribing to this thread because I'll be in the same situation as you once my car arrives. Hopefully other members can chime in and provide their opinions/experiences.

uptownman

I put my winter wheels that I had from my 2011 W204 C63 on my 2015 C400 and they worked perfectly... 235/40/18 NOKIAN WRs all around on 18x8.5 replica wheels. No issues at all. Not sure if this would work on a C450, but just wanted to throw that out there.

Tej7

Won't work for the 450 because the offsets are slightly different for the front.

inhartwetrust

I will be going with a square setup with thinner tires. Of the Blizzak's you mentioned I'd go with the WS-80.

flagman

I am starting my winter wheel & tire shopping as well, and plan to go with 18's like you - - can you share where you found the wheels to fit the C450, and exact brand/model/width & offset?

As far as tires go, I would probably opt for the WS80's. I figure if you're going to go to the trouble of buying winter wheels and tires, get the ones that provide the best winter traction and give up the sporty aspect for a few months (mid-Nov to end of March around here)

Just FYI, had a set of Hankook Ice Bear winter tires on my C350's, and they were great in the snow and sporty enough on dry pavement. I think they have been replaced by a different model - I think they're called iPike or something like that. They are also cheaper than Blizzaks. Might be worth looking into.

nvestr

The wheels I ordered are Fast Wheels FC04A :


http://www.1010tires.com/Wheels/Fast...80-44TN-30C726


Not my first choice but it was the best looking budget wheel I could find, plus it's relatively light for a cheap wheel (19 lbs I think)... It will be covered in salt all winter anyway...


8 inch wide, 30 offset. It will require hub centric rings because bore is larger than hub, but no big deal. Fast Wheels guarantees fitment and based on the measurements and the discussions in other threads, I think fitment won't be an issue. I pick them up tomorrow and may dry-fit them over the weekend to be sure...


I also bought a set of 4 TPMS sensors off of Amazon for $82... lol hopefully everything works and fits!!

flagman

Not a bad looking wheel. Let us know how it goes when you get them on the car. Based on other threads that discuss front wheel fitment, there is only about 10mm of clearance between the stock 7.5 inch wide front wheel and the control arm.According to the wheel offset calculator on 1010tires.com, the inside of the 8 inch wheel will be 3mm closer to the control arm. Hopefully 7mm is enough clearance.

nvestr

Fingers crossed - I think others have gotten away with getting more than 3mm closer to control arms, but we will soon find out!

flagman

Good luck! If it works out for you I'll definitely be visiting my local 1010tires location.

nvestr

Dry fit of wheels:

they fit!

Tej7

That is great news. I'll most likely be getting the same ones once my coupe arrives. Keep us updated on how the ride feels. I almost like the look better than the stock ones you've got haha.

nvestr

I, too, am pleasantly surprised with how they look and the quality of the finish for a $200 wheel... I definitely love my AMG wheels though!

Are you in Canada? These wheels are made in Quebec and I believe only distributed in Canada... Could be wrong though...

I also ordered Blizzak WS-80's in 225/45R18... Will post pics later once mounted and installed!

Tej7

Yes, I am in Canada. I visited the site you listed earlier, free shipping across Canada I'll probably visit my local kaltire and see what they have to offer, but if nothing peaks my interest, I'll go with your set up.

I'm still on the fence about getting winter tires. I'm undecided whether I'll just use all seasons, or throw on a pair of winters. What do you guys think?

nvestr

To me, winter tires are a no brainer, even compared to All-Seasons. All-Seasons should really be called "Most-Seasons", but that wouldn't sell well...


It's all about compound - winter tires stay mushy in the colder temperatures whereas A/S and summers don't. Also, tires wear properly when driven in their appropriate temperatures : Summer tires get chewed up fast in freezing temps and the opposite is true for winters - they tend to get chewed up faster in mild or warmer driving...

uptownman

If you live in Canada or the northern US, you need winter tires!

Bueller178

Winter tires are cheap when you consider you save mileage on your summers and it could save lots of dough if they keep you out of the ditch.


I'm a Nokian Brand fan for winters.

flagman

Thanks for sharing this. Those are pretty nice wheels for the price. Hope they hold up well to winter conditions. I had a set of Fast wheel for my winter set up on an 05 TL, and after 4 winters the finish was starting to flake off one of them. Maybe it was just my bad luck.

Looking at your 2nd photo, the one that shows the inner edge of the rim - it would seem that once the tire is mounted you may have an issue - normally the sidewall of the tire projects beyond the rim edge, doesn't it? That would put it very close to the joint seen in the photo. Hope it works for you - keep us updated when you get your tires on. Thanks

nvestr

Good point and I was fearful of that as well... That being said, I bought 225/45R18 tires so they are on the narrower range for an 8 inch wide rim... I don`t think they will project out too much, but I can`t say I know for sure...

The other thing to consider is that in the photo, the car is lifted on a jack and the suspension is at full extension. Once the car car is on the ground, the control arms will fold up and should move the tire away from the suspension... Not sure by how much but I noticed a lot of vertical movement when I lowered the vehicle back on the tire... At least that is what I think happens, this photo seems to show that as well :




Hopefully I`m right about that... my tires aren't in yet so can't try yet with tires...

And as for the wheels chipping - you can`t expect cheap rims to last forever with constant exposure to salt. Getting 4 seasons out of these would be fine by me... I have a 39 month lease anyway and there`s a good chance my next car will have different wheel sizes or offset configurations so not a major issue for me...

flagman

Good point on the geometry change - hopefully that will increase the clearance. Fingers crossed!
Even though one of my TL's Fast wheels was chipped, I was still able to sell the set on Kijiji so you are quite right - no big deal.

Xtrema

Great minds think alike..... I ordered mine on Sep 12 and didn't even see this thread.

Attachment 443093
Attachment 443094

Just got these on last week but I still went for stagger.

Front: 18x8 +30mm with 225/45/18
Rear: 18x9 +40mm with 245/40/18

Pirelli Winter Zottozero 3.

As for Blizzak LM vs WS, it depends if you are dealing with just temperature or temperature with snow/ice. WS is better on Ice but LM keep the performance on dry. I had both and each got it's pluses and minus when it comes to powerful performance sedans. I prefer LM because WS is softer on cornering and not as confident on dry pavement. And I'm in Calgary and we have chinooks that ice/snow usually don't stick around for long. But our neighbor to the North, Edmonton, tends to have frozen ice on road for months. I would definitely pick WS if I live there.

It's also why I went with Pirelli this time, just to see how it fairs since it's been so well reviewed. So far it seems to be on par with LM on dry -5c weather. Have no way to test ice performance yet.

As for the rims, the price is right. Even cheap knock off are almost $170cdn per wheel at Costco and these are not much more than that. And originally I was going for OZ that is 1 lb heavier than at least $100 more than these FC04s. As long as they don't fail structurally, I'm happy.

yungkek

.

flagman

Great to know they fit. Thanks for the photos. i will definitely suggest these to my local shop - going to see them tomorrow for some test fits of wheels they carry. One looks very similar to what you have except in black finish.