New Wheels 18" or 19"
 

Fellas - I'm looking to give my stock C32 a fresh look. But I have doubts about 18" vs 19". I know bigger almost always looks better. But I want to avoid rubbing. Not to mention I think replacing 19" tires is a bit more $$ than 18"?

I currently have H&R springs. And the car is a frequent family car. Any thoughts? Your feedback is appreciated.

it'll only rub if you have the wrong tires and offset.

Assuming you're still on the stock 17" AMG twin-spoke wheels, I'd recommend you go +1 to 18", given what you mentioned.

I don't think rubbing is a problem with 19s as long as you're extremely careful with the widths and offsets, and I'd agree that 19s probably look better - but 18s still look great on w203 cars, and yes the total price should be substantially less (18" wheels cost somewhat less than 19s, but 18" tires in the correct C32 sizes/aspect ratios cost waaaay less than the ridiculous prices that ultra-low profile 19" tires cost - not to mention more tire choices among the 18" sizes). I'd highly recommend you visit www.tirerack.com and www.discounttiredirect.com to view some wheels on your car, and get an idea of potential pricing - also check out the forum galleries to see 18s and 19s on w203 c-class cars

Also, you'd be less likely to bend/crack a rim on a pothole with 18s, and the ride should be a bit more bearable for the rest of the family during those multi-passenger trips. Anyway, that's my $0.02 - good luck in your search!!

:y

And Donn go with 18's. My daily EVO with 18's with the correct
offset hasn't given me any problems, even sitting a total of 4
people in it.

I've used both H&R springs and Renntech springs (both with #4 pads in the rear). I have 19" Bremmas. They rub in the back over bumps. I have ground away a lot of material from the wheel well but they still rub. It's very annoying and embarrassing when there is a passenger in the car.

I would have went with 18" Bremmas if they had a rear lip, but they don't.

Agree with this. I will suggest you to go with 18" too. Good luck

it'll also depend on the tire.

on my Carlsson 1/5 18x9 ET35, I rubbed like hell on a Bridgestone S-03 but none at all with the Toyo T1-R

I have PS2s

Go with the correct fitment 19's and Toyo T1R's. Run a 255 width tire in the rear instead of 265 if you're afraid of rubbing. Price difference between 18" and 19" tires are minimal.

if you dont mind me asking, what's the offset on your LMs?

+32mm all around.

LMs are ET32, 8.5F and 9.5R

Ling you beat me to it :D

Damn Robert. I keep wanting to squash that bug in your sig.... :D

EVO + Turbo'd M3 + C32 = :bow:

18's on my C32 AMG
 

I went +1 on mine. Here's a pic. I sold it in December after buying my 03 S55 AMG in October.

Unless you have extremely flat and beautiful roads and don't ever plan on driving on gravel and/or crappy downtown streets I would go with the 18's. 18's are rough enough.

I'd say 18!

Ditto. I went from 17" stock to 18" AMG double-spokes purchased off TireRack and am very satisfied.

I don't think you'll see a big difference between 18"s and 19"s in harshness. I could barely tell between my stock 17"s and my 19"s. Mine only rub on very large bumps and occasionally when there are 4 or more people in the car.

you are right. there aren't a whole lot difference.

the weight is more important, but you are less likely to bent the 18" that's for sure.

I've driven through some insane pot holes with my 19" Bremmas. A few times I was sure that I bent a rim, but so far nothin.

and chicago is known for it's smooth roads :rolleyes:

I hit a man hole the other day and popped one of my F1's. The rim didn't bend, it just pinched the tire between the man hole and the rim and sliced it.

Thank god for the warranty on the tires.

If I could do it again, I would have went with light weight 18's.

you could do it again. we have a classifieds section :y