hbadawi71

Hi All:

Want to put new wheels on a 2005 C55 I just bought. Understand that there are some offset limitations to look out for when switching wheels. I am thinking about putting some 19" wheels on.

What dimensions of wheels would you recommend (offset...)? I am trying to avoid spacers if I can.
What dimension tires would you recommend based on 19" wheels? I am trying to put as much rubber on the road as possible to help improve handling, which surprisingly is not as good as I thought it would be on an AMG?
I used to have 540i and a Mini Cooper S with JCW kit, and they handled a lot better. Thanks in advance for the information.

rlee02135

it'll depend on the wheel width and spoke design. my 8" ET35 clear a BBK. for 8.5", you'll need around ET30

rbaker

There are very few real "performance" wheels available for C55's and their siblings, unless you want to go for some custom offset wheels like HRE's or something silly. What you might want to try (and what I have) are 10mm H&R spacers up front to widen the track & reduce understeer. Be sure to get the correct one's made specially for the front of MBZ's that fit the hub correctly, along with longer bolts. Then get some washers & put them on the lower strut mounts (essentially spacing the strut bottom away from the hub). This will add about 0.5 degree neg camber. Then adjust the toe in to nearly 0 up front, and about 1/32-1/16" at the rear. This should improve the turn in greatly & improve front grip. You can also run sticky tires, and even go 1 size wider.

Funny you mention your Mini, as I also have an S with JCW and some other track prep. The AMG will never have turn in like that... My M3 also has better balance & turn in, but neither has the luxury or effortless power of the AMG.

JDC55

The Volks I got for my car have more than enough room for a BBK. 19x8.5 +31 19x9.5 +37

hbadawi71

Thanks rbaker. I called the local Discount Tire stores and they would not even install spacer, nonetheless the stuff you mentioned. Where else do you suggest I take my car to get these things installed? Thanks in advance.

rbaker

Hmm, not sure really, I guess that depends on where you live. You could always just have Discount mount the tires, then install the wheels on the car yourself. The H&R spacers I have up front are completely hub & wheel centric, which means they have the correct centering lips for the hub & wheel. No vibration or issues whatsoever, long as the bolts are torqued OK (which is mandatory for any wheel!).

If you have a jack & torque wrench, you could just buy the spacers & try installing them yourself, behind the stock wheels to see if you like it. It's really simple & I think the total cost was around $120 or so for bolts & spacers. I bought mine from the guys below:

http://www.purems.com/products/product.php/II=1899

Just call them & tell them your application (make sure you tell them the "hub & wheel centric ones for the FRONT of a MBZ) and they'll set you up with the correct bolts. I don't remember the model # or bolt length off the top of my head.

The washers behind the struts are also super easy to install once you have the wheel off. You may have to find a race style alignment shop to do it for you, as a regular "joe blow" shop may not even know what the heck you're talking about.

rbaker

I do like the look of those Volks... I think the problem when I looked at them is the only size that fit was 19" dia, and I really prefer 18's for the greater number of track tire choices.

drexappeal

I was totally looking at those rims before, but they didn't have multipiece versions. Great choice.

drexappeal

Also, I have et 32 on my Superleggera III's w/ 030 brake upgrade. Works perfect. Lots of clearance.

JDC55

I believe they have a 18" option. I went with the 19" because my track days are over.