C32 AMG, C55 AMG (W203) 2001 - 2007

17 in the front wheels and 18 in the rear...

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Old 05-01-2019, 05:54 PM
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2001 ML55 Designo, 2004 C32 AMG, RIP 2005 Volvo s40 2.4i
17 in the front wheels and 18 in the rear...

You read correctly folks. I have recently acquired a set of S55/CL55 amg monoblocks for very cheap. They are chrome and incredibly clean. My stock 17 monoblocks are also chrome and the fronts are clean but the rears are pitted and dirty. I tried to clean them and polish them but they remain dirty. I dont want to remove the chrome so I just kept it as is. I was thinking of just using the rear pair from the set I just bought. I would need 10mm spacers to fit them but I already have the bolts and tires. I dont care about how much heavier they are or how it would slightly affect the braking distance. The performance decrease is not substantial. It would be simply for aesthetics.

I don't believe this has been discussed before. I have found examples of this being done on other forums for other makes such as corvettes and some JDM cars. I read even the clk dtm has 19 in the front and 20 in the rears.

Our cars are rear wheel drive so they would benefit from wider tires. I am not going to buy the 18 c55 wheels because they are in the a good enough price range. These s55 ones were a steal and I intend to use them at some point.

So if anyone has an opinion on why it would could or should be mounted, I would love to read what you've to say. If you are against it, please post below as well. I am also interested in swapping all 17 in for the 18 ones and just get the tires for the fronts and spacers as well.


(also ignore the title since I did not re-read it...you can think less of me)
Old 05-06-2019, 05:46 PM
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I think I'm just going to do it. And if it seems off or too different then I will just buy the front spacers and install the 18 in wheels in the front too. I'll be sure to post pictures. Next paycheck will be going to spacers and tires
Old 05-06-2019, 06:03 PM
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Without more sidewall up front to compensate for the diameter difference, I'd say you're just going to add too much oversteer to the car. I'd honestly just go straight to the 18" setup and be done. Every car that comes with a double-staggered set up was specifically designed as such.
Old 05-08-2019, 04:52 PM
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Originally Posted by Accidental L8 apex
Without more sidewall up front to compensate for the diameter difference, I'd say you're just going to add too much oversteer to the car. I'd honestly just go straight to the 18" setup and be done. Every car that comes with a double-staggered set up was specifically designed as such.
Fair point. Since they are wider I guess I'll have to widen up the fronts too probably go 235 or 245 and 255 or 265 in the rear. You are correct when you say most of those setups have a design setup for staggered wheels. I just figured since w203 amg monoblocks are already staggered, the difference for 17 front and 18 rear would not be that big of a deal besides some spacers. Thank you for your reply

Old 05-08-2019, 08:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Oshkoshbigjosh
Fair point. Since they are wider I guess I'll have to widen up the fronts too probably go 235 or 245 and 255 or 265 in the rear. You are correct when you say most of those setups have a design setup for staggered wheels. I just figured since w203 amg monoblocks are already staggered, the difference for 17 front and 18 rear would not be that big of a deal besides some spacers. Thank you for your reply
Also, every double staggered setup I can think of is on a long, low hooded car with much more power than we have. Technically, even some of the front-engined ones are mid-engine since the front end is long enough to put the motor behind the front axle. I'd imagine our basic three-box design would need some specific suspension massaging to get a double staggered setup to work right under every condition. Comutting to work won't be in issue. A panic maneuver because someone decides to pull out in front of you might be downright dangerous.

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