Chap

Hi
I am new here. Searched through the forum but didn't seem to find the answer I need.
I have placed order with the dealer but still struggling between 18" star spoke or 19" multi spoke. The dealer said almost 90% of 19" owners get a flat tire and he showed me one with spare tire immediately in his garage. I personally saw some C63s with 19" wheels and the tires are insanely thin. Although I like the 19"s but have concern on their practicality.
Any opinion?

alvchua

Hi - I changed to the 19" multispokes when my rears went at 6200kms. The real noticeable difference is the ride quality is certainly a lot harsher but to date I have not had trouble with damaged rims as yet!

Brian GT PRO

My vote is for 19's, I feel tha car should have came with 19's factory.

merc1amg

Just my opinion but the 19ins multispoke was to me "The iceing on the cake"with my order and think it makes the car look more aggressive and gives it that "Wow factor"(see my pics, 1 day to go.)Not had the car 2 wks yet but feel the ride is fine even here in the UK although i did'nt go for the PP option.

dmyrick

A lot depends on your driving conditions if you have to drive on bad roads you might want to stick with the 18s, but if you have good roads i would go for the 19s

1st amg

Myself aswell....I ordered the 19's when I ordered my car and just love my cars look to death, it gives it that "german supersaloon" look, a little more AMG looking in my opinion, though the 18 factory 5 star give the car a mean look, they are both two different looks.

MikeS54

Personally I like my 18s a lot more because I think it looks better than the OEM 19s and ride a lot smoother. Also i bought the car with the intention to track it few times a year so 19 isn't really suited for that.

Mr. Happy

I ordered it with 18" because of I preferred the look of it. I find the ride quite firm already. Perhaps the 19" would have been to firm for me (I've never thought I would say that one day).

Chap

Hi Merc1amg. Your pics are real nice. Is yours an Obsidian Black? Mine is going to be.

Chap

Thanks for all the opinions. I am from Hong Kong. UK and Australia may have nice roads but I am not so sure about Hong Kong, although I take very good care of my car. Still struggling............

merc1amg

Yes mine is obsidian black,Was bit unsure while waiting for the car to arrive if i had made the right choice but i just love it!Its only a very slight misting of silver not a heavy fleck,at some angles you can,t tell its metallic and after 2 or 3 days maybe the dirt doesnt show as much as the non metallic.Good luck cause you got one hell of car coming your way!!!!!!

merc1amg

PS.You just gotta go for the 19s! you'd have no trouble selling them anyway if you feel you'd made a mistake!(19s give the car "Class,Finesse")

Condor Man

One consideration is the cost of 18's V's 19's.

Considering most guys get 5 - 9,000 KM's out of the rear tires the more ecomonical option would be 18's.

Merc63

The 19's are the nicest for this car IMO. They look wayyyyy better then the 18s.

I have 265/35/19 hoosiers mounted on the rear right now with no rubbing. You can put either 30, or 35.. I normally go 35 front and 30 rear.

Chap

Thanks again for all the opinions. Merc1amg's photos are just amazing and I now have it on my desktop everyday to look through the 19"s with magnifying glass.

Most opinions tend to point towards 19". I am seriously considering..........

mzporto

Chap,

Opinion from an asphalt offroader (the roads around here are crap):

The 19's do look good and are more classy. Agreed. But that's the only benefit you'll get from them. The 18's are more practical (ride is smoother, less chance of getting a flat etc) and also - arguably - will make you consume less fuel. IMO, the "star" 18's are even prettier and their design is more "unique" (more mercedes-benz).

Furthermore, I wouldn't stay half-way to anything. If you want the car to behave as much as a performance car as it can, you should go for performance package too, not only the rims. But keep in mind that it WILL make the car less practical and give you more headaches.

I just went to track once, but some fellow more experienced drivers say that the 19's are not too suitable for the track, even if logic says they should be (something concearing car stability/drifting).

Strikes me with curiosity the fact that even the dealer, which would be the most interested person in selling you the 19's (since they are more expansive) warned you about the possibility of getting a flat with those wheels. I'm not saying that it happens all the time and I strongly believe that it does only to the ones that do not take much care. But think about it...

The ideal would be if you could drive both (19's and 18's). Just a brief ride would be enough.

good luck!

Jae Duk

Just get thicker tires and roll your fenders?

1st amg

https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...9-2009-001.jpg
First here is a pic of my car when I just had the 19's installed last year, and the second is a link to a picture of my car on race day against some other beasts, just to get a look at the car in competition mode with the 19's, though I will be trying to track the car with my 18's in the next month, so I will give you guys the true feel of the 18 and 19's.

KEMA

Looks great 1st AMG. Your car spec (Iridium silver with 19' Multi spoke) is identical to my 2010 order due for arrival October 5th. I will post a few pics for comparison when the beast arrives.

Ken

Chap

I won't be tracking the car. Its going to be street use only. I don't think ride quality is an issue as I have test drove a friend's with 19" and found no problem with ride quality. I also don't think tire wear is an issue. There shouldn't be too much difference between 18" and 19" as they should be both around 5000-8000km as I can see from other threads. My only concern is practicality and whether 19" is much (and how much?) easier to get a flat tire.

mzporto

Chap,

Sartre once said that "whenever you have a doubt, you've already made a choice". I believe you chose the 19's already, which is great.

I don't really think its that common to get a flat. If so, there would be a recall or something on them. Or you would spot less fortunate C63s with flats around every corner.

It all comes down to whether you take care of the vehicle or not. I had an M3 E46 for happy 50K miles with no flat and only one little issue overall (had to change the driveline bearer at 30K and changed tires at 35K). But that's because I don't abuse the car, reduce speed when in rough roads and avoid potholes at all costs.

My g/f, on the other hand, doesn't give a rats *** about her Audi S3 (although she loves cars). She drives it like she stole it, redlines when cold, flies over potholes and makes the best to choose only the worst pavement. Her car went to the dealer 6 times in 2 years and she already got 3 flat tires (and I had to change 2 by myself...haha). Last month she destroyed her radiator on a curb.

Bottom line: wheels don't make flat tires. Careless (generally speaking!!) owners do. And guns don't kill people either.

fordandford

mzporto, i couldnt' stop laughing reading this post of yours! i am glad you still love her and keep her as your girlfriend. hahahahahaha

mzporto

Love acts in mysterious ways, man. And while I keep her as a g/f, she offers less meanace to society (imagine if she had to drive on the highway!) lol!

burnteggroll

go with 19... i think 18 would look a little small on your car (not that much difference, but still)....good luck

Chap

Guess mzporto is right. I like 19"s. You also make a good point about how driver's behaviour will determine the fate of the tires. Yesterday I have been examining 19" in close detail. Still think it is insanely thin but this time I am beginning to think it maybe acceptable.
Maybe its due to the brainwash from this forum