Hi everyone,

My 2012 C63 coupe is on order with a scheduled January 2012 delivery

I am struggling with wheel/tire options and need your opinions urgently (as I am running out of time to make a change).

I have ordered the C63 with the 18" wheel option for today. As background, I believe one of the weak links in the C63 is the rubber on the ground (or lack thereof). Here are my options and I would like your opinions...

Option 1

18" OEM wheels for winter use
19" after market wheels in a 19x8.5 and 19x10 configuration with 245/35 and 275/30 tires

Pros: Best option for performance and looks as I can pick what I like

Cons: A decent forged wheel set with new tires will run +/- $5,000 and I really am having a hard time finding something I like that is reasonably priced

Option 2

18" OEM wheels for summer use
18" crappy wheels from TireRack for winter

Pros: Inexpensive option and, to be honest, I really like the look of the OEM 18s.

Cons: I would need to upgrade the rubber to get the grip I think the car needs. If I went with a 245/40 and 265/35 tires on the OEM 18s, I am worried they will look too meaty and bulge too much. I also worry I will lose responsiveness. I don't like really meaty looking tires.

Option 3

19" AMG multispoke wheels for summer use
18" crappy wheels from TireRack for winter

Pros: Still cheap but now I can put 245/35 and 275/30 tires on the OEM 19s and they won't look overly meaty and likely won't bulge as much (due to much less total sidewall). I get much needed extra traction.

Cons: To be honest, I don't love the OEM 19s. I find they give the car a very "classy" look but make the car look far less sporty and aggressive. They look like luxury car wheels and not sport coupe wheels to me.

Summary

I think option #3 is the "best" on paper... cheap, no meaty sidewalls, extra rubber for traction. However, at the moment, I am leaning towards option #2 because I like the look of the OEM 18s better than OEM 19s. Instead of putting wider tires on the 18" OEM wheels, I could put something very grippy like AD-08s on the car OEM size to avoid extra sidewall bulge and a meaty look. That might be enough. The "best" option is #1 but I'm not convinced that spending $5,000 + on wheels and tires is the best route given how long I keep cars (3 years MAX). If I can get the right deal on after market 19s, I will likely still go that route. For example, if Forgestar released the CF10 in 19" size with good offsets, I would buy them in a heart beat. It is too bad the OEM 18 style is not available in 19" size because that is DEFINITELY what I would do.

Anyway, any thoughts, comments, opinions would be greatly appreciated. If I decide to change the order to OEM 19s (instead of 18s), I need to do it Monday.

A couple of pictures to refresh everyone's memory of the two wheel options...

 

i have been researching this myself for the last week. i just got a coupe myself and i believe that when it comes to performance upgrades, price is no object. That being said, weight is a major factor.

Im torn between 18 and 19 inch. I like the hre R43 or the P43S. I think that 245 front and 275 rear will be sufficient. Im not taking any chances with ordering on line or on the phone. Luckily I live a few miles away for Modulare and Wheel Experts in Southlake Texas. So, Im going to make an appointment with them so that I can get some official weights on the wheels and get a custom fitment to make sure im getting exactly what i want.

as for tires...im going with michelin. if those dont fit to my liking im going with either continental or vredestein.

 

There is always a trade re: price/performance. The issue is how much do you spend on light weight wheels to improve performance in a small way? In my case, the options I outlined are me trying to balance the looks vs. price vs. traction issue. I could drop $5,000+ on wheels if it made sense to do so but I'm not convinced it does... yet anyway.

 

You can always go with the forgestars. they are light, proven and are very reasonably priced.

 

If they ever release their CF10 in 19" with good offsets then I will be all over it for sure. The F14s seem to have bad offsets (according to some).

Any other thoughts/opinions guys on the options in the first post??

 

I would keep the OEM 18's and put on some winter tires on it.
If you want forged wheels for an unbeatable price contact B. Gorman, he is a sponsor on here. He can build you a custom set of HRE's or other very nice forged wheels for a steal.
As far as tires go, I would either go with Hankook EVO V12 (Great bang for your buck tire) or Michellin Pilot Super Sport.