CoupeLeicht600

Hello everyone.

I just recently purchased a 2002 CL 600 and it is unbelievable. There is no other large coupe in the world that comes close. However, I wanted to get some new rims (Lowenhart LDRs with black finish and chrome lip). I changed my O.E.M tires in the front to 245/55/18 and back 275/55/18. How big can I have my tires without affecting the suspension, handling, et cetera?
Also, would a staggered look work (19 inch rims in the front, 20 in the back)?
Finally, can anyone recommend a particular brand of products to protect and enhance the paint (my CL is black)? I can post pictures if need be. Thank you for your time.

AMG2GO

Does your car have the AMG (CL2) package?

I hate to tell you this, but your tire sizes are incorrect. You have essentialy changed the gear ratio in the car, and raised the rear a bit changing the front/rear weight bias.

Lowenhart LDR's are heavy wheels, they are not my cup of tea but some people like them. Just know that they will make your car perform slightly worse, in every category... acceleration, braking, and handling.

"Staggered" generaly refers to wider tires on the back, not larger wheels. You should stick with the same diameter (not width) wheels all the way around. If you want to stagger you can go with a width of 9" front and 10" rear.

When you ask "how large can I have my tires", are you talking about width or diameter? Depending on the wheel and offset... you can go as large as a 295 rear without any mods to the body, that requires around a +50 or more offset.

I don't know about the paint... I have mine waxed 4x a year and the guy uses McGuires... I think Mother's, Zymol, etc are all probably pretty good. There is a section on the forum regarding this issue.

Sorry to be kind of vague... your question is rather general. I guess I can help you more once I know what you want. Just know that looks and performance do not always go together. So if you choose the wrong wheels and tires, you will alter the car's performance. What is really important to you?

CLFREAK

I personally am a staggered rim addict; as big a diameter and as fat a tire and wheel combination as possible with emphasis on the larger of the 2 in the rear with an ultra-deep chrome lip. That is a very European approach, I might add. It is purely a cosmetic endeavor. I too like the big-center look of the LDR Noir Edition (black centers/chrome lip).

10" is max in the rear of the CL WITHOUT rolling the fender wells (I have seen as wide as 11" modded). I too have a black 600. As soon as it's finished with getting its new "shoes", I will post for all to see.

I found a very nice alternative to the LDRs, as the outer lip on the rear wasn't deep enough at 3". After looking for months at hundreds of designs, I then chose the Bazo BM2 in chrome, 3-piece, 20x9.5 front and 20x10 rear. Here's their link:

http://www.bazowheels.com/wheeldetai...=bm2c&rimid=69

The outer lip on the 10s are about 3.75". You can order them also in smoke chrome which I saw firsthand at the SEMA show which give it a look similar to black chrome. You can also have the centers done in black, just like you want. In any case, all of their rims are custom made to order, the pricing is very similar to Lowenhart's.

As for tire sizing for these rims, there was a lot of debate back and forth between the guys at Tire Rack, an aftermarket house I use, and my local MBZ dealer. I wanted as low a profile as possible (similar to LARS' pimp daddy maroon CL on this forum). ALL the show cars at SEMA ran 30 series front, 25 series rear no matter the width. All the suspensions were significantly tweaked as well so that there was barely any gap between the top of tire and the edge of the fender. They all looked amazing. Just putting on the right rims, tires and lowering the ride make all the difference in the world and the car makes a pronounced statement which now, at the end of the current CL model's run, is a necessity; a much-needed "face-lift", if you will.

The result for me: 255/30/20s front and 275/30/20s rear. I could've gone with 285/25s in the rear like LARS did, but I wanted a slight rake in the front + I didn't want too much of a "rubber-band" if I run over a pothole. According to my service advisor, the CL is rear axle-driven, so if the rear tires are a wee bit taller, and I'm talking maybe an 8th of an inch, no big deal. I'm already used to driving the car with 20s, but with 35 series which doesn't give it that mean and slick look I desire. My ride will be rougher with 30 series, but to be honest, I don't give a s**t!

Hope this helps in your decision-making and good luck.

And don't forget to post some pics of your finished masterpiece!

BTW, just out of curiosity, since you think no other luxury coupe comes close to the CL, what's your take on the Bentley GT, Aston Martin DB9, and their new V8 Vantage?

CoupeLeicht600

Hello again.

I really appreciate the advice so far. I am reconsidering some of my choices.
I have some more questions if anyone is willing to take the time to help me out. How often would you suggest that I get my oil changed? Or, should I just follow the regular Service A & Service B schedules on my CL? What is the best oil to put in besides Mobil 1?

To answer CLFREAK's question: I think the Bentley Continental Grand Tourer is nothing more than a VW engine covered with Bentley apparel. The car is essentially marketed to the nouveau riche--people who received a hefty signing bonus. Bentleys have an aristocratic presence. My personal favorite would have to be an earlier edition of the Bentley Continental T Mulliner (1997). At a particular time, the Continental T delivered about 590 lb/ft, which no other coupe could match. That is what Bentley was know for: amazingly raw-powered 6.75 liter V8s. However, that era has passed. Now the same engine is shared with the Audi A8 L W12, VW Phaeton, and GT. I wouldn't be too happy to know that if I spend over $150,000 on a car, it still shares the same engine as a $97,000 car (VW Phaeton).

Aston Martin is definitely an elite sportscar manufacturer. An Aston definitely has a visceral appeal with its looks. However, I love power in a vehicle. The most powerful Aston-Vanquish S, only boasts 520 brake horsepower. A CL 65 AMG would eat it alive with over 600 bhp. Not to mention, it is much cheaper. DB9s and V8 Vantages don't come close. Mercedes has a distinguished reputation for producing seamless V12s since the early 90s and I think they do it better than anyone else, except of course Ferrari, Lambo, and et cetera. The CL has it all--subtle looks, presence, power, practicality, and so forth.

Ever since the renaissance of large coupes, which included the Ferrari 456 GT, Jag XK, I think the Merc has held its own. I've even driven a BMW 850 Csi and it could not hold a candle to the 600 SEC or now CL 600. The CL 600 has led this renaissance and will continue to do so by setting the benchmark.

CLFREAK

Yes, I agree the CL W215 has it all; unfortunately it has depreciated so much in the last year, but that's because it's at the end of its life cycle.

Most importantly, do you think it will still hold its exclusivity and presence amidst all the new models like the CLS and the 07 S-Klasse??? Everybody seems to be jumping on the CLS bandwagon & many people are saying the CL's look is dated now, etc. which is why I did the "face lift". What do you think?

Out of curiosity, what did you pay for your 02 and how many miles on it?

As for service, I just follow the regular schedules.

CoupeLeicht600

I bought my 2002 CL 600 for $56,995 with about 36,500 miles on it in August 2005 from Luxury Motors (a Bentley dealership) out of Downers Grove, IL. I paid about $10,000 below blue book. The factory warranty ran out so the dealership didn't have too many people willing to invest in such a vehicle. Their loss.

I think the look of the W215 is classic. I personally do not like the new CLS too much and am appalled by the spy pictures of the 2007 CL. I think the new S-Class has too much of a Maybach look to it. It doesn't matter to me that the car has aged because, it is still a classic and looks better than 90% of the automobiles on the road. Even the old big-body Benzes look sharp if kept in mint condition. I don't plan on selling this car because its built for a lifetime. I wouldn't mind having an '06 CL 65 AMG alongside it.

CoupeLeicht600

AMG2GO:

No, it does not have the CL2 package. Right now I am looking more towards cosmetic and aesthetic upgrades. What tire sizes, both width and diameter, would you recommend to make it look as wide as possible? Sorry if I am vague, I'm just trying to get some guidelines to go by.

CLFREAK

That is a coincidence; I purchased my 01 at Luxury also! I had an order on a Bentley GT and dropped it later because I couldn't get out of the lease on the CL without a huge loss when the GT arrived. A blessing in disguise, I guess.

AMG2GO

Well I think wheels fall into two categories. There are what I would consider "sports" wheels and what I would call "copsmetic" wheels. Sports wheels being wheels that actually improve performance besides making your car look faster... cosmetic wheels being wheels that are designed to look pleasing (to the eye of that beholder) but do nothing in terms of performance other than make your car worse. In every way.

The main culprit is weight.

The cosmetic wheels are generally large in diameter, many are chrome plated (adding about 2-3 pounds per wheel), and are heavy, bend easily, and not as well made as the sports wheels. There are many brands out there, most of the companies have sprung up in the last 4-6 years and have a huge profit margin. I would put lowenhart into this category.

Performance wheels are made by companies that have been long term established wheel makers in racing and motorsports, and performance wheels from tuners who generally commission a high quality wheel to be made for them by one of the quality wheel makers.

If you want a quality performance wheel consider wheels from BBS, OZ Racing, HRE, etc., Tuner wheels from Renntech, Kleemann, Carlsson, Brabus.

If you have an unlimited budget you can get forged Magnesium wheels from Neez, the ligtest strongest wheels available.

The widest tire you can fit on the back of the CL without body mods is a 295 section width, you can only do this with a Renntech Monolite, 19x 10, at a +51 offset. You can also go with a 255 section front.

Personally I recommend 19" because it is the best size for this car in terms of performance. This is why you don't see the CL65 with anything bigger.

I recommend 19x8.5 or 19x9 front and 19x9.5 or 19x10 rear.

Be careful of wild offsets. In order to get a real deep lip in the rear, you have introduce lots of negative offset. This changes the track and affects handling, ride, and safety.

If you get anything, lowering the car a bit (I recommend .75" to 1.25" max) will make it look better. If you lower 1" you can right back to stock with your ABC dash switch. If you lower a lot more, you can risk suspension damage. European CL's ride .75" lower than U.S. Versions from the factory.

You can get a nice electronic lowering module from Brabus, Kleemann (the most expensive and flexible), Eibach, and Carlsson.

So I am not trying to knock any wheel that you may like. Its personal taste. I am just giving you some info.

vraa

Great information AMG2GO

A point I'd like to make about negative offsets is that too much may hinder your possibility of getting a big brake kit in the future. A big brake kit (I'm using that term very loosely) can help if you're going to track your car with heat dissapation.