New rim and tire setup
Thread Starter
Almost a Member!
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 30
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From: Stamford, CT
1999 CLK320
New rim and tire setup
Before:
After:
18x8.5 Carlsson 1/5 with 225/40/18 Goodyear F1 GS D3's
I went with 18's because the roads around my area are bad and I wanted to keep the OEM look. Overall I am very happy with the setup. Picking tires was a tough decision, the Michelin Pilot Sport 2's seemed to be the unanimous favorite but I went with the Goodyears because of their rain performance and roughly $200 less price tag. So far I am happy with the them, they are AMAZING in the rain, a huge improvement on the OEMs. We'll see how durable they are though...
After:
18x8.5 Carlsson 1/5 with 225/40/18 Goodyear F1 GS D3's
I went with 18's because the roads around my area are bad and I wanted to keep the OEM look. Overall I am very happy with the setup. Picking tires was a tough decision, the Michelin Pilot Sport 2's seemed to be the unanimous favorite but I went with the Goodyears because of their rain performance and roughly $200 less price tag. So far I am happy with the them, they are AMAZING in the rain, a huge improvement on the OEMs. We'll see how durable they are though...
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Joined: Sep 2004
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From: Los Angeles, California
2000 CLK 430
nice upgrade, 18's are a great choice esp if your roads are not that great, plus they ride soo much more comfy, i had the brabus 2 piece in 18, and it felt like stock, the 19's are just a lot more harsh, but they do look great.....
Newbie
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1
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advice on upgrading to 18"
Hello all,
Just got myself a 99 CLK 230K - really happy with it
.
Had a small question - at the moment the car is on 16" allows and fairly fat tyres (height wise). I am thinking of putting on a set of low profile 40mm 18" wheels.
My concern is that, will I lose the ride comfort? at the moment the car drives smoothly and worried that if I put these other rock hard wheels on, I am going feel every little bump on the road.
or is it not that bad? any ideas or experiences?
Just got myself a 99 CLK 230K - really happy with it
. Had a small question - at the moment the car is on 16" allows and fairly fat tyres (height wise). I am thinking of putting on a set of low profile 40mm 18" wheels.
My concern is that, will I lose the ride comfort? at the moment the car drives smoothly and worried that if I put these other rock hard wheels on, I am going feel every little bump on the road.
or is it not that bad? any ideas or experiences?
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Thread Starter
Almost a Member!
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 30
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From: Stamford, CT
1999 CLK320
I purchased the rims used.. the whole setup ran me a little more than 2g's. Better deals can be found on Carlssons on ebay but I just decided to buy from someone on here. The F1 DS G3's I got from tirerack (cheapest price I found.)
As far as the ride quality issue, I say go for the 18's! On rough roads I would say my car rides a little more harshly now but still very tolerable. Plus they look 1000x better than the stockers. I have seen more complaints from people going from 18 to 19 inch rims. I'm definitely a convert to ultra high performance tires now. They make the car more fun to drive and give me an extra measure of safety driving in the rain. This article also showed that stopping distance improved noticeably compared to all season tires. http://www.caranddriver.com/features...l-seasons.html
Definitely check out the Michelin PS2's, Toyo T1R's, Pirelli P Zero Rossos, or the goodyears if you are in the market for tires.
As far as the ride quality issue, I say go for the 18's! On rough roads I would say my car rides a little more harshly now but still very tolerable. Plus they look 1000x better than the stockers. I have seen more complaints from people going from 18 to 19 inch rims. I'm definitely a convert to ultra high performance tires now. They make the car more fun to drive and give me an extra measure of safety driving in the rain. This article also showed that stopping distance improved noticeably compared to all season tires. http://www.caranddriver.com/features...l-seasons.html
Definitely check out the Michelin PS2's, Toyo T1R's, Pirelli P Zero Rossos, or the goodyears if you are in the market for tires.
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Super Member
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 846
Likes: 1
From: Miami, Maracaibo, Bogota
not stock.
looks awsome, and HUGE improvement over stock..... here are a couple of suggestions of nice details that will really give a whole new fresh look on the car:
- Eibach pro-kit springs (lower will look more sporty, and these springs are very very soft, all they will do is firm up the ride but not add harshness)
- 25mm spacers in the back to fill in the wheel wells a bit more, will make the rear look like if you had 9.5"s in there...
- flat hood-emblem
- color match the bumper skirts to the color of the car
- color match the amber bumper sidemarker to the color of the car
I would consider all the above to kind of "clean up" the look of the car and make it look even better!!
- Eibach pro-kit springs (lower will look more sporty, and these springs are very very soft, all they will do is firm up the ride but not add harshness)
- 25mm spacers in the back to fill in the wheel wells a bit more, will make the rear look like if you had 9.5"s in there...
- flat hood-emblem
- color match the bumper skirts to the color of the car
- color match the amber bumper sidemarker to the color of the car
I would consider all the above to kind of "clean up" the look of the car and make it look even better!!
Thread Starter
Almost a Member!
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
From: Stamford, CT
1999 CLK320
^
Thanks for the suggestions. I have heard that it is better to get aftermarket shocks also, when buying aftermarket springs? I'll definitely look into the color matching too, BTW nice SLK.
Thanks for the suggestions. I have heard that it is better to get aftermarket shocks also, when buying aftermarket springs? I'll definitely look into the color matching too, BTW nice SLK.
