I wanna start by saying thanks to all of you who post in here, i've been getting information from this forum for a while now and since i'll be returning to my w208 shortly i figured it's about time i make an account!

First thing my w208 needs is a new set of rims and tires, lovely Chicago pot holes destroyed my front rims a while back. I'm a little bit inexperienced with proper measurements for the w208 but i've spent the last 3 days researching and here's what i'm thinking, i just need someone with a bit more experience than myself to check it out and make sure i'm on the right track:

I'm thinking for the front, go with 19x8.5 and get as close to a 35mm offset as possible, with 235/35R19 tires to go with it.

For the rear: 19x9.5 35mm with 260/35R19, get a nice little stagger with an aggressive appearance going.

Now, as far as i can tell a setup like that shouldn't create any rubbing issues. I have a stock CLK and i never intend to lower it. My question is would upping it from a 35 sidewall to a 40 create rubbing issues? The only reason i'm thinking about this is for that added cushion against those monstrous Chicago potholes! Any help will be greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

Couple of things you should think about:

1. 19's on a car that's not lowered will look like a 4x4!
2. Try TireRack for a choice of wheel fitments.

 

i got 265\30\19 rear and 235\35\19
10" rear 8.5" front
my front does rub atm if i use these
my car is lowered
bourght on ebay, 1 tyre was damaged by them while fitting, having trubble getting new tyre\money back atm

use caution if you use ebay! but you usaly get lucky

 

There has been a significant amount of information on this topic already posted, including calculators for offset, tire sizing, approved combinations and issues.

All you need to know is there.

 

because you live in pothole heaven, if you go to 19" they won't last as long as your oem's because you will have less rubber to cushion the shock. you are between a rock and a hard pot(hole). you want cool rims and if you get them your roads will kill them in short order. tuff decision.

 

Hmm, true, but i was under the impression lowering the car with 19" on would definitely cause rubbing issues, considering i might have rubbing issues with that combo stock.

Elzin, what's your offset? And how many mms is your car lowered?

I've found quite a few threads and a calculator but the calculator didn't include wheels and i didn't entirely understand it. Everybody says something different so it gets a little confusing. Like i said, i'm looking things up and researching as much as i can before i post but i lack the knowledge and experience. I tried searching for more links to calculators and approved combinations but i keep coming up with irrelevant posts and websites. Maybe i'm not very search engine savvy!

True, that's why i was wondering if a 40 sidewall would make a big difference over a 35, and if it would fit.

I really appreciate the help guys, and if i'm asking questions that have been answered elsewhere, i apologize. I'm trying to get as much information from previously posted threads and google before i post anything. Thanks!

*Update

Went on to tirerack.com, built a wheel and tire package consisting of

sport edition ST5 19" staggered 8.5 front and 9.5 rear with
kumho ecsta spt 235/35/19 front and 255/30/19 rear

then it gives me a notice that my tire stance is very aggressive and i'll require fender lip mods. I've read DIY's on fender rolling, but i'm inexperienced and unaware how much it would need to be rolled so i'm putting that option on the back burner. So i say wtf i thought i had this all figured out. Luckily, i've found a tire size calculator that actually works and i realize my front diameter was .5" larger than stock and rear was .31" larger than stock. So now it's time to research what the max tire diameter for a stock w208 is without rubbing issues. Then i'll do some more experimenting with the tire size calculator to find out what will get me as close to what i want while still fitting. I appreciate all of your patience and help, as i said before i'm still working on learning and im gradually understanding more and more.

 

Can't get any easier then this.

http://www.alloywheelsdirect.net/inf.../mercedes-benz

In addition to lots of wheel offset, tire size compatibility calculators, the above link has been posted numerous times within this forum.

 

I've checked that chart out before, it was very helpful, but i was a little unsure about the 'approved by' and 'notes' columns. At first i was thinking, if it's approved by say Brabus, then for that size to fit would it need to be a Brabus wheel? Then i realized that makes no sense because if a specific size is approved, no matter who the manufacturer is, it's still the same specific size. So i felt a little retarded. I'm still unsure what some of those random looking letters and numbers in the notes column are, i'm looking into that though. Thank you for your help!

 

Going back to your original posting; if pot holes have been your problem, putting on bigger wheels will require low profile tires, which in the future, will be an even bigger pot hole issue.

New wheels are not cheap and one alternative is to see if your exiting wheels can be repaired. I had a 1/2" pot hole crack on a wheel bead that cost me $75 to have welded.

Additionally, I found tons of suitable MB wheels for sale locally on Craigs list. People upgrade and sell practically new set of wheels and tires for $300 - $500.

 

very very true, more and more i'm thinking 18"s at the largest. Thank you very much for your help! I look forward to posting less ignorant questions in the future