RichardCranium

I found a set of 2002 SL chrome wheels for sale and was wondering if they would fit right, they have a 25mm offset.

Thanks

theine

Ahmed has SL wheels on his CLK.

YENPINGW

Which one are you Talking about ??? The one pc or 2pc one ???

RichardCranium

1pc

scorchie

No, won't fit right, as pointed out about 35 times, the R230 SL has 14mm lugs, the W208/W209 CLK have 12mm lugs.

-s-

scorchie

Ahmed's wheels aren't SL wheels, they are replica wheels that look the same style as the 2-piece SL wheels. Their fitment is made for cars other than the SL.

-s-

YENPINGW

I think it can be done, but you will need to machine the wheels to the correct offset and get new bolts for the wheels. If not, then the front side wheesl will stick out a bit and I think the rear might be okay. It depends on whether your car is lowered or not because it might rob. Consult with a expert wheel shop.

scorchie

Machining 10mm off a wheel is removing nearly half the material from the wheel. Are you sure you want to do this? (I base this estimate on that normal lugs are about 38mm from seat to end, and have about 14mm penetration... that leaves the seat to wheel face depth of about 24mm, and 10mm is within 2mm of half.)

Also, new bolts for the wheels... no such bolts exist that are M12x1.5 with a 14mm bolt seat. You could have them custom made... but as far as I know you cannot buy them off the shelf.

Anyhow, you can deal with the offset, but dealing with the wrong size bolt is a big issue. Redrilling hubs is possible, but again, is this "fitting right"??

-s-

YENPINGW

scorchie,
It seems like you know a lot about wheel fittings. Can you please explain to me how would you fit a 14mm bolt size rim to a 12mm holes on the CLK??? I have seen many people fit the 19" AMG CL wheels (Both one pc and 2 pc) on their CLKs before. According to you, this couldn't be done then. I have seen people used the 14mm bolt and cut them shorter to fit the SL wheels. What would happen if you fit the wheels with wrong size of bolts??? Can you please explain in more details how exactly the lugbolts play the role in wheel fitting ??? Thanks.

allenjdmb

he said 2000 and TWO SL?
That ain't a 230, it's a 129, and the fitment ain't nearly so far off.
Always read the directions carefully before proceeding......

scorchie

I didn't say it can't be done. I said it doesn't fit right.

I'll address your question about 14mm lugs, however, as has been pointed out, we may be talking about wheels made for 12mm lugs going onto a car with 12mm lugs. This is an OFFSET issue, not a lug issue. My original post about 14mm lugs may have not been applicable.

You can certainly use a wheel made for 14mm lugs (e.g. 19" CL style) on a car with 12mm lugs. It's just that it doesn't fit properly due to the lugs being incorrect. It is attached, but that doesn't mean it is held on properly.

This subject has been covered MANY times in the past year in these forums... you can do some searching here and find out. I just searched for a recent discussion and here it is explained in length:

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...ight=ball+seat

Hope that helps.

-s-

scorchie

Yes, I noticed he said 2002 SL... however, he does not list his location.

In Europe, 2002 SL = R230 OR R129
In US, 2002 SL = R129

So I should not have assumed.

-s-

YENPINGW

So The SL R129 uses the 12mm bolts. That means the AMG SL 1 pc or 2pcs wheels from R129 are using 12mm Bolt too. Just that the offset is not right for CLK W208. So bolts will not be a problem in this case.

scorchie

Yes, you are correct!

-s-

Ahmed

sorry my friend, the wheels on my car are indeed replicas, but they fit the CLK and SL without machining.

scorchie

No need to be sorry, because you're not saying I am wrong. What you're saying is correct, because the fitment is different than the SL. What I said is that genuine SL wheels require machining. Yours do not because the fitment is for cars other than the SL.

If you look at the range of allowable fitments for the SL, you'll see that it is quite forgiving. Hence, your high-offset wheels will work on the SL. However, they will look not too good, that's because the SL looks better with a lower offset... that way the wheels and tires come out to the edge of the fender instead of being inset in the wheel well.

For example, in 1996 in the USA, the SL had an optional Sport Package which included 18" monoblock wheels. These wheels were around 31/35 offset, and were used because they were "off the shelf"--readily available, although the fitment was not intended for the SL (it was for the W210 E55). The ET35 rear offset made the wide 275 tire in back look not very wide, because the tire was inset from the fender. In either 1997 or 1998 this was changed, and an ET23 wheel was used instead. This pushed the tire out 12mm, and an additional 1/2" of width on the wheel pushed the edge of the wheel out another 6mm. The 18mm was enough to make the wheel more flush with the fender--a much better look.

So maybe a clearer way to say it is, the fitment is INTENDED for cars other than the SL. If one puts them on an SL, it will look even more like a replica.

-s-

Ahmed

right on my friend!

BTW.. a member named RezaH on this forum has a CLK 320 fitted with the ORIGINAL AMG 2 PIECE SL WHEELS! I'm not sure if he's machined it or not, but they look pretty hip!!

i think he's sold it already... too bad! I would have loved to have bought his set of wheels!

scorchie

I believe Reza had either his wheels machined, or he was not running a staggered set-up...

Another member had SL 2-piece on his C36 before he sold it, and he definitely had them machined.

It's definitely a good looking wheel and looks good on your car too!

-s-