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I asked this question in the AMG forum last year and didn’t get anything back. I thought it might be worth asking here because there might be more people that have looked at OEM upgrades…
My understanding is that the W209 CLK55 was offered with four different types of staggered wheel setup:
17" AMG IV (the five double spoke)
18" AMG IV (the five double spoke in a larger size)
18" AMG III (the five single spoke - spokes are more rounded)
8.5 x 18 ET30, A2094011702
7.5 x 18 ET37, A2094011602
18" AMG III (the later five single spoke - spokes are more square), these were fitted to AMG / Sport cars with the facelift bodykit
A few questions:
Is the above correct? If not what is missing?
What was standard and what was optional? Was there an upgrade option or did it change across years?
What are the differences between the 18" wheels - is one type lighter than the other?
On the final point I should have two complete sets of both the 18" AMG IV and the 18" AMG III (first generation) wheels soon. I will compare weights (albeit with tyres, which of course are different).
I’m asking because I seem to see CLK55s with both types of 18” wheel (in Europe) so believe that both were offered from the factory. But when I look at old catalogues, they don’t say what was offered and when. Wondering what determines how they were specified when new.
TIA
Last edited by breeze247; Aug 21, 2021 at 02:59 AM.
Reason: Updating as I get more information
My 2003 CLK55 had the 17" twin five-spoke wheels as standard equipment. Eventually I went with all-season tires on them for when the weather got bad and aftermarket 18" with summer performance tires for the rest of the time.
If I recall correctly, early on the CLK55 was only available with the 17" wheels while the CLK500 had stock 17" and optional 18" wheels. I think I read that in a Road and Track comparison test of the CLK500 and BMW 645Ci, but could be mistaken.
Last edited by Gylles Smyth; Aug 19, 2021 at 10:54 PM.
Reason: Fixed Photo
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