direk

New owner here. Got the car with BBS RX2's 8.5 / 10 18's wheels. Tires are sized at 245.35.18 and 265.35.18. My problem is that the rear wheel actually appears to stick out past the tire side wall. "Me no likey the look!"

Suggestions? Thinking about going to a 275.35.18 on the rear? Anybody have any experience? Or should I consider going to a 9.5" wide rear wheel. HELP?

Learso

You need to ask the previous owner EXACTLY what upgrades he/she has done to your car. Don't assume you know. Once you get that story straight, you should do the research and choose according to your taste/needs. Consider 225/40/18 in the front and 255 or 265/35/18 in the rear. I have the set-up 225/40/18 with 265/35/18 and its looks fine to me. You can be your own judge....

AMG_55

what ever u do, dont put 225 on the front, these cars are way too front heavy for those puny tires.
235 on the front.
as for the rear: i dont think u can fit 275 on the 208, but i might b wrong, do some research. email luke at tire rack or call a good shop in ur area.
u might b able to run 265/40 on the rear, that will change the look a little b/c the sidewall will be taller and wont apper to flex as much.

Learso

Sorry but I disagree AMG55...225 in the front is perfectly fine. Germany did not build a car like this without careful consideration to detail, in other words, I don't think they would udermind the front of the car's capabilities and leave drivers short-changed. The money the average person in this forum would be better spent in high-performance driving lessons rather than modifications if they wanted to improve the car's performance. This car's limits are rarely reached by the average driver.

The back can do either no problem, can't do 275 without mods IMO.

Learso

AMG_55

if u dont enjoy driving then dont buy amg cars, 235 help massively.
try em
i drive my car very hard and the difference between 225 and 235 is huge, not to mention the looks, which are more muscular looking

im not arguing w/ u, but believe me i know what im talkin about.
i used to work at a shop and my cousin now owns his own shop where i go almost every weekend.
almost every tuner recommends 235's on the front of c and clk's. (brabus, kleeman..for example)

the reason mercedes doesnt put 235 is b/c it will increse the grip on the front thus making the car less likely to understeer, understeer is considered a safer handling trait than oversteer. the turn in responsse and grip are on another level w/ the 235's. just make sure u put either 255 or 265 on the rear, otherwise u will have an oversteering monster. :p

AMG_55

learso
very nice license plate

Learso

Hey AMG55, I certainly did not mean to suggest I don't like driving my car hard, but I just don't agree with bigger/more tire is better. There was an article in some car magazine this summer in which I read an article (if you wish I can pull it up) where test drivers replaced stock wheels and tires of a Porche with bigger tires and wheels. The results where suprising, it actully held the road less in curves than stock wheels. My point is that if this dude wants to buy 235 tires because they look good, go for it. But again, a good chunk of people here will never push the car to its limits. The best thing you can do it improve your car's performance is getting into a kick-butt racing school and learning from the pros. I don't mean taking your car to the track and slamming on the gas, I mean technical performance driving.


Take care,
Learso.

AMG_55

i agree w/ u about the technical driving (i do canyon runs at least 3 times a week), and the driving school thing.

the porsche didnt come under-tired from the factory, the clk55 did. (same size as a clk500, slk sport, c230k and n/a thats about 160+ less horsepower than my car for the more powerful 230 <the newer clk55's and c55's come w/ 225 and 255>) its a joke.

Learso

The CLK-DTM AMG comes with 225 in the front. Although the car weighs significantly less than our cars, it's engine probably weighs as much if not more than ours. If 225 is good enough for the CLK-DTM AMG car, their good enough for me. Now as for the rear tires, well, that's a different story!

By the way, I checked out your car, nice rims.

Learso

AMG_55

"Brakes & Tires
Brakes F/R: ABS, vented disc/vented disc
Tires F-R: 255/35 R19 - 285/30 R20"

different site, just to make sure

"The sports tires available as an option for the CLK DTM AMG open the door to cornering speeds normally only possible in racing cars, with transverse acceleration calculated at 1.35 g. The Super Sport Race tire produced by DTM partner Dunlop in conjunction with Mercedes-AMG offers outstanding grip on account of its special rubber compound and asymmetric tread. Fitted on multi-piece AMG light-alloy wheels specially developed for the CLK DTM, they present a harmonious image – 255/35 R 19 tires are fitted on nine-inch-wide rims at the front axle, 285/30 R 20 tires combine with 10 x 20-format rims at the rear. The wheels sit flush with the car’s wings and provide a snug fit inside the wheel arches. "



as u can c they are 255 not 225, that came from a website, i checked a couple to make sure
its about 100-150lbs lighter.

thanx for the compliment
u can check out my cousins car in the "regular" clk pic thread, its on page 3 or 4 i think. heavily modded 500, worth a look. its white, should b easy to spot, posted by me

Learso

Then I guess the site I got my info is incorrect:

http://www.rsportscars.com/eng/cars/m_clk_dtm.asp

In any case, if you look at the stats of a 208 CLK55 in a skid pad (usually in the back of Road & Track) you will see its performance numbers are pretty impressive, more than other cars lighter and with more rubber touching the ground. It accomplished them with 225 and 245 on 17".

If you can find me number proving that more rubber on the ground outdid those numbers, I will of course change my mind. And, to clarify something, the Porsche is a different car I agree, but my idea in pointing out that example was that with more rubber on the groung the car did worse than with stock tires in the skid pad. Why? It's all a balancing act and Mercedes-AMG engineers know their stuff better than most.

Learso.

ProjectC55

Why do u feel your car is nose heavy?Are you saying this due to your car having the M113 V8?The all aluminum V8 in your car is actually lighter then the straight six motor in a AMG C36 and possibly an E36 M3 inline 6. I can assure you that 225 17's wrk fine on the C class. 225 18's may be a different story.235 18's will unfortunately rub on my car unless you have the right brand of tire(sidewall).235 18's would indeed fit and look better on the 18" mono's.

AMG_55

my car is a good example, its like night and day, try it, if u really drive hard u'll thank me
i had to put stocks on for a couple of days cause my wheels were being refinished..... i almost killed my self

Learso

Take a look at the skid pad stats and compare it to other cars. The numbers tell the story. There is a BIG trend to put bigger wheels on cars. It started I guess from the rap/hip-hop culture and spread to the mainstream via the younger crowds. The car manufactures spotted the trend and acted on it in order to sell more cars. Today you will still see this trend on American and Imports, they even have added the chrome look to most trucks because the rappers had theirs chromed too. It's nuts! I read lots of people posting that they are "upgrading" to 19" rims. If the car did not come equipted to handle considerably larger wheels than it came with stock it may be a mistake to put them on, just like throwing 22s or 24s low profiles on a Hummer is a bit out there.

But, hey, what do I know...just my perspective. If you think your car handles better and you are happy then who am I to argue?!

Drive on bro!

Learso

AMG_55

the #1 reason i put my wheels on my car was to run larger tires.
no offence, but honestly u sound like my grandpa.... i agree w/ the whole chrome and oversized wheel thing, but my wheels rnt oversized they fit perfectly w/ no issues and they grip much better plus they rnt tacky like all those "hip hop" wheels.

take care

Learso

"no offence, but honestly u sound like my grandpa.... " ...hahaha!!! That is pretty funny. No offense taken. I think if you knew who I was you would laugh at that comment as hard as I just did.

To each his own.


Learso.

AMG_55

u got me wonderin, how old r u? if u dont mind me asking

robertus

All is quiet at the ranch.

Learso

I'm 36 man. Sorry, I logged off last night.

AMG_55

hey, we cant b here 4 ever :p
im 23

Learso

You are a baby dude...I can understand the stubburness now. Just kidding! At your age, and it really was't that long ago, I was driving a tricked out Lotus Elan with a turbo boost of over 1 bar. The car was sick...flames would come out of the exhaust! I lived in Paris, France then and I mean LIVED. Time flies little one...hang on for the ride!

Ahmed

I had 235/40's in the front and 265/35's at the read and was very very happy with the ride experience, and especially with steering response!

The only problem i had that the inner walls were wearing off quicker than before!

Maybe some camber adjustment should help!

Chappy

In changing to 18 Mono IIs, did anyone have to change lug bolts or can I use the same lugs as on my 17" Mono IIs?

Also, trying to decide between 255/35-18 and 265-35-18 for the rear. Any rubbing issues? Which should I go with?

Tricky's 55

I am also buying new rims and tires for my 2002 55, I am undecieded on going with 18's or 19's, I would like to here the pro's and cons of both. Also i saw this pic and was wondering if anybody could tell me what wheels are on this car....... Thanks for the info in advance......

55Power

Chappy,

I switched to the 18' Mono II's as well. I was told that you can use the factory lugs but Luke at Tire Rack offered me a new set for free anyways. I compared the threads and they are of exactly equal length. The head portion of the new bolts were longer which was the only difference.
I switch to 235front and 265rear with abosolutely no rubbing problems at all.
I am very pleased with my switch to 18' Mono as the rims have much more of a lip and the ride quality has not diminished.