will 245 for the front and 265 for the rear fit a w208 clk55 with no additional work?

You can run 265's on the backs with few problems however the 245's will NOT work on the front. Sorry.

My CLK430 is running 235/40-18 Front and 265/35-18 Rear Pilot Sports on SL500 (R129) AMG wheels. Ride height is about 1/2" lower than stock using spring pads only. No rubs in over 10K miles. Believe me, I've tried

245 is DEFINITELY NOT going to work. 265, yes or no, depending on which tire you choose. Tires with "squared" sidewall - no, e.g. PZero. Tires with "rounded" sidewall - yes, e.g. T1-S.

It depends on the diameter of the tire, and how square the tire is, and what the true sectional and tread widths are. All of those factors vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, so it is of little worth to say "245 does fit" or "245 doesn't fit", because it's not descriptive enough. Then, the wheel offset is not included either... there are so many variables to consider.

But to answer the question you asked...

I ran 245 on front (Pilot Sport) with absolutely no rubbing problems (I wonder if the people who say it "definitely will not work" have tried it). I also run 275 on the back (Yokohama AVS) with very little rubbing issues... my car is lowered with H&R and on the original spring shims (#2). It rubs on huge bumps at high speeds when I load about 30 COMAND systems in the back and associated hardware, and have two people in the car on a high-speed jaunt to Los Angeles, so I consider this an extreme condition. But in my daily drives the 275 does not rub.

-s-

Totally agree!

If your comment is addressing to me, please be advised that I had a CLK430 before and I had Koni shocks + H&R springs and I tried to put 245 PZeros on the front and it was RUBBING LIKE HELL. The only thing that will contradict to my saying is AMG have done A LOT fender rolling on their CLK55s in the factory.

I wasn't addressing you specifically...

however!

You did write:

245 is DEFINITELY NOT going to work.

Yet in my case it did. What I think you meant is that in your case, it did not work, not that it will definitely not work. If that is what you meant, I would appreciate it if you said that... and also the offset and wheel width you used, since this is very important. I was just pointing out that it did work in my case. Those sorts of generalizations (just claiming something won't work without qualification) are rarely true.

Also, to have any chance of success, I suggest a maximum of 31 offset on front, or else the tire will hit either the ball joint nut or the steering knuckle.

-s-

So what you're trying to say is one should try every single 245 tires in the market and put them on a W208 and see which one would work and which one wouldnt work BEFORE even being qualified to make comments on the board???

I tried with PZero on my car, and it didnt work. Therefore, I made a very definite comment on it. You tried it with Pilot Sport, it worked, thats great, I learned something. End of story.

I dont see there is a necessity to point fingers and made comments like "....I wonder if the people who say it "definitely will not work" have tried it....". You are also making the "generalization" comments yourself because you have no idea whether I've tried it at the time you made that post. You jumped right into the assumption that people havent tried it.

Lets end this, we both learned something through this.

Actually, no, I am not saying that. I am saying that if you're going to make a general statement that is not true in all cases, expect to be corrected. If you want to tell us more about the situation that did not work for you, that is certainly welcome, and it would help everyone.

However, it seems you miss my point, which is, if you've had some experience, share the experience, not the all-encompassing statement that "IT DEFINITELY WILL NOT WORK."

Well, I am about to do it with PZero Rosso, and it will work and not rub. So your statement again is not explaining what offset you used, what wheel diameter, and what aspect ratio tire: the QUALIFYING factors.

I am not pointing fingers at anyone, I was just wondering if anyone had tried it, because those people (including you) that said it would not work, did not include any qualifying information on what actually did not work--it was just stated that it would not work at all, which means in all cases it would not work. This of course, by your admission, is not true. And by me wondering if anyone had tried it, I was obviously not making an assumption. Maybe your assumption was that there was actually more there than I wrote? I generally do not insinuate more than what is typed out.

I would like to end it, but you always seem to need to have the last word. I would prefer to end it with you understanding what I am saying rather than assuming I am saying something that I am not.

If you could understand the issue, fess up to it, and move on, rather than pointing a finger back, then you could just "end it" right there.

I am trying to point out that the way that things are being communicated can be mistaken by another reading this forum. I know that I certainly read that "IT DEFINITELY WILL NOT WORK" meant that my 245s did not work, yet they did. So I felt the method of your communication was unclear, and was trying to make a clarification. I may be making an incorrect assumption that you are a native English speaker and understand the nuances of your statements, and if so, I apologize for bringing them to your attention in what you deem to be an offensive manner. However, I still feel it necessary to point out to the reader that regardless of my opinion on your communications skills, the statement was over general and could have been misunderstood by others.

-s-

guys, will you stop this? well, i am a newbie here and i dont know the history between the two of you. honestly, i dont know what's wrong with you scorchie, reading from a 3rd person point of view, you are bashing harris and pointing fingers at him. i can only see that he is trying to share his experience, if you expect him to give you all the details on those qualifying factors, just ask him. no need to pretend that you are some kind of expert? you did sound like to me that people have to try everything before they can make comments. over the past few months before i joined the forum, i saw numerous threads that people are making untrue statements. how come i didnt see you correct everyone of them?

harris didnt say anything wrong, he just didnt have the whole pic. what's wrong with that? nobody knows everything in this world. seems like harris is getting a wheels fitment lesson from you as well as an english lesson too. both of you have your point, get on with it.

a side question, scorchie, why do you put down "2007 Maybach 62 (on order)" on your sig? a lot of things can happen in 4 years. do you feel better by telling everyone here that you have ordered a car which you will be taking delivery 4 years later? just curious, nothing offensive. please dont start to flame me back!