RJ55AMG

I currently have the stock 17" wheels that come on the 2003 CLK55 AMG and I'm thinking to get some new wheels... I'm thinking 19x8.5 in the front and 19x9.5 or 19x10 in the back. Please give me your opinion on what rim size you think is the best w/o rubbing. Also, would you recommend getting coilovers too? Any feedback will help! Thanks

miroj

My friend has 19" Style-IV 3-piece on his W209 and they seem fine. He didnt do any body mods or camber changes. The wheels bolted on.

The calculation was made for profile very carefully so that cruise control wouldnt freak out at high speed and stop working.

I would recommend the settings used in AMG ride height. It seems to work with no problems.

Harris

The proper wheel size should be 19x8.5/19x9.5. But be careful with your selection, a lot of wheels do not clear your car's front caliper. Feel free to send me an e-mail, I will try my best to help out.

RJ55AMG

Thanks miroj and Harris... My plan is to get a set of Brabus Monoblocks most likely (either the V's or VI's)... I figured 10's in the back would be too big. Have you guys seen anybody with 20's on their CLK55? If so, how'd they turn out?

x-tian-230k

Rafi,

I have seen a CLK 320 with 20's.

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...ghlight=20%27s

Hope this helps. In my opinion they are tooo big. And if you could, go with a 10 in the rear. Loooks soooo mean is incredible! Harris is a good source for help with mb knowledge......

RJ55AMG

Thanks for your help. Ya those twankies look a little too bigg. That person needs a drop and perhaps a bodykit to make it look right. I think imma do 19's. If I find a nice set w/ 8.5 fronts and 10's in the back I'll probably do that.

ariav10

We recently installed new 19inch. Lorinser Light alloy RS-6 wheels. with those we put on 265 rear and 245 front tires and we ended up having to only roll the fenders and not do anything to the suspension. as for tires i suggest Toyo Proxy 4's or Pirelli P Zero Nero, which is what we got. they get great traction and last fairly long for how much stick you're getting. i will post pictures of the wheel on the CLK55 soon.

RJ55AMG

Thanks, I'd really like to see how they look.

x-tian-230k

Rafi, you can fit 19x8.5 front and 19x9.5 in the rear running 235/35/19 in the front and 265/30/19 tire in the rear with out and mods..... just and FYI

RJ55AMG

hmm.. that sounds better than the 245's, i guess that's what i'll do when i get mine.

x-tian-230k

YOu don't want 245 in the rears...thats too skipy...u might as well keep your stockies if u do that...u can get 265 in the rears without rubbing!

keeklu

Rafi jooma,
I recently upgraded my mags to 18 x 8.5 & 18 x 9.5 AMG Style 4 multipiece riveted ones. With Michelin Pilot Sports 2, my ride / handling is so much more refined. I browsed these forums and realized the preferance for 19s by most. However I also realized the not so smooth roads here..plus I was not willing to compromise on my ride quality to be any more stiffer at the expense of looks/ cosmetic effect. 209s in my opinion were made to give you a smooth/ soft ride with that blend of luxury & sports. Bottom line...I may be the only one advocating 18s here...but you might want to reflect on your preferances again. Just going for whatever the widest choice is may not be what you want to feel in a ride. It is , after all, a hefty investment!

cheers!

RJ55AMG

Hey, I appreciate your opinion bro. I'm definitely not willing to sacrifice the smooth ride for smooth looks at all. The roads here in Atlanta are okay - not the best and not the worst. I don't want 19's to be a problem so I think I may just do the 18's then... and they'll be cheaper too. Thanks!

AMG///Merc

There was a pretty comprehensive article in Road & Track a few years ago, where they fitted a current BMW 540i with wheels ranging from 17" to 20", and the gist of the article was that from a performance standpoint, 18"s is ideal, and anything above that is only detrimental to performance, both in handling and acceleration (Greater rotating mass, higher/numerically lower gearing). I'm not even sure that 19" wheels look better than 18's also. I know that 20" rims are definitely too much, but I guess that's a matter of opinion... I agree that the PS2's are excellent! Much better than the oem P-zeros and the Eagle F1 GSD-3's that came with my 18" rims...

I am curious as to why it's not adviseable to fit 265/30*-18's over 255/35-18's?nyone know? (* could be 265/35's)

Best regards,
Matt

keeklu

Not sure about that...I just played super safe and blindly followed AMGs recommendations as per their website. I was sure that Mother AMG would have done their maths before making such recommendations. I am thrilled with the performance of my setup...perhaps still struggling with finding ideal tyre pressure levels.....currently 38psi all over.

rafi jooma,

Glad you made the choice for 18's ...you won't regret it. Keep us posted with pics. etc.

Cheers!

clk55fan

The previous responses are on the money IMHO.

I WRESTLED with the decision making process of 18s or 19s.

I chose 18s.
Once I installed my H&R springs, the fit was perfect.
I installed #2 spring pads F&R.

As I drive in traffic, I DO notice the stares at the car and
it is definitely because of the wheels.

With 18s, the wheels are less expensive.
The tires are less expensive.
There are more tire choices.

Good luck!!

prowlers

I have 19x9.5 HRE's and the fit is very very snug but not rubbing

King///AMG

Choosing between 18's and 19's was my biggest dilemma. I love the look of 19's, but 18's seemed more practical (cost was not a factor). Since I live in Michigan, I store my car during the winter, so I figured I would go with 19's. 265/30-19 rears and 235/35-19 fronts.

Let me tell u this, I am happy I choose the 19's. No rubbing, or nothing. Perfect fit.

mskdbandit

Forgive me for the w208 question but I couldn't find an equivalent thread.... I have a w208 cab and have also been racking my brain over the past couple of weeks trying to decide between 18s & 19s. I think I want to go with the 19s but if I do, then I'm undecided between staggered vs. non-staggered.

I like the staggered look but am afraid of the rear tires rubbing, especially since a local installer told me they would whenever there are passengers in the back. Is this true?

x-tian-230k

Bandit,

Its not true..... I rocked a 265/30/19 in my c-class with a 9.5 width rim! I believe that is the max u can go without rubbing. But i had stock springz too soooo if u have custom setup u might want to get that checked out....

Mtechnik

245/35/19 for front 275/30/19 for rear with H&R springs. So far the rear has not rubbed but have not tested with someone sitting in the back. The front, well normal driving its fine but when trying to make a sharp turn it does rub against the splash guard under the fenders, a tiny bit. So I would go with 235 for the front when my tires needs to be changed.

x15jq

Hi I have a W208 cab as well. I had a set of brabus 6 stagged in the past 19 8.5/9.5 rear with 245 35 and 275 30.

There was no rubbing at all, but my car was not lowered.

I now invested in another set of brabus 6 but this time not stagged 8.5 all around with a 235/35/19. I miss the staggeed look but the chrome is so much better looking to me. I am lowering my car with H and R springs next week and thats why I chose the tire size I did.

newguy2008

Agreed. 265 30 19 in the rears are perfect. I tried running 275's and it rubbed occasionally on bad dips on the highway, so stick with 265 as those same dips are now not an issue at all.

RK-CLK55

I have my 2004 CLK 55 with 8.5 & 9.5" rims with 235/35-19 for the front & 265/30-19 for the rears. I also have the Brabus Lowered Suspension kit that drops the car by approx. 1" Never any problems with rubbing, don't drive the car in the winter.

19's are no problem for the W209 CLK's.
Comes down to 3 things for a person:
- Cost
- Roads ... how bad are you roads (some 19's wheels can bend if you hit a bad pot hole)
- Ride Quality ... 19's will be a bit firmer

Dxtrough

I have a 2005 CLK500. I bought 19x8.5 wheels. I bought 225/35/19 for the fronts and I came across a good deal on some 255/35/19 for the rears. Will these tires fit on the back okay?