waynehyde200665

Hi, I am new to MB World, & would like some help in deciding what is the best option for a tyre & wheel package, for my 2007 W219 CLS 320 CDI.

I currently have 17" by 8.5 wheels & 245-45-17 Front 255-45-17 Rear tyres, I would like to put bigger wheels with meaner look, but do not want to ruin the ride quality to much.

I would like to put bigger wheels on & try to keep the profile close to the 45 I currently have!, 'not asking much I know', but any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Wayne

95viper

19"
245/40/19 and 285/35/19

20"
245/35/20 and 285 or 295/30/20
You can't run a 255 in front in these sizes without work to get them not to rub

Offsets need to be correct.

waynehyde200665

Hi 95viper,

thanks for info, very helpful, could I run 255 on front with 5mm spacers?,
also I am lead to believe the offset is 35 all round do you know if this is correct.

Thanks
Wayne

95viper

Reardless of offset and spacers.....if you want to run 255's then you cannot run the 255/40/19 or 255/35/20. This is because the tire diameter gets up to 27 and starts rubbing either the front suspension nut or front plastic liner.

You would have to run 255/35/19 or 255/30/20. That is a 26 diameter.

The issue with the 255/30/20 is that you would need to run a 295/25/20 or 305/25/20 rear and that can create a lot of problems depending on where you live with such a low profile tire. Lots of people do it though. Lots of dent rims though.

95viper

....and 35 offset is incorrect. OEM is et25 front and et28 rear. In the US that is.

You currently have 8.5 all around with 245 and 255 tires? Is that UK OEM?

waynehyde200665

Yes UK OEM,
Brought car with 8.5 all round running 245f & 255r don't know if this is standard.
Looking at a set of wheels on ebay Item 141077232272

Size front 255/35/19 wheel 8.5
Rear 275/30/19 wheel 9.5

Looking at your comments these should fit not sure of offset but seller says wheels will fit CLS ???

Thanks
Wayne

PS yes UK OEM wheels not sure about tyre size

95viper

- 255/35/19 diameter is 26 which is OEM
- 275/30/19 diameter is 25.6 which is too small. You can fit a 285/30/19 on that wheel and get a 25.8 diameter to be better. Best would be a 295/30/19 on a 10" wheel to match at a 26" diameter.

Notice that he also doesn't show any pictures of the rear of the wheels. Do not get confused and think that those are OEM. They aren't.. Without knowing the brand they could be complete pieces of garbage and not even be hub centric. Welcome to a world of shimmy with low quality wheels.

He doesn't list the offsets too. The E series offsets are not the same as ours. You will need spacers and longer lugs.

waynehyde200665

Thanks 95 viper,

your info has been very helpful, going to source tyres & wheel sizes as you recommended.

Best regards
Wayne

95viper

Your original post said that you wanted to keep close to your current 45 profile which is probably a good idea with UK roads. I have been to Brighton before so I get it.

I would suggest a good quality 19x8.5 et25 and 19x9.5 et20 wheel, hubcentric, with 245/40/19 and 285/35/19.

Phallacy

Hey all,

I thought I'd also ask my wheel questions in this thread without starting a new one. Excuse me waynehyde if you feel i'm hijacking your thread.

I'm looking into getting new wheels as well for my 09 cls with the sport package. I have 255/40 18 in the front and 285/35 18 rears. I'm looking at getting the tsw interlagos set with 18x8.5 32mm offset in the front and 18x9.5 40mm offset in the rear. Does anybody know off hand if these will / won't fit or what I need to alter to make sure I don't have to cut fenders down etc?

Also how much allowance is there in the offset, if any? I know stock is listed as 25mm and 28mm front/rear respectively. Do those numbers have to match up exactly with the new wheels in mind, or how much can i go either way while still ensuring a proper fit. Thanks in advance.

95viper

Those offsets are wrong for a CLS and why would you be getting 18" unless they are used? You could run a 245/40/19 and a 285/35/19 with a 8.5 and 9.5 wheel.

Most agree that OEM offsets (8.5 et25 and 9.5 et28 wheels) stick in a little too much. The rears stick in even more than the front. This is why many go close to et20 to pull them out a bit.

Phallacy

Thank you for the quick response. Those were the tires tirerack recommended and what was stated in the tech manual, so I went with those. I take it that's not the consensus here?

So what offsets should I look for in the wheels since I very recently got the tires and don't really want to spend the cash on changing them out. From your post, 35mm in front and 40mm in rear won't work, correct? Should I be looking for 20mm for front and rear? Again, thanks.

95viper

I would personally pay to swap them out. You will regret it later and shame Tirerack if they charge you much to exchange. If you are intent on keeping the tires then ok...let's go through the math.

255/40/18 is diameter 26 and is OEM. 18x8.5 et25 is OEM.
285/35/18 is diameter 25.9 and is OEM. 18.9.5 et28 is OEM.

People say that et20 on a 255 tire is absolutely flush. I personally think et25 is good. Whatever suits your taste. 5mm is not a crazy difference.

The rear is a different story. Et28 is way too far in. I went with a 285 tire and went et18 on a 9.5 wheel.

Wait a minute...what wheels are you currently running? If you have 18" OEM then mount the tires, go to a local auto parts store and pay for very cheap $10 or so generic spacers in 5mm, 10mm, etc. and test them until you get the et that you like. Then place your order.

Phallacy

Yes, I do have the OEM that comes with the car. The AMG style 5 spokes. Ok so could I put 10mm (35mm) spacers front and 12mm (40mm) spacers for the rear and see how I like the proportions before I pull the trigger or that's just too much offset?

Do you have any links to wheel sets that would match the dimensions you have given? I can't seem to find much with a 20mm front and 28mm rear that would fit but I don't know every single site out there.

And why exactly will I regret those tires? Thanks, you've helped a ton.

95viper

- There is tire offset and there is wheel offset. You said that you bought 255 and 285 width tires. Are these also the widths of your current tires on your OEM wheels? If not remember that switching for a 245 to a 255 will change the offset. The 255 tire is .4" wider so it will stick out .2" more.

- You are backwards on your math on spacers. You have a positive offset 25. If you add a 10mm spacer then you go down in offset so you go to a 15mm. It pulls your wheel out.

- My suggestion is to get cheap 5mm and 10mm spacers and see what you like. Put 5mm on front and 10mm on back which takes you to et20 and et18. Again, remember about the width of the tires(245 vs. 255 for instance) will impact your final decision. Swap around until you are happy.

- When you finally know what offset you like and what tire width you like then you can make a decision on wheel sizes such as 18 x 9.5 vs. 18 x 10.

- I say that you will regret those 18" sizes only because you are ordering new wheels and tires. You have unlimited options. 18" wheels are way too small and not necessary because you can have 245/40/19 and 285/35/19 which gives you a 19" wheel with the same profile that you desire.

- Heck, If I was ordering new....I would even go with a 245/35/20 front. 255/35/20 would be too much diameter without modifications.

waynehyde200665

Thanks again 95viper for tyre & wheel recommendation, just need to source.

Hi Phallacy, no worries, made interesting reading & now I'm more familiar with 'offsets'

Cheers All.

95viper

Guys, If you really want to get confused let me throw another wrinkle at you. Different tires in the same size visually look to have different offsets...meaning one tire appears t stick out more than another.

For instance, I bought 245/40/19 Michelin Super Sports and these are meaty tires. They cover a 8.5 wheel and look like a 255. They have a very squared off shoulder which gives the bigger appearance.

Just something else to consider

95viper

This link will be your friend. Click on Pricing and Specs. Most sizes are covered.
It will give you insight to diameters and what size wheels fit to the tires.
http://www.michelinman.com/tire-sele...t/tire-details

Phallacy

Alright, I think I'm starting to get the full breadth of it but please correct if I'm mistaken. Hypothetically if I were to go with the wheels i saw with 32/35mm front and 40 mm rears. a 10mm spacer for front/rear would put them back near stock levels 22/30 but the tire itself would look like its bulging out somewhat? Is there any restrictions on how much offset wheels for our model can take without rubbing into suspension components or calipers etc? I'm not too concerned with having the wheel flush with the tire unless its really garish looking.

95viper

The wheels you saw were the tsw interlagos set with 18x8.5 32mm offset in the front and 18x9.5 40mm offset in the rear. Your tires are 255/40 18 in the front and 285/35 18 rears.

Front: If you used a 10mm spacer you would be at et22. That is fine and close to the edge. You get into all sorts of drama with a 5mm spacer not being hub centric(no lip on the spacer) and possible vibrations so I would use a 10mm.

Rear: You will need to use about a 20mm spacer to get to et20 to match the front. With a 285 tire and your et22 front some might say use a 25mm spacer. I would have to see it.

You are going to be surprised how much those spacers and lug bolts cost. I paid $100 for 10mm H&R spacers. Call them too and see what the minimum hubcentric(with lip) spacers fit the front of our cars. It is different than the rear.

I know that I keep saying it but unless you are getting a deal on those wheels and tires, return the tires and get a set of 19" or 20" wheels that fit without spacers. Google Discount Tire Mandrus wheels.

Phallacy

Awesome, thanks for that 95viper. Unfortunately I cannot exchange/return the tires as it has been past 30 days per Tirerack's policy iirc. The wheel selection only came into play due to an unexpected work bonus. So looks like I will have to stick it out with the 18s and eat the cost of the spacers/lugs. I will definitely give H&R a call before I make any decision and come back here for a final gutcheck. Real quick I ebayed 10mm hub centric spacers and got this for a set of 2 for fronts at least.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mercedes-Ben...-/181227339479

95viper

No worries....at least you can play with spacers on your existing wheels until you know what offset you like. With 255 and 285 tires, I bet you will end up with something like et20-25 in front and et15-20 in back. You will have to try and see what you like.

There is a reason why H&R has different part numbers for front and back.
DR10mm3 18 Front Only20556659$99.95 PairDR10mm3 18 Rear Only2055665$99.95 Pair

95viper

Guys, Did you see the OEM CLS 19" wheels/new tires in the classifieds? Pretty sweet deal since you are looking for 19".

CLS_724

Can never go wrong with an OEM wheel ...