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I'm taking delivery of a new E400 coupe in a few weeks. I plan to run the factory 18" wheels and tires through the approaching winter but come spring I plan to pull off the factory 18's and put on a staggered set of 19" Vossen CVT's with summer high performance tires.
My question is wheel and tires sizes, what works best for 19"wheels, wide is always best but I don't want any rubbing issues. I'm also looking to keep a decently comfortable albeit sporty ride. My car will have the sport package so slightly lowered over standard.
There is a post just a few below yours with a E550 and 19's, i'd read that and look at the pics, he is going down the same path as you it seems and can probably give some advice.
I believe the current E400 has the same suspension / wheel well layout as the 2012+ E550.
The recommended tires (general consensus from the majority of the aftermarket wheel vendors I researched) for 19" staggered wheels are 245/35-19 Front and 275/30-19 Rear. I went slightly larger with 255/35-19 Front and 285/30-19 Rear to get a little more width and height of sidewall. Although I have zero issues with rubbing on stock sport suspension it is definitely tight fit in the wheel well of my 2012 E550 Coupe. I am considering a very mild drop to close the gap a bit between top of tire and fender lip. As I went with Rotary Forged wheels, the total weight of each tire and wheel (unsprung weight) went down even with the larger tire and larger diameter and width wheels. This translated to better handling performance (subjective at this point) both from lighter weight and larger contact patches of tires.
Offsets for my wheels were perfect for my tastes as well as no rubbing issues (if my wheels / tires sat in the wheel well a bit more there likely would have been some rubbing against suspension components).
I have the 19" Vertini RF1.1 Rotary Forged Wheels:
Front 19x8.5 40ET
Rear 19x9.5 45ET
Hope this helps with your research.
Cheers,
Frank
Originally Posted by Richard_P_Harve
I'm taking delivery of a new E400 coupe in a few weeks. I plan to run the factory 18" wheels and tires through the approaching winter but come spring I plan to pull off the factory 18's and put on a staggered set of 19" Vossen CVT's with summer high performance tires.
My question is wheel and tires sizes, what works best for 19"wheels, wide is always best but I don't want any rubbing issues. I'm also looking to keep a decently comfortable albeit sporty ride. My car will have the sport package so slightly lowered over standard.
Thanks so much that is very helpful for sure. The wheels I'm most interested in are the Vossen CVT's and they don't come in 9.5 width just 8.5 and 10. Do you think that extra 1/2 inch with the 10's in the rear are going to get me in trouble with rubbing..?
With the appropriate offset you should be fine. There are other E-Coupe owners on this forum that have 10" wide rear wheels (and 275 or 285 wide tires) with no problem. Vossen has a pic of an E-Coupe with the CVT's (they look like they are 20" wheels but likely 10" wide on back regardless): http://www.vossenwheels.com/gallery/...s.aspx?id=1913
Great wheel choice, the Vossen VFS/1 and CVT were on my short list.
Highly recommend contacting Vossen directly or reputable Vossen dealer (like Need4Speed) to confirm appropriate offsets for proper fitment.
Good luck and I look forward to seeing what you end up going with.
Cheers,
Frank
Originally Posted by Richard_P_Harve
Frank,
Thanks so much that is very helpful for sure. The wheels I'm most interested in are the Vossen CVT's and they don't come in 9.5 width just 8.5 and 10. Do you think that extra 1/2 inch with the 10's in the rear are going to get me in trouble with rubbing..?
It's that very car on the Vossen website that convinced me to go with Mars Red over black which my last three cars have been. The E400 couple just looks rocking in red and those CVT's are killer with that paint color.
I look forward to checking out pics of your E-Coupe when it arrives and after you get your new wheels. Congrats on an awesome vehicle!
Originally Posted by Richard_P_Harve
Thanks Frank,
It's that very car on the Vossen website that convinced me to go with Mars Red over black which my last three cars have been. The E400 couple just looks rocking in red and those CVT's are killer with that paint color.
It's that very car on the Vossen website that convinced me to go with Mars Red over black which my last three cars have been. The E400 couple just looks rocking in red and those CVT's are killer with that paint color.
I'm running 20" wheels (I believe that's the smallest Vossens come) with 10" width in the rear dropped on H&R sport springs with no rubbing issues on the rear. In the front, where my wheels run 9" wide, I had to get spacers since the wheels would rub against the struts.
Vossen CVTs in Silver and Graphite are available in 19x8.5 and 19x10 (as well as 20" and 22" variants). They were on my short list.
Originally Posted by SnakeDoctor
I'm running 20" wheels (I believe that's the smallest Vossens come) with 10" width in the rear dropped on H&R sport springs with no rubbing issues on the rear. In the front, where my wheels run 9" wide, I had to get spacers since the wheels would rub against the struts.
Vossen hooked me up with a local dealer that offered 20% off MSRP. There was a $200 off a set of 4 deal going but it's over now. I may just run the factory wheels and tires for the winter and purchase the CVT's in the early spring. Just need to decide on the silver or the graphite, I change my mind daily on that.
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