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E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
Well I dumped the OE wheels with the beat Pirellis pretty cheap locally, $750
Already took delivery of 18" Sumis and had a set of OE SLS reps all picked out and ready to pull the trigger.
In the process of harvesting the OE wheels, I needed some temporary wheels to store the car for a while until the new set arrived. I ended up using a cheap set of gunmetal wheels with four 225/45-17 Coopers that were just sitting here from several old cars ago. So I tossed them on as temps, and I was like, wow, they look pretty good, and idk if I even need 18's for these roads. I thought if I only had some staggered 17"s instead, then realized like a dummy that my CLK 500 not only has staggered 17", but also new Eagle Exhilarates and F1 A/S on rear....in a pretty good size, <2% smaller but 94 XL load, no problem.
So, off came the gunmetals, and they went on the CLK... then I swapped the staggered black TSW Max onto the Coupe, and I am so glad I did.
I also did my clear corners, so I'll snag better pics. Using 225/45-17 and 245/40-17 they are adequate, with more sidewall than the 18"s They ride super smooth and very firm for a "downgrade", but still cushy. The Exhilarate is a very good product.
I need something that can work in snow IF necessary. https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests...y.jsp?ttid=266
So yeah, I pulled a set of wheels out of my ***. Didn't expect the black to look so good, but the car has black interior, and the black roof...plus I have a littte extra window trim tweek planned. Since the CLK is discounted, why give away a primo set of wheels and tires with it? Considering the horrid chrome wheels that came on it, and the pita fitment of the TSWs on them, with tophat spacers and such....ugh. Both sets bolted right up with one little issue of mismatched offsets up front. I had a replacement wheel sitting here with the wrong offset, I was able to use it with a 12mm spacer and come to 1mm variance side to side. I've been doing this stuff a long time. I have more spacers and wheel bolts here than a tuner shop.
Another problem solved was having the CLK rolling w/o a cracked wheel, ready for a lowball buyer. Even the Coopers on it have some merit. So I solved a bunch of fitment and utilization problems, and an awesome looking set-up that works great for almost no cost. I'm still going to build the 18" set, but maybe in 18 months when I need a fresh set for winter 2024.
Last edited by Audi Junkie; 06-04-2022 at 01:39 AM.
E Coupe C207, ML W166, ML W164, Sprinter 1500/144, W111 SB220 Fintail(s), A5 chassis Beetle 5+5
The wheels took further tweeking to utilize the new ET32 wheel I had laying around. Put a 12mm spacer on the old ET45 wheel to get it to ET33, which is close enough. I had a 15mm on it, but whatever. It was worth the effort, and the Eagles are working great.
Total investment in this set is about $150 since I needed a (used) tire, a spacer and bolts. Used up that mismatched wheel, which is priceless.