Ben'z

Hi, all,

Please give me some advice for tires.

I am thinking about 235/45/17 all around, or 245/45/17, 255/40/17 in the rear.
What is your opinion?

Thank you very much,
Ben

E-Klasse

Before you go putting different tire sizes on, do a size calculation to make sure you are under a 3% difference.

Go here for the Tire size calculator

Having a staggered setup is good when you have wider rims in the back than you do in the front.

If you have 225/65/16 now, you can go to 245/55/17 with only a Diameter Difference of 0.37%.

Whitey

Mmmmm, sounds familiar

stemags

Im goin with 235/45 in front,,,,,255/40 in rear

Ben'z

???

Ben'z

Hi, E-Klasse,

Thanks for the useful website!

Actually, the original are 215/55/16.
The new wheels are 17x7.5 and 17x8.5.
I have 235/45/17 all around, and thinking about wider for the rear.

Don't know how to make decision....

Ben'z

Hi, Steve,

Will they rub?
What is your opinion not 245/45 in rear?
Thanks!
Ben

E-Klasse

235/45/17 would be the best fit compared to the 215/55/16 so you could do them on all 4 but to take advantage of the wider rims in the back, go with 255/40/17 in the back with only a 1% difference.

stemags

E klasse is right,,,and I got the idea from Whitey,,,and it is also recommended by Tirerack....235/45-17 in front,,,7.5" rim,,,,,and 255/40 -17 in rear on a 8.5" rim.That should be fine,,,but if youhave any other doubts,,,Dave(Whitey) is the wheel guy.Should not rub,,,but you need to consider the ET to be sure,,,again,,,help the man Whitey!!!!!!!

Whitey

OK Steve (and Ben), as E-Klasse said, 255/40 will only give you a 1% error (1.2% actually) i.e. your speedo will be faster by 1.2% than your stock setting e.g. when your speedo reads 60mph, you're actually travelling 59.3mph - not enough to notice on an analog speedo and a little extra safety margin, one might say

I'm assuming you got the staggered setup for those W203 Style IV's so it'll 8.5"/ET34 in the rears, right? If so, by way of comparison, with those wheels you will have 5mm more fender clearance than the standard E55 setting using 9" ET35 wheels (which I have used in the past without problems). N.B that's just the wheels, your narrower tires will also give you a little more clearance (at least 5mm) than the E55 recommended setup using 265's. For added assurance, your internal clearance will be 7mm more than the AMG setup. Conclusion? NO RUB - go for it buddy! For a little extra "staggeredness" you might want to consider a 5mm spacer in the rears - that will give you an "E55 look" fender clearance - good luck!

Ben'z

Thank you so much, Dave!

One more question, I might be wrong, I think the speedo will read from the front tire, right?
Then, 235/45/17 in the front should be read very close to the original setting. :p

Thanks, again!
Ben

E-Klasse

The rear tire size makes the difference in the speedo. The speed is measured in the transmission.

Ben'z

E-Klasse, thanks so much!
Ben

Ben'z

:p
One more question, is that OK front and rear tires from different brands?

Please forgive my stupid!

Ben

geunkmail

yo, ben. what wheels did you get for your ride? just curious

Whitey

Best for them to be matched but if you really must, get ones with similar looking tread patterns..........

Ben'z

17" AMG style IV, double spoke, W203.
It is for C32, however, W209 looks better!

Ben'z

I got a set of Goodyear F1 supercar with good price, 235/45/17.
It seems they will be expensive from retail.
That's why I am thinking about getting another one for rear.

Whitey

Actually the W211 ones look even better than the 209 version....but you'll need bolt mods since its not an exact fit (not recommended)

Whitey

What is the price of safety (and performance)??????

Ben'z

Hi, White,

You are right!
I think I will keep these 235/45/17 all around for safety issue. :p

Thanks!
Ben

zam2000

Actually, the speedometer is synched with front wheels. I got the diagram, so I'm pretty sure that's the case.

Whitey

I meant having matching tire tread front and back, not the same width.......

E-Klasse

There are speed sensors for the ABS at each wheel but as far as I know, the Speedo take a reading from the back of the transmission where the drive shaft connects.

stemags

That sounds like the NAV has to be recalculated,to get proper positioning.Anyone ever do that,cause i think i might have to? Going from 235/45 to the 255/40.