Im Looking For 18 Or 19 Inch Rims For An E430 Preferably 19 Inch Chrome Amg's But Im Worried About Rubbing. Because Im A Real Estate Agent And I Always Have Clients Riding With Me In The Back So Basicly My Question Is Has Anyone With A non Amg E-class Experinced Rubbing With 19's? Im Not Really Interested In Having To Go Through The Hassel Of Putting On Spacers And All That I Just Want To Know If I Can Go Head And Get 19's With Out Rubbing Or Do I Need To Stick With 18's?..ALSO HOW IS THE RIDE WITH 19'S TO BUMPY OR IS IT OK? I FOR SURE DONT WANT TO LOSE THE LUXURY RIDE ON THIS CAR.. Ok Guys Thanks In Advance....CALVIN

 

I have a non-AMG, 19's with 265/30 tires and have no rubbing issues. But that is not to say ALL 19's won't rub - it all depends on the offset and width of the wheel itself.

As for the ride, there is clearly a difference from the 18's but with the right lwoering springs or stock springs even, bumps are not too abrupt (unlike many cars riding on stiock shoes and suspension I've been in) - depends on your tolerance tho...point is, it is kind of subjective but definitely not too uncomfortable.

 

Yeah Your Right About The Offset Though..... Do You Think 18's Look Ok I Dont Want To Lower The Car At All Or Change Any Springs I Just Want The Best Look With The Best Ride With No Rub Same Quesions As Before I Know 19's Are And Odd Size Im Sure 20's Are A Rough Ride It's Just In The Middle Those 19's But I Want The Look Of 20's Just Minus The Bad Ride

 

18" w/no lowering is really just a matter of personal preference. To me, it looks odd and somewhat "cheap" - larger wheels with a lower profile on stock height simply looks like its halfway there (or you don't have enough cash to do the rest) - I guess that means its not the "best look".

Lowering does not necessarily mean a worst ride - it all depends on the springs and tires you use. Some brands of tires and lowering springs dampen bumps better than others. When I changed to 18's and lowered my car with Eibach springs, it handled much better (less swaying - which is a known problem with the W210's stock suspension) and yet ride did not suffer noticeably...and it wasn't because I was willing to live with a harsher ride, it really didn't feel harsh at all. As said, when I stepped up to 19's it was noticeable but bearable - in fact, I believe my set up is still softer than the stock W209 CLK Advantgarde (I know, you guys don't have it, but the Advantgarde has a firmer, shorter spring than the regular optioned cars - something that I had previously on my E too).

I must qualify this comment with the fact that Eibachs in Asia and Europe are designed differently to the ones in the US, so I would suggest doing some research on the springs' features and comparing with the other brands available. Likewise, some research on tire design properties of the various brands available would be useful.

Any thing with a width of 7.5-8.5", with an offset of around ET31-35 up front, and 8.5-9.5" in the rear, with an offset of ET 35 -38, and with the appropriate tire widths, should not give you any rubbing problems at all without rolling the fenders - even with lowering (but of course not slammed as with an H&R cupkit with #1 pads all round).

The size of wheel you choose really depends on the fender alignment you want achieve. You will find the most common setup for 18 aftermarket wheels is probably 8.5" with ET35. The proper AMG Style II's (8/9" x 18", ET31/ET35, Front/Rear) will definitely not rub but still give you a nice staggered look and nice aggresive looking fender alignment.

Hope this helps and good luck!

 

I Have a W210 Estate Lowered with AMGs 18x9 rear with 275s..No Rub!

The 19s Look Great but the Ride is lost!...If You want it to look cool 19s!..If you want a decent ride 18s!

 

i got 19s lowered on h&r with bilstein, and it rides way better than stock! at least to me any way. a soft ride makes me sick, just swaying up and down, ......ewwww

 

but dude... it will look gay like you have a 4x4 eclass if you do not lower it with big wheels! no joke.