need advise on wheel size upgrade
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Newbie
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Central Jersey
Mercedes E-320
need advise on wheel size upgrade
I posted before on another forum but did not get any replies ,I'm looking to upgrade my wheels and tires on my '97 E-320 my wife is very concerned about the ride and comfort if it was up to me I will go for looks and get 18" or 19" how cab I compromise ? at this point I just want to get rid of the original wheels and get something like the brabus monoblocks but I'm debating with wheel size to maintain the same ride and comfort as with the originals .should I get 17"? or 18"?
please advise.
Thanks!
please advise.
Thanks!
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From: Washington D.C.
2024 GLE63s / 2016 GLE63s (traded) / 2016 E63s / 2002 E55
You can not maintain the same ride and comfort buy increasing to 17 or 18 inch wheels. Not possible. Even doing a plus-1 upgrade to 17 will change the ride and comfort. So to minimized the ride harshness do a 17" upgrade. That is the reality. I guarantee your wife will 'not' like the ride, noise and less comfort caused by 17 and 18 inch wheels and you will be sleeping on the couch with 19 inch wheels.
Thread Starter
Newbie
Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Central Jersey
Mercedes E-320
Thanks KEV and E320 !
I finally got a straight foward answer ! I'm going to get the 17's then.. so I can sleep peacefully in my comfortable bed.. and dream of a Porsche 911 with 19" wheels...
I finally got a straight foward answer ! I'm going to get the 17's then.. so I can sleep peacefully in my comfortable bed.. and dream of a Porsche 911 with 19" wheels...
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Originally posted by sportlichE430
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anyone open their sunroof and notice the sky is falling
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From: Los Angeles
1998 ML320 + 1985 AE86
if you wanna improve the ride and handling without 17"
just do plus-zero sizing on your E320 from 215/55/R16 to 225/50/R16 with a set of Z rated tires. I did it to my E420 and it feels great ... not too rough but it handles great.
ML320AMG
just do plus-zero sizing on your E320 from 215/55/R16 to 225/50/R16 with a set of Z rated tires. I did it to my E420 and it feels great ... not too rough but it handles great.
ML320AMG
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From: Georgia
E 63S Wagon Renntech, E55 Renntech, SL65, SL 55 030, ML, bunch of old ones--they come, they go...
MB, I can't see from your post...
where you live, but if you're in an area where the roads are reasonable, the 18" set up is not troublesome for the w210. The setup has enough sidewall to give you a better than reasonable ride. Just make sure you don't use anything but Michelin or an SO3 and you'll avoid many headaches. In fact, I have set up a few that, to me, ride better than the stock 16 or 17 setups with inferior (read: conti, dunlop, goodyear, sumitomo, etc) tire brands. Your ride quality is greatly dependent on the quality (compliance and roundness) of your wheels and tires, and the care that goes into having them properly mounted and balanced. And no, an inch difference in size is not twice the cost and half the life, by definition. The reason that many folks have poor treadlife on large wheel and tire setups is because they do not care for them (no attempts at rebalancing, no alignment checks, and usually riding on a suspension that's quite low and not fully sorted out). That usually leads to cupping, which leads to premature wear, which leads to noise and lousy times (and *****ing wives--ain't she got her own ride?). Anyway, don't just throw the 18" idea in the trash; if done right, it can work just fine. If you live in NJ or Delaware, just skip this message. Just my .02...allenman.
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Originally posted by ML320AMG
if you wanna improve the ride and handling without 17"
just do plus-zero sizing on your E320 from 215/55/R16 to 225/50/R16 with a set of Z rated tires. I did it to my E420 and it feels great ... not too rough but it handles great.
ML320AMG
if you wanna improve the ride and handling without 17"
just do plus-zero sizing on your E320 from 215/55/R16 to 225/50/R16 with a set of Z rated tires. I did it to my E420 and it feels great ... not too rough but it handles great.
ML320AMG
the best 'plus-zero' upgrade to the 215/55/16 is 235/50/16, however, limited choices in tires for that size.
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Originally posted by MB320
Thanks guys I decided to get 17" x 8.5 wheels it still looks better than the stock 16" and I'm very happy with the Potenzas SO3's
Thanks guys I decided to get 17" x 8.5 wheels it still looks better than the stock 16" and I'm very happy with the Potenzas SO3's
Thread Starter
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Joined: Sep 2002
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From: Central Jersey
Mercedes E-320
I got a 17" X 8.5" Brabus IV style by Rondell. theyr'e very nice wheels I have about 70k on my car and I'm not about to spend $ 900 a wheel so I got a set of 4 of RONDELL wheels that look exactly the same and spent extra $$ on the Potenza SO3's tires which I think they are worth it.
Last edited by MB320; Oct 15, 2002 at 05:01 PM.
