E430ATL

Okay guys, I'm looking for some good news here. I recently bought non-staggered 18x9 Lorinser RS1's in the silver finish for my 1998 E430. I am currently running H&R Sport Springs, otherwise stock suspension, and I have stock spring pads in the back and #1's up front.

My tires are brand new General Exclaim UHP's in 235/40/18 all the way around. Just over the past day or so I ran into the threads about wheel size on a w210 and apparently there is an issue with 9J wheels in the front for the w210? The offset on my wheels is ET38.

I actually had the tires mounted and 3 of the wheels actually mounted on the car before we realized that I only had 3 of the hub centric rings. So I had to order another spacer from Lorinser and it should be here after this weekend.

My question is this....

They had 3 wheels mounted and they also test fitted them, and the guys at the tire shop never said anything about not having enough room in the front as far as clearance is concerned. But also keep in mind that the car was still in the air when I saw 3 of the wheels mounted. I never got to put it on the ground. Could someone visually look at something like that in the air and see if it won't work? Or would you have to have the car on the ground before you can really see how it fits?

I feel like such an idiot because I didn't research thoroughly enough before I bought the wheels. But worst case, I would have to sell the wheels and tires. Gimme your thoughts guys. Thanks!

turbobunny

You said that the tire shop "test fitted" them? If they were able to bolt on one of the rims/tires on to one of the front hubs...and spin the wheel without hitting the "infamous" bolt, then you should be fine.

ohlord

if it brings the et on the front down to 31 or about you might be close.Did you see the pic ray posted of the nut?How could they up on a lift determine if there would be contact?They can't.It needs to be on the ground,springs and shocks settled in for a period of time enough to determine real ride height.Then lock to lock observation and a loaded test drive across all the things that bring on rub.Loaded turns,curbs,tracks etc. if need be play with the spacers and roll the front fenders
measure twice cut once A good rule in tire fitments as well as carpentry.
ohlord

E430ATL

Yeah I assume that they made sure that they spun correctly because as soon as I got there, the guy at the shop asked me if I needed spacers or anything to make them compatible to my car and I told him that I didn't know. I figured that they would bolt on okay. So he told me that he would "test fit" them before he mounted them. So I'm assuming thats what he meant when he used the term "test fit".

What is this infamous bolt? And if it were to hit, where would it make contact? Thanks in advance.

turbobunny

E430ATL

Sweet, I will check that out when I go back to the shop after my hub centric ring comes in. I am hoping and praying that they will work with no modification. I would hate to sell these wheels. Ahhh!

ghaffar23

I have a set of Lorinser LM-5's, with an offset of ET38 as well. I also have a 7mm Lorinser spacer all around, which puts the overall offset to ET31. Now, as far as what tires I am running, they 225/40/18. I have NO issues with rub, whatsoever. However, like ohlord mentions, with a 235/40/18 tire, you have to thoroughly test. I recall when I first wanted to replace my tires, I asked on mbworld whether I should get 225/40 or 235/40. 225/40 ran the lowest risk of rub, so that could be another option instead of selling your Lorinser's.

E430ATL

Gotcha...if I do have to go down to 225/40, I have to see if the tire shop will let me swap them out. I ordered the tires through them and they've only been mounted on the rim. I hope they don't give me much trouble if it boils down to getting another set of tires. Well right now, when they mounted them, it was ET38 offset and I have no spacers.

I am confused as to how the whole offset/spacer thing works. What does it mean when you put a 7mm spacer on there and it took the offset to ET31? Is that the measurement on the inside or the outside?

ohlord

is worth a thousand words.
in this example lets say the et is 38 and you put the spacer of 7mm in ,it would reduce the 38 to 31 and push the inner rim further out.if you increased rim width without changing et you can see how it could cause problems when clearance is an issue.8 works with a 31 so if your 9's don't maybe a bigger spacer.
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/...jsp?techid=101
ohlord
1010tires has that cool et calculator that you enter wheel specs and it shows what the net results will look likeas far as inner rim to suspension and outer rim towards fender

E430ATL

Okay so I got them mounted yesterday and drove around town and the ride is fine, but every small dip in the road, you have the sidewall rubing against the fender. It started to cosmetically damage the tire, so I took it back this morning, had them pull it off and I think I am going to get my fenders rolled tomorrow. They are so close to the fender it's unbelieveable. How much should fender rolling run and is it paintless or will I need to get the fenders painted?

ohlord

place is good and properly heats the fender and takes their time it should be fine.
ohlord

E430ATL

Yeah the guy that I am having the work done with said that he's got a machine that does it or something. I will be asking him tomorrow how what method he uses. I have had lots of suspension related work done by this guy before and he mainly does a lot of import/tuner stuff with 240SX's. He's a good guy and I trust that he knows what he's doing. I think maybe a .5" should be sufficient to make it clear everything on the outside. The inside is perfect, and I have lots of room between the wheel and the bolt on the inside.

ohlord

the backs?And if room to the inside have you thought about a different spacer?To move the wheel inwards a scosh.

E430ATL

Well I thought about that but I can get my fenders rolled for cheaper than I can buy new spacers. I don't really want this project to turn into a moneypit. I think the spacers are just right, If I can just roll those fenders a tad I think it will be fine. I attached a pic of the wheels on the car right after I got it. Let me know what you think. Thanks ohlord.

43fatman

I like them send me some pictures of the clearance i bet we could suck the fronts in some. Let me know and i will turn them down for you.

Matthew

E430ATL

I'm going to go get my fenders rolled tomorrow. I got quoted $75 per side and I won't have to paint the fenders or anything so I guess we'll try that and see how it works out. I think that should do the trick. Everything else looks fine on the car and it's just that lip on the fender that was rubbing up on the side of the tire.

ohlord

great,just the right attitude
Get out the roller and the heat gun and she will be fine.235's on 9's is close
At least when you want to you can throw some 265's on the back.
Have the alignment checked and set if needed,those new tires will love you for it.

E430ATL

Couldn't have this attitude without someone like you coaching me along ohlord. I appreciate you greatly for your input. Yeah 235's with 9's is very close without the rolling but I think once I get a little more room on the inside of that fender, all I'll have to worry about it serious potholes or hitting major dips in the road at high speeds. Cause since I never changed out the shocks when I did the springs, they tend to bottom out if i go too fast on a bump, which is very rare and only happens when I drive roads that I am unfamiliar with. So I think I should be okay. I will post more pics after the whole thing is said and done.

Rumpelstiltz

Any news on this thread?

ohlord

the reminder on this thread being bumped up,I just noted you have HR springs with stock shocks,that will cause problems since the springs are shorter than the stock shock travel.Get some sports not kyb to stiff.
How did the roll go?
he's facing west

Rumpelstiltz

I know this isnt exactly what you want to hear, but I would personally never recommend fitting tires that aren't either stock specifications to the car or custom made to fit specifically, like Kleemann and Brabus quality alloys.

There are numerous reasons why you should stick to specifications or custom tailor made alloys. First of all, mostly you just dont want to have the hassle - alloys should look good - but they should also fit perfectly and safely. This means at any condition the car could be in at any point in time, fully loaded, in sharp curves and so on. Secondly, going beyond specifications on modern cars, can have several kinds of impacts, such as ABS, ESP and BAS malfunctions or conditions out of normal.

Also, please bear in mind that the ET actually is a quite important specification. Going outside specfications can change the handling of the car significantly, and can also have siginifant impact on hub wear and tear....

So buttomline - stay within specifications and be happy.


Rumpel

ohlord

to 18's with the proper et or spacers required and modification to springs and shocks and a good alignment is what should be done to do it correctly.Specs for this car range all the way from 16-18 inches rolled fenders from the factory E55 sport springs etc. they are all in spec. None if kept within a small % of change in height with front and back staggers will affect the brake and stability systems.Plenty of non brabus brand wheels out there fit the bill and unless pushed to 19's will not affect suspension wear or loading.