Any opinions on whether staggered wheels on the E320/350 makes a difference in handling, ie. not just a cosmetic upgrade? In other words, would the rear 275 width make that much of a difference, versus 245 on all 4 corners?

 

staggered setups are meant to induce understeer. engineers believe understeer is better (SAFER) than oversteer, which makes sense because most of the buyers of high performance cars have limited driving skills. this is why most AMGs come with staggered tires.

wider rear tires on your car will probably not achieve anything performance-wise. if anything it'll decrease your fuel economy and make the car accelerate slower b/c of increased unsprung weight. you will need tires sooner b/c you can't rotate them.

i doubt you'll take your E class to a racetrack, but if you do you'd be better off buying 4 equal size lightweight wheels like BBS CH and get 4 same size tires like Michelin Pilot Sport Cup.

i'd keep it stock. my 2c

 

Thanks ProV1. Interesting that you mentioned BBS CH. Those were exactly what I was targeting. I'm a new owner of an E320, 2005. I was driving a Z3 a staggered setup using SSR Comps. And now looking for the lightest wheels for the E320. Are the BBS CH about the lightest set for the E320?

 

The reason for staggered wheels is better grip on the drive wheels via more contact area.

 

HRE Competition and BBS CH are about some of the lightest and highest quality rims you can get. Go with a staggered setup, 275 maybe evn 285 in the back and 245/255 up front.

 

I wouldn't have minded if my car came with all 4 the same (non staggered) so that they could be rotated. I'm not planning to race, so its probably really an "image thing" for most people.

 

ProV1 is correct; the staggered set-up on MB sedans is not for improved handling. Wider rear wheels/tires along with lower recommended front tire pressures results in an understeering car at the limit and a certain 'bling' factor.

ATS, the C230 Sport has wider rear wheels. It's certainly not because there is a problem harnessing the power of that little motor.

 

Rims are very subjective, but yes CH is both very lightweight and strong. YOu can also consider BBS LM, one of my all time fav's but not sure if they come in 18" size. RS-GT in diamond black finish is a beautiful rim as well. SSR Comps are great rims, but wouldn't look good on a Benz. Goodluck

 

Thanks for all the input!

Admitted I haven't enjoyed my 2005 E320 yet. Just purchased one and its being trucked over to CA next week. So as to the suspension, does the E320/E350 behave neutral when pushed or have the typical understeer that car manufacturers setup as default? I'm figuring that it'll have the typical understeer so having wider/staggered rears would amplify that understeer. Correct?

 

I'm sorry, but his is simply not true, staggered tire setups do improve handling. Look at any sports car - they all have staggered tires. How about F1 cars? I suppose they run staggered tires for the "bling" factor.

 

Using the F1 is a bad example. If the F1 had the motor in the front it would need a bigger tire up front due to the weight up front. The F1 car has the motor in the back and it needs the bigger tire in the back there for traction while under acceleration. It has just about all it needs in the front for traction so it does not need to be any bigger in the front. That’s why the F1 car has the staggered setup. The other reason would be vision, how would you see around those big things if they were up front?

This car is not a F1 and no matter what tire you put on it, it’s not going to out handle a Corvette. And putting wheels on that weighs only two pounds won’t do it either.

One reason that many cars do not have the same big tire up front is not because it would not help it’s because of lack of room. Try putting some of those big rear tires you see in staggered setups like a Porsche or a Ferrari up front… they just won’t fit. I think the reason the E55 has a staggered set up is because it is perceived to give the car better handling and a sportier look. Surprisingly you can put the 265 series tire (E55 rears) up front for more grip and keep the same in the rear or still go larger.

 

Correct; most drivers require a tight turning radius. To add to that, a wide front tire increases tramlining.

 

Since somebody else already pointed out the error in your reasoning, I'll just add that most of the sports cars you probably have in mind are rear- or mid-engined and have a rear weight bias. Cars like the BMW M3 that are evenly balanced with staggered set-ups are to enhance understeer for safety and the daily driveability reasons I indicated above. Guys that seriously track these cars put square set-ups on them.

 

Im not trying to start an argument. I just dont want members thinking their cars will handle better with 245 all the way around versus a staggered setup.

I agree it has to do with room. My corvette has the same staggered setup as my e class 245 front, 275 rear. Obviously if I were to run 245 all the way around on either of the two cars this would compromise handling.

 

no argument

I'm about to go larger all the way around myself but I don't expect it to handle much better. I just like the way it looks.

 

i need some drag slicks to handle the fury of my E320

 

If I remember correctly, and bare with me, understeer in the cars can also, some what, be combated by adjusting tire pressures.

 

245s all the way around will make an E-class handle more neutrally, which is 'better' for those with the expertise to drive at the limit. I don't suggest anybody do so on public roads.

Absolutely. I run the same pressures all-around on my E-class to give the front end more bite.

 

thank you for the comment...love the humor - some people say such stupid things

 

I went from the standard 17"s to a set of CLS AMG staggered wheels... the offset is off by 5mm (pushing the wheels to the outside of the car) and the wheels are 8.5 up front and 9.5 in the rear... a lot of people on the forum will contend that this will damage my 4matic gear... so far, I have had no issues and nor do I expect to.. (but, I am very careful about tire pressure <30F and 36R> 245/40/18 and 275/35/18 note that these sizes are diff than both a standard E AMG and the CLS OEM tires.... this gives me a very close matching rolling diameter.

things that I noticed after changing...

* going from 17s to 18s makes a huge difference.../ the car feels tighter and sharper... it is almost impossible to break the car loose without driving like a complete jerk on the street (and having the traction control off) (and I have a E500... the car will chirp in certain circumstances off the line)

* the car seems to handle the wheels better when the airmatic suspension is set on the second setting ... without the setting... the car seems to wallow a little to much for my taste.. something that I did not notice with the 17s.. if your car does not have airmatic... I would consider that a factor before putting some crazy sized tire wheel combo on >> IE. stay away from 19s

*if you are ever in a position driving one of these cars with staggered 18s on and being concerned about "understeer" ... then you might ought to be thinking about cooling it... I can see where it is more important with an AMG (cause you can actually get to higher speeds much quicker and the concern that you actually need more rubber at the rear to deal with the added horsepower...) I drive my w211s pretty hard and am not scared to tangle with anybody on any offramp ... but you just won't ever see that staggered wheels induce understeer anywhere other than a track or autocross parking lot...

* they reality is though... they look very very hot on the car... major points for bling factor. (I'm driving a wagon... I need all the help I can get!

 

forgot to mention...

if you are ordering new tires/wheels.. I would do 8.5 / 245/40/18s all around... unlike myself who was buying ebay AMG take-offs..

good luck.