Tank7

Looking to put 17s on my 05 E320CDI for summer use. The Mercedes accessory guide clearly states that these can only be used in conjunction with air-matic or sport suspension. Yet I see a lot of people putting these on.

1. If I only have the standard suspension, is there any degradation in ride comfort? I understand that the side-walls will be shorter and therefore, stiffer assisting in cornering. I am not looking to put on high performance summer tires in favor of a performance all season.

2. Why does the brochure clearly say it is a NO NO? Any reason beyond changing the ride dynamics?

3. If you have done this already, what if anything have you noticed regarding the ride comfort or road noise?

lkchris

It may be a "brochure" but the information came from engineering and not from marketing.

BTW, no aftermarket product has EVER been added to ANY car that was NOT an improvement. Nobody admits mistakes.

Tank7

BTW, the aftermarket wheels would be OEM Mercedes.

Tank7

Give the man a cigar!
I called MB. Explained the situation. From MB technical here is what they said:

The W211 CDI has 16" ET36 wheels for a very specific reason and the setup is different from the gas W211's. For this reason the only wheel they would approve is the one that came on the car. While they admit that the 17" ET38 wheels may in fact work, they do not recommend them. Having said that, they did not provide me anything more specific.

jmorgis

On my MY03 E320, I removed my stock 16"s and put the MY07 Sport Staggered 10 Spoke 18".

I get a much more responsive firmer ride, My gas milage did suffer a bit...

But it looks 1000% better then the 16 did..

JM

Untertürkheim

Any of the 17" wheels in the MBUSA wheel catalogue are approved for use on the Bluetec. In fact, the Almach 17" wheels are standard on the Bluetec in Avangarde trim, and any of the other 17" wheels can be ordered from the factory.

Sometimes MBUSA is a bit misinformed. The EU and US Bluetecs are identical, so as long as it is a factory 17" wheel, you are free to choose.

Untertürkheim

In fact, from within the W211 forum: https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w211/212107-sale-oem-17-e500-wheels-continental-tires-nj.html

Tank7

So now the question, does the Bluetec have the same chassis/suspension spec as the 05/06 CDI? Or is it more like the gas versions of the 211. They guy at MB was very specific on the fact that the CDI is different. Do not know why.

Also, and more interesting is the fact that in the accessory manual, most of the 18" AMG wheels do not have this prohibition, just notes that you have to roll the fenders.

Wish there was some definitive source on the subject. Would like a nice set of 17's for summer but in no way do I want to do anything that will create a problem for my car.

Untertürkheim

Actually, the 320CDI is less different, specifically, not at all different from a Gasoline powered W211 with comfort suspension (standard, non-sport). Any MB 17" wheel could have been factory equipment in europe.

Tank7

Thanks for the data. It is truly surprising the numerous different answers I have received on this subject. Then again, MB did not provide the correct headlamp, or fog lamp data in my owners manual, so why would I suspect they could give me correct data on the wheels.

lkchris

All the Bluetecs that went to China and back wore 17-in wheels.

Just look at the photos.

However, this DOES NOT mean they didn't have sport suspensions.

praveen

If you decide to go 17'' s then choose a suitable tire to compensate for harsher ride, .
Jap tires have a lot of comfort and balance. Id take Bridgestone Potenza g3, yokohama or falken over michelin. My ride quality improved 50%.

pinebaron

Anyone install 18's on a Bluetec?
Which tires did you use.

An OEM 16" wheel and tire weight is 48lbs (07 Bluetec)
Tire: 25lbs
Rim: 23lbs

NCE500

I know of at least 2 owners with CDI that have run larger wheels without issue. Kosherbenz, who posted here frequently, ran CLS 18's on his CDI for a couple of years.

I would suggest that you go with either a 17 or 18 inch MB factory set with OEM spec tires and you will be fine. The 17's won't ride much differently, the 18's will be a little harsher, but will track and corner more precisely.

Go with what suits your needs/taste and post some pics.

TheGreatOne45

I have the 17" "Almach" (i believe thats what MB calls it) wheels on my E350 4matic and it came that way from the dealer when i bought it CPO back in April. The brochure says that these wheels are for airmatic or sport suspension but i dont have that and yet the car came from the dealer with those wheels so i dunno if that makes it ok or not.

Untertürkheim

I was actually misinformed about what I said (long) before. I have since done more research regarding wheel fitment, and the reason that the 320CDI/Bluetec models cannot take more than 16" wheels is that they have "USA Suspension" without airmatic or sport suspension. That is the difference between the US and Euro models, that the suspension is altered for the US market, which affects wheel fitment options.

http://www.mercedes-benz.de/content/...ne_Typ_211.pdf

pinebaron

Are you saying Bluetec owners are stuck with 16" or 17" wheels offered as OEM fitments? I could not follow your pdf.

Untertürkheim

Actually, the US Bluetec owners are stuck with 16" wheels, but with the part modification of some type of suspension buffer, can accomodate 17" wheels.