AMGAffalterbach

You'll have to forgive me for my ignorance on this once as I have never planned to lower a car enough for tire rub to be an issue (nor do I plan to) but I have a set of Bridgestone Blizzak tires (coming from a BMW 7-series) that are 235/55/18s with a diameter of approximately 27.5 inches... I plan to mount them on my OEM 8.5s as winter tires... so when I place them next to my current setup they seem too tall for the wheel well as they have a large sidewall. Since they are 235s I am sure they are thin enough to fit snugly in the back without rub but I am not sure about the front. Conceptually, this is the same problem as running 20s or lowering a lot on certain configurations. I am not lowered right now but I plan to be so I don't even know if this will be possible.

How do I get around this issue, would fender rolling alone be enough? Has anyone ever run tires of these specs? Thanks.

djrabbi

You drive a Mercedes...Get the right tire size. 55 profile is toooo big. It will rub and cause more problems in the future. You need a 40 series tire, maybe 45 you can pull off. 55 is basically a ML tire size

adotomov

According to the user manual you should not put any tires that have a larger profile than 45 on your vehicle.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/19153753/M...11-user-manual

Pages 461 and 465, check for yourself.

Quadcammer

forget the number 55 or 45 or whatever, since its an aspect ratio (percentage of width).

Go to tire rack, find the tires you have now...write down diameter. Find the tires you intend to use...write down diameter. compare the two. If they aren't very similar, you may run into issues with rubbing and your speedo will be wrong.

AMGAffalterbach

No I get what you all are saying and yes I probably will go ahead and get the right size, but again I got these tires very cheap and wanted to know if I could use them without issue. It's also true that Mercedes doesn't advocated larger wheels, vehicle lowering, tire stretching, or camber kits but we all do it anyway.

Ok so Oliver, the diameter of my current 255/35/18s is 25 inches. The diameter of the Bridgestone Blizzaks is roughly 28 inches, so I am guessing that isn't considered "very similar." So once again my question is, would fender rolling or something like that be enough to deal with rub? Or am I stupid for asking?

homeofstone

Your speedometer will be way under the actual mph with the 28" diameter, and the stress (not good) on the drive train will be more due to the increase in torgue needed from a stop. The extra stress could effect the driveshaft components.

djrabbi

Get new tires. End of story. If you want to run them, don't post on why your car is all messed up. Tires you need is 245/40/18 and 265/35/18 or 275

AMGAffalterbach

Thanks for your responses. I will sell these for a decent profit and get new ones. As for Rabbi - I run 4-Matic and neither of those tire specs, please read more carefully next time thanks all.

djrabbi

4matic runs 245 40 18 all around.... Get to know your car more carefully

AMGAffalterbach

Yes, if you look at my signature I used to run 245/40/18 Michelin Pilot MXM4s all around on the chrome version of the OEM wheel. I have since upgraded to EuroSport MB-8s that are 8.5x18s all around if you have seen my more recent pics. They run newer Michelin Primacy MXM4s that measure 255/35/18 running on a wheel with a 32mm offset. You were suggesting I used staggered, which is possible but not recommended for 4-Matics. Which is why I said I currently run NEITHER of those that you suggested.

djrabbi

you shouldn't be running 35s if you have non staggered...you will blow those suckers out in a heart beat.... Even if you were running 18x9" you can still run 40s

AMGAffalterbach

That is not true lol, I haven't had any issues with running 255/35/18s. People run much thinner sidewalls without a problem I'm not sure why you see a huge different between running 1cm outside of stock tire width and 5% less sidewall. You're being ridiculous. People on this forum STRETCH tires which is never recommended and they are fine. After about 1,000 miles on these tires no issues. Only a better ride and sharper handling, owner of StarTech Mercedes Service center even approved this setup. As for the 235/55/18s that I got from a friend, I will NOT be running them so please no more about this. We settled this and I responded