Using fronts only for 4matic instead of staggered?
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2004 E320 Wagon
Using fronts only for 4matic instead of staggered?
Ive got an 04 e320 wagon 4matic. It came with the standard 16" wheels. I'd like to put on a set of 08-09 18" wheels and see that they come in staggered sizes of 18 x 8.5 and 18 x 9. Would it work to just buy 2 pair of front wheels and keep the ability to rotate the wheels? Thanks,
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Feb 2014
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From: MA
2008 E350 4Matic, 2011 E350 4matic
Ive got an 04 e320 wagon 4matic. It came with the standard 16" wheels. I'd like to put on a set of 08-09 18" wheels and see that they come in staggered sizes of 18 x 8.5 and 18 x 9. Would it work to just buy 2 pair of front wheels and keep the ability to rotate the wheels? Thanks,
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2009
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From: V E G A S
1922 Ford Model T / no OBD
The 4matics for 08 and 09 came with a standard set of 8.5 and they all had the same size. The staggered sizes were just for the RWD models. I have the 18" and I hate them though. That might just be the engineer in me. They only went to larger wheels due to looks. Everything else about them is worse. Potholes make them really easy to get damaged. If you hit a curb or a bad pothole, you'll get wheel rash as the tire doesn't protect the rim. The low profile tire also makes it easy to blow out a tire. Ride on a low profile tire is also harsher. When I bought my car, the carfax already showed that one of the rims had been repaired. So far only one flat that couldn't be repaired, $220 to put on a new one, the other 3 were pretty close to new so I didn't get stuck with having to get a whole new set.
I agree with general conclusion in above experience, but you can always find exceptions.
We have very bad roads in Bay Area and I had to get rid of ML55 becouse it had low-profile wheels and my wife would not drive it, while I was getting headaches as well.
But wheels are the only modifications I do to Mercedes and they do make big difference.
So years ago I bought set of 18" AMG monoblocks for W210. The come with super-duper tires and I got deal good enough to give it a try.
Turn out the high-performance tires did make the difference.
And I am the one who lost factory 16" wheel on Los Angeles potholes.
With W211 I bough cheap Chinese tires as the high-performance stuff might come close to car value, but those combined with rear air give us very good ride, so can't complain.
Sure it is luxury to my dually truck driven empty
Last edited by kajtek1; Feb 25, 2016 at 08:27 PM.
