johndoyle

I need to find wheels for snow tires here in the frigid midwest. Tirerack has one selection, an aftermarket alloy wheel that requires an adapter ring and different lug bolts. That's too aftermarket for me. Nobody had steel wheels, which would suit me just fine for snow tires. Has anyone found these wheels at a good price or do you have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

John

luxury1

Did you try ebay?

SAguirre

The adapter ring, is really a centering ring. It is not a big deal at all. It is part of the rim (it could come off if it was rusted on to the hub of the car, but that has never happened to me). The longer bolts are also something that you might still need even if you get another set of OEM MB rims. So just bare in mind that the lug bolts could be too long and go in to the drum brake in the rear (the emergency brake) and they might be too short and only a few threads will be holding.

I had two sets of OEM MB rims on my last MB and I still had to get shorter bolts for the rear wheels when I had the newer design wheels on.

Otherwise, I think that having a totally different set of wheels and tires for winter/summer is a very good idea!

Steve

johndoyle

I've tried Ebay, but didn't find anything in 16 inch. I did find reconditioned OEM wheels for about $200 each, the best price I've found so far. I probably would have gone with the aftermarket wheels, but they won't have the lug bolts until 12/21 (estimated)! I want to be able to use them right away.

I have replica wheels from my W210 which I'm assuming won't work because the lugs are larger on the newer car. Am I wrong about that? Can you use a W210 wheel on a W211 car? The OEM lugs will fit through the holes on the wheels, but just aren't long enough to engage sufficient thread. Maybe it would work with different lugs? I don't want to take any chances because this is definitely a safety issue.

Your thoughts and replies are very much appreciated.

John

SAguirre

I would also have an isue if I had to wait 3 weeks for lugnuts. I am by no means certain about the 210's wheel compatibility with the 211. However, it you have 16 inch wheels that are for a MB, they usually fit since the bolt pattern is the same. The issue is if the lug bolts are long enough or if they are too long.

I would take one of your 210 wheels and place a bolt through it and see how far it sticks out (don't mount it on the car). Then take a wheel off of the 211 and see how far it sticks out. They might be a fit. However, I don't think that the 210 rims will look good an a 211, but that is just consmetic.

You could also look at the tirerack and plug in your 210 specs and see what it tells you you need as far as rims, offset, and bolt pattern.

Also, I bought the Mille Miglia Spider II wheels and once you put an MB center cap on them they really look nice. Also, these rims are very true and well balanced. I find it hard to believe that the Tirerack can not even refer you to a place to buy the lugnuts. If this is too much trouble for you, I would just ask them to give you the exact specs for the lug bolts (that are on backorder) and I am sure you can source them from somewhere else. Even that MB dealer might have a matching bolt.

By the way, I bought the Bridgestone Blizzak WS 50s. Look at the thread "Why I bought a 4 Matic" to see the tires in action.

Tell us what you end up doing.

Steve