btesar

I may be one if the few that miss the 16" wheels (from a ride quality perspective) I had on my old W211. I have searched the forums and the internet and can't seem to determine if 16" rims would fit. Anyone out there running 16"'s?

instantfob

Try switching out the factory runflat tires to regular ones. That should improve the ride quality a bit.

btesar

Great advise. I had the stock Goodyear ROF's replaced with a set of the Conti PureContracts about 3 weeks and 600 miles ago. They had great reviews, but the set I had installed had a roaring noise above 65 mph, a lot of road noise below 65, and while the tires were perfectly balanced they still caused vibration (out of round?). So, I have taken advantage of the Conti Satisfaction Trial and I'm having those replaced with the Conti Extreme DWS. I hope that resolves the noises and provides a nice smooth and quiet ride. If not, when these wear out, I'd like to see if the 225/55/16 on a W211 rim would work.

MA-E320

Do you have the sport package on your E350BT? If so, 16" will not fit as the brake disc's diameter is a tad bigger than the 16" wheel interior. 17" do fit with a very minimal clearance between the edge of brake disc and the wheel itself. I too miss 16" wheels and the ride comfort they offer. If you have the luxury version, they might fit but I am not sure.

btesar

Thanks. I do have the Luxury Version and I must say that it was a challenge to find one. I read a blog post from a guy in Malaysia that indicated they have 16", but that doesn't mean that the US Spec would be the same.

Mbenz260e

I also prefer the luxury and smaller wheels which is quite rare these days.

Are you sure there wasn't a defect on the ProContacts? I have 2 on my car now and like them alot, and DWS on another would say the are about the same...

btesar

They were the Pure Contracts. There may be a defect with them, but if I replaced them with the same and they had the same problem, I'd eat the money to ship them back. I have found this is the one disadvantage of working with tire rack. If you need to return a tire, you have to either pay shipping or pay for the new tire mount/balance.

Mbenz260e

Yeah that is a good point on TireRack, you end up eating shipping both ways. I did mean PUre Contacts, used to have Procontacts in the past and think the DSWs are better ride for less price...

btesar

Extreme Contacts mounted and driven for 300 miles. These are significantly quieter and provide a better ride then the Pure Contacts did. I may never know if the Pure's where a defective set or not. I'll revisit tire choice when these wear out.

DerekACS

Has anyone had success mounting 17" OEM alloys on an E350 Sport with Sport brakes ?