Hey guys.

So I gave a 2011 e550 4matic with the AMG sport pack and the non staggered 18" AMG wheels.

Honestly I think the wheels look a little anemic for the car, so I have been debating upgrading to 19" or 20" wheels.

I had 20" staggered wheels on my 08 535i and for the most part they were fine. But it seems like wheel well on the w212 not as accommodating as the BMW was.

I have been considering these wheels:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/331272715178

The seller is actually a really nice guy and has been very thorough in answering all my questions .

Initially he advised against getting a staggered setup bc of the all wheel drive. I was like my w204 came factory with a staggered setup and is all wheel drive. And I would prefer the aesthetics of a staggered setup.

So he was like the staggered setup comes with 245/30/20 in the front and 275/30/20 in the rear. I explained that the set was diff rolling diameters front to rear and that it needed a 245/35/20 in the front. He was like that tire size may rub but you can "shave" the bottom nut on the upper control arm in the front to clearance it and everything will be fine.

Fwiw - front is 20x8.5 et 42 rear is 20x9.5 et 44

If anyone has any Insight on the viability of this setup please advise.


I'm starting to think they with such low profile tires and minimal clearances that maybe 20's aren't the best idea on a daily driven car in NJ.

For the guys running big wheels. How have your experiences been with bending / cracking rims and of damaging tires?

Thanks in advance,

George

 

Here is the link to my car. This should give you an idea of 18" and 20" with low profile tires and even lowered on H&R Sport springs. I know the E550 is AWD, faster but also heavier, but this should give you an idea. I usually have 4 adults at any given time driving, I have not had any issues of scraping or fender rubbing so for me, it was the perfect combo.

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...amg-sport.html

Hope this helps.

 

The ET44 offset seems high for a W212

 

That's a beautiful car. BUT I took a look at your link and you seem to have avoided the issue confronting me. According to your thread you are running 245/30/20 fronts and 275/30/20 rears. On a RWD car that's fine. And it works perfectly with no clearance issues.

BUT here's the caveat. the 245/30/20 is 25.79" tall (and hence clears everything in the suspension perfectly etc). The 275/30/20 is 26.49" tall. Plenty of room for it in the rear. - This is how the seller of the wheels I posted also specs these rims / tires for a w212.

Now the problem. On an AWD car - you need to keep the rolling diameter of all 4 wheels the same OR as close as possible, because the front and rear axles are mechanically linked. With that setup there is a 9.7% difference in the rolling diameter of the front v/s rear wheels. What that means is the front wheels are spinning 9.7% faster than the rears at any given speed. This will destroy the AWD system.

Now the solution is a 245/35/20 Front tire, (I had this exact setup on my AWD bmw 535xi and had no issues - even lowered 2") which is virtually identical in rolling diameter, but comes with it's own array of problems apparently because it's too tall for the front wheel well, and has suspension clearance issues, either with the strut top, or the bottom nut of the upper control arm. The seller of the wheels advised me to "shave" said nut to create clearance, but I am not a fan of the backyard whatever works type engineering of making wheels fit via use of a hammer and or grinder.

So I'm torn. I either go non staggered and run 245/30/20 all around. - no issues almost stock tire size, but non staggered looks. Or I try to shoehorn the 245/35/20 in there. OR I just leave the idea of 20's alone bc they seem to be pushing the limits of what the front wheel wells can handle when you need to keep things even for an awd system.

I think I can get a properly staggered 19" setup to work with no clearance issues. Running a 235/35/19 front tire and a 265/30/19 rear tire.

Fronts will be 25.47" Tall, Rears 25.25" tall - .8% difference. Apparently from what I have read the awd system is built with 3% of tolerance in it, to allow for tire wear and variations in sizes from different tire brands etc.

While it might not be as sexy as the 20" setup, I think it will be more practical for everyday driving and fit the car with NO modification.

Btw does anyone know if the lowering links for the airmatic suspension from a w211 will fit a w212? I have a set of those in my shop.

I'll attach a couple pics of my old 535xi to give an idea of the look i'm going for.






Thanks again,

George

 

Not from the US East Coast area, but I've read tons of comments on the harsh roads eating tires and rims ... are 20's for summer time use or are they strong enough to survive "out there" in winter?

 

Honestly with the weather up here, most people just switch to their SUV's in the winter, if they can. Most households have one, either as a primary vehicle or as a spare.

I drive my Range Rover HSE all winter. It rides on 265/50/22 tires, yes I can't leave anything alone. With those tires that have almost a 3" sidewall, I've had 3 tires damaged due to sidewall damage / bubbles over the course of 4 years. Usually once a year, except for 2012 where we had a really light winter.

I have never damaged a rim on the truck though.

Even the stock 18" AMG wheel option on my e550 is a disaster waiting to happen on our roads in the winter, never mind the aftermarket set. There simply isn't the sidewall there to deal with the potholes. The other issue, is despite AWD for traction, in anything but an inch or two of snow or slush, there simply isn't enough ground clearance - the front bumper turns into a virtual snow plow.

So to answer your question, no, there is no way 20's would survive a northeast winter unless you were extremely lucky.

Take care,

George