Mike_Fugi

So I have a set of 20inch vossens on my E350 and I want to put them on my E550. Browsing around here people are claiming the width of the tires shouldnt effect my 4matic as long as the diameter is the same correct? With that being said the fronts are 235/35/20 and the rears are 245/35/20. The problem im having is that 235/35 size tires only have a load rating of 92. With the additonal weight up front I expect bare minimal I would need a load rating of 95. Does anyone have any input on tire choices for the E550 with 20" wheels? Has anyone ran a 92 load rating and felt safe? Please let me know your thoughts and personal experience with buying tires for a heavy sedan and bigger wheels.

blegthbloo

I have those specs on my fronts and haven't had any issues... I hit a branch last fall which bent the wheel, but it was at least 2" thick, so the bend is as expected... unexpectedly, it still held air and drove fine for the most part, but the slight wobble was enough for me to get it repaired (plus is looked awful)... drove all year last year with Nitto NT555 (92W rating) and it felt fine. Gripped well and the only reason I didn't feel "safe" around curves was because the tires are stretched, which isn't my preference, but it looks good overall with the setup I have and I don't "need" to drive my car fast around corners... and in fact I "shouldn't" be driving fast anyways.

Mike_Fugi

Thanks for the advice! My wheels are squared 20x9 so the 235 is a slight stretch but nothing major. If I can clear everything running 245 all the way around I would!. Is yours a 550 as well? The E350 is surprising much lighter with a curb weight of 3825 ibs (via Mercedes brochure) vs the weight of a E550 4411 ibs (via car and driver).

threeMBs

If your E550W4 has airmatic (became an option from 2012 on), then 245/35-20 front is doable.

Mike_Fugi

my build sheet claims it has airmatic but after removing the wheels and looking at the suspension I see traditional springs. Maybe the orginal owner of this vehicle had them replaced with springs after a failure...but I will be lowering the car via vogtland springs.

threeMBs

There were several posters with 2010-11 E550s (these are old posts from back then) who claimed that they were able to fit 245/35-20 upfront without any issues. It was determined later by members' combined effort here that it was possible only due to airmatic which were standard for those years on E550s and never available on E350s (thats' why no one with 350, at least pre-facelift, was able to fit 245/35-20 upfront without "modifications").

Mike_Fugi

Thanks is that does shed some light on this. 2012 with springs and offset on the wheels my tire was rubbing where the fender meets the bumper. I figured only with adding camber would it clear the fender and bumper running 245/35.

threeMBs

No the issues is not rubbing with the body (it can be "fixed" by using different offset/width wheel), its here:

threeMBs

IMHO, since you plan to lower anyway, W212 E does not need 20" at all (again IMHO after I was one of the first to run 20s on W212 way back). Once lowered, you can run the most proper (again IMHO) set up on W212 E550W4 - 19x9 with 255/35-19 square.

blegthbloo

Yeah my 550 sits lower in the front than my 350 did, due to the heavier engine... I'd say about 0.25" lower. The rears were the same height, maybe slightly lower since I rub a little bit now on big dips. And I took my Vogtland springs off the 350 to install on the 550, so they were already broken in and settled.