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I bought a used 2011 E350 4Matic sport almost 4 years ago. It has been a great car with 4 small problems...its 18 wheels. In my 4 years I have bent 4 rims and replaced tires twice and likely will be told to do so again. Indianas pothole streets are just eating the stock wheels and rims alive. I know the luxury trim 2011s came with 17 wheels, and I have seen references to them on this site. So two questions. One, can I put 17 wheels on this car? Two, would riding on 17 tires make much, if any difference with respect to the craters, er, I mean potholes on my commute? Any other considerations in making the move (ok, that might have been three questions but since it is my first post I thought it would be ok)?
Last, my dealer said I probably could do it but they couldnt be sure until the actually put the tire on. Thanks in advance all.
I have a 2010 E350 sport that came with the staggered 18" setup and when I got the car, I picked up a set of 17" takeoffs that were in brand new condition. These are original OEM rims. The tire size for that rim is 245/45 R17. It should result in about the same outside diameter as the 18's so no issue with the speedo. These will go on when my current rubber wears out.
Anytime you got to a smaller rim, you get a wider tire which means more rubber between the road and the rim as well as cheaper tires to boot. Larger rims with skinny rubber may look cool and can give you better handling, but have lots of real world downsides including faster wear, rougher ride and of course damage from potholes and higher cost. But they are whats trending now. 10 years ago, 17" rims were the large ones and 16's were standard.
Putting in 17 rims should not be a problem at all since it is one of the OEM spec wheels that come with the car. Of course the ride should be better. But you lose those AMG rims man .....
The dealer should have no problem checking this with your VIN. Also you can just go to a specialized tyre/rim shop and they will do that too, as their main job is tyres and rims. If they do not know they will be out of a job (the tyre shop I mean). 17" as they said have more rubber and are a good amount more comfortable.
Thank you all for your replies. I think I will take the plunge. Does anyone have any experience with rial rims? They seem like a good option but I admittedly don't know anything about after market rims.
Please be very careful putting $100 wheels on a luxury car. Bent wheels are one thing to deal with, but exploding cheap wheels can lead to way more headaches for you, your suspension, and your life.
Thank you all for your replies. I think I will take the plunge. Does anyone have any experience with rial rims? They seem like a good option but I admittedly don't know anything about after market rims.
Look for a set of used takeoff rims. Should not be too hard to find since lots of folks want to upsize rather than downsize their rims. Stick with OEM if you can.
02-21-2018, 06:50 PM
