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2013 E350 4matic Luxury with Sport Package Wheel Size
My car came with 18" wheel and every time it hit pot hole most of time the rim bended. The last time I hit at 45 MPH deep pot hole around 2 inches it blow out the front passenger tire and bend the rim passenger side front and rear. Around 10k miles after that the front drive shaft at connection to front differential broke it damaged catalytic converter and oxygen sensor. It cost me around $2500 to fix that. Around 30k after that the u joint of front drive shaft connecting to transfer case broken. Mercedes would not fix transfer case only and need replace whole transmission which would cost around $8k for new transmission. I did fixed by replacing the side gear in transfer case which had broken u-joint inside the gear. I also replace all bearing, outer racing and oil seal in transfer case.
Now one of my wheel crack and cause slow leaking. I decided to replace the rim from 245/40R18 to 245/45R17. But according to EPC and my VIN my car only had one choice of rim 18" the one came from factory. Also on Costco or Sams Club web site based on my car 4matic with sport package can only use 245/40R18. On benzpart.com my car can also use 17" rim but after call them they said the web site not accurate about rim size.
There is web site that you can put the vin number and it will confirm if the tire will fit the car Light-alloy wheels E-Class Saloon W212 (03/09 - 03/13) (mercedes-benz-accessories.com)
That web site also confirm that my car based on vin can use 245/45R17 in addition to 245/40R18.
Is there anyone that have 2013 E350 4matic sedan with sport package option switch the wheel to 245/45R17 without any significant problem?
Is this the OEM wheel combination you're looking to validate? I have 4x of these non-staggered factory wheel size, perfect for rotating tires on simple RWD vehicle.
These sturdy rims don't have the best looks but handle California potholes without banding. East coast potholes maybe far more challenging
I don't know if these wheels can clear a "sport package" disk/caliper combo... may be it's time to loose the drilled rotors for non-warping solids.
Last edited by CaliBenzDriver; Aug 25, 2021 at 10:43 PM.
I have a 2015 4M wagon with the sport package and 18” wheels and I run 17” rims in the winter for better pothole protection. There isn’t much clearance at the lower ball joints but it has worked fine for the past 3 winters.
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
my post-facelift 2016 "Luxury' E350 wagon came with these wheels... PN A2124015902-7X46, 5-SPOKE WHEEL, FRONT AND REAR AXLES; 8.5J X 17 H2 ET48.
Indeed, tire size is 245/45R17 XL (don't forget the XL), If you end up with non-Mercedes wheels, you might need to change your lug bolts, Mercedes uses spherical bolts M14 X 1.5 X 30.7, but many aftermarket wheels use conical head lug bolts.
The E350 have the same brake calibers and wheel spindles whether they are luxury or sport, so the 17" wheels fit either.. the sport has drilled rotors, but this drilling is strictly cosmetic. The sport has somewhat lower and stiffer suspension, that impacts the ride quality. 5-SPOKE WHEEL, FRONT AND REAR AXLES; 8.5J X 17 H2 ET48
Last edited by Left Coast Geek; Aug 26, 2021 at 01:44 AM.
I have been comparing the part between 4matic with sport package and without the sport package in EPC. I found out that the difference is on strut suspension, coil spring, rotor, and brake caliper. I also found out that 4matic the lowest it can go is 17" but the RWD can go to 16" with sport package or no sport package. I also found one member switch from 17 to 16 inches rim because of pot hole in Houston damage the rim. I also live in Houston and later move to Dallas and pot hole damage the rim at least 4 times and it also damage the front shaft drive because using bigger wheel rim than rubber cause the car more impact hitting pot hole. The other reason go to smaller rim is the smaller rim the tire can go to 80K miles (16") instead of around 25K miles using larger rim (18"). My Honda Pilot used 16" rim and the tire last 90k miles it had 800 threads instead of around 500 for 17" or 18". I wish I knew this before so I would avoid 4matic which weakness in small front drive shaft and require bigger rim than RWD. I found out that 17" rim can have 800 threads Bridgestone TURANZA QUIETTRACK tires for All-Season | Costco Tires. It had warranty for 80k miles and Michelin which I always prefer (AS4) had only 55K miles. Look like Turanza Quiettrack is the solution for pot hole and longer threads life.
Last edited by mercyfan; Aug 26, 2021 at 08:20 AM.
Is the 17" rim you use 145/45R17 7.5" width and 45mm offset? Do you have part number of the rim?
I am running a 225/50/17 on a 17x7.5J ET 46 wheel. For snow (VT snow, not your once every 5 year snow in TX), it is preferable to have a narrower tire for traction. The extra sidewall is a bonus and it does ride softer than stock 245/40/18. It doesn’t handle as well but it’s silly to consider a studded snow tire for it’s handling.
I purchased the wheels on EBay, I believe they were off a 2004 S500. The depth of the lug holes were different so I had to buy longer lug bolts. If you’re buying aftermarket the other important measurements are bolt pattern (5x112) and centerbore (66.6). I found wheel-size.com to be a very helpful website when researching what wheel fits what. There are lots of Mercedes wheels on EBay. I bought a set for winter for my Wife’s GLE that look identical except 1” smaller in diameter.
As others have pointed out it is the ball joint that is the limitation on 4Ms, not the brake components.
Not the same look, but those have the same specs as what I have. What is important to note here is this wheel is 7.5" wide, which is what I wanted to run a narrower tire. You may be wishing to retain the stock width. A 7.5" wheel will have a max tire width of 235. If you want to retain a 245 you should stick with a 8" or 8.5" wheel. But if you don't care about maximum handling, grip and/or "looks" and only want comfort and rim protection by all means go with the 7.5" width and a 225/50/17 tire instead of a 245/45/17 tire. The sidewall height difference is minimal though.
You don't have to choose a same year S class wheel, you may also find a luxury package E class in a 17 x 8" (or 17 x 8.5").
I think I found better place to buy replica not used at wheelership and the price is excellent it the same as every time I repair the rim around $150 so next time it bend instead of fix for $150 just get new one. This the one I think fit for my car
same offset and bore size. The OEM will cost around $400 and it will still scratch or bend. There is one I like in Wheelership but the offset is 38mm instead of 47mm so I think I should avoid that one.
Ok I just called wheelership and they told me if I want more protection then I have to switch from 245/40-18 8.5 to 225/50-17 7.5 because the second number the bigger it became much thicket rubber than metal. They suggest to go for 17" 7.5 width to use 225/50-17. So I may choose this wheel 2010-2011 Mercedes-Benz C300 Wheels | 17" Front C350 Wheels (wheelership.com)
offset 47mm and bore size 66.56 mm which fit for E350 2013 4matic with sport package. The cost is almost same as every time I have to fix the rim around $150.
So according to Wheelership I can use Tire 225/50-17. Now I pick Michelin Tire Michelin CrossClimate2 tires for All-Season | Costco Tires
But the problem in the spec this tire need rim width 7" not 7.5.
Measuring Rim Width: 7 in
Also the load rating is 98 instead of 99
Load Index: 98
Can someone tell me if I can use that combination Wheel and Tire on 2013 E350 4matic with sport package?
My opinion is that you will be fine running 225/50/17 on a 17x7.5" wheel, as I have been doing exactly that for 3 years. According to wheel-size.com the max width on a 7" wide wheel is a 225, 205-215 is preferable. I would not worry about 98 vs 99 load rating, but I would stick to a tire with "extra load" as that will allow you to run the higher tire pressures. I don't know about the sedan but my wagon calls for pressures as high as 48 PSI on the rear with a full load. Extra Load tires allow you to run pressures over 41 PSI.
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
if the standard 17" rims are 8.5 wide and ET48, I suspect you would want to lower the offset for a 7.5" wide wheel, guessing 1/2" or 13mm less, so that would be a ET35 or so wheel. this will keep the wheel track on the same center line.
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
Originally Posted by up_too_late
My opinion is that you will be fine running 225/50/17 on a 17x7.5" wheel, as I have been doing exactly that for 3 years. According to wheel-size.com the max width on a 7" wide wheel is a 225, 205-215 is preferable. I would not worry about 98 vs 99 load rating, but I would stick to a tire with "extra load" as that will allow you to run the higher tire pressures. I don't know about the sedan but my wagon calls for pressures as high as 48 PSI on the rear with a full load. Extra Load tires allow you to run pressures over 41 PSI.
note different size tires run different pressures at the same weight rating
up_too_late is your car had sport package option "951 SPORT-PACKAGE USA"? Because my car had that and based on Tierack, Costco, and Samsclub. Only Discount Tire didn't differentiate between 4matic sedan or 4matic sedan with sport package. For 4matic with sport package it came with:
Item no. Part number Designation/description Quantity Version
140 A 212 401 31 02 7X10 DISK WHEEL 5-DOUBLE SPOKE WHEEL FRONT AXLE 8.5J X 18 H2 ET 48 Code: R70/-Z04+01R [002, 911] Color footnote 002
140 A 212 401 31 02 7X10 DISK WHEEL 5-DOUBLE SPOKE WHEEL REAR AXLE 8.5J X 18 H2 ET 48 Code: -Z04+01R [002, 911] Color footnote 002
The same car without sport package came with:
115 A 212 401 59 02 7X46 DISK WHEEL 5-SPOKE WHEEL, FRONT AND REAR AXLES 8.5J X 17 H2 ET48 Code: 02R [002, 906] Color footnote 004
So both car came with same width rim but different diameter.
Both car had different part number for rotor, caliper and strut suspension and coil spring.
I have checked the tire and I see potential problem using smaller rim because of of this sport package. The clearance between rim and ball joint only 14.5 mm. See below picture.
Using tiresize.com If I switched from 245/40-18 to 245/45-17 it reduce the clearance of ball joint from 14.5 to 4.5 mm
But if I switch to 225/50-17 then the clearance reduced to 1.5 mm which is too risky. It possible for RWD or 4matic without sport package but for 4matic with sport package it only possible to switch to 245/45-17. That the reason even many site would even consider 17" as option for 4matic with sport package.
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
huh, I thought I had photos of the rim clearance on the front 17" wheels on my 2016 E350 4matic 'luxury' wagon... but I can't find them. anyways, its close, like a couple mm close. but it never touches.
I am quite positive these wheels would fit on any facelift 'sport' E350 sedan or wagon, 4matic or not. no, I doubt they fit on a V8 or AMG car
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
mercedes springs and pads are tuned to the weight of the options in the car. in the parts catalogs for my 80s/90s W124's, there was a front and rear score for each major option, and each base car, you add up the front, and the rear scores, and there was a table telling you what spring and pad to use for various ranges and suspension options.
in the world market, Mercedes has a high lift option with additional ground clearance and softer suspension for rough roads. its mostly just different springs and shocks. The US "Luxury" comes with a comfort spring package which is pretty close to default, and the US "Sport" model comes with a 15mm lower sportier suspension, stiffer springs and shocks. but for each of these options, there's several different front and rear springs, and different thickness pads to make the car ride right.
Left Cost Geek I think I made mistake. I focused on ball joint clearance but actually both had same diameter rim 17" so it will reduce clearance by (18-17)/2 = .5 inches = 12.7 mm. So the clearance of ball joint reduced from 14.5 to 1.8 mm. But for 225/50-17 will increase diameter by 658-653= 5 mm so it effectively increase thickness of tire by 5/2 = 2.5 mm which is ok because clearance tire to struts suspension is also 14.5 mm as show in below picture. Actually my tire is almost bald so clearance with new tire would be around 9 mm that mean clearance reduced from 9 mm 6.5 mm. But if I choose 225/50-17 instead of 245/45-17 I have increased sidewall compared to 245/40-18 added 13 mm (12.8%) instead of 10 mm (10.3%) increased protection to car better.
Last edited by mercyfan; Aug 30, 2021 at 09:22 AM.
Yes my vehicle has the 951 package. I didn't measure my ball joint clearance but I would estimate it at about 5mm. It hasn't presented a problem, I haven't had any scoring inside the wheels so there has been no contact. This is a picture of the driver side front ball joint with a 17" wheel installed.
