can you put wheel sizes like that on a GLC or GLEE ? maybe 16" wheels with big /70 or /75 series tires, like 265/70R16 ? (those are almost 31")... I do not know what size wheels the various GL{A,C,E,S} models expect.

edit: geez, even like the 2010 GLK's came with 19 and 20" rims with /50 and /45 series. you might be able to run 235/60-17 with the right wheels. that still not optimal for bad roads.


island extreme:

I know a guy who circumnavigated Borneo solo on a motorcycle, heh, as part of his world tour.. bad roads? no roads!

 

whatever size brakes come on the US model E350s, 17's definitely fit the cars that came with 18's. 245/45R17 vs 245/40R18. as I understand, the base V8s have the same brakes, but the AMG stuff probably has bigger.

the world market smaller engine cars like E200's came with brakes that fit 16's, I think that can take a /60 series tire but probably came with a /50 or /55.

 

The 16" wheels from W211 fit on my W212 E250 Bluetec
Offset is slightly different, but acceptable.

 

They may fit the E350 as well, but not a chance on the E400/E550. The rotors are 14+", compared to the W211 Bluetec with @12.3".

For the W211 E5xx, the rotors were @13"; therefore, the calipers must have more bite than the W212 E5xx, or the newer brakes are definitely superior.

 

This the result of low profile tire meet with pot hole. There was construction on small road and i drive only 40 mph but didnt expect pot hole road cut around 2 inch but no cone placed. It make loud sound and front tire exploded and both front and rear rim bend. The headrest activated so just like airbag. I think i broke the car that time. But the impact is many thousand miles after that cause front drive shaft broke on connction with front diff if 4matic and 30k miles after the gear for front drive with had hidden ujoint broke. So no more low profile tire for me.

After fixed bent rim 4 times then one rim crack in inner side so it had slow leak. That time i decide to higher tirewall more than 16 mm. For 4matic e350 it can go down from 18 to 17". The RWD can go to 16". So instead got increase on inside i chose to increase diameter another 7 mm. Maybe is not good for track but it good for highway travel. The only downside walmart. costco and samsclub will not install the tire because the size not on the sticker door. So i install myself and bring to discount tire for balancing.
I might create fake sticker so next time i can buy and install tire in costco or samsclub.

 

Some shops will install not listed tires, if you sign the release, but I think you will only benefit by removing the wheels yourself.
Too many horror stories about impact wrench monkeys ruining the wheels as well.

 

Without being pedantic, did you go back to the construction area and tested the car will survive such a hit using the new size wheels and higher profile tires? Based on the picture you attached, I seriously doubt it. Sure, it will survive some, but to bend that wheel that much that was a "hell of bump".

Once I tried lower profiles (/60 circa 198x) and noticed the handling differences on several small cars (VW, FIAT, Renault, Corolla at the time), and made a conscious decision to never again use anything above 60 ( I am not a fan of SUV, so they are not in my list ). It just happens the W211, W212 came with /45 /40. I would not even attempt to try anything higher and then drive 90+MPH. By the way, I get passed by trucks @90MPH late at night on the highway, i.e. no tracking.

Either way, the important issue is that you feel comfortable with the handling based on your driving habits and the car is able to survive whatever the road throws at it.

 

I am very confident 235/55-R17 tire will absorb impact better than 245/40-R18. I did travel a lot 270k miles using honda pilot with 235/70-R16 and hit curb on toll way around 3 inches at around 50mph. It didnt bend rim and tire not damaged but few months after that I need to replace engine mount. Honda had 32 psi and e350 36 psi. But more air and rubber will definitely absorb impact better than ban of rubber aka low profile tire. I am thinking mercedes rim for low profile tire made with soft alloy as preventive so it can protect car better if it bend than using forged alloy which could damage engine or transmission. So the engineer made compromise to make rim function just like tire. So if you llike low profile tire make sure use soft alloy so it could protect your wallet.

 

I am very confident 235/55-R17 tire will absorb impact better than 245/40-R18. I did travel a lot 270k miles using honda pilot with 235/70-R16 and hit curb on toll way around 3 inches at around 50mph. It didnt bend rim and tire not damaged but few months after that I need to replace engine mount. Honda had 32 psi and e350 36 psi. But more air and rubber will definitely absorb impact better than ban of rubber aka low profile tire. I am thinking mercedes rim for low profile tire made with soft alloy as preventive so it can protect car better if it bend than using forged alloy which could damage engine or transmission. So the engineer made compromise to make rim function just like tire. So if you llike low profile tire make sure use soft alloy so it could protect your wallet.
This one horse power vehicle in Indonesia using band of rubber aka airless tire
https://youtu.be/CxSGIXu4F08

 

Andy....dang that is one painful damage for 40MPH
There is something sharp at that pot hole side impact/scrub , not the front impact alone, to be able to make a cut like that on the tire sidewal.

 

a W212 is also a very heavy car. My '16 E350 4matic wagon has a GVWR of 5721 lbs, with a curb weight of 4650 or so. by comparision, my 1992 Volvo 740T wagon was like 4000 lbs GVWR, thats nearly a ton lighter. our 94 Mercedes E320 wagon was around 4700 lbs GVWR, about a 1/2 ton lighter. heck, my 2008 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 TRD Off Road had a GVWR of 5300 lbs, almost 1/4 ton lighter than the W212 (AND it had more payload, 1200 lbs vs 1080).

 

Is that Lexus using 16" rim?

 

Yes Prihadi the road cut by contractor it 90 degrees cut but only 1 foot long but forgot to put cone and after incident I went back and cone is installed. The road is not really small road but two lanes road nice condition 45 mph max on the way to Love Airport 2nd largest airport in Dallas area. They must hear loud bang and put cone after that. I complained to city and they ask me to contact contractor. Something like that not really visible unless you look down to road instead of ahead. Driving on highway speed above 70 mph you could not able to avoid something like that. Many comments that it can be avoided when in fact something like that it almost impossible to avoid. So instead driving 45 mph and looking down the road in highway I rather used high tire wall and just drive 80 mph in highway because that high tire wall would protect rim and car better than low profile tire. That the reason most of SUV still used 16 or 17 inch rim with more than 60 tire wall because it required to absorb impact using more air and rubber just like that Lexus GX460 or Honda Pilot and it only need one rim for 500k miles.

 

If we start modifying our cars to protect them against the "unknown", we may end up with one looking like this



My point was the problem is not the car when driven under "design conditions". Sure, those "design conditions" are not always there during the time of ownership so we feel the car failed us, but it did not. Perhaps I am defending my fellow engineers

 

Let me point it again, before W212, driving MB sedans for 25 years I only had 1 bent OE rim and that was due hard braking on the shoulder.
Than after replacing OE 18" rims on my W212, I put 17k miles on classic 18" monoblocks and the German-made rims being about 25 years old/ 10 years working on 4 of my cars are still straight.
So when low profile tires are definitely increasing the hazard, poorly made rims are not helping neither.

 

Yes, I agree, never bent a rim in the first 25 years of driving Benz's, and have now bent four on the 212, three on my luxury and one on my sport, I also believe the wheels are made soft on purpose so the suspension doesn't take the hit, that's how I would engineer it for safety, a bent wheel you can likely stop safely, a broken tie rod or ball joint at speed can get really ugly.

 

You mean

vs

vs the classic steel one

*** Updated picture for steel wheel *** Thank you to LCG for pointing out my mistake.

Definitely the second is prone to "a lot of deformation". I am sure the classic MB mono deforms, just not enough to warrant repair/replacement. I would say the alloy wheels are generally softer (material-wise) than the previous classic wheel, i.e. steel. However, the modern wheels are effectively weaker, or "effectively softer by design".

Once you own an MB, they will forever have their hands in your pocket. They find ways for us to continue spending on MB products, either newer cars, or plenty of parts.. Pick your poisson.

 

that last "Bundt" wheel si NOT steel. they were alloy wheels, mostly 14 or 15", my friend's 78 450SEL (W116?) came with those, with I think /70 tires. the 8 hole first one came in both 15 and 16" I think depending on the car, my 93 and 94 W124 had the 15" with /65 tires.

 

Classic monoblocks. Yeah, at least 25 years old.

 

Love those wheels, had them on my '97 S500

 

Okey dokey.... the 2 new BBS RIM / Wheels arrived few days ago .
Got new tire today too.



So now I got one spare RIM / Wheel.
Landed cost US$915 each. ... ouch.


I was tempted to buy another tire for the RIGHT front, so that equal tire thread depth...aka both new for heavy rain.
However I did the mileage per year vs reserve tire thread depth calculation and its not worth it. By the time I will have to change front right tire, it will still have decent tire thread depth.

I will throw away tire set every 3.5 years, regardless it is under 10,000KM of use. Too dangerous a tire that old and often its sweet grip would be reduced by year 2.5.
My Ford Fiesta when sold some months ago, was at 10 years old and at 27,000KM when sold, it has gone thru twice tire set replacements. So total 3 set inclusive of the original ones.


While doing tire mileage life calculation, I also calculated the rear tires.
I never yet to wear out any tire set under normal use, when car was purchased in May 2018 I replaced its original <10,000KM old Bridgestone Potenza RE050 because its already 4 years old by then.
At odo 23,000KM or 13,000KM life of the first set of Michelin PS4 I bought, they were wrecked from a mere 20 laps track use. Front ones down to the belting, rear ones became insanely noisy.
I then bought my 2nd set of Mich PS4 in July 2020.

During my first road trip to Bali in Dec 2020 and because I can do constant 160KM/H or faster with ease and for decent long duration at some part of the better highway, there then I discovered
unique "vibration" from the tires. Cut long story short, the RIGHT REAR tire had bad road-force variation and that tire is only 5,000KM old at that time. I claimed to Micheline Indonesia and I bought 1 new one at odo 28,000 KM ish.
At odo 31,000KM ish Michelin Indonesia finally gave me a new replacement. So there then I got new rear tires set at 3,000+ KM age difference between them

And then this freak pot hole damaged my FRONT LEFT wheel and the said tire I don't want to re-use it for safety reason. The front tire set has 12,000KM of use on them.

Good thing I have already prepared cheaper set tires on my original AMG rims/wheels and I can use them while waiting for the BBS.


So I done the calculation.
I have come to the conclusion for my caliper and Mich PS4, the best measurement method is 2nd to 4th table below and without C or 3rd pit.





Below is interesting for me. Rear RIGHT has lots of city driving, that means I do lots of 1st & 2nd gear kick down....as usual. It get worn out more. Kick down in 3rd or 4th gear does not wear tire much.




New left front tire is week 44 of 2021 or 7 Nov 2021 date of manufacture
Current 12,000KM old right front tire useage duration was since 14th July 2020. Date of manufactured wont be older than 1 year when first used

Left and Right rear tire started their service life in June 2021 (Right side ) and Sept 2021 ( Left side). Both wont be older than 1 year date of manufactured when first used.

3.5 years maximum life span target will be Dec 2023 based on oldest front right tire.




So, I do not need for now new FRONT RIGHT tire.
The prediction table of Dec 2023, my rear tires can only be that much consumed, if I drive to Bali again this year and the next year.
Now my baby girl has left the country last year for higher education, my E400 won't do alternate school run anymore.... meaning <3,000KM per year is VERY likely if without Bali run.



Below is what I meant by caliper butt rather sinking. The 3rd pit is too wide to do proper thread depth reading, it is the widest of all 4 pits.





Wanna see what a 6 - 7 years old tire can become in my super humid climate ?
All these tires from my friend from his cars. He has many cars and some are rarely used.
YOKOMAHA





Below, both are the same tire. THIS ONE THE BEAD CRACKED AND AIR LEAK - OUTSIDE VIEW



INSIDE VIEW

 

With my 3k mile a year average, I throw away tires every 6 years usually with half or more tread left, more than once I went on a long trip with old tires that had dry rotted, they don't look bad until you put 4-500 miles on them at 80 plus, then the cracks start showing, just dangerous.

 

So, new wheel and tire balanced. Sent my driver to do it, me lazy. Hunter Road Force balanced and 45Nm final is not bad, not as sweet as 20Nm I have seen on FRONT RIGHT when it was new.














Got it installed on the car Saturday 6th March and tested it yesterday Sunday.
Sunday morning at a short part of my inner city highway which is 100% tarmac ( best for vibration test ) and some are non-elevated so no joinery to disturb my sensing.

Result is good to 208KM/H or 130MPH approx.


OK, case closed on this small damaged wheel drama. I got other things to chase down...