I recently bought a 2015 G550 that came with factory 20-inch AMG wheels (previous owner painted them all black) from the G63, paired with 285/55R20 Firestone Destination XT tires. The setup looks great, but the previous owner added 8mm wheel spacers, which I'm not a fan of. I suspect these spacers, which aren't hub-centric, might be contributing to some wheel vibration.
I also discovered that the car has a 2-inch spring spacer lift. I decided to remove the 8mm spacers and tried fitting the wheels back on while the car was on a hoist. When I turn the wheels to full lock, they're rubbing against something. I'm trying to figure out if it's the 2-inch lift causing this rubbing or if it's the tire size itself, since many people run even more aggressive tires without spacers and don’t have any rubbing issues.
Can anyone confirm if running 285/55R20 tires without spacers works without rubbing on a stock height G550? This would help me determine if the rubbing is due to the lift or the tire size.
Clean looking 550 .... the wheel spacers likely were needed to move the scrub radius out, I'd suspect you're rubbing on the front fender liner or downpipe on full lock without them. As you noted without a centering ring it'll be headaches.... but there are decent options including H&R for those. most will be 15mm to 50mm. I ran their 31mm setup on both my 63 and 55's until I had rims built with lower offsets. You may find you want the wider 63/55 flares if you go more then 15mm - Jackwagon sells a good set that I'm running on my 55, as I wanted a black flare and to remove the fender liners.
Clean looking 550 .... the wheel spacers likely were needed to move the scrub radius out, I'd suspect you're rubbing on the front fender liner or downpipe on full lock without them. As you noted without a centering ring it'll be headaches.... but there are decent options including H&R for those. most will be 15mm to 50mm. I ran their 31mm setup on both my 63 and 55's until I had rims built with lower offsets. You may find you want the wider 63/55 flares if you go more then 15mm - Jackwagon sells a good set that I'm running on my 55, as I wanted a black flare and to remove the fender liners.
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Thanks so much for the input! I drive on the highway a lot, and as much as I love the look of the beefy tires, I'm wondering if I should go back to the OEM size, 275/50/20. That way, I wouldn’t need to worry about spacers at all. But I'll definitely miss the beefy look! Such a tough decision.
Just to update, the front wheels are actually hitting the chassis at full turn without spacers, I have decided to downsize the tires back to 275/50/20 which should be the OEM size for these G63 wheels, hopefully it won't hit anything without spacers. Thanks!
Just to update, the front wheels are actually hitting the chassis at full turn without spacers, I have decided to downsize the tires back to 275/50/20 which should be the OEM size for these G63 wheels, hopefully it won't hit anything without spacers. Thanks!
I run a 275/55-20 on factory G63 wheels, no rubbing.
I run a 275/55-20 on factory G63 wheels, no rubbing.
Thats good to hear! I guess I am just going to stay safe for now running OEM size 275/50/20. I also wonder because is on a G550 not a G63, the offset might be different, so finger crossed the G63 OEM size will not rub anything on the G550.
great color ! We miss our Magno 63..... we ran 305 on stock 20's for a bit w/ 31mm H & R spacers,,,, that filled out the wheelwells nicely and allowed full clearance for the larger OD.
I have 285 70r18 tires on my G (same width and about 1.5” taller than yours) with a 2” lift and never had any issues at full lock or compression.
I also fit 30mm wheel spacers without issue. Its possible something else is causing this. What kind of lift kit do you have?
I currently have a 2" spring pad lift on my car with factory G63 wheels. The lift isn't causing the issue since it's actually rubbing the chassis at full turn (the beam closest to the exhaust downpipe behind the front wheel). I believe the offset is different from the original G550 wheels, which is causing the rubbing with slightly larger tires. The wheels clear with 8mm spacers, but they cause vibration. I assume that if I go back to the stock G63 tire size, which is 10mm narrower, I won't need the spacers to clear.
I'll find some time next week to put on the stock tires and will update here!
Managed to put a set of OEM size 275/50/20 tires onto the car and got rid of the spacers, no rubbing and 0 vibrations at any speed. Very happy with the result!
Managed to put a set of OEM size 275/50/20 tires onto the car and got rid of the spacers, no rubbing and 0 vibrations at any speed. Very happy with the result!
I think stock wheels and tires look a little small on a 2" lift, but it's all good as long as you're happy with it.
I think stock wheels and tires look a little small on a 2" lift, but it's all good as long as you're happy with it.
Yeah I do feel it is a little small too with a 2" lift. I am almost tempted to remove the 2" spring spacer now to make it stock height but I don't have a local shop thats willing to do it at the moment.
glad you are all sorted out. This likely came because of the change of not just the width, but the height of the tire. Usually only one or the other can change before there is an issue. There is also some difference in the true measurable widths of tires, where some are true to their size, some are smaller and some are slightly larger, so this can become a question of tire brand as well.
spring pads are easy to install and remove and any competent shop will/should be able to help. With the stock sized tires, not only will your Speedo and odo read correctly but if you remove the lift, it will steer, maneuver and brake better as well.
edited to add that whenever dealing with any euro car or higher end brand, hub centric spacers are a must. A proper spacer will never induce vibration. The last thing is since you did have spacers on the vehicle, you might wanna verify the lugbolt length and tightness. I’m not sure of the clearance on the back side of those hubs.
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