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A +20 offset on the wheels essentially eliminates the need for spacers.
I am not using any adapters or spacers.
Note: I do not have adaptive suspension.
Originally Posted by jamgolf
Actually not all G550s have the active dampening. Mine does not.
I am not sure how much of a difference there is in springs/clearence, so my experience with these 18" wheels and tires is specific to the "non active damper" G550 units.
I doubt there is too much of a difference and worst case you might have to drop to a tire size that is one size down from 32.3" tires that I've got.
Good luck!
thanks for the speedy response!
yea, I been trying to “measure twice” before pulling the trigger. I’m not interested in doing any further lifts or spacers (I think, so as to not get overly complicated).
I was looking into perhaps getting bigger tires on the stock rims, something like 305/55/20 - one person posted that they did this, but as the saying goes, don’t believe everything you read!
another question- in your new setup, how much did it increase the height of the G? At times I go into parking garages, and already get freaked out at the 6.8” limits to some spaces.
another question- in your new setup, how much did it increase the height of the G? At times I go into parking garages, and already get freaked out at the 6.8” limits to some spaces.
With this setup the total height increase is 1.4 inches (max) compared to stock tires.
Also means an increased ground clearance of 0.7 (max) inches compared to stock tires - not too bad without a lift.
I have not had problems going in/out of garages ... at least not yet
Two questions:
Jamgolf: How is the brake dust on your set up?
surfbywire: How's the matte paint durability offroad and in general compared to a metallic finish? I worry about offroad induced scratches mostly.
Two questions:
Jamgolf: How is the brake dust on your set up?
Amount of brake dust is no different than standard wheels/setup other the fact that black wheels hide the brake dust better than the bright wheels, which I use with winter tires.
Actually not all G550s have the active dampening. Mine does not.
I am not sure how much of a difference there is in springs/clearence, so my experience with these 18" wheels and tires is specific to the "non active damper" G550 units.
I doubt there is too much of a difference and worst case you might have to drop to a tire size that is one size down from 32.3" tires that I've got.
Good luck!
another question! Sorry for the back and forth - will I need to recalibrate the OBD settings on the G550 to accommodate for the new wheels/tires?
the SA was saying it would screw with thing like speedometer and other software things. It sounded plausible- but wasn’t sure if it mattered too much? What are your thoughts and what was your approach Jamgolf? Am I just a worrywart?
another question! Sorry for the back and forth - will I need to recalibrate the OBD settings on the G550 to accommodate for the new wheels/tires?
the SA was saying it would screw with thing like speedometer and other software things. It sounded plausible- but wasn’t sure if it mattered too much? What are your thoughts and what was your approach Jamgolf? Am I just a worrywart?
By increasing the diameter of the tire hence the circumference, each rotation of the wheel travels more distance on the road - so the speedometer under reports the speed.
You can choose to live with this (like I do) and know that when the speedometer says 70mph it is really more like 72-73mph.
Some vehicles make recalibrating the speedometer relatively easy, but I don't think G-wagen is one of them and not like we are going to 37" tires from 30".
Bottom line ... this is a non-issue for me but YMMV.
By increasing the diameter of the tire hence the circumference, each rotation of the wheel travels more distance on the road - so the speedometer under reports the speed.
You can choose to live with this (like I do) and know that when the speedometer says 70mph it is really more like 72-73mph.
Some vehicles make recalibrating the speedometer relatively easy, but I don't think G-wagen is one of them and not like we are going to 37" tires from 30".
Bottom line ... this is a non-issue for me but YMMV.
thanks I figured as much! Seriously thanks again for being a wealth of information! I’ll post here when I pull the trigger =]
Another question for Jamgolf. How's the ride on e ply tires? Is it harsh or not noticeable? Thanks in advance
E rate tires are stiffer but in my opinion the difference is maybe be 10-15%. You can definitely feel it but it is not a day and night difference. For example right now I am on the winter Hakkapeliita tires (winter compounds are much much softer) and I can feel the softness but even so in comparison the E rated tires are not uncomfortable at all, in my opinion. In short when these Wildpeak RTs wear out I'll get another set of the same.
While E-ply comfort is a non issue for me, a couple of other things I'd mention which might influence some decision making:
1. E rated tries are heavier than the standard tires and that means more rotational mass and loss of fuel economy to the tune of 1-2 mpg
2. E rated tires have stiffer sidewalls and in my opinion it improves the corner handling of the G-wagen, by a small but noticeable amount, again in my opinion.
3. E rated tires have a much lower chance of getting a side wall slashed by a sharp rock when going off-road (I've had a couple of tires with weaker sidewalls slit open by sharp rocks and it is not fun changing tires in those situations). For those who do not go off-road the benefit of E rated can be a low chance of a flat/puncture on the road but at the expense of fuel economy.
first off I would like to thank you for making this post. It’s what helped me make the decision to go with upgrading my tires also on my G550. Did have a question tho, what PSI are you running on with your tires. After the tire shop got finished, they put in 36 PSI in the front. And 43 in the rear. Max psi is 80. Obviously won’t run at that. Would kindly appreciate your input.
thanks!
Originally Posted by jamgolf
Posting this thread for those who might be looking for such info in the future because I felt the Information on this topic was a bit scarce when I was researching.
Vehicle:
I got a 2023 G550 in mid July and immediately went on a road trip from the rocky mountains to Oregon & California Pacific coast and back putting on 4K miles in the first 2 weeks of ownership. Very impressed and satisfied with the vehicle on the interstate highways as well as back roads.
Intentions:
Being in the rocky mountains I have experienced a fair number of off-road trails with my prior off-road worthy vehicles (LR4, Land Cruiser, Jeep JK, 4Runner TRD Pro) and plan to do the same with G550, so I looked for 18" wheels that would work with some off-road worthy tires. The 20" OE wheels will get dedicated winter tires in the winter.
Wheel Choice:
I ended up ordering 463 Industries CG01 18 inch (Overlanding Edition) wheels which have a +20 offset, making spacers essentially unecessary. I like the fact that these wheels are compatible with Mercedes center hubs caps as I did not want to have 3rd party logos on the caps. Point is that not all wheels are compatible with OE caps.
Lift:
I considered getting the LeTech or Eurowise lift but after a lot of thought, I decided to leave the suspension alone. I have tinkered with enough prior vehicles and decided to leave this vehicle on stock suspension for the foreseeable future.
Tire Choice:
I considered BFG KO2s, Nitto Terra G2s, Falken Wildpeak AT3Ws and Nokian Outpost. In the end I went for Falken Wildpeak RT01 tires in LT275/65R18 (32.3" diameter, E rated, 55 lbs). This is a recent offering from Falken tires and sits between their Mud Terrain and All-Terrain. I think RT stands for Rugged Terrain (or something like that). My first impressions are quite positive in terms of road noise and handling but long term opinion will be formed in the long term.
Tire Size Choice:
The choice of tire size LT275/65R18 was based on the desire to get 0.5-0.7 inch additional ground clearance without a lift. The consensus is that a 32" diameter works without any concerns. RT01s are 32.3" - so I was not sure if this setup would have any rubbing. So I actually ordered 2 sets of tires (Discount Tire) and requested a test-fit i.e. if the RT01 had obvious clearance/rubbing issues, I'd buy my second choice Nitto Terra G2s, which are 32". In. the end, these specific tires on these specific wheels with my vehicle's OE springs seems to have no rubbing in normal situations. No issues lock-to-lock. Once I hit some trails, I will know (and share) if there is any rubbing while articulated.
Spare Mount:
Jack from Jack Wagon Overlanding recommended 911 Motorsports reverse mount. I was able to install it with a little assistance from my teenage son in less than 30 minutes. So it's a simple DIY thing. There are 3 versions of this mount offering 3 amounts of clearance from the back of the vehicle. I got the mid option, but I think with the wheels I got, the least clearance would have been plenty enough.
Shoutout: @JACWAGN from JackWagonOverlanding was very helpful in sharing information and advice. I felt very comfortable working with Jack.
first off I would like to thank you for making this post. It’s what helped me make the decision to go with upgrading my tires also on my G550. Did have a question tho, what PSI are you running on with your tires. After the tire shop got finished, they put in 36 PSI in the front. And 43 in the rear. Max psi is 80. Obviously won’t run at that. Would kindly appreciate your input.
thanks!
I am currently on winter tires so can't give you the exact readings but I think I usually run 34 front and 42 rear. But that is with my gauge and no two gauges are calibrated the same.
The recommended tire pressure is 35 front and 44 rear so tire shop is probably following the recommendation.
Good luck!
I am the person who started this thread and shared my thoughts about the wheels and tires. I have sold the G550 and have the set of wheels and tires available.
Tires have plenty of tread remaining and wheels have some signs of use. If someone is interested please reach out to me. I'll let them go for a modest amount so someone else can off-road the G550 like its supposed to be used.
Local pickup is probably best ... I am in Denver area.
EMail: mjawad@hotmail.com
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