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Did you find Dick Cepeks in a 19"? Also, I don't know what you mean by "Off-Road Optics package" or the "bottom cover"? Mine has Code 481 Underide Protection.
I didn't check, having 18" wheels. But I went over to Tire Rack and looked for you. Man, there's nothing interesting in 19. I'd get a set of 18" wheels if I was you. You want the taller sidewalls anyway. Like I said in the X166 thread, I'd be surprised if MB changed the bolt patter or offset year to year. Wouldn't be too hard to find out.
I forget the specifics about the package. It was on a 2012, maybe. I looked at it on Ebay, and looked up the VIN to see what was on it, 'cause the seller claimed it was Off-Road. Turned out it was just the shiny metal undercarriage panel and some junk on the side or something.
I wrote the above note before I'd read carefully enough to figure out you already bought the truck. I took a peek at the owner's manual; I guess you have a "program 2" that locks the transfer case. No diff lock for the rear. You do have controls on your center console to enable the off-road programs and low range, right?
Last edited by eric_in_sd; 08-04-2019 at 06:35 PM.
Here you go. Get 18's and run 285/60-18. You'll be about 1/4" taller. Your speedo will be off by 1.8%. But you have some really great off-road tire choices.
Yes I have the center console controls and have tried them all. I am not used to all the options and combinations. There are 3 hight adjustments, high or low range, and the 6 transmission modes. The monitor also displays your road grade and camber. Its a lot more than what I am used to. I have been driving a 1975 Bronco for 20 years and its mechanics are second nature to me so driving the GL was quite an adjustment!
Here is a link to a MB On/Off-Road Package document:
Meh. They over complicate things. All you need to learn is low range and transfer case lock. That and ride height - but fine tuning the ride height is silly. Wranglers were running circles around me, laughing, and they ain't got no adjustable ride height. In a way I like the base (non-Enhanced) Off Road on my GL - it's just ride height, DSR, and a transmission program. Along with traction control, I wasn't even able to get it stuck in sand in Anza Borrego - and that was on street tires.
Check out the tires. I'm interested in what you come up with. Like I said, I'd be real surprised if the bolt pattern and offset changed.
Here is my research switching from OE 19” wheels to 18” wheels:
Bolt pattern: 5 x 112
Offset: 62mm
Tire size: 265/60/18 Available in BFG AT KO2 Load range E
Wheel: Mercedes 85371 2015-2018 C-Class, 5 x 112, offset: 56mm
I will probably buy one rim and tire and use it to check fitment front and rear. My concerns are that the offset is 1/4” off, and is a C-Class wheel may not be as strong as a GL wheel. If anyone knows more about offset or wheel strenghth I would love to hear your thoughts.
Wheels are stamped (part of the casting, so they're raised characters) with their load range. It's on the inside.
What about previous year GL wheels? 2009 is the last year for 18's. The 18's are 18x8, offset 53. In the same year, 19's are 19x8.5, offset 56. The reason the wheels increase offset with increasing width is to compensate for the increased rim width; in this case they half compensate for it (3mm is ~1/8"; the rim is 1/2" wider)
Your starting point is 19x8.5/62. The 19" OE wheels in 2009 were 6mm less offset than what MB wanted for your GL. (62-56=6). If you go to '09 19" wheels, you're pulling the tire centerline inboard by 1/4". That's really not a big deal, and as far as suspension is concerned, it's better to go inboard than out (less stress on the wheel bearings, etc.). The '09 18" wheels bring the tire inboard by 1/2". Your only real question is clearance. To address that, see how much clearance you now have between tire and strut. Check if you're even within 1". Also clearance between wheel and caliper.
If I were you I'd go to a local wrecker or wheel reseller and check out the different MB wheels. Bring a jack and test fit the various wheels. If you talk nicely and let them know you need five wheels, they should be comfortable with that.
Quickest of course would be to go to aftermarket.
Best of luck.
By the way, when searching for tires, look by size and not by vehicle. That's how I found the Dick Cepeks. Their speed rating is not high enough. I guess the GL can go over 130 mph. I'll have to keep that in mind.
Last edited by eric_in_sd; 08-06-2019 at 09:17 PM.
Chiming in here, all Mercedes (with the G class being the exception) run a 5x112 bolt pattern. Given the correct specs (diameter, width and offset), you should be able to swap Mercedes wheels from various SUVs back and forth.
The W164/X164 chassis are fairly competent off road. My only complaint is being somewhat limited by ground clearance and not wanting to scratch my ride too much. You folks are lucky because airmatic does give you some additional ground clearance if needed (I've got steel suspension).
I am trying to test a lift kit for my W164 with ~2.5 inches of lift on conventional steel spring suspension. It should work for your chassis if anyone is interested in converting to normal suspension, though with air, you could get adjustable links to alter the "normal" ride height if you want to run bigger tires.
My goal is to stuff 285 70 17 tires on stock wheels under my 07 CDI - I know we can fit 265 70 17, so it should be fairly easy to do.
As a fleet manager, I have relied on auto forums to find solutions to difficult problems. I have put in many hours researching this wheel set up without much direction. Thanks for the comments. It helps to talk it out. I have ordered one wheel which at the very least will function as a full size spare. I have not even carried a spare in my Bronco in 15 years since fitting BFGs on it... This season I don't have any plans of 4-wheeling in my GL for recreation or doing multi-day Utah backcountry trips. I may order a full wheel set after checking fitment.
I have a friend with an articulation ramp. I'll post pics after my tests. I ordered a refurbished 2007-2008 18" GL wheel which is really all that I could find without doing much more research. I charge $102.00 per hour for transportation services so everything has to be just right. And no I don't work for uber, I am a professional!
As for tires I've gone through over 20 sets of BFG ATs, the most consistently, highest rated, AT tires out there. I think that a Benz in the middle of nowhere rolling around on Dick Cepeks or Micky Thompsons might confuse the Jeep owners which is worth it to me! I really just need a heavy ply AT tire that rides good on the road and won't pop when it hits a sharp rock. Seeking a Load E AT tire with quiet highway performance tire recommendations. We don't have much mud or sand here, and I have highway tires, and will buy snows for winter.
By the way, Hakkapelittas can dust Blizzaks in the winter. In 95% of snow/ice driving conditions, I'll choose a RWD with good snow tires over a AWD with all season tires.
I have had several E350 4MATIC sedans and we only average about 20,000 miles per tire. We rotate every 6,000 miles. My friend at the dealership said that tires on the GL only last about 10,000 miles. Is anyone else experiencing that?
I have had several E350 4MATIC sedans and we only average about 20,000 miles per tire. We rotate every 6,000 miles. My friend at the dealership said that tires on the GL only last about 10,000 miles. Is anyone else experiencing that?
Nope. It would depend on what kind of tires he's talking about - I'm on my second pair of Goodyear Wranglers on my EORP GL; 15k on them with no significant wear.
Maybe some softer compounds recommended for the GL would wear that quick but why would you buy that.
I have had several E350 4MATIC sedans and we only average about 20,000 miles per tire. We rotate every 6,000 miles. My friend at the dealership said that tires on the GL only last about 10,000 miles. Is anyone else experiencing that?
I put my Dick Cepeks on 25k miles ago. I reckon they're about 2/3 gone, making for a final mileage of ~35k. This is five tires, rotated through, so it would work out to about 30k miles.
21" wheels may be a factor in premature tire wear on GL/GLS. It is worth studying. Most people neglect their tires and don't rotate them. Especially if the service interval is 10,000 miles.
Some of my cars (E350 4MATIC sedans) get driven 10,000 miles per month. We tried several sets of Continental Purecontact with Ecoplus that had a 70,000 mile warrantee. We only got 18K - 22k miles on them. We switched to the cheapest tire we could buy, the Ironman IMove Gen 2. We are getting around 30K out of those! That said, I don't really want to run cheap tires on my GL.
Do you know how many miles you got from your first set of Goodyear Wranglers?
Eric in SD are you running the Dick Cepek Trail Country?
Eric in SD are you running the Dick Cepek Trail Country?
Yeah that's me.
Originally Posted by Buck Horn
the cheapest tire we could buy
For what it's worth, I have found that tire performance vs. cost rises quickly at the very lowest end (I'd avoid any tires made in China or Bangladesh, for example) but flattens out quickly thereafter. You can pay $300 a tire for Michelin Touring, which to me is nuts. It's a touring tire, ffs. I learned this in racing: Great tires just aren't all that expensive. Before the Dick Cepeks, I would routinely get the cheapest tires I could find in Tire Rack's fitment list, and never regretted it.
But that experience is with street tires; off-road tires may benefit from the expense of additional belts for puncture resistance.
For "regular driving" or commercial use a cheap tire is fine in most cases. When it comes to snow tires Hakkapelittas out perform Blizzaks, they cost more, and they are worth it. As for offload tires I have always used BFGs, which are priced in the middle. Off road driving around here is really hard on the tires and these jeep roads can be scary. Not a place that you want to push your luck! I buy offroad tires more so for their durability than for the added traction. Traction is not the issue here as it is elsewhere in mud or sand.
Not needing superior off road traction, and honoring that the GL is a luxury car, I am considering a Load E LT tire with more of a highway tread. I can't find anywhere on the Dick Cepek webpage that states the load range or ply construction of their tires. Am I missing something? Are all terrain tires all Load E?? Is there some other way of measuring a all terrain tires durability?? The website talks about the Trail Country as a well balanced highway/offroad tire. Is it?
I chose to go down wheel size rather than up for more tire options. I am not a fan a low profile tires, especially on something with 4 wheel drive (AWD). Last winter the potholes got so bad that I had a total of 6 bent rims, and 2 cracked rims. That is on 17" OEM wheels. The E350 sedan has optional 18"s. New Audis come with 19"s standard. I don't need to be able to tell the difference between a dime or penny when I roll over one.
I took my GL into the mountains last week and drove some pretty rough jeep roads. On a few occasioned I got it up on two and three wheels. I took some pictures but they are not all that impressive compaired to how that feels when sitting behind the wheel. It prompted me to do some research. Regarding ground clearance, of all SUVs and trucks that I looked at, the GL with On-Offroad Package has the second best ground clearance overall at 307mm or 12.08". The G-Class is number one, number three is the Range Rover at 11.7", and the Jeep Rubicon is 10.8".
I just discovered the 2019 Land Rover LR4 is 12.2" which puts the GLS in the top 3.
Mercedes-Benz is leading the offroad SUV market for ground clearance and they are selling the GL and GLS with wheel sizes that don't have good all terrain or LT tire sizes available... ?
Ground clearance alone does not make a great offroad vehicle, but when you consider that it can also lower itself 4.5" for highway driving and seats 7 adults in comfort there really isn't anything out there that you can compare it to.
Ground clearance alone does not make a great offroad vehicle, but when you consider that it can also lower itself 4.5" for highway driving and seats 7 adults in comfort there really isn't anything out there that you can compare it to.
I see that yours is an X166, but a lot of what you're saying is backwards traceable to the X164 architecture as well - The GL seats 7 in comfort, has a great turning radius, robust cabin air filtration system, gets decent mileage; and with the EORP has adjustable ride height for obstacle passage. All good traits for an exploration type vehicle.
Regarding ground clearance, of all SUVs and trucks that I looked at, the GL with On-Offroad Package has the second best ground clearance overall at 307mm or 12.08". The G-Class is number one, number three is the Range Rover at 11.7", and the Jeep Rubicon is 10.8".
I just discovered the 2019 Land Rover LR4 is 12.2" which puts the GLS in the top 3.
Ground clearance alone does not make a great offroad vehicle, but
The clearance that counts is the clearance you need between your legs when you walk.
Originally Posted by Buck Horn
they are selling the GL and GLS with wheel sizes that don't have good all terrain or LT tire sizes available... ?
Soccer moms buy the MB SUV's. Females like to imagine they are driving something gnarly. Makes them feel part of the boy's club: NO GRILS ALOUD and that sort of thing. Remember, the Hummer H3 was a big seller to the mommies. H2, also, which was just a Yukon platform with different sheet metal.
Heck, the newest GLs even make a "Don't bother knockin' if this van's a-rockin" movement to get out of sand. Tell me that buying demographic isn't females.
Originally Posted by Buck Horn
it can also lower itself 4.5" for highway driving
First of all, it doesn't lower 4.5". The thing would be a scraper at that point. It's something like 1". It lowers 4.5" from the elevated off-road height.
That said, the lowering actually presents something of a problem. I consistently experience camber wear, with the inside of the tire worn. The savings in fuel, and added stability, are probably worth the price in tire wear, but - it's not without its disadvantages.
I just came across a helpful thread on another topic so I felt motivated to follow up on the subject of off roading. I bought a set of 18" OEM X164 refurb wheels and Micky Thompson Deegan 38 All Terrain 10-ply tires in 265/60/18. After summiting Stoney Pass and fording the Rio Grande I drove 12 miles on a high-clearance 4WD road averaging 3 mph. That speed might indicate the condition of the road. It is more of a trail than a road. I aired down to 21 psi going in to camp, and woke up in the cold with tire pressure reading 14-15 psi. The tires were bottoming out on the rim at that point and when I went to air up back to 20 psi I found out that my air pump wasn't working!
The tires held up and I highly recommend them. They are quiet on the road and aggressive enough for this dry rocky terrain. I don't recommend airing down below 20 psi with this setup.
I think it's safe to say that there are no clearance issues with this wheel setup. I pushed my car further than I intended to with no rubbing under extreme articulation. I banged my under carriage a couple of times, once was due to departure angle, and twice was because the car lowers itself from level 3 after you turn it off and back on. I hate this function!
08-04-2019, 03:22 PM
