DanGL550SL55

Hi everyone,

I just bought a 09 GL550 and wanted to get the GL450 18" wheels so I can put blizzaks on them for winter (in Pittsburgh). Does anyone have these on their GL550 and do they look OK? I have an older Escalade to drive when road are bad but didn't want to get stuck with the OEM tires and wheels on the GL550.

The 18" blizzaks have nearly identical specs as the OEM's including load capacity.

Overall, tire choices seem limited. As an alternative I could get the 19" GL450 wheels with the Pirelli Scorpion Zero's (do they go good in the snow?).

Thanks

Dan

lkchris

Performance wise the 18s are a good choice. Can't comment on cosmetics.

Don't forget you'll need a set of tire pressure monitor sensors in the 2nd set of wheels.

alvillar2000

I have the wheels. I just upgraded mine to the 2010 AMG 21".

18" New Continental Cross Contact LX (Invoice of the tires 9/15/2009)

yorken

Purchasing an '09 GL550 now. Also looking for a winter tire / wheel combo. Was thinking about aftermarket 20" rims (Hartman or nitrous garage) with the 275 50 R20 tires. And I have a warm spot in my heart for Blizzaks.

20's would look better than the 18's. And you can get Blizzaks in this size ( believe). But I worry about traction - esp. on rough roads, and smacking the rim on potholes due to narrow sidewall. Also, 18s are skinnier, and narrower tires are usually better for snow.

Unless I can find confirmation that the 20's work well, will probably swallow my wheel snobbery and go with the 18's.

slim nicky

Just bought a set of 18's with new Blizzaks from ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...view=all&tid=0 Very pleasant experience with vendor. Also bit the bullet and got the TPMS. 550 still looks nice. If you search the forum, someone has posted pics of 550 with 18s. LMK if you can't find and I can snap a couple. Added benefit, I've noticed a much softer ride, especially on bumps and potholes. Of course I am not taking corners as fast as I used to with the 21's... but as I've been reminded I really shouldn't be doing that anyway.

DanGL550SL55

Make sure you pay attention to the tire diameter as this can screw things up like traction control and braking. Also make sure the load capacity of the tires is adequate.

I have not yet put my snows on yet. I have them on another set of the AMG 21" - I went that way cause I did not want to look at different rims 4-5 mnths of the year.

slim nicky

Thanks, I got the same tire size that comes with the GL450 - 265/60r18 tires. Re Load, the Blizzak DMZ3 has a 109 or 110 load rating. The original tire on the GL550 has a 111 load rating. The GL550 has the same Gross vehicle weight (GVWR) as the GL450's of 6944 lbs, and the GL450's came with 265/60r18 tires with a 110 load rating. A 110 load rating corresponds to a weight capacity of 9348 lbs. So net I think GL 18" wheels with 265/60r18 tires (load rated at 110 or 111) would work. At least I really hope so, because that's what I went with!

Waiting-4-550

Great to see this post is up again..

I'm going with Blizzaks on 20' OZ rims as suggested on tirerack.com..

I'll let you guys know if look and traction work out..

Stock 21' AMG on GL 550 just didn't suffice for traction in prior winter experience...

nyc123

I am looking at a new 2010 gl550 is there no snow tire that will fit the stocks wheels ? thanks in advance

lauer87

Pirelli just came out with another option as opposed to the Continental which was the only tire available for the 21" wheels. The continental has a better wear rating though, and has performed good through 2 winters so far for us, so im sticking with it.

DanGL550SL55

Blizzak's come in a 21" at tirerack.

bmwrocket1

I bot a brand new set of 2009 GL450 19inch wheels on ebay, 4x4 contact to replace the 550 cross contact wheels in the winter. Tread design will be fine in basic snow conditions. I love how they advertise the stock 550 wheels as all season because they are definitely a summer tire and SUCK in the snow.

Waiting-4-550

I agree the AMG GL550 21 inch wheels are meant for the autobahn after it's been plowed... Otherwise they're more like ski's..

Got my Blizzak 20 inch on OZ rims on the way from tirerack.. Hopefully they'll satisfy my needs... I'll let you guys know if they were worth the expense...

Kinda cool as this is the first vehicle for which I ever got another set of snow tires..

Wonder if 911 owners commonly do this???

pwaggs

I have a 993 Twin Turbo that I used as an every day car before I got married and got the GL550. Every winter I would switch to my snow rims and tires also bought from Bernie at Tire Rack. They looked stupid on the wide body but boy did they work. The difference was incredible. The summer tires turn to hard plastic in the winter and had ZERO traction. The smaller thinner snow tires and rims worked like a charm. I have not been through a winter with my GL yet thats why I am in the forum. I guess I answered my own question.

cyclrder

I just purchased 2008 ML63 20 inch wheels and ordered a set of 275/45R-20 Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D tires.

I realize that the preferred size would be 275/50/20 .. but that size tire is actually larger than my stock 21 inch AMG setup... the new set is about a 1/2 inch shorter... I plan on putting HR spacers on to get the proper stance proportions back in line. (so that the wheels don’t look to far inside the GL550’s extended wheel arches).

I have had the SP 3D tires on my E500 and they are pretty much unstoppable... 4 years of VT snow and ice...the key is that they will handle better than any of the other choices. (Blizzak or Pirelli)... my summer tires were staggered 18 AMG wheels with PS2s ... under normal conditions.. the Dunlops would not be noticed as winter tires... can't say enough positive things about them.... they just don't come any bigger than 275/45/20s ... maybe a better selection for 19s. Talk to Luke at Tirerack.

your Turbo probably has HR spacers (at least the newer Porsches do.. like the Spyder and Turbo)

I will update the forum with pictures when I start the process.