Shaft2k

I just purchased a 07 Gl 450 with the oem 18" wheels. I was interested in upgrading to 20" but didnt want to sacrafice ride quality. Any one out there made this switch and noticed a significant loss of ride quality?

MomsBenz

My '09 came with 20" wheels and the ride is fantastic. My '08 had 19" wheels and I much more prefer the 20" wheel ride over the 19". HTH! Plus the 20" wheels look really nice

dbtk

I have standard 20" wheels on my 2010 GL350, including RFTs. The ride is sharp and a little less compliant on rough roads, however, on a smooth stretch of freeway the car rides superb...almost like my S550. BTW, I usually run 35 psi in front and 39 psi in the rear.

rkao

Agree the 20" with the Goodyear EMTs that came with my GL has a sharper ride than the non-EMT tires with the standard non-Appearance Package fitment.

When I test drove the GL, it was the standard 19" non-EMT and the ride was definitely more compliant in suburban settings where the roads are not perfectly smooth.

Overall though, it's not a big negative and I think the EMTs will continue to improve in technology so that the ride, despite its super stiff sidewalls, will become more comparable with the conventional tires.

atwal

we upgraded from 18" to 20" while back. I did not notice any difference. your speedo will be slightly off depending on what tire size you choose.

rkao

A very salient point - the speedometer differential can be minimized by calculating the overall diameter of the wheel/tire combination and this requires adjusting the sidewall ratio and tread width to work with the change in the diameter of the wheel.

The Tire Rack has always provided very good suggestions to me on the alternatives - or in the case of my '10 GL, the lack of alternatives in non-EMT tires with the 20" wheel diameter.

Shaft2k

Thx for all the responses, this will make my choice a lot easier (and informed)........

store237

My 2008 320 came with 18 inch wheels. I purchased a set of 20 inch for summer wheels, as I live in Canada with icy roads and we tend to have lots of winter and ice. If you travel rough roads at highway speeds and alot of in city stuff, the you will find a huge diference in ride, with the 20 inch being rough and very harsh thru our Canadian pot holed highways. Fuel economy is appro 10% less with the 20 inch as well. The 20 inch are great on smooth roads, not a noticable difference between either size.

FitmentFactory

With the proper tire specs you can run 20" and still ride great!

Pm if you need any help deciding on tires

awinson

Hello,
Can anyone recommend either 18" or 19" wheels and tires for a 2009 GL320?

Thank you,
Andy

blee911

If you are configuring your own car and it is not a GL550, you can still purchase the option to have sport & comfort settings. The car comes with air springs which are adjustable so adding the option to have a button on the dash costs only $775 (called ADS Adaptive Damping System) unlike $3000-4000 on an X5 or Q7 because the std suspension is not air based. Comfort setting with 20" rims is smooth but that's all relative.

HamMan

I put my 20" RF away for trade in time.

Put factory 18" with 285-60-18

Ride is much improved.

Many more brands & prices available in 18" than 19".

frabouden

i have a set of OEM 19" rims (including the TPS sensors) if anyone is interested - perfect condition, but no center caps as i reused them with the 21 in. rims.

Shaft2k

Frabouden, I sent you a pm