Hi all, I am buying my friend's 2009 GL450 since they are getting a Tesla (they have a 2011 GL450 as well) and I have a question. It has 21" wheels and I would like to swap those to 18" wheels and put some new Michelin tires on. I am wondering is any of the other model takeoff wheels work on the GL450. Do the older/newer 350 or 550 wheels works or will they have a different offset or even bolt pattern? I don't know what the offset is on these stock 20" rims. I basically want OEM type of fitment with the proper offset...nothing fancy.

With the 18"s, I get far better tire selection, cheaper tire prices, and a more compliant ride, especially when on forest service roads. Thanks for any advice!

 

Any 2006-2012 GL or ML wheel will fit - good choice on 18s as the ride and selection is just so much better.

im not sure a 2013 and up wheel will fit.
should Be able to a score a set of 18’s for around $4-500 shipped.

 

Max Blast- thank you so much for this information. I'll start looking. 18s would be perfect and I'd like to get them as soon as possible.

 

The 18's are on 07-08.

I agree with Max; I think anything larger than the 18's is silly for a 5,300 lb vehicle. Even that results in a tire probably too low profile to be good off road, though it is a reasonable compromise.

I have shopped for them plenty. You can sometimes get a package deal, like all four wheels shipped together.

You are looking for part 1644010602. Here is an ebay search I have kept on file: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=1644010602&_sop=15

 

Thanks for this info, Eric! I did not realize that 18s were 07-08. I had started to look aftermarket but OEM is always a sure fit.

 

Frankly I think the stock looks better; the 18" five spoke are the most understated.

Plus I am almost sure you will find used wheels to be cheaper than aftermarket.

You can probably reuse the TPMS from your existing wheels; some of the used wheels come with center caps, some not. They are typically only a few bucks.

Best of luck.

 

Yes, the 20/21 size rims absolutely look much better on these bigger SUVs...no doubt. I don't care much about that though. I care more about ride quality, puncture resistance, off-road capability (I have a lifted Rubicon for real off-road fun) since I do a lot of mountain biking and some hiking. I did see some on eBay but all single wheels. I may email a seller to see if he has a set of four in good shape first, and then buy from that seller.

 

The offset on that rim/part # (at least on one listing) was 53mm. Is that okay?

 

I remember noticing that the wheels had slightly different offsets from year to year. Since (I believe) the drivetrain remained the same, including the hubs and brakes, those offset changes were deemed not significant. Look at the specs for the wheels for the 2009 and compare. Maybe an offset difference of an inch would be noticeable, but in general offset just is not that big of a deal.

 

I think the 2009 has 42mm offset so 10mm off. I am not sure if a 52 makes them stick out more or less but 10mm is not very noticeable unless you're really looking.

 

There are web sites, mostly oriented toward selling wheels, that give the offset numbers (along with bolt pattern and width).

Recall that the GL wheels have negative offset; that is, the center line of the wheel is inboard from the hub face.

I suspect the 2009 wheels are wider because they are intended for lower profile tires. Thus they have to have less negative offset to ensure the sidewall is clear of the strut - to ensure the inner lip of the rim is the same distance from the strut.

The wheel bearings are very sturdy and will not be affected by the slight difference in offset.

 

What is the width of the wheel?

 

This is one I think I've used before that may help

https://www.wheel-size.com/size/mercedes/gl-class/2009/

 

The rim width is 8 (the eBay seller posted 8 but could be 8.5 since I saw that via the link user "atraudes" posted above) so 18 x 8. Those are OEM rims from 2007-2008 with the part # referenced above. I THINK the 2007-2008 may have had 265 width tires while the 2009 is 275. So that may be the reason for the change in offset from 53 to 42 (OEM spec).

Thanks for the wheel size link above.

 

Have a look here
https://www.alloywheelsdirect.net/in.../mercedes-benz

Unless the 450 has the AMG body kit (fender flares), you want offets in the ET+50 and ET+60. If it has the AMG fender flares like the 550, your wheels in that offset range will look deep in the wheel well.

All of the wheels should clear your brakes. I also plug in the current and new wheel/tires in www.willtheyfit.com to see how the new tire/wheel will match the old wheel tire in terms of spacing, contact patch, and height/width difference. The site also gives you speedometer difference between the current and new setup. Take the speedo difference with a big grain of salt and the rest of the info with a small grain of salt, it's not 100% accurate but gives you an idea.

 

I did not think of the fender flares. That is an excellent point. I need to have them send me a side picture. I think it MAY have the fender flares. Maybe that is also why the OEM offset is around 42?

 

I'm not versed in the 2009 trims and options, but generally from what I've seen across the 2007-2012 MYs, 21" wheels are part of the AMG appearance package, unless somewhere along the way only the wheels were changed to 21". The flares will be the giveaway.

If you have the flares, you can look for wheels with offset around ET+35 ET+45, although higher offsets will also fit, but they will be buried in the well. You don't want to have tire sidewalls flexing and rubbing against struts either.

You can run spacers to bring a wheel out but for offroading I wouldn't use them. Said the guy (me) who doesn't know the first thing about offroading.

 

I have never been a fan of spacers anyway. While this vehicle will not be an off-roader, it will likely see some forest roads every now and then. The current tires are 275/50/R20 and while I will confirm, I am rather sure it has the flares. If this is the case, I may go with aftermarket wheels unless I can find OEM 18s with a ~40 offset. I will not get the GL till closer to the end of December so I have some time to sort things out. Tires are the #1 thing (three are bald anyway) but I'll also get some Mobil 1 Euro spec oil, OEM filters, a Mityvac, and a few other things to detail it shortly after I get it.

 

Frankly I think you are overcomplicating things. If you like how the 07-08 18" wheels look, go for it. If you are concerned about rubbing etc, check whether the brake discs, calipers, and struts are the same for 07 and 09.

The 18's are 8" wide; the taller wheels are 8.5 and higher. It is difficult to get a clear answer from the various wheel web sites.

There was a guy a while back who put 07-08 18's on his later year model.

People worry about offsets and spacers when they dramatically deviate from the stock width and height. This ain't that.

 

I may be but I'm mainly worried about sinking the wheels in or pushing them out too much that they look weird, ya know? I detest that sticking-out look and sinking it in prob looks odd too. I do not think there will be any contact, though that is probably the true functional concern and the real issue. The tires will be 265 and the current ones are 275 so that is good for the potential rubbing situation. As soon as I know about the flares, I'l decide on offset.

 

To Eric's point, I run a set of 2009 ML 19x8 ET +60 wheels (5 spoke) in the winter with 255/55 Hakkapeliittas on my 2010 550. The OE wheels are 21x10 with 295/40 tires. It has the flares and the winter wheels are recessed in the wells, but I don't care about the look, function over fashion in this case. The picture thread has a couple of snaps of the 550 with those wheels on.

The 255/55 is not MB standard. I chose them for the smaller contact patch when I'm driving in deeper snow. If I were to do it again, for winter setup I would go for a set of 20s and AT tires in 275 with 55 or 60 aspect ratio. I drive mostly on blacktop with the occasional dirt road or sand road to access beaches.

Edit: adding link to pics, post #1301

https://mbworld.org/forums/gl-class-x164/152017-x164-gl-class-unofficial-picture-thread-53.html#post7947703

 

Okay, I wasn't entirely processing the "flared fenders" comment. I did not realize there are factory flared fenders. What did those come on, the 550 and/or AMG? Are the flared fenders distinguished by the seam running around the edge where the flare meets the fender?

It *looks* like alloywheelsdirect is correct; at least, the 56mm offset for the 2009 20" wheels is repeated elsewhere. It is a little odd these wheels have a higher offset than the 8" wide, but who knows. That would mean the exterior appearance of the 20" and 18" stock configurations are nearly identical. Perhaps that is what Mercedes intended.

If you want to have some fun and put 18" wheels with wider tires that you want to balloon out, a la your Wrangler, you will probably need to get wheels with higher offset so the tire does not rub the strut.

I could check but I think you will get into trouble clearing the brake caliper with diameter smaller than 18.

 

The flares and 21" wheels ET+37 are part of the AMG appearance package. Plastic pieces stuck with adhesive (double sided tape?) on the fenders. The ML also had that, 20x9 wheels with ET+41 for the W166 platform. Part number of the 20" is A1664012202.
https://www.alloywheelsdirect.net/me...oke_wheel_2977

There is also a 20x10 ET+46 from the ML W163 platform.
https://www.alloywheelsdirect.net/me...g_vi_wheel_528

IIRC from my research when I were looking at the GLs, in the 2009-12 vintage the flares came standard on the 550 and were an option on the 350/450. The 2012 Grand Edition were more or less nicely optioned. I don't recall seeing anything in the 2012 vintage w/o the AMG look.

Any wheels from the W163/164/166 platform would fit, as will from the X166. Not sure if the 167 iteration wheels have the same bolt pattern. I think those are 5x130 (Porsche and the GWagen have been using it for ages).

I'll throw in a new term - scrub radius. Mostly important on sports cars and track cars, IMHO, but something to keep in mind. The reason I mention this is because I just got new DWS06 in the OE size on the truck a couple of weeks ago. It rides and steers much better now compared to the aged and worn PZeros, also in the OE size. In comparison, my winter package tends to make the truck wander on occasion with road imperfections, of which there are plenty more in the winter where I live. Assuming with the OE 295/40R21 ET+37 tire/wheel the scrub radius is 0 (pure speculation on my part), with the 255/55R19 ET+60 tire/wheel I imagine I am running positive scrub radius, which results in more kickback/feedback from the road and steering the car takes more effort. There are times when she feels like darting over left or right because of potholes or road ruts rather than staying straight on course. That can become annoying over longer drives, fast. I used to get some of that with the PZeros as well, but the new DWS06s have eliminated that.