GL Class (X164) 2007-2012: GL320CDI, GL420CDI, GL450, GL550

Slightly larger tyres

Old Sep 19, 2022 | 10:40 PM
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2006 GL500
Slightly larger tyres

Does anyone know if 275/55R20 tyres will fit on my 2006 GL500 without spacers or having to modify the wheel well? I currently have the standard 275/55R19s and want to install all-terrain tyres, but there are none available in this size. I can't go to 18" because they won't fit over the brake rotors, and the sidewall on 275/50R20 is too small for off-road use. 275/55R20 only seems to be a 3% diameter increase (785mm to 811mm) over the standard 19s, so should be no problems with insurance. Not sure if the slightly larger tyres will hit the upper control arms without spacers though? Thanks
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Old Sep 20, 2022 | 12:08 AM
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Going up a wheel size just to get offroadish tires defeats that purpose in that you are giving up sidewall.

have you looked in narrower options for the 19” wheels, such as 255/60r19?

Same circumference and sidewall. I don’t know why your insurance would give a **** what sort of tires you have on; probably because not America.
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Old Sep 20, 2022 | 12:22 AM
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Thanks for your reply. The sidewall would be the same if I'm going from 275/55R19 to 275/55R20, which was my preference... I have looked at narrower tyres - 265 would be ok, but there's nothing available in 265/60 or 265/65 for 19"wheels. 255/60R19 has similar sidewall and overall diameter to my existing tyres, but may look a bit too narrow in the wheel well - but I'd need to see it irl to be sure. Would a 255 fit on the 8.5" wide rims I currently have?
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Old Sep 20, 2022 | 12:55 AM
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They will fit, but barely. I ran all-season Bridgestone in 275 55 20 for years without any issues. However, when I went to an off-road tire (General Grabber ATX) in the same size, the shoulder of the tires is much wider than the all-season's. They fit, and I drove on then for a couple of days, but the clearance for the upper control arm was about 1/8-inch... I ended up installing 15mm spacers on all 4 corners for a bit of comfort/breathing room. Worked great. No rubbing, and pushes the tire/wheel out a bit to fill out the wider wheel well on the 550. I keep 2 sets if tires/wheels, one off-road & one street (OE AMG 21's). Hope that helps.
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Old Sep 20, 2022 | 07:51 PM
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Originally Posted by KWStan
They will fit, but barely. I ran all-season Bridgestone in 275 55 20 for years without any issues. However, when I went to an off-road tire (General Grabber ATX) in the same size, the shoulder of the tires is much wider than the all-season's. They fit, and I drove on then for a couple of days, but the clearance for the upper control arm was about 1/8-inch... I ended up installing 15mm spacers on all 4 corners for a bit of comfort/breathing room. Worked great. No rubbing, and pushes the tire/wheel out a bit to fill out the wider wheel well on the 550. I keep 2 sets if tires/wheels, one off-road & one street (OE AMG 21's). Hope that helps.
Thank you, that's very useful. I hadn't considered the extra shoulder width of off-road tyres. I may just have to try different tyres on for size and see how I go. Did the spacers affect the steering, handling, tread wear or anything else?

Thanks
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Old Sep 20, 2022 | 08:07 PM
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Performance with spacers is fine - no issues. If you do get spacers, remember you need longer lug bolts to match.
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Old Sep 20, 2022 | 08:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Max Blast
Going up a wheel size just to get offroadish tires defeats that purpose in that you are giving up sidewall.

have you looked in narrower options for the 19” wheels, such as 255/60r19?

Same circumference and sidewall. I don’t know why your insurance would give a **** what sort of tires you have on; probably because not America.
Although it varies from state to state, in Australia you generally can't run tyres that are more than 50mm (2 inches) larger diameter than the manufacturer's recommended size without risking voiding your insurance (or your warranty if it's a new vehicle). It's a bit of a grey area legally - some insurers say they will happily cover vehicles with larger tyre sizes, some will only cover you if you're not at fault in an accident (as the larger tyres may be deemed to have adversely impacted the handling of the vehicle and contributed to the accident), but many don't cover you at all if you go more than 50mm above. Most 4WD enthusiasts run 33" or 35" tyres regardless, or they might swap between road tyres and off-road tyres depending on what driving they have planned.
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