ChescoBenz

Hi all. After spending 8 months lurking on the posts, I finally joined up and am so glad I did. You all have been so helpful as I embark on the journey with my '14 GL bluetec. Thank you!

Months late to the game (and with a small baby girl in the back seat) and lovely wife to keep safe, I've decided to install snow tires. Went with the Hak R2 SUV's in 285-50-R20 (compared to the factory 275/50/R20's) and want to mount on separate wheels.

Came across a set of almost identical looking 20" wheels to those installed on the GL, but they are slightly different in dimensions and appear to be made for the ML.

I currently have the 20" wheels from the factory - Part # A166 401 2802 (GL) - These are 20x8.5 with a 62 offset.

I want to use these for my snow tires - Part # A166 401 1802 (ML) - These are 20x9 with a 57 offset.

Does everyone think I'll be ok with the wider ML wheel with different offset coupled with the wider 285 tire - all installed on my GL350? Don't want any rub, etc. or brake problems.

Any help would be appreciated. My mind is numb from the time spent researching online.

cadetdrivr

I'm not sure about your wheel offset question but with snow tires ---very generally speaking--- you want narrower wheels/tires. It seems counterintuitive, but a smaller contact patch is better (more weight per area) when snow/ice traction is the primary consideration than summertime acceleration/cornering where bigger is better. Essentially tires with a overly large contact patch will "float" on snow/ice.

That said, we have the stock 19" wheels/tires on our GL in Minnesota and I have not come close to thinking we need dedicated snow tires like on my BMW sedan. (Yet.)

Dalema

What tires are you running?

ChescoBenz

Nokian Hakkapeliitta R2 SUV's in 285/50/R20 brand new.

JimBarnhart

Just an added datapoint. My X164 had 19" wheels and I would agree with this opinion. I ran Hankook Ventas AS most of the time.

On my X166 I have the Perellis and 20" wheels. I put about 15,000 miles per year on my GL. The first winter on my 2013 was great in the snow, the second winter (18-24K on the tires) was simply scary. If the roads were plowed no problem, but otherwise I felt uncomfortable. This winter I'm on new tires (less than 10K) and they are doing fine. I am trying to decide if I should budget for snow tires for next year, but then again my vehicle will be 3 years old then and maybe it's not a good return on investment.

cadetdrivr

The 19" (275/55R19) Continental 4X4 Contacts that were OEM and are labeled M+S on the sidewall. (FWIW, here's what Tire Rack says about them)

Dalema

Thanks. Interesting to hear your experience. I was looking to try something different in the 19s from the Contis and went with the Toyos. No real snow action to report on yet though.