I have a company car I'd like to dress up a bit. Just to make it a little less mundane. It's a GL450 2013. Pretty basic, not very many options. It's 100% stock. Interior is perfect. Not a mark. Exterior is about 98.5%. Some very small door dings. Some scrapes. I'm probably a bit picky but for 40k miles, it looks pretty damn good. So I'm aiming at some simple styling mods. Here's what's on tap;

Running boards- Mine did NOT have running boards and I'd like them, (except lights) because to me they "pinch" the middle of the vehicle in and make it look less stretched. I got a set off Amazon that fit perfectly and look really good. $225 shipped. "Vanguard" was the brand name. So this mod is completed. About the only thing I did extra here was add stainless washers to the studs under the rocker panel. The "V" notched running board support structure had a very forgiving gap were the studs fell and I wanted to make sure that the nuts didn't smear their way through the plastic and up not offering much in the way of support. Other than that...plug and play. Of course they're worthless...LOL! Too close to the level of the floor yet too far off the ground. Also, too narrow. But hey, they were an appearance mod for me. COMPLETED 2/18

Bought a set of 22x10.5 rims with 43et offset and 4 305/40/22's for them. Also got a set of TPMS cheapies. Mounted ONE to test fitment. On the rear, the tread of the tire is inside the body 1/8" however the sidewall is slightly outside. The outside of the rim is flush. Front is tucked a bit more. They look good. Fill the wheel wells nicely but don't have the "rubber-band" tire appearance. The rims are mild...not bold. I don't want to look like I'm hauling snoop dog and dr dre around. I also didn't want to do black rims. I also don't like chrome rims. I'll definitely be doing some mods on the tire fitment. I wish the rims were 10" instead of 10.5..but I couldn't find anything in my price range that I liked. Again, company car, I don't want to over-bear the owners graciousness....although he'd let me buy anything I wanted. No sense sinking a bunch of money in 13' GL450. I also wish the rims had a bit more offset. 49-50 would be perfect with 10.5 rims. I think the 43et would be perfect with 10". I can machine the hubs without removing the tires...no problem there. I can remove about 1/4"...so that would put me right at 49et.

Fender wideners might be the answer to it all. If not, I still want them. They really give the smooth lines of the GL450 some cut-up definition. Subtle yes, but yet, defining. So I'll do the fender wideners BEFORE machining the rims.

Mud guards. No laughing please. I really like mud guards on these vehicles once wider rims/tires are placed. I think the thickness adds a modern "boxy" look down low. Also, they are VERY functional with the big sweeps the lower portion of the fenders have.

Dulling the bright-work around the side windows. Nothing fancy here. Don't want to do a complete "black-out" but just want to make the trim stand out less. Maybe a charcoal wrap/paint? Don't know....yet.

Lowering. Need to drop this crate about 1.5-2". Don't know for sure until I have the wheels mounted/installed. I've read about some options. I'll update as I go. Also, maybe introduce a bit more camber front/rear. This truck appears to camber it's tires positive when lowering? I've noticed this on and off the jack. Roll couple must be a bit higher and I'm hitting the tangent point of the swing arm? I'll know more once I get it on the lift. The air suspension might be giving me this illusion..so don't take my word for it. But I will put it on the alignment rack after lowering and see what the specs are.

My last quest will be tuning. Ah yes, can't be late for work!! Seriously, my previous daily's are M3's so I'm used to a bit of power/handling. Im not looking to run the rig into a 1/4 miler or a time-attack truck, just maybe offer a bit of a "gentlemans block" on a passing Honda:-)

 

Ok. Perhaps these mods are bit dated. Noted. I won't bore you....lol.

305 40 22's work just fine. I wouldn't want anything larger...that's for sure. Tread of the tire is inside the fender by about an 1/8". Bulge of the sidewall is outside about a 1/4". So, once I get the fender wideners on, I'm good. My offset is ok...no machining required. These cheap rims and cheap tires balanced up pretty well. One tire had to have a bunch of weight. The rest were fine. They are Lexani Thirty's. Quiet. Smooth. Seem to handle pretty nice. Hey, for a buck thirty delivered to my door....

Pics attached. Yeah I know. More boring shots. So next will be fender wideners/flares/extensions....then lowering a tad.

 

Looking good. Curious, I just picked up a GL450 and I don't see any fender extensions that work other than for the GL550. Aren't the front rear bumper covers different so the extensions won't match up? Please link me to the ones your are using. Also, where did you get these wheels? Link? Thanks!

 

Wheels:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/22-RF005-GL...wfZ1WahYL&vxp=
TPMS Sensors:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/4-pcs-NEW-O...53.m2749.l2649=

Sensors work perfect if you're looking for a replacement set. I'll be putting snow tires on my other rims for next year so I needed a set and took a chance on these cheap copies. Yeah, I don't know much about the fender wideners. I have found ONE company so far that promises fitment but they do not look like a quality piece. I do have one guy working on an answer...but from what I've found you are correct. I just don't want to go through all that pain to accomplish a simple task!! I'm still searching.

 

If you swap out the front & rear fascias, along with adding the 550 fender extensions, your wheels will look perfect on your truck. I'm sure you can find used 550 parts online at a reasonable price.

 

When you say fascia, you're talking front and rear bumper assemblies? Grilles etc? Sorry, not versed enough in the year/model differences. Thanks for your help!

 

Yes, front & rear bumpers. They are all the same on the 550's from 2013 to 2016. The grille is the same in all models from 2013 to 2016.

 

Gotcha. I have one company that has a set of fender wideners they'd like to send to me to check out. If I like them, I can buy them. I might give it a try. 800 bucks but they require "fitment". Of course they say "very little". And painting...which I don't mind. Thanks again for your help.

Now, I gotta see how to lower this pig

 

For the fender flares to look right, you will need to swap out the front and rear bumpers. Otherwise they won't match up.

$800 for the 4 plastic fender flares seems like an outrageous price.

 

Nah, these are flares made for the GL450 body lines/bumpers....no bumper change-out required.(PER SELLER..LOL!) There are 8 pcs....they taper into the bumpers. Merc 4pc GL63 flares (which require the bumpers) are like 1300 bucks....and they're plastic too! Ain't nothing cheap in this game!

 

Ha! My old thread just popped up on a google search. Well, I just gotta tell ya this old Benz doesn't disappoint! Over 4 years I've added 62k miles to the original 50ish K that was on it when it was given to me. So I'm looking around 110k miles on the clock and other than oil changes every 6k miles, trans fluid swap, tires (lots of tires), gas(LOTS OF GAS!!), brake pads/rotors, rear air bags....well, that's it. She's been a proper ride for sure. Ended up getting a Genius and a couple of Tunes from Jerry at OE Tuning. I run the 93oct tune and it's a blast! I've messed up a few egos over the years toying with some interstate traffic. The 500hp/580tq just feels so good from about 45mph on it's incredible. I've had the tune for over 3 years and other than having to download/upload it before my yearly inspections here in PA, I've had no issues. I run a bit of city and a lot of country roads. Not much interstate roads. I get about 17.8mph avg on the city/country roads. I can tweak it to about 20mpg on the interstate runs if I keep it around 70mph. Very happy with OE for sure. I have to admit...as a BMW freak, this Benz has impressed me. It still rides fantastic. I can toss it into corners with a TON of left foot braking while I spool up the twins right before the apex and power out! For a big SUV she's VERY impressive. My budget tires are General Gmax's which I'm on my 3rd set after my original budget choice of "Lexani's" which actually didn't do too bad! Yes, I'm going through 4 Gmax's about every 16k!

Running boards seem to be a big topic here. lol. Well I'm glad I put mine on. I use them for sure. They are a bit of a trade off until you learn to either step on them or over them. Tall guys I can see it being a problem to some degree. I'm short so I use them. Yes, they're barely wide enough to get my heel on but I like the look and the way they stop all the black of the Benz from bleeding into the asphalt! Aesthetics for sure....but a bit of protection for the rocker panels as well. I run this rig on a lot of salted/snowy roads and between the flaps and the running boards, I don't get a bunch of residue on the body.

So after getting the tune from OE, I elected to do nothing but enjoy the Benz. And I have NOT been let-down a bit. I even tow my track car with it from time to time while my GMC Sierra sits in the garage! I love ya Benz...you've been a fine ride. Company tells me I have a Cayenne coming in the spring so I'll be turning this in in the next 3-4 months. I can honestly say I will miss it.

 

Did you ever end up finding some fender flares/extensions?

 

Just some wraps and AT tires, looks more badass now. Still easily removable if needed