kklee74

Hi just picked up a 2014 GL63 and quickly realized that I will need snow tires for these Wisconsin winters. Looked on tire rack and they show no wheels that fit the GL63. Does anyone know if the Avarus AV11's will work? The site shows that they will fit a GL550. As for tires, I'm going with the Pirelli Scorpions winter. Worse come to worse, I'll just order the Pirelli's now and mount those on stock rims and look into getting some 22's in the spring.

Mike450

There is no guarantee they will fit. Offset and caliper clearance with the AMG is the concern I'd guess.

I've had luck calling Tire Rack directly in the past with questions like this.

HETPE3B

I just installed Pirelli Scorpions Winter. Love them. Good grip. Quite. Don't know about the tread wear yet. Wanted to get them from TireRack, but found them a little used locally with about 85-90% tread left for $750. Nearly half the cost.
Took them to my local Costco. At first they refused to wear them saying they do not put used tires except if they were taken off by Costco from this vehicle. After the manager inspected them they told it's ok and they put them on. I drove home on the highway and the vibration was horrible. My knees literally were shaking from the vibration. On the next day took the car to my local dealer, they performed the road force balance and the vibration was gone 95%. Almost perfect. The reason I decided not to go back to Costco is that most likely they couldn't balance them right anyway, since they don't have a road force balance equipment.

md4babes

I have a 2015 GL63, I recommend looking for someone on the forum selling old MB wheels for the winter and putting on your own tires. I got the Pirelli scorpions for winter and a used set of GL wheels. Good luck.

fatmatt0116

what size wheels have you guys been using for winters?

Chedman13

295/40/21 Pirelli Scorpion Winters is the only one I could find in that size.

I also use 285/45/22 with no rub with my setup (blizzak).

The OEM GLS size will work too, 285/40/22 and there are 1-2 winter tire choices.

I have a set for sale 295/40/21 winters and wheels in the classified section.

fatmatt0116

can you post a link I can't find the thread thanks. Btw, how is performance on 21 inch snows?

Chedman13

https://mbworld.org/forums/wheels-ti...e-21-22-a.html

the 21" winters fit the GL63 (I've had them on mine).

Pirelli Scorpion is good for majority street driving with good snow plows or light snow. Tires are excellent, not as good as all-season or summers on dry, but good enough. There is little flex and feels solid.

The 285/45/22 blizzaks are the go-to if you have heavy snow. can't go wrong with either, they will surpass any all-season in dry or snow cold traction.

fatmatt0116

'thanks. I'm debating whether to get the 20" gle factory w & t set or go with 21s. I'm leaning towards the 20s, though the 21s look nicer on the gls. I guess the question is will the 20s be substantially better in terms of ice and snow performance. On my cayenne they are however that car weighs substantially less than the gls63. The tires on thev20s can be a little narrower (265) however the sidewall is the same (45). Does the narrower tire width confer improved snow and ice performance if everything else is equal?

Chedman13

I’d go 20”, because replacement tires will be cheaper.

21” if you want to max out performance as there is less sidewall, hence less sidewall flex. You also have a 295 ratio width for better cold dry traction.

thinner tires in MidWest is what I prefer, cuts through snow better.

in packed snow I don’t think it matters but wider might provide more traction but for most realistic driving I like the narrow tire.

it also has a lot to do with what tire you get, a true winter tire like blizzak should out perform a performance tire in snow driving. Blizzaks are softer.

fatmatt0116

I wound up going 20 with the cayenne d/t snow performance. Price is not an issue. I think the tire is the most important part of the car and don't mind spending money on it as long as it is the right one. I started with 21s on the cayenne but they caused a lot of vibration in the steering wheel for some reason. I hear good things about Nokian hakkas, but the factory set comes with pirellis. The factory set appearance is average looking and I can't for the life of me find a good looking set of 20 " wheels for the gls. Any tips? I will probably just compromise and get the factories. I want the car to be safe in the snow above all else, I hate worrying about that.

Chedman13

Nokians are probably one of the best winter tires out there, sometimes hard to find the right tire size application though.

I went with 21's from Tirerack (the Avarus I have for sale), then went with 22" because I wanted a better look even for winter...

How much are you looking to spend on just wheels? You can PM if you want.

fatmatt0116

I like oem style wheels, I haven't seen much aftermarket stuff that doesn't seem to cheapen the appearance of a car like this.

fatmatt0116

...

fatmatt0116

Are these oem or replica?

Chedman13

What wheels? If you're asking about mine, they are Tirerack wheels (not OEM).

fatmatt0116

......

fatmatt0116

I just bought a square winter setup, 21x10 w/46 offset. Factory wheels though. Leaning towards pirellis scorpion winters.

Chedman13

I don’t think there is any other winter tire option for 21”? I could be wrong.

fatmatt0116

I think there r a couple. Nokian, vredestein come to mind. I don’t think I will stray from the pirellis though as they seem the safest choice for all around. I’m thinking to go 275/45 rather than 295/40. It seems your experience with the pirelli winters on 21 has been completely fine, no? I have them in r20 on my cayenne and no problems.

fatmatt0116

TickTock

What is the smallest rim size that can be used with a 2014 GL63? Will 18" work?

kklee74

18"'s will not work as the AMG rotors are too large for that wheel size. I ended up ordering a set of Pirelli Scorpion (stock size) for my GL63 and they have worked well the past two winters.