I'm new to the forum and new to M-B. I have recently purchased a GLE350d with Airmatic suspension for touring as well as towing a 6.5 metre caravan on some outback country trips in Australia. The GLE is currently fitted with 21 inch AMG rims and the specified low profile tyres. My question is, will 19 or 20 inch ML or GLE rims fit our GLE with Airmatic suspension? Because it has the Airmatic suspension, I have been told it it not possible to fit smaller wheels. Yet the spare wheel is 19 inch diameter. Maybe the shape of the space-saver is different to a full size alloy and accommodates the disc brake set-up or maybe the associated Airmatic components. Also any advice on the most durable tyres for 19/20/21 inch rims on dirt roads (no serious 4WD tracks anticipated) would be appreciated.
Best regards,
Robb4343.

 

Never liked low-profile tires.my wife had them & I think you're more prone to sidewall damage with potholes.

 

If I'm correct, on the GLE SUV 20" wheels are standard and AMG upgraded wheels are 21". This would mean the 20" or 21" in any variation will work fine. If they already told you 19" wouldn't work properly, I wouldn't challenge that. The fact that the spare is 19" means little in the way of what would function for a permanent installation wheel size. Remember, spare tires aren't designed to drive for months. They're only intended to get you to a tire repair center. The same concept applies to run-flats. It's just a "temporary" emergency fix.

 

I never liked them either, mainly because of the hard ride. Less of an air cushion to ride on. However, if you look at the larger wheel options for the GLE SUV (20" to 21") and Coupe (21" to 22") and the tires that match them, they're not really what I would consider true "low-profile". An inch difference in wheel size translates into only 1/2 inch difference between the ground and the rim. That difference is negligible and barely noticeable visually. Ride wise, I don't feel any difference at all.

Now this is a "true" low-profile tire.

 

My 2014 ML350 Bluetec has air suspension and 19 inch wheels. I didn't want to compromise on comfort, so I was happy 19 inch wheels. When I put the suspension in sport mode I'm still able to go pretty fast around corners. We get a lot of snow in winter and I've been fine with 19 inch all season tires. If I had 20 or 21 inch wheels it might not be so great in winter. When I go to the Mercedes website and spec out a new GLE350 or GLE550e, the 19 inch wheels are still showing as the standard size.

 

Though this is an interesting subject for me too. I bought a 2017 GLE SUV EU specs and on top is fitted with AMG EXTERIOR PACK Airmatic and Offroad plus pack. When I configured the car the standard rims are 20" five spoke. Suddenly, in my first 500km, I've seen that's not the appropriate size and I am looking to change to 18" with All Season tyres. When I asked the MB shop, they've told me that I should look in the COC (Certificate of Conformity) which is specifiying the legally approved rims and tyres that fits the car. The specified sizes for 18" are 8J18 H2 ET56 5x112 with 255/55 R18 105W tyres. Digging a little bit the Internet on this subject there is a very small amount of info but I was able to relate the size with the size of the brake disks and not with the Airmatic suspension. Front disk size for this car is 350 mm and the rim size should be in direct relation with this item. In the beginning of Sept I will try to fit some old R class 18" rims and I will let you know how this is working on my car.

 

Good points. I fully understand where you're coming from and I guess the dealer should know what is suitable, particularly when our local dealer had actually tried to fit smaller diameter rims, 19 inch I believe, without success. They did not inform me exactly what the problem was but intimated that it was the Airmatic that was the problem. However, if I had ordered a GLE with the off-road package, I would have got 18 inch rims and Airmatic suspension. I'm just confused about what is so different about my particular vehicle.

 

Now that is low-profile. I appreciate your comments on the actual result of fitting higher profile rims and tyres but on dirt roads in Australia, half an inch could mean the difference between successfully travelling to a tourist destination or getting stuck with a damaged rim - and in outback Australia, that could mean four to five hundred kilometres between major towns . This predicament is one that I got myself into by taking the first GLE 350d that was available instead of waiting for 6-9 months for a specific order. However, if it costs me a couple of rims to achieve what we want to do, so be it, it will probably be a lot less costly than trading the vehicle in on a "more suitable" configuration. Even on the 21 inch rims, I can't fault the ride. The vehicle is magnificent and a joy to drive.

 

That's what I don't understand. If I had ordered a GLE350d with off-road package, I would have got 18 inch rims and Airmatic suspension. What's so different about my vehicle? Even on the 21 inch rims, the ride is superb as far as I'm concerned. It is certainly more reassuring that our previous "floaty" Landcruisers. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking the Toyotas, they were very competent and unbreakable vehicles which served us well with over half a million k's on the speedo when traded in. I only hope the GLE will be as reliable and long-lasting.

 

I would appreciate being kept informed. However, you might have hit the nail on the head. It might be government or safety regulations that dictate rim sizes, in relation to the disc diameter. I too have the AMG Exterior Package on my GLE. What was your main concern with the 20 inch rims? Was it potential rim damage or some other reason? I too would like 18 or even 19 inch rims to put more rubber under the rim so prevent sidewall damage and scuffed rims.

 

 

No good news. Could not increase rim diameter because of the increased diameter of the AMG discs. My solution was to trade the GLE in on a Landcruiser 200 with 17 inch rims and plenty of sidewall depth. Miss the Merc but have no worries with off-road travel now Have just completed 11,000 kms through outback Australia towing a 22 foot, 2.5 tonne caravan without incident. The rims were not our only problem with the GLE. Towing our van, the GLE would violently buck at 70-80 kph. Was informed by M-B dealer that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle, it must be a problem with the van. However, our previous Landcruiser 100 towed the van beautifully and the current Landcruiser has done the same over some 15,000 kms in the last six months. M-B dealers in Australia (maybe not all dealers) seem to deny responsibility for some faults stating that there isn't a problem or it is normal. My son-in-law has a GLC AMG which had a scrubbing problem with the front wheels on full lock. Dealer said it was normal for that model, despite the fact that there was a well-publicised fix for the problem in America. He pushed the point and low and behold, the dealer fixed the problem but it was obviously a costly exercise. I loved our GLE350, magnificent vehicle with better power-to-weight than the Landcruiser and 1/3 less fuel consumption without the van and 50% less with van in tow. If I could afford to go back to when we purchased the GLE, I would have opted for the off-road pack and left the AMG gear off. However, it may still not have been happy with the van in tow and bucked it off too. Sorry this will not be of much help to you but that's how we solved the problem. Cost us a lot of money as the GLE was less than 12 months old, but we now travel with the utmost confidence, irrespective of road or off-road conditions, with or without van.

 

 

Thanks for your response and the possibility of a solution to my original predicament. I overcame the problem by trading in the GLE on a 200 Series Landcruiser, a much better option for the type of off-road travel we are now enjoying. Heavier fuel consumption from the Cruiser I think will be offset by greater piece of mind and lower tyre/rim problems/costs with the M-B. If we had a considered the options before accepting a readily available GLE instead of ordering and waiting 6 months for delivery, we would have optioned the GLE with off-road (dual range) option and left the AMG option off altogether. We are running 75 profile tyres on 17 inch rims on the Cruiser, which gives us plenty of sidewall rubber to handle the many outback roads with large mileages of rocky tracks and stoney roads. I'm not saying a properly optioned GLE would not handle these situations, I.m sure it would but the cost to reorder an M-B was out of our reach. There was another GLE owner that was seeking a solution for a similar configuration so I will pass on your comments which I'm sure he will investigate.
Best regards,
Rob.

 

Hi,

Not sure that you have followed this thread but I have had a reply from kombifan which may provide a solution to the rim problem. A copy is attached below:-

"Similar but not exactly the same.
I had this issue when I bought a winter set for our 2010 gl450 with airmatic.
I had bought a 18 rim set for an earlier gl for the winter tyres ; but when I mounted the suspension would bottom out and it rode noticeably lower even though these were oem rims on 06-09 gl450; just not the 10-12.

I fixed the problem by buying a whole new oem 19 set that perfectly ended up matching the car in form and function.

I would stick with the oem rim sizes and check if the airmatic suspension has a different software for the amg body kit. Otherwise there are definitely nice 19" oem options available!"

Best regards,
Rob.

 

Please excuse my ignorance, but how would changing the rim size make any difference to the air suspension? Surely with a smaller rim you fitted a taller Tyre which results in the exact same size? I don't get technically how the air suspension would even know that a different rim has been fitted?

Or am i missing something here?

 

Wheel offset that was not mention by others minus Claus72 can effect hitting the fenders or the back component of the suspension, etc.

Fitting different size wheels may affect the level sensor. May need to be reset or recalibrated.

 

This is what I am trying to understand. That statement doesn't make mechanical sense in my mind. The ride height sensor connects between the body and the suspension A-Arm. It has absolutely nothing to do with the Wheel?

Yes, installing a wheel with an incorrect offest would cause it to touch body or suspension, but then then that is just the incorrect wheel. I still cannot see how it would cause the car to be lower or higher in the air suspension.


Further adding to this thread, I am in the process of trying to source some 18" rims for my GLE 350D amg with an offroad package. and I am really really struggling. I have noticed that the spare is a 19", but then I also noticed that the manual says to ONLY use it on the rear, never the front.

Does anyone know for sure if the amg version had large brakes? to me it looks like they just put the Drilled vented discs in? I mean its not a true amg where the the engine etc is all tuned is it? Its just a AMG styling package to my knowledge?

 

Well i took the risk today and ordered a set of 18 inch rims from a used parts store.

18x8.5J et54

They came with 265/65r18 all terrain tyres.

And beleive it or not they fit. Im gonna say they fit with a pinch of salt. The Tyre fits amazingly in the wheel well. The brake calipres clear by like 1mm. Now that seems abit close for my liking, im not sure what the reccomended minimum clearance is. But see some pics attached.

This is 2018 W166 g350d air matic with amg brakes.