Full size spare for GLK250
 

We are thinking about buying a full size spare for the GLK250 we have on order. The standard wheels on the car are 19" with 235/50-19 MOExtended tires.

Can anyone advise just what size rims will fit and what size tires those rims would need. I presume rims could be 17,18, 19 or 20in, so long as OD when tire is fitted is the same as the stock tires. Hopefully we will find low cost steel rims.

Perhaps a wheel and tire off a different model Benz, perhaps from wrecker might be suitable?

We would only carry tire when on long trips. It will have to be carried either in luggage space or on roof rack.

According to tirerack:

235/45-20
235/50-19
235/55-18
235/60-17

17's are the smallest you can get, a 16 will not clear the brakes.

wheel specs:
bolt pattern: 5x112
center hub : 66.6 - VW/Audi will not fit as center hub is 57.1

I strongly suggest you secure it in the trunk. A collision could send the tire flying in the passenger compartment.

suggest you get hub centric wheels as the bolts gets difficult to align if not. This is an experience from switching winters and all season twice a year. Only on German vehicles. Still wondering why they use bolts vs. lug nuts.

You might need shorter bolts as well for steel rims. My GLK has shorter bolts in the trunk for the spare. I believe the rear wheels has drum brake for the parking brake. The inner drum of the rotor. The supplied bolts for the aluminum wheels maybe too long and can touch this brake assembly if used on steel rims.

Thanks - some good points to consider.

I checked EPC and the rims sizes are:
7.5Jx17H2 ET47.5 (for 17") and 7.5Jx19 H2 ET47 for 19"

I found replica rims for C$125, but no steel yet.

We would definitely anchor the spare if it is kept in the car. We would mostly have rear seats folded on long trips, making us more vulnerable to all sorts of flying stuff! We usually lay a blanket over everything.

Regarding changing wheels. I just had my E320 wheels off today to check rear brakes. There is a screw in aluminum rod in the tool kit. Just screw that in at 12 oclock, hook the wheel onto it and all bolt holes line up.

Does your GLK have a toolkit?
Does it include the rod?
How about a jack?

Most likely have the tool kit. I have not really looked at what's in the trunk. I did check if there was an air compressor when I found out that the spare is deflated when stored. That is when I saw the shorter bolts. This is my first MB, the BMW's and VW I owned in the past did not have that screw in aluminum rod, I was not expecting it, thanks for letting me know, I just hope it has the same thread as the BMW and VW as I will be switching to winter tires this coming weekend and it could come in handy. Brother in law owns the VW, a golf wagon TDI, and I switch the tires for him.

I do have the jack. Sadly the BMW does not have a spare and a jack.

17 and up are harder to find in steel. If you are in the GTA, check Joycity tires or tires 23. I got my winter set from Joycity but opted for replica aluminum set in 17.

At the moment, still thinking about a full size spare that we will store in car or on roofrack. But I had asked |Vredestein about their collapsible spare and they provided information. See this link if interested:

https://mbworld.org/forums/5826060-post56.html

I am surprised you need winter tires in GTA. Maybe for heading to ski country? We are in Eastern Ontario and don't have snows on any cars. All weather seem to do the job. On the other hand, when we lived in Quebec, we could not do without them.

I was looking at a replica rim and a standard 235/50-19 as a spare. But this section from the on-line interactive manual that I posted previously, makes me wonder how replica rims and non MOE tires would perform.

Do your 20in tires have MO or MOE on the sidewalls?

Do you have tire pressure monitoring on the snow tires?

I use these in 17 in. for my winter tire. You need to use shorter lugs.
http://winter-tires.pmctire.com/frw/...2/image/59376/

Oh, ... in Québec, snow tires are manditory now by law.

pressure monitoring on the snow tires?
 

yes, ... on the 2013 GLK, pressure is monitored via the ABS or ESP system. There are no components of the system Inside the Wheel like on other makes and models. (saves a few bucks too)

:bow:

Those rims look good. I have looked at PMCtire before. Good prices. Sort of TireRack of Canada! Problem where I live, is that only installer they are set up with is just a small service station that is not fully equipped. But for a spare mounted on a rim (which is what I am looking for), they will probably just ship straight to me.

When we lived in Quebec, most of us used snows anyway. But usually only on drive wheels back then. But snows were not much good on icy roads, so we used studs. But then they banned those!

What are your plans re lack of a spare?

That would be a good thing! But, funny, when I checked Tirerack, they said that the cost of a set of tires/rims included $248 for pressure monitoring sensors. It said that owners should read manual to find out how to initialize system to recognize the sensors. This was for 2014 model GLK250.

Yes, I like 'em. ... A local OK Tires shop found them and mounted Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 SUV studded tires for less than 60% of the MB dealship's "winter tire package special"

As for the lack of a spare, well, I'll rely on the can of Gunk and compressor if need by. I travel everyday over a 200km stretch of road with no cell service, ... but I have a satellite phone :naughty: so there is no worry there.

I have had a total of 7 (seven) flats in the past 5 weeks, ... all with company pickups on logging roads ... however ... over the past 10 years, I have only changed a personal vehicule tire once (at over 90,000 km per year) and that was because I ran over a nail.

As for sensors, I can assure you, my 2013 GLK 250 has none ... My tire dealer asked if I needed them but my MB dealer service department confirmed that it is a part of the ESP or ABS something or other system which monitors tire rotation speeds and detects changes.

You just have to reset the system (pg 338 in the manual) Service menu, select Tire Pressure, "Run Flat Indicator Active - Press OK to Restart

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed I guess that I really don't need it.

GLK Rim
 

Not sure if there is any interest here but I have one 20" GLK OEM rim available for sale and located in the GTA.

Here is the online Ad with picture.

http://toronto.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehi...AdIdZ532837672

I do get a 5% discount on insurance by having snow tires. It pays for itself if you consider the low wear and tear on the 20's. That is a very good price to pay for peace of mind.

No MOE on the sidewalls of the 20, these are dunlops.

When I took delivery, I checked the valve stems on the tires. They are regular rubber ones. I made the assumption that the tire pressure "sensor" is the passive type via the ABS sensor, similar to my BMW. So no TPMS on my snow tires. It is not mandated in Canada to have TPMS. South of the border is a different story.

fcch, did you have to use shorter bolts on those rims? I am hoping since I am using aluminum rims for the snow tires, I maybe able to use the stock bolts.

If we did a higher mileage and really used the car in winter, I might consider buying snow tires. Using each set only part of year makes tires last a lot longer.

But with us only doing about 10-12k km/yr each set of tires would have only 36k km on them when 6yr old (which is when they are supposed to be changed). Besides we will use our GLK half of winter in warmer climes:y

Re no MOE (or MO?) - That would mean MB are not following their own advice :)

You need shorter bolts
 

Matt,

Yes, the stock bolts for my 19 inch mags are too long. The shop knew this and put in 14x1.50 (43/64) bolts. These are the stock Audi/VW bolts

They did it no charge for me. They retail about 2.50$ each normally.

For me true studded winter tires are a must. First, real winter tires ... it's the law in Quebec now (thank goodness). Second, I drive near 100,000 per year almost half in snow on regional highways. All season tires just don't cut it below 5 degrees Celsius. We had 4 inches of snow on the Rte 155 Monday morning.

Happy motoring to you all :)

We have a little in forecast for tomorrow down here in Eastern Ontario! Too soon for us!

Presumably you drive North on 155? Isn't that an Autoroute now? Many years ago I had to drive up to Shawinigan/Grand Mere area in Winter so have faint memory of it being kind of bleak in mid January!

Glad to hear your GLK is doing well. No Adblue errors?

Yup ... north and parts beyond. The freeway ends at Grand-Mere, then becomes the regional highway. Great fun in the GLK 250 :zoom:

No problems with the Adblue ... seems to be a 2014 model thing. I'm on 29,000 km this week (since mid-July) and no problems.

Take care.

Winters from Tire Rack
 

I picked up my winter set in Ogdensburg this last weekend. Got Blizzacks on 17 inch rims. Tire Rack supplied free tire /wheel bolts I suppose for the very reason that the OEM bolts on the 19 inch wheels are to long.
I haven't put them on yet but soon as we in the Ottawa area had snow this morning for the first time ( after my rush hour drive ). All 4 regular tires and wheels for less than $1K US with no TPMS units as I have none on my vehicle as well being Can Spec.
Have blizzacks on my BMW and had them on my SAAB and I find them to be great on ice.
Cheers

You will love the Blizzacks. Had them on my wife's CLK and they were awesome. They have a special top layer of hydrophilic rubber that absorbs water, so you are always running on a dry surface. The one draw back is that this material is soft and will wear off in about 10-15k miles, so only use them in the winter months. The tires are still good after that but just not hydrophilic and become similar to all the other winter tires. The RWD CLK was light in the back but she never got stuck or lost traction.

Cinqc,

Had a look at that and it does seem like a good deal.

Just out of interest, did you have to stop and pay duty and GST on the tires/wheels? How about cost of shipping to Ogdenburg?

We often look at cross border purchases, but have to consider total cost (currency exchange, shipping, fuel, tolls etc.) vs buying locally. For tires, warranty repair/replacement also come into it.

By comparison, cost of same tires on 17" rims from PMCtire.com after Bridgestone rebate would be C$1080 plus $50 = C$1130 incl installation and balancing. They say shipping to Quebec & Ontario is free, but that would need to be confirmed. Finding this info on their site is a lot harder than it is on Tire Rack!

I just checked it has 'MO', Grandtrek Touring A/S MO on the sidewall.

If you consider the age of the tire, you may want to get a tire with the same ones that are on the GLK and do a 5 tire rotation. This way you will not a an old spare where the rubber is questionable because of the age, 6 or 7 years from now. You should be able to negotiate one with the dealer because of the situation it put you in for not having a spare.

We are learning a lot here! So even 20" non runflat tires have MO on them, indicating that they are Mercedes specific tires.

The cost of a rim plus tire from dealer is crazy. Really not an option.

I was wondering if my E320 spare might work, but unfortumately not. But one from another MB model might, perhaps with a spacer to correct offset?. Still need to research:
http://www.alloywheelsdirect.net/inf.../mercedes-benz

ADDED: Doesn't look like a tire&wheel off another MB will work.

Apparently the MO is for Mercedes Original ... nothing more ... The MOE is for Mercedes Original Extended tires (tires with run flat characteristics) ...

very confusing the first time we read up on them.

p.s. ... If you're buying a spare, you don't need to buy a MOE tire, you are already CHANGING the tire, so a regular tire will do.

Yeah - Assuming I go with full size, I will probably get a Kumho or something like that on a low cost rim. Probably from Tire Rack when I am in USA.

Still considering the Vredestein Space Master - it would give me another 50 miles over the 20 the MOEs should give. Only 21in diameter, it might be easier to carry.

I just got a quote from PMC for a spare. Seeing it would probably never be used, I asked for an economy tire, but they quoted me a 19" Michelin MXV4 and rim - $520 delivered! I am sure they could have done better than that with a 17" rim and say a Kumho tire.

US Pick up Off Winters
 

The shipping to Ogdensburg was $127 and took 2 days. At the border I paid the HST on the purchase of $132. The border people didn't look into origin of either tires or wheels so no duty was paid. The only tires I could find made in US were the Michelins but they were not available from tire Rack until Dec so I did not buy them.
Remember to get the centering rings and the shorter lug bolts that TR provides for free.
Seems to me that PMCtire is a good deal if shipping is free to Ontario.
Let us know if you go that route and the cost since I did not buy the tire insurance and of course the exchange comes into the US buy without the rebates being offered by most major brands. I have a US Credit Card and account so no conversion necessary for me.
Cheers