RyGLS

I've found a few threads on this, most about how hard it is to get 22" tires. But for 23" all season tires, are there really no options to fit the rears with the exact specs you need (325/35-R23)? I'm in the Midwest, hopefully I didn't buy a car that's not drivable in the winter? Fronts are 285/40-R23, I was able to find all season tires that fit those exact specs.

joejones81

Correct, there are currently no tire manufacturers that make an all season tire for the stock tire dimensions for the GLS 23” real wheels. The closest I found are slightly lower-profile but haven’t been able to confirm they would work since Mercedes corporate or dealers are unlikely to ever agree with non-OEM tire dimensions. Let me know if anyone has heard otherwise.

• R23 GLS($4,642 from tirerack but only for slightly lower profile) - Pirelli Scorpion Zero All Season - https://www.pirelli.com/tires/en-us/...ero-all-season
  • Rear/lower profile(30 instead of 35) 325/30R23 (cir.96.3 sidewall 3.8”)https://www.pirelli.com/tires/en-us/...son/325_30-r23 - ($1200 per tire)
  • Front are either the same or lower profile(40 instead of 35). https://www.pirelli.com/tires/en-us/...son/285_40-r23. Lower profile https://www.pirelli.com/tires/en-us/...ize/275_40-r23.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO OTHER THREADS RELATED TO COLD WEATHER TIRES FOR GLS 23” WHEELS:

https://mbworld.org/forums/gls-class...23-wheels.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/gls-class...er-set-up.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/gls-class...ml#post8181159

https://mbworld.org/forums/gls-class...ml#post8276370

https://mbworld.org/forums/gls-class...ml#post8285110

https://mbworld.org/forums/gls-class...gls-450-a.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/gls-class...ggestions.html

https://mbworld.org/forums/gls-class...ml#post8886370

jbattan

Basically, you have to buy a set of 22 or, gasp, 21, inch rims and use those for your winter tires.

RyGLS

If I bought all weather for the fronts only and left the summer in the rears; how much would that help?

jbattan

'That would likely make it dangerous.

EWL5

It wouldn't. Below 40°F, your rear summer tires would lose all grip!

AKSwift

I have a X166 on 20s (275/55) in the driveway and measured what I could. I think I'm going to drop to 20s (275/50) for the 2024, too. It'll make things much more exciting for the spring when the proper wheels go back on.

On the upside, pricing is reasonable and it'll be MUCH softer than the beautiful but - let's be honest - slightly harsh 23s.

RyGLS

Forgive me if this is a stupid question, I'm not well versed in wheels/tires. Do the wheels/tires need to be offset? If not, could I just purchase the 23" front wheels for the rear of the car as well, and then put all season tires on all 4 wheels (both Pirelli and Michelin make all season tires for the front 23" wheel, but not the rear).

EWL5

They need to be offset (staggered) when we're talking about wheels that big. You can do whatever you want but Mercedes won't honor the warranty if you decide to do your own weight-bearing calcs!

RyGLS

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm not concerned about the warranty, I just want a solution that doesn't make me swap wheels every season. But I am concerned about the safety aspect of it; are the front wheels being in the rear unsafe because of weight bearing limits?

EWL5

Ultimately it depends on how you plan to use your GLS. If you normally only have 1 or 2 people in the car, you can probably do what you suggested w/o repercussions. If you like to fill the car to the brim w/both passengers and cargo for vacation, etc., then you will want to keep the wheels in the back wider as Mercedes likes them!

I haven't mentioned it yet but I'm sure it'll impact grip when the GLS is being used to tow something heavy (there's less rubber touching in the front tires vs the rear).

nova99

RyGLS - I am sorry you did not research the 23" wheel options as a person that resides in the Midwest. Please for your safety and other people outfit your car with the proper wheels and tires. There is no way you should be driving on those wheels and tires below 40F or in snow/ice - ever. As a long time BMW / MB SUV driver never, ever keep your 3 season or performance tires on your rig in the winter. It's the price you pay for performance, luxury, and aesthetics with these machines if you live in a cooler climate. Find a suitable setup on Tire Rack and throw them on in the winter and get snow tires on the winter set as well.. I order my V8 SUVs with 21 or 20 inch wheels and factory all seasons specifically for this reason...so I don't have to switch **** around every 6 months. Go read about this on Bimmerpost, they have a much larger forum over there about this.

joejones81

I had initially proposed the idea of buying a duplicate set of 23” front wheels and putting them on the rear on this forum a couple of years ago but I think it is unlikely to work. This is not because of weight limits since the front wheels on a GLS580 already take a majority of the weight of the vehicle due to the engine and a lack of 50/50 balance (more weight in front). The problem really boils down to the rim “offsets.” It seems that when you switch from a staggered setup to a square setup the rear wheels should fall in the same tracks as the front. For example, if you were driving in fresh snow the offset of the rears should make them fall into the same path as the front tires. But my guess is that if you took a pair of front wheels and put them in the rear they wouldn’t line up correctly. Therefore when riding though rain/snow/sand that might cause problems.

RyGLS

Interesting, I have a friend who is a mechanic at a local MB and we've been working on this. I'll ask him about it and see what he says. I did tell him about the feedback I received about weight limits, he didn't seem to agree with that either. You would think someone important over at Pirelli would've owned a GlS at some point that needed all season tires and would've pushed for a rear size that works. Thanks.

AKSwift

Keen to hear what your mechanic friend says. I wanted to buy winter wheels when I ordered the car, but the salespeople clearly wanted nothing to do with it, they just said "it'll cost you over $10k" without any research. Plan A is still to get 20" square wheels with the same circumference as the 23s. However, I expect it will not have the perfect tracking between front and rear. I am not sure how that will affect things...

RyGLS

He is going to talk to a couple people at his dealership to get a consensus, the issue is that no one seems to know for sure and the standard MB response if if it's not the exact specs that it came with, then they won't put them on. If the previous poster is correct, then I don't see how squaring up with 20's would be any different than with 23's ... but I also knew nothing about tires until a week ago (still really don't!).

wildta

If cost is a factor, you should buy after market wheels at a local tire shop along with winter tires or look for used setups like this (but do your due diligence like making sure it's not bent, repaired, and double check model #s and offsets printed on the inside of the rim):
Chicago area:
https://www.PHacebook.com/marketplace/item/2500559160104791/

This is a brand new set of Maybach GLS wheels which should work and come with winter tires, I'm sure price is negotiable: https://www.PHacebook.com/marketplace/item/342800918372558/

Replace PH with F in the links above. I guess the forum bots don't allow FB links.

RyGLS

Spoke to my buddy and he said the GLS is offered from the factory with non-staggered options, so he (and others he works with) don't anticipate any issues putting 23" front wheels on the rear. He did say nothing is guaranteed until you drive it though, but he's 99% certain it would work. I'll let you guys know if I pull the trigger on it, the wheels are over $2K each from MB and worthless (along with the tires) if it didn't work for some reason. So an expensive test, which is why most people choose to buy 21" wheels/tires.

z28lt1

I believe the offsets from the fronts to the rears are pretty close to each other, so from a "Track" standpoint, they probably align pretty well (and not sure how important that really is or even what the stock setup is). That said, you may need spacers. The fronts spokes are going to be an inch closer to the brakes, so you'll need to confirm you have enough room to clear the brakes. Second, the outside edge of the front wheel/tire on the rear is going to tuck that wheel in another inch, which probably isn't a real problem, but probably looks a little goofy.

Easiest before spending money is to throw your current front on the rear and see if it even fits.

EWL5

Not according to the attached ordering guide for MY24 GLS. Smallest wheel offered is 21" and every option is staggered. The MY23 and older GLSs had 20" (or smaller) that were allowed to be a square setup.

Specs on the 23" wheels are as follows:
285/40 R 23 on 9.5 J x 23 ET 45 (Front)
325/35 R 23 on 11.5 J x 23 ET 47 (Rear)

The tires in the back are more than 1.5" wider than the front. Since there are 2 wheels in the back, you will lose more than 3" of grip.
I say again, if you are even entertaining the idea of towing stuff, you will want max grip in the rear or you could have issues w/stability!

RyGLS

Didn't think about the brakes, I will put the fronts on the rear to ensure fitment first. I'll post afterwards if there are issues. Yes, it may look a bit goofy, but I think I'd prefer to keep the 23's squares over 22's staggered. Won't know until I try and take a look. Unfortunately, I'm not seeing a lot of options online for front 23" wheels for sale ... I was hoping to find something on eBay at a good price.

RyGLS

Thanks for the advice. I don't have a 2024, so the option to be square with 20" exists for mine. I won't tow anything, ever. I'm looking to accomplish two things; keep the 23" year round and be reasonably safe during the winter.

AKSwift

Since I have an X166 with 20s sitting in the driveway (in addition to the 2024 with 23s), I am going to try swapping a wheel over on Friday. I'll report back whether it attaches cleanly.

RyGLS

That's awesome, thanks!

joejones81

I vaguely recall other folks on this board complaining that the wheels from the prior generation GLS/GL (i.e., X166) do not fit the current GLS. I think it was related to the lug bolts (e.g., different arrangement).