birjuh

Hey guys, I'd like to put 20" wheels on my ML that has the standard 17" wheels from '06. The ones I am looking at are "AMG Style" or replicas and are attached in pictures. Here is the size:

FRONT WHEEL SIZE/OFFSET: 20X9.5 AND OFFSET IS 46MM
REAR WHEEL SIZE/OFFSET: 20X9.5 AND OFFSET IS 46MM
BOLT PATTERN: 5X112.
FINISH: BLACK/MACHINED FACE.

It's a jump and I have a couple of questions.

1. How much more will the ride suffer? My brother has a 2008 ML and it seems that he has a softer ride even though he has 19" wheels on his. I wonder if the suspension changed or was adjusted between 2006 and '08?

2. With this upgrade, how is the speedometer/odometer affected?

3. I have no idea what the 46mm offset looks like. Do you think it will look normal?

Here is the ebay listing that I've been eyeing: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/20-ME...1#ht_500wt_956



Thanks for help in advance, I really really appreciate it!

eeferber

what size tires are currently on your 17" wheels?

Sharkster

Do you have an airmatic suspension on your ML? Does your brother have an airmatic suspension? If you upgrade to 20" without having an airmatic, the ride quality will significantly suffer. If you have an airmatic installed, you may switch to "comfort" and everything will feel just right again...

Not at all. But you will need new tires for the 20" rims (obviously you cannot re-use the tires from your current 17" rims). I guess you'll require tires with these specs: 295/40 R 20 106 W.

It should look pretty flush with the fenders. Will most likely look pretty good.

I personally decided against the 20" rims. I'm happy with my AMG 19" wheels, as I think that the ride quality is a lot more important than just the looks... and the 19" rims seem to be a good compromise IMO.

komp55

Your 17" tires are 235/65/17 and have an overall diameter of 29.02". 295/40/20 tires have an overall diameter of 29.29", so they are less than 1% slightly taller than your current tires. Should work just fine without seriously adverse speedo issues (and assuming wheel offset is correct).

birjuh

Wow thank you guys so much for the information and advice!

I do not have an Airmatic suspension and neither does my brother. I would do the 19" as he has but the wheels I like are only offered in the 20" size.

The wheels come with or without tires. The tire size is 275/45/20. I don't know much about wheels/tires, so is that close to the 295/40/20 and which combo do you think will look better? (I'm sure I could probably get a different size tire put on if I asked)

Thanks so much again!

eeferber

a 45 profile starts to get a little too tall and begins to affect the speedo, certainly more than a 40. A 40 profile gives only a .98% error, whereas a 45 increases that to 2.49%. That starts to approach unacceptable.

Sharkster

I would like to point out something else: The linked offer from Ebay are replica wheels. Replicas usually weigh a little more than the original wheels. This might be important as you are concerned about the ride quality. The higher the weight of your wheels, the harder the ride. This has to do with the increased unsprung weight. Maybe that's also the reason why your brother's 19" rims feel somewhat softer, if he has e.g. forged AMG 19" rims, as these are really light compared to other wheels of the same dimension. Also the wheel's offset has a slight influence on the unsprung masses....

Well... uhmmm, to cut it short: It's really hard to give an advice here as this has a lot to do with personal preference. The best thing would be if you have the chance to go for a test ride with the desired wheels, before you buy.

xtremesurf

Check my pics. although still on standard suspension (no airmatic) rides the same on 19.
F 255/50/19 9.5; R 285/45/19 11. I'm working on the springs and replacing it with lowering springs.