Extremely new to this but I figured I would come to fellow M-class owners for help. I'm contemplating on buying 22" rims for my 09' ML350 but don't know the first thing about choosing them. I'm strictly going for the look and only using them for the summer. I went to a rim shop and was offered brand new 22" rims and tires (staggered) for an amazing price and I'm prepared to jump on the offer. Just looking for a few second opinions on how I should go about my purchase.

 

If you have 4MATIC then I'm pretty sure you do not want staggered wheels. You want exactly the same diameter tires front and rear for AWD else the transfer cases will work extra hard and the 4MATIC software may get confused into thinking one end or the other's wheels are slipping. The system applies brakes to the slipping wheels.

I have factory 19's and if anything I would buy 17" or 18" replacements. Better ride. Less expensive tire. Better selection. The difference between 0.80g and 0.81g on the skidpad is not worth it to me.

 

Thanks for the advice, definitely won't be getting these rims staggered now that's for sure....

 

When you say "Staggered" if you mean same rolling diameter but different width? if yes, then you should be good.

 

Of course. But why would you?

For example the 255/50R19 rolls 716 times per mile. You could stagger with 235/70R16, 255/65R16, 235/65R17, 235/60R18, or 255/55R18. But why would you want to ruin the balance of the car when you can put perfectly good 255/50R19's on all 4 corners? Especially when all 4 wheels are driven?

 

Staggered in the wheel world means same diameter and only different width.

The C300 for example comes with stock staggered wheels. Many people who like a flush setup prefer that setting.

 

I spoke to a gentleman at Brabus earlier and was told not to go staggered.....I'm confused now lol

 

that's true - 7 1/2" front vs 8 1/2" rear.

The mistake people frequently make seems to be because they don't consider (understand?) the relationship of section wide and profile, and how these together define the physical measurements of the tire.

In other words, you simply can't put a wider version of the same tire on the back without considering the profile, e.g., 225/45 front and 245/45 rear.

The aforementioned C300 EOM tires are 225/45 and 245/40.

This provides a rolling circumference front and back that closely match.