I'm looking to buy new wheels and tires, but I'm not sure what looks better. Staggered vs non-staggered wheel and tires. What do you guys recommend. I'm purchasing Rhona RC10 wheels 22x10.5 +40mm offset with 285/35/22 or RC10 Front 22x9 with 265/35/22 not sure of offset Rear 22x10.5 with 295/30/22 not sure of offset. Does anyone have these set ups?

 

Don't forget the spare, make sure it works with whatever setup you go with.

 

I don't know whether your 350 is RWD or AWD (4MATIC), but if it is AWD you may want to think twice about running staggered wheels for another reason - on AWD cars the system will start redistributing torque and braking individual wheels if it detects as little as 1.5% difference in rotational speed between the front and rear wheels, and the difference in diameter between the two tire sizes you mentioned is already 1.1%. If you are going to run a staggered fitment, I'd make sure they're closer than that... a 305/30-22 rear would be a much closer match to the fronts (about 0.4% difference).

Then there's your choice of wheels... despite pics of them on SUVs, I highly doubt that Rohana RC10s are able to safely support a 5500+ lb truck (if someone tells you that they are, ask for the specs including their rated weight IN WRITING - you're looking for 2200 lbs per wheel). Then you probably won't be able to find tires with a high enough load rating (108 or higher) in those sizes, the ride would be harsher than my track rat with no suspension travel and solid bushings, the tires would be noisy enough to be uncomfortable at 35 mph, and the rims would bend or crack the moment you come within 20 yards of a 1/2" pothole.

I love aftermerket rims and have had several sets for every single vehicle I've ever owned, but for both of my SUVs, I chose quality 20" wheels that are made for SUVs and are either fully forged or heat treated (tempered), and both the tires AND RIMS are rated to support over 2200 lbs per wheel. Just saying... there's more to it than just looking cool. You might want to rethink this and reevaluate whether looking like a baller is worth the risks and downsides with your particular setup.

And, personally I think 22s would look funny with the small-ish brakes on a 350, but that's a matter of taste so to each their own.

 

I'm going with the RC10 wheels 22x10.5 with continental extreme contact DWS 06. The load bearing in each tire is 2094lbs, so this means it can support a vehicle at about 8,000lbs at max capacity. The ML350 is less than 5,000lbs. The wheels have a lifetime warranty, so there shouldn't be an issue there either. I did some research prior to buying this set up. My main concern was appearance and driving comfort between the 2 set ups. I called Mercedes and they told me not to do the staggered set up if my vehicle was not originally set up that way because it wil have an adverse effect on driving quality. I also choose this set up because it will allow me to rotate my tires. Thanks for the replay guys. I will upload a pic next week

 

It's not the load bearing of the tires (which BTW is also insufficient if you ever intend to carry three passengers and/or some cargo in the car - you need 108, not 106 rated tires) nearly as much as the load bearing of the rims that I'd be concerned with in this particular application. What are the rims rated at? Sure they have a lifetime warranty against manufactruring defects... if a rim breaks while you're doing 65 mph in your SUV, they will give you a new one free of charge.

And, just an FYI, weight is not equally distributed across all four wheels even in a static condition, never mind during braking or cornering. As for the weight of the ML, the ~5000 lb curb weight is for a base RWD model with no optional equipment, cargo or occupants. Once you load up the car with groceries, you and a pasenger, you're already at 5500 lbs.

P.S. I just had a look (somethign didn't look right as I was looking into tires for a customer's Cayenne the other day)... the 265/35-22 Conti DWS 06 is only a 102 load rated tire (1875 lbs). Are you sure you're looking at the right one - the 265/40 has a 106 load rating?

P.P.S. Here's an intersting and current read for you: https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...warehouse.html