kcaz007

I bought some rims today, easily resellable for more than I paid.

I would like to put them on my car, but understand that staggered wheels on an S500 4Matic is bad for the drivetrain.


Is it possible to somehow put the right widths on the tires to make them equal? What would that balance be?

Currently on the fronts there are 245/40/19 and on the rears its 275/40/19


Any thoughts? Thanks in advance

kcaz007

Upon further reading, it sounds like as long as the tires sizes are the same, the OD should be nearly the same....so what if i were to buy 235/40/19 for the rears?

Would that work?

cmpcpro

I can tell you this, I bought new wheels today for my car too, and new tires.. but 18's.. Anyway, 245/45/18 and 275/40/18 are exactly the same just wider..

Check out this calculator, it will help you out:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

kcaz007

Thanks CMPCPRO. So what do you think; if I match up nearly exact same outside diameter, it should be totally fine?

http://gti-vr6.net/library/engine/Sc...ldiameters.htm

cmpcpro

Yes, the 8.5 and 9.5 is the correct wheel set for W220.. the CL wheels are also for our cars and they are 8.5 and 9.0. Those in an 18" are what I run. If you match up the final diameter then you will be fine, how wide the tire doesn't matter, as long as they are the same diameter.

tusabes

its especially crucial on the 4 wheel drive cars to get tires with the same diameter. Width doesnt matters, its the diameter thats important.

So you can get a staggered wider tire, as long as the diameter of the front and rear is the same

kcaz007

So from my understanding of your reply, I can slap on 245/40/19 on the backs and it will end up being the same width, even though the rim size is larger?

And this would be totally fine for my awd?

cmpcpro

If that is what is on the front too then they will be identical.. if you want to go wider then use the link I gave you and find the right size that is wider with same diameter.. basically the width doesn't matter.. That link will help you figure out sizes that are the same diameter.. As long as all tires are of matching diameter you are good.

tusabes

you have staggered wheels , so you would want a tire that is wider on the rear, just use one with a lower profile so the diameter is the same as the front tire.

Yes you can put the exact same size tire on all four wheels on the wider rear wheels , but it might look stretched.

The right way to do it, as everyone has told you, is to pay attention to DIAMETER of the tire.

A wider tire can have the same diameter as the narrower tire if the aspect ratio is lower. 245 40 19 and 275 40 19 have the same aspect ratio so they will not work, but a 275 35 19 might.

Check on tirerack,com to see the diameter of 245 40 19 and find a comparable wider tire with aspect ratio that matches, or just call them they can explain it to you