seant7326

I have a 2000 S500 with stock 16's and wanted to upgrade to 18" wheels. I've replaced the air-suspension system with the Arnott suspension. My question is what size front and back tires/rims should I go with, and what if any other modifications would I need to make for proper fitment?

fxdeebee

Going strictly on the math side, stock was 225/60-16, works out to a 27.5 inch tall tire.
For 18's start at 245/45-18, which is also 27.5 in tall. Lock to lock turns without rubbing MAY be another story. But with the exact same overall height at least the speedo and odometer will be as accurate as they were with stock size.

vmystikilv

Speaking to someone that has twenties . I love the look , hate the ride. It's smooth and rides great but hitting bumps and potholes just make me scream every time. Looking back I wish I would have got 18 AMG's

Zachmac

I have owned three 220 body S class cars, two S55s and my current S600. I've run stock 18s, aftermarket 19s and 20s. The 18s are the way to go. The 20s are definitley VERY hard riding and 19s are better but still nosier and harder. I don't believe either significantly improved handling. Plus you need to understand that in addition to paying more for the larger wheels up front you'll also be paying more for tires every time you need to replace worn ones. There is a reason MB put 18s on the AMG cars, they judged them to be the best overall combination of ride, handling and value. That said, if you want bigger go to 19s but avoid 20s.

For your car a non-staggered setup with 18 / 8.5s all the way around with the aforementioned 245 / 45s is probably the sweet point. You don't have the hp to justify the wider rear rims and the non-staggered setup give you maximum tire rotation flexibility.

BTW, I have two 18 / 8.5 AMG type replicas for sale that you can match up with two new ones to make a set. PM me if interested. I am in Aiken SC so we could possibly even meet up to save shipping.

ibeforreal

My car has the AMG sport package and came with the 18" staggered wheels. The fronts are 245/45/18 and the rears are 275/40/18. My spare rim and tire in the trunk from the factory is also 245/45/18. The biggest problem I have with the staggered wheels is they can't be rotated.

My brother previously had 20's on his car and admittedly they look nice but his ride is definitely not as smooth as mine.

seant7326

Thanks for all the replies, very helpful. I have a set of rims that I want picked out but they only sell them in an 18" x 8.5 & 9.5 staggered setup, so other than not being able to rotate there's no problems switching my 16's for these with the tire sizes mentioned above? Or did the AMG sport package come with wider rear wheel wells/fenders to account for the wider rear tires?

corkshoppe

i put 18's staggared on mine but found 2 fronts on ebay, now i can rotate, looks the same cool! turn to turn is no change, 18's ride better to me.

kraut56

once you drive with this thru a (small) pothole, you'll find 2 herniated tires and and 2 busted rims (like me on my much lighter E350).

Think twice looks over practicality!

Dr. Tune

Tire size plays a big part in ride quality. When plus sizing, I try to go with one size larger aspect ratio to help cushion the bumps on the larger rims. It also helps fill the wheel wells up (lowered look) without having to lower the car.
I have 19s right now, but will be upgrading to 20" staggered with the overall wheel diameter increasing about .75" so I am only loosing about .25" of sidewall.