Widest tires possible?
 

So it's time to buy new wheels and tires for my 03 s600. The previous owner had put 22s on the car. They look good when the car is sitting still but that is as far as it goes. They are completely useless when I'm driveing the car I have had two blow outs due to potholes so far. I'm looking to put 18s or 19s on the car and want to know what the widest I can go is with out rubbing. Thanks

Check out Nick's thread.

https://mbworld.org/forums/s-class-w...els-tyres.html

I have the 17" version of these on my other car. No idea what wheel/tire combo it would take to fit them on the back of an S600 but it would be epic. Wet traction would probably be non-existent but they kick ass on dry pavement.

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...oZQaAi0J8P8HAQ

Thanks. Lots of tests and measurements and trial and error in there.

I think the ideal size for an S600 is 275/40/18/9.5 if you want it comfortable, or 275/35/19/9.5 if you want it sporty.

The offset needs to be 44-46mm.

Use the most recent asymmetric tires possible - don't use directional tires.

The most important thing is to use the same wheels and tires all round.

The S65 can't do this due to different rear offset.

Nick

22's to 18's is a big down grade, try 20inch.

Big upgrade in ride comfort, though.

Are your fenders currently rolled? And have the metal part inside the rear fender well been shaved off?

I have both of those done and I'm running 20x10 and 19x10 in my cars with no problems. And I'm using 275 width tires for both cars.

I have 275/40/18 on the rear and 245/45/18 on the front. Car came from the factory that way and I never changed it. My brother-in-law had 22's on his S-Class. It was like riding on rubber bands. He bent three rims and blew out two tires in one week. Personally for ride and comfort I wouldn't go higher than 19's. The only problem with the staggered setup is they can't be rotated.

Is that just at the rear, or at both ends?

I am definitely going to try my 315 drag radials on the back whenever I get around to ordering the proper hub centric adapter spacers. I'll try and remember to post results. Possibly combined with a "Lincoln locked" differential if I get it to the track this year. I bought a spare rear end to weld up/experiment with.

Just at the rear. Using 245 at the fronts

My experience so far is that using 20x10 and 19x10 at the rears would definitely rub if the car is lowered (fenders sit right above the tires) without having the fenders rolled and the metal part inside the fender shaven off.

Thanks. I run 275/30 on 20x10 all round with no rolling or rubbing. At the rear, I had to cut back the (plastic) flanges on the fender, and bend back a small metal flange inside the wheel arch. But there's no wheel arch rolling, and I run at stock height, not like yours.


Nick

So you're going to have a solid differential?!?!?!

Nick has done an amazing amount of experimentation and many documentary posts over the years. His advice is based on experience. The one item I see differently is the use of staggered wheels and tires. My S65 has 245-40-19 front and 275-35-19 rear. I tried 5 different tires/brands but was continually disappointed with the poor ride and harshness. For set 6 I went to 255-40 front and 285-35 rear on the stock wheels. Note that since I kept the same profiles these tires are taller as well as wider. They fit with no issues. I wish I had done this at the beginning. The ride is dramatically better, transforming the driving experience. Rear traction is better and overall handling is much sharper. For tire pressures with the bigger tires after a lot of experimentation I use 48 front and 36 rear. Dropping the front pressure to 38 does not change the ride comfort but the car handles and steers sloppily compared to the higher pressure. Raising rear pressure reduced traction while causing more wear at the center of the tire. These tires fill out the wheel wells noticeably better than the stock size.
As Nick showed wider tires can go on the front if they are a lower profile. Wider tires will also fit on the rear, looking at mine 305-25's would fit. The trick would be to get a 10.5" wheel with the correct offset, much easier for an S600 than an S65.

i have Modulare M14s 19x8.5 front 19x10 rear with 245/35/19s and 285/30/19s MPSS front tires have 95% tread left rears need replacement. also have 19'' AMG if you look in my gallery off my red car. they are brand new wheels with brand new tires with less than 25 miles on them. 19x8.5 / 19x9.5

Taller tires
 

Hello all, I have a 2000 S500 that has been turned into an S55 AMG clone. It has been chipped I believe from the previous owner in such that it goes like hell and has no governor. Question: the vehicle had 245/40ZR/18 all around. I went to Goodyear and the book they had showed a rear tire size of 275/45R/18 for the rear. I purchased a set for the rear and all hell breaks lose. Within seconds of driving my vehicle throws every code in the book concerning the ESP, BAS, speedo quits working and the tranny will not shift out of high gear. I spoke to my local Mercedes dealer (3 hours away) and they said the tire size should not do this. Naturally they want to see the vehicle and run a diagnostic. I cannot take the chance of driving 3 hours with a non shifting tranny and fault code galore. I have seen folks talking about running taller tires on the rear with no apparent issues. Please, ant help in pointing me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated. I do not want to throw $700 in two tires out the window. Thanks all.

the tires did not cause the problem - the technician at Goodyear touched something and caused the problem

Good luck getting them to admit this or pay for repAir

I agree with Tusabes. Since you aren't close to a dealer buy a cheap OBDII reader and an app for your smart phone/tablet to see what if any codes you get. This isn't nearly as good as the Mercedes diagnostic tool but is a cheap way to start. I bought one from Amazon and used Open Torque on my phone to read codes, it has been helpful a number of times. Also suggest you check your battery if it is getting older. These cars are very sensitive to low voltage and will throw odd codes as a result.

Nebos, are you sure about the tire sizes that are mounted on the car? 245/40/18 all around, while a bit small would work because the circumference is identical front and rear. The 275/45/18 is the correct rear size for the staggered wheel fitment. The problem is the front tire should then be a 245/50/18 to have the same circumference as the rear tires. I think with the much smaller front tires the computer is detecting an excessive rotation speed differential between the fron and rear wheels.

The correct staggered 18 inch size is 245/45/18 front and 275/40/18 rear
Not 275/45/18.

If the front had 245/40/18 (smaller than the oem 18 inch size ) and 275/45/18 rears were installed (larger than the oem 18 inch rear size ) there may indeed be errors due to the differences in diameter between front and rear tires

I think there may be some typos above concerning the sizes so be sure to confirm your sizes again . Are you really running 245/40/18 front and 275/45/18 rear? Those are not correct

Thanks all, I am running 245/40ZR/18 on all 4 corners with no issues. I have two sets of rims and the good set is the ones that I put the taller 275/45R/18 on for the rear. I also assumed that it was the computer seeing a difference in rotational speed. The set on the car now has cheap Kumhos on then buy the previous owner and they do not have the right load rating and are in bad shape. Car just eats them up. So if I understand what Quadrobenz is saying, I can replace the fronts with a 245/50/18 and this should solve my issue? If I went the 245/50 route and keep the current 275/45 rear I still see a difference of 2.5mm compared to .5mm on the correct staggered sizing. Would this 2.5mm still kill me? Sorry for all the questions but I just cant afford to keep eating the cost of new Conti's and want to try and get it right the first time. Better yet, does any one have a need for a new set of Conti 275/45R/18's with like 10 miles on them? CHEEEEEP!


https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mbw...421497cd30.jpg

Why not go back to Goodyear and make them put on 275 40 18? They should eat the cost , tires are returned all the time , many have a satisfaction guarantee

My apologies, I did not double check my own data. Tusatubes is correct on the original 18" staggered fitment tire sizes. You need 275/40/18 rear and 245/45/18 front. I am not sure a 245/50/18 will fit without interference. Based on welwynnick's testing tires wider than 245 will fit front and rear. I have 255's on the front and 285's on the rear. I think tusatubes has the right idea with going back to Goodyear, they put the wrong size tires on your car.

I recently put 295 35 R18 Sport Cups on the rear of my 03 S600 on the stock 9.5" wide AMG wheels. I've lowered the car with STAR and everything fits fine. With a wider wheel and the same offset, you could fit 305's in the rear before running the risk of hitting the ABC hose. I've also put the 9.5" wheels up front with 255 40 R18's and they still had enough clearance for a 265 tire. So, for the stock AMG wheels, a 295 35 R18 in the rear paired with a 265 40 R18 up front seems to be a good combination if you need some serious grip and are OK with a shorter, stiffer sidewall.

An S Class is not supposed to have big dumb wheels on in.