Jason B

On all 07-13 S classes, if you have a 4-matic, all 4 tires and wheels are the "same size".

I just saw a 2015 S550 at the dealer, 4 matic, and it had staggered setup from factory! Mercedes has never done this on the 4-matic, with the OEM setup. I just thought this was cool. Not sure if they had this avail for the 2014, but the 2015 has it.

AstonLiyanarchi

The overall rolling diameter needs to remain the same or as close as possible. Alot of people say its a big no no to stagger wheels on an awd but I build wheels all the time for AWD setups and its the tires that need to be specifically chosen. On my Wifes IS250 AWD I ran a 20x9/ 20x10.5 and just balanced it out with 245/30/20--285/30/20 tires. I was .7in off and had no issues

RW Carbon

I think a lot of auto manufacturers are doing this now. I believe it is because as the awd systems advance they do not need a non staggered setup to help decrease understeer. Plus a staggered setup looks more aggressive

As for the post above the tires should be 245/35/20 and 285/30/20 for them to be almost the same. That setup will almost have a full inch diameter difference.

AstonLiyanarchi

I actually ran a 275/30 on the rear. A 285/25 would have been the best but It was tough to find a a complete set of tires with that setup. A 35 series tire would never work on my setup because if the anmount of drop that I had. I had a tough time getting the 245/30 to stop rubbing

just1time

I have staggered rims on my 4matic s550. I swapped out my stock 19inch amg rims which rode like butter for the Vossens I had on my old s550 non-4matic. Tires were 255/30/20 in front and 275/35/20 in rear. The car drove fine without problems albeit the Fronts rode very rough. i felt every hole and bump on the roads and lets not mention the heart wrenching "thud" in the front end when encountering unseen/unanticipated potholes.
I drove from Toronto to NY with them and they were fine.Spent 4 days in NY with no problems.

I did notice a scary "sway"/"fishtailing" in the rear which started during my last day in NY and on the ride back to Toronto. not sure if it was an issue stemming from staggered rims on 4matic platform. But it was very scary. Upon encountering any bump on the road, the rear would fishtail noticeably. Even my mom noticed. On a normal car, one could suspect the shocks but my airmatic suspension seemed fine with no apparent leaks. so this scared me. Did some research and found most suggesting it needed a F+R alignment. Others suggested it was bushings. Nonetheless, especially on smooth roads, the car rode flawlessly.
All this was last week.

I had every intention to change my fronts for more cushion especially since I noticed my current front tires were both balding unevenly on their inner sides. So Today, I got new front tires; 255/35/20. And got a 4 wheel alignment. The ride is unbelieveablly so much better with the extra 5% on the sidewall in front tires. And so far the rear doesn't seem to fishtail anymore...fingerscrossed.

Overall, Astonliyarnachi is right, doesn't matter if you run staggered on a 4matic, it will be fine as long as the overall rolling diameter is within 3% of factory spec.
Doesn't seem to be a problem with my set up at least.

Jason B

Cool stuff. Any pics of your car just1time?

Also good to know to stick with 35 sidwall in the front.

E300_Diesel

This is sort of where I am at right now...I have the AMG 20" and the ride is unbelieveably rough not to mention in less than a year of ownership I have already had bends in three out of four rims due to pot holes. My debate is whether to downsize to 19s. You said the 19s were like butter which is very appealing but I really like the look of bigger wheels. Is there a huge difference between the 20s and 19s?

Jason B

You have AMG 21's?? Also, where do you live? Roads bad?

E300_Diesel

No, lol. I think I had a stroke or something. Let me go back and edit that post...

I have 20s not 21s and I'm wondering if there is a huge difference between the 20s and the 19s. I'm assuming the extra rubber really helps but with the cost involved (including the powdercoating I would do) I want to make sure it is worth the switch.

Oh, and I'm in Northern California and yes some of the streets are HORRIBLE. I've stopped taking Fulton Avenue because of the huge pot holes.

Jason B

Ok, so you've never driven the 19's? It's probably better I would assume. This one has the 19's, but I drove a friends the other week with 20's and thought it rode great, and in the city too.

E300_Diesel

Yeah, I havent had 19s on this car yet. The dealer has checked the airmatic, bushings, and corrected alignment and tell me the rough ride is normal with 20s. I have also tried two different brands of tire with little or no improvement. I have 18s on my Lexus IS350 and it has never seemed this rough (and I have never had a bent rim) but I know the ratio of wheel to rubber varies from car to car.

I know bigger wheels are in style and I really like the look but I have a long commute every day and ride quailty is important. I guess I'm looking for how much better 19s are vs. the cost to switch. If its not that much better then I will live with the ride and save the money.

wilassasin

Actually MB has done this prior to 2015 with the 4matic CLS & C-class models. Bmw has been offering staggered set up on their xdrive models for some time now including the 7 series as an option on certain models. I think Mercedes decided to step it up this time around and offer the staggered set up on the SClass 4matics. MB does offer a wider tire set up on the 07-13 s-class 4matics then most other car makers, so you won't feel so hard pressed about the staggered set up.

I wish MB still offered a spare tire standard on all vehicles, I hate the runflats.

just1time

With due respect to OP for its his thread, Attached herewith are some pics,

Get 20s. the car handles better and the comfort, while a little less comfy than 19s,is definitely not unbearable. however keep in mind that the tire sizes play a key role. i had 255/30/20 and it was hard and rough as hell, switched to 255/35/20 and the ride is 100% better comfort wise. i also like my setup cause the car does not seem to have a huge gap between wheel and fender and as such almost no need to be lowered additionally.

Jason B

Good info in this thread.

triniexr

Your car doesn't have a spare tire in the trunk??? I think by Canadian safety standards the manufacturer has to provide a spare tire. I believe that if the owner removes the spare or jack etc they can receive a ticket if the cop wants to be an a$$.