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I am the new owner of a 2015 S550 RWD Sport package. It has a shake/vibration at speed that I've been investigating. Wheels are 20" AMG multispoke. Tires that came on this leased then dealer auctioned car were perplexing: it had very old, but little worn P zero run flats on one side and P zero AS Plus on the other! I thought ditching this insane configuration would be a good first go at correcting the shake. I replaced them with OEM size P zero AS Plus 3 (245/40ZR20, 275/35ZR20). This, unfortunately, did not make a difference. I drove them for about 1k miles, and then took them to a different tire shop, and had them specifically check for roundness - Bingo, two bent wheels; no obvious cracks. Now I have two bent wheels with quite expensive brand new tires, which is a pain. The roads where I live are terrible, so I've decided I want to ditch the 20s; they are simply a liability here.
This is where I'm stuck! I have read all the threads I could find on wheels on the forum, but see conflicting information. I need to know if, on my 2015 S550 w/ Sport package, I can fit 18s? I see people on here swearing that there are only cosmetic differences then others with Sport package cars saying 18s definitely didn't fit. I want to run the smallest wheel I can clear for performance and comfort. I even took my car to the local German-car Indy shop, and they didn't know, and when eyeballing it, said they wondered if even 19s would clear. So here I am asking for your wisdom, MB fans.
1. Can 18" wheels clear the front calipers on my 2015 S550 w/ Sport package?
2. If not sure, is there a recommended wheel shop on the west coast that I can work with to find out? Where can I go to get expert help on this? My dealer is useless.
3. Has anyone gone to a 9J square setup, so 0.5" wider in front, 0.5" narrower in rear? What are your tire recommendations for such a setup? ET offset recs? I would want to avoid rear spacer. This would allow for tire rotation.
Looks like user @trustz is running 9j front and 10j rear, 255/30/22, 295/25/22!
I know this is a lot to ask. Really, there must be a wheel shop on the West coast that will know for sure if anyone can point me there!
Hello MBW friends,
I am the new owner of a 2015 S550 RWD Sport package. It has a shake/vibration at speed that I've been investigating. Wheels are 20" AMG multispoke. Tires that came on this leased then dealer auctioned car were perplexing: it had very old, but little worn P zero run flats on one side and P zero AS Plus on the other! I thought ditching this insane configuration would be a good first go at correcting the shake. I replaced them with OEM size P zero AS Plus 3 (245/40ZR20, 275/35ZR20). This, unfortunately, did not make a difference. I drove them for about 1k miles, and then took them to a different tire shop, and had them specifically check for roundness - Bingo, two bent wheels; no obvious cracks. Now I have two bent wheels with quite expensive brand new tires, which is a pain. The roads where I live are terrible, so I've decided I want to ditch the 20s; they are simply a liability here.
This is where I'm stuck! I have read all the threads I could find on wheels on the forum, but see conflicting information. I need to know if, on my 2015 S550 w/ Sport package, I can fit 18s? I see people on here swearing that there are only cosmetic differences then others with Sport package cars saying 18s definitely didn't fit. I want to run the smallest wheel I can clear for performance and comfort. I even took my car to the local German-car Indy shop, and they didn't know, and when eyeballing it, said they wondered if even 19s would clear. So here I am asking for your wisdom, MB fans.
1. Can 18" wheels clear the front calipers on my 2015 S550 w/ Sport package?
2. If not sure, is there a recommended wheel shop on the west coast that I can work with to find out? Where can I go to get expert help on this? My dealer is useless.
3. Has anyone gone to a 9J square setup, so 0.5" wider in front, 0.5" narrower in rear? What are your tire recommendations for such a setup? ET offset recs? I would want to avoid rear spacer. This would allow for tire rotation.
Looks like user @trustz is running 9j front and 10j rear, 255/30/22, 295/25/22!
I know this is a lot to ask. Really, there must be a wheel shop on the West coast that will know for sure if anyone can point me there!
Thanks and Godspeed
If the wheels aren't too bent they could be straightened. I had a bent wheel on an SL a few years ago and the wheel shop straightened it overnight. Good luck!
My 2014 S550 came with 19” wheels. Brakes for the S550 much smaller than the S65. Taller sidewall FTW where roads are crap. Still need to run 45lbs of air in them for best effect. I ran the same wheels front and rear with the 221 S-65. Bigger front tires were the end of understeer.
You can definitely run 19's and most likely 18's. The problem when you get down to 18's, it will not only be the diatmeter, but the offset too. They have to clear the side of the brake caliper, not just the outside of it too. So for that reason, better to stick with 19's.
Your other choice is to go with a set of forged wheels. They will be stronger than cast wheels, and the 20" AMG spoke wheels are cast, not forged. Forged wheels can still bend, but since they're stronger they're less likely to bend. And if they do, they can be straightened easier and therefor made closer to 100% round. Downside is they cost more.
Even if you get your current wheels straightened, they will always have a little wobble in them. I spent clost to $1K having those same wheels straightened on my 17 S550; it helped, but you could still feel the vibration at highway speeds. And I also had brand new Pirelli AS Plus tires.
Here's the reality you're dealing with; it's a very heavy car, and with a 20" wheel there isn't a lot of tire depth to cushion bumps in the road, so the wheels are easily bent. You can go with 19's which will help. And if you can find a shop in your area to test fit an 18 on your car, that might be the best option for you. Some W221' came with 18" wheels, and the chassis are close in design. Hopefully you can find a wheel shop to work with you to source some nice wheels.
I did a 19" square set up on my car. I added 15 mm spacers in back; you may or may not consider that necessary; but I think it was good.visually with 8.5" wheels in back.
BTW, there have been posts on here about 'straightened' wheels that still cause problems.
Last edited by Tom in Austin; Jul 23, 2024 at 08:03 AM.
I have 18"s on my S560, no sport package and there is absolutely no problem.
I would check with the dealer to see of the brakes configuration ( calipers, discs, etc ) of the sport package is the same as non sport, that will be your answer.
Good luck !
I researched front brake calipers back in '21 and found there's only one front caliper part number for an S550 sedan. The 'AMG Line' styling package, even though it includes larger wheels, does not have different front brakes.
I thought about this, too, and ordered a new set of wheels just a few hours before bending one of my wheels (?Karma?)
After some investigation, it turns out that, right now, the tire selection for 19" grand touring tires appropriate for a S-class is significantly better than for 18" tires.
Thus, I opted for forged 19" wheels. Forged wheels will take 2×-3× the impact before bending than cast. 19" has 50% more sidewall height than 20".
I thought about this, too, and ordered a new set of wheels just a few hours before bending one of my wheels (?Karma?)
After some investigation, it turns out that, right now, the tire selection for 19" grand touring tires appropriate for a S-class is significantly better than for 18" tires.
Thus, I opted for forged 19" wheels. Forged wheels will take 2×-3× the impact before bending than cast. 19" has 50% more sidewall height than 20".
I have a 2015 S550 with sport package and 20" wheels that have some minor bends. I have been pondering going to 19".
Does your car have the sport package? Did you go from the 20" wheels?
May I ask which 19" wheels you got and where you got them?
Thanks.
I have a 2015 S550 with sport package and 20" wheels that have some minor bends. I have been pondering going to 19".
Does your car have the sport package? Did you go from the 20" wheels?
May I ask which 19" wheels you got and where you got them?
Thanks.
I bought Fiske wheels:: my Ferrari mechanic as a Fiske dealer.
The car started on 20" 20-spoke wheels--my only complaint (prior to getting bent) was taking too long to wash.
My car is an S-600 without the sports package.
I find the ride better on 19" wheels-tires
I find the non-run-crap tires have better traction and smoother ride than the 20" tires both w/ and w/o run-craps.
I found my 19" wheels as a good in between, 18" are pretty small for a car this heavy and big, and as stated more options for tires in that size vs. 18". I nearly bought a car that was on 22's the dealer was in Phoenix where they have the best highways by far and streets are not nearly as broken up as in Bay Area where I live. I wouldn't want to have anything smaller than 19" I did test drive a few 20 and 21s and it was noticeable...but again run flats do not help. I am at the point where my MOE Michelin's still have tread but I think I will move to standard tires when they wear out.
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