Is there much of a difference in ride quality in the S Class between the 20" and 21" wheels...?

I know there is a bigger potential for wheel damage (even with the 20") - just wondering how the ride quality is effected.

 

I haven’t driven one with 21s but I think the 20s strike a perfect balance between looks and comfort, with much lower blowout risks.

 

I specifically avoided 21's due to the number of blowouts I kept hearing about. I have 20's and I find the ride exceptional. I have a GLE63S with 22's as well. An entirely different vehicle but not nearly as smooth or quiet plus they wear quickly but they are summer only tires. I never had rim damage on the 22's but I am likely overly cautious. I use to have a GLE450 with 20's and they were quieter, smoother and lasted twice as many miles but then it also is another entirely different vehicle suspension wise.

 

I was looking at the 21" wheels because Mercedes made some really nice looking ones with the new S Class...

However, I found a 20" one that came out on the new S Class as well - and it's almost just as nice.

 

Said by many people with the 19s... "I guess I can live with these, they don't look that bad, and the ride is so much better." True story.

But yeah, I tried them all: The 19s and 20s felt the same when I was test driving, after I had owned the car for a while I could notice the 19s were better. Figured that out when we went out in a lot car to see if its headlights were as bad as mine. They were, but the car had 20s and after becoming familiar with the ride I could discern the difference. The 21s are noticeably worse during the initial test driving. All that said; there are many on the lot at this point, and sampling them all would be easy enough. My takeaway was that I wouldn't be afraid of the 20s, few reported issues, and they have a couple nice looking options. I liked the aero wheels, and will always go smaller if possible, so I don't harm the cars performance in every measurable metric, reduce the ride quality, and increase my exposure to road hazards. The 19s were an easy choice for me. I do get that isn't the style now, and the 21s are excellent in terms of appearance; both taken alone, and the way they match the car.

But to circle around to the issue of being left on side of the road: I would carefully consider whether you want to be one of the many people who came on here and remarked about how pretty those 21s were, said they have run them or bigger without issue, you just have to be vigilant, and then reported that they had multiple flats. You have to ask yourself if you really want to be that guy?

 

It also depends upon the height of the sidewall as with our '24 GW lll which has 22's and the sidewalls are somewhat tall. The '25 X7M60 we recently tested (it had run flats to boot) had much lower profile tires than the GW but it had dynamic handling which helps smooth the ride as standard equipment, and the ride is very compliant on both

 

Despite being a small difference, for all previous cars I owned, the common feedback from sub-forums (other cars) as well as my personal experience is that even a 1" size difference matters. That said, from what I'm reading mostly here about the W223 is that it rides really well such that 20" wheels ride on the W223 as good as the 19" on the W222. If that's true, I'd go with 20" (they look better than 19", maybe not as nice a 21", but they are the perfect balance - and based on the feedback here, they are still comfortable). I feel that the 21" would be in overkill..... My may concern would be wheel damage even if they ride fine.

I know you said (other than potential damage), but I'd warn you that I had several issues with the 20" AMG wheels on my first W222. It was a disaster and was the main reason I only wanted 19" for my 2nd W222. Tire options is also limited for the 21" compared to 20" (I mean, even for the 20"s and 19", it's hard to fine options, and 21" would just make it worse to shop around for a good tire).

 

Strange...

I posted a picture in post #4 from Mercedes showing a 20" wheel for the new S Class that I thought looked very nice - just/almost as nice as the new 21" wheels...

But somehow it is gone from the post...

Edit: after posting this, it seemed to reappear...

 

? I see the picture...

 

Yes, even more strange... after posting it reappeared...

 

I have the 20's. Had some blowouts. The ride is pretty good but the 19's are better if comfort is the sole priority. 20's seem to be a good compromise between aesthetics and ride comfort.

If I were to do it all over again I would go for the 19's. They look decent and the S class DNA is comfort. This move towards bigger and bigger tires (and less sidewall) is a scam. The dealers make more money on the options list and they have significantly more servicing needs as the number of blow outs goes up dramatically.

 

Yeah... there is a reason the wheels get better looking as you go up in size...

And size has nothing to do with it - they could make the same 19" wheel in the 21" type designs.

Unfortunately, there really are no 19" OEM wheels that look good (to me).

 

19's look right on this car. As Bubba said the S-Class DNA is comfort, but it also brings reliability and the knowledge that you could take the fam on a ski trip and have the most protection against a blowout.

Also agree with crabman that rubber bands are just the current style, but might not be tomorrow.

 

It's all in the eyes of the owner. I really learned that it doesn't matter; you will end up liking the look no matter what. I've had a few cars with the smaller wheels (same ones I used to dislike when I see them on the car before I own it), and it'd grow on me quickly. I had 19" on my 2nd W222 coming from a 20" on the first W222. I used to hate to look of the 19" when I had 20". With time, I liked the 19" just fine. Ultimately, the larger wheels will always look better, but it's not that the smaller ones will ruin the ownership experience. At least you get improved comfort : ). I think a balanced wheel size is the right thing to do, and for that, perhaps 20" is ideal for W223, but still even 19" would look okay (unlike 18" that would look terrible - not sure if they still offer 18" on the W223 though, but they looked terrible on the W222). 19" is still a decent looking wheel size.

 

Maybe. I go both ways; I'll warm up to some things, others, I cant make friends with and they end up bothering me. As long as you know who you are in that dynamic, I guess it works. I'd say if you're not sure; carefully consider buying into anything that you absolutely don't like, hoping you'll eventually come around.

Lot of good points being brought up, particularly Bubba's; an S Class is really all about lux and comfort, and I'd go further and say that aspect of the car is possibly it's most defining characteristic, and clearly, it's core mission. Up your wheel size and you reduce ride compliance, and increase road noise transmission into the car, cutting directly into it's best attributes. Ironically, also reducing performance in every possible way a cars' performance can be measured.

It's not just the wheel in any event, it's the way the car and wheel work together. The 19" aero is an excellent match if you don't go AMG, it will not look out of place, and while my car garnered few comments, one was from a kid you declared, "It's so big, so black, I love the wheels." It fits the car, looks like it belongs. It's a little tougher if you're going AMG because the 19" offering is a little challenging; I think I can do it but the twisted 20 is much more attractive. They have a better 20" option in other markets that we don't get in the US, it would be tough for me to go 19 when I'd already bought into an expensive appearance package and a nicer looking wheel could be optioned.

To me, big wheels on an S Class is like going to the gym to get healthy while taking up smoking because you think it looks cool. It isn't cool, never was, even when it was in fashion. But, as long as people are willing to pay for cool, no matter the harm, manufacturerers will keep offering it up for sale.

 

Are the wheels I posted in #4 the 19" AERO wheels...?

And not the 20" wheels I thought they were...?

 

No, those are the 20s I was referencing that you can get overseas; they're not available in the US. You can order them of course, @Streamliner had a link to an outfit that was fairly reasonable in pricing if you want to consider going that way.

I don't have a picture handy to post, you can see them fairly well on the configurator and if you search, they've been posted before.

 

So that's why I have not been able to find them...

Thanks!

 

Mine has 19s, I think the 20s look much better. Having driven the car on 19s and 20s, the ride is basically the same, I would swap for the 20s if it wouldn't cost me $5,000. I don't dislike the 19s $5k worth.

 

Those are the exact 20" wheels I have on my 2022 S580 US model. I think they look nice. They are listed on the window sticker as 20" y-multispoke wheels. Part # A2234013800. I see some on flea bay as well. They sure do not get dirty from brake dust like the 22's on the AMG but maybe that is due to different brakes.

 

Hmmm, that number shows a different wheel...?

 

Oops. You are correct. Similar but different. Maybe it is this? A22340137007X23