SL/R230: 19/20 inch wheel setup
01-28-2021, 07:00 AM
#1
Junior Member
Thread Starter
19/20 inch wheel setup
Hello , I am planning to run 19 inch front wheels with 255/30 tire and rear wheels 20 inch with 285/30/20 tire. Reason for running this setup is that the roads where I live are very rough and would like to keep higher sidewall profile.
Would that setup work without any errors in the ABS system ?
According to some online calculators I would get 3.74% speedo error.
Thanks for your input.
Would that setup work without any errors in the ABS system ?
According to some online calculators I would get 3.74% speedo error.
Thanks for your input.
01-28-2021, 10:39 AM
#2
Senior Member
That's a difference in diameter of 1.7" - way too much. You'll get ABS/ESP errors.
You can fit a maximum diameter of 26". This is limited by the ball joint bolt in the front that sits over the top inner edge of the tire. If you lay your hand on the top inner edge of your front tire, you'll feel the clearance you have there. My car, with 255/40-18 front tires, has about 3/8" clearance. Unlike drag racing slicks, normal street tires don't "grow" very much at high speed, but they do grow a little bit, so I wouldn't recommend going much bigger than this. When I was shopping for wheels and tires, I really wanted to go to 19" rims while maintaining decent tire sidewall height for rough roads/ride comfort, but all available 19" tire sizes that could possibly fit would have cut this clearance down to 3/16" or less, and factoring in diameter growth due to speed that's really risking a problem. I found a couple of message board posts that mentioned grinding down the ball joint bolt for additional clearance, but in a car that's capable of serious speed (I've got a V12TT
) that seems like a really, REALLY bad idea.
Here's a tire size chart for your R230; this shows what will fit and the proper sizes to match up front and rear diameter so you'll avoid ABS/ESP problems -
https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-...ire-sizes.html
The columns are front wheel size - front wheel offset - front tire size - rear wheel size - rear wheel offset - rear tire size
If you're looking for taller sidewall to accommodate rough roads and maintain ride comfort, I'd recommend 255/40-18 front, 285/35-18 rear. I run these sizes on my car because a lot of the roads here are pretty rough. I'm running Michelin Pilot Sport AS3s, completely happy with the overall balance of ride, handling, and quietness. We get a lot of rain here, often very heavy, so I wanted an all season tire. If it's drier where you are you could go with a more pure sports tire, but honestly this car is a grand tourer, not really a sports car.
Keep in mind that these cars are very heavy and because of this are pretty notorious for bending 20" rims. Sure, 20s look great, but if you're going to run 20s in an area with rough roads, you'd better set aside a bent wheel budget.
You can fit a maximum diameter of 26". This is limited by the ball joint bolt in the front that sits over the top inner edge of the tire. If you lay your hand on the top inner edge of your front tire, you'll feel the clearance you have there. My car, with 255/40-18 front tires, has about 3/8" clearance. Unlike drag racing slicks, normal street tires don't "grow" very much at high speed, but they do grow a little bit, so I wouldn't recommend going much bigger than this. When I was shopping for wheels and tires, I really wanted to go to 19" rims while maintaining decent tire sidewall height for rough roads/ride comfort, but all available 19" tire sizes that could possibly fit would have cut this clearance down to 3/16" or less, and factoring in diameter growth due to speed that's really risking a problem. I found a couple of message board posts that mentioned grinding down the ball joint bolt for additional clearance, but in a car that's capable of serious speed (I've got a V12TT
) that seems like a really, REALLY bad idea.Here's a tire size chart for your R230; this shows what will fit and the proper sizes to match up front and rear diameter so you'll avoid ABS/ESP problems -
https://mbworld.org/forums/sl-class-...ire-sizes.html
The columns are front wheel size - front wheel offset - front tire size - rear wheel size - rear wheel offset - rear tire size
If you're looking for taller sidewall to accommodate rough roads and maintain ride comfort, I'd recommend 255/40-18 front, 285/35-18 rear. I run these sizes on my car because a lot of the roads here are pretty rough. I'm running Michelin Pilot Sport AS3s, completely happy with the overall balance of ride, handling, and quietness. We get a lot of rain here, often very heavy, so I wanted an all season tire. If it's drier where you are you could go with a more pure sports tire, but honestly this car is a grand tourer, not really a sports car.
Keep in mind that these cars are very heavy and because of this are pretty notorious for bending 20" rims. Sure, 20s look great, but if you're going to run 20s in an area with rough roads, you'd better set aside a bent wheel budget.
Last edited by brucewane; 01-28-2021 at 10:42 AM.
01-28-2021, 11:03 AM
#3
Super Member
^^^what Bruce said. Even the 19 wheel combo have bent and cracked rims...I have seen many.
If roads are beat up, go with 18 and enjoy life rather than sweat on every drive.
If roads are beat up, go with 18 and enjoy life rather than sweat on every drive.
01-29-2021, 01:23 AM
#6
Junior Member
Thread Starter
@BenzNinja I can calibrate speedo if I have any problems with the ABS ? I have access only to mercedes dealership software. Thanks for your time!
