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I have cracked enough stock rims at 19x8.5/9.5 with stock 30 series tires.
I got 4 Enkei PF01 in 18" x 9" size from Tire rack. I went with Yokohama 255/40/18 on all 4.
Performance is my least concern, I probably should have purchased a clk, but I have had the 2015 sl400 long enough that I don't want another car. I bought it right off lease with 10k miles, and I have driven it to almost 50k currently.
Tire rack guaranteed the fit, I have a donut spare and lug+jack. I work 100% remote so I drive about 20 miles a week now, all local.
How will this work out for me? Has anyone ever done this? What ILL effects might I notice? I might get another set of runflats when the Yoko's wear out, but I have a full size 19" spare in addition to the donut. I carry a 12v air pump and have relative that will bring me a spare if a tire goes flat, aka family-roadside assistance. I think I have roadside from Tire rack too, never used it, my dad is faster.
Thanks,
David
Last edited by howarddavidp; 03-29-2023 at 04:00 PM.
I assumed that when the relative brought him the spare they would also take the flat with them?
Originally Posted by howarddavidp
have relative that will bring me a spare if a tire goes flat, aka family-roadside assistance.
I love driving my SL too much and could not be limited in that driving so that I wouldn't drive far away from the nearest family member. I also would not want to get them out of bed to deal with my tire issues. I have heard people say that they don't drive far from home in their SL before on this site.
Last edited by ThatsMyDawg; 03-30-2023 at 07:55 AM.
Sorry to hear about your rim problem. I've owned two AMG's (SL55 & SL63), driven them for a total of 60K miles and never had rim issues. How are the road surfaces where you live?
Thanks to JettaRed, best answer so far, answered my Q if there will be issues with 4 18" tires of the same size.
I live in Potomac,MD, which is a DC suburb. The locals roads are good to average. I think our beltway, aka 495, is where I have cracked the rims.
I am almost 100% positive 1 cracked the first rim in a new neighborhood with unfinished pavement. But that was 3 years ago and I have actually been more careful since that happened.
2020 S560 Sedan, 2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, '24 BMW I7 on order...
I ordered my 2019 SL450 with 18’s and would have kept 18’s, if I had not gone with the ceramic brakes. The CCB will not work with anything smaller than 19” wheels. The forged AMG wheels I went with were only fitted to the cars by the factory with 19’s up front and 20’s in the rear. I did not want 20’s, as I am a ride quality nut, so I ordered four 19’s, all the same width. I did go with a slightly larger tire in the rear.. Anyway, best riding SL I have ever driven. I’m sure the OP’s choice will work out fine.
My rims came 1 week early, ready to bolt on from TireRack yesterday afternoon, very excited, and it was actually my birthday. What a wish!
So I can tell immediately the road noise is the BIGGEST, yet unexpected, improvement. Day and night difference between the 19" run-flats and the 18" non-RF. When I was on speakerphone driving before, people could always tell I was in the car from the background noise. I made 3 calls today while driving to the carwash, and nobody knew I was driving. That big of a difference.
The obvious and expected improvement was the ride quality. Still stiff, but nothing like before. I don't sense much increase in body roll from the taller 40 series tires, but I rarely push this car to the limit where I might notice. I do take some of the back roads with nice curves, and I take them at speed, and so far it seems to stick the same for the speeds I drive.
I did not notice any weird or unexpected behavior from going with smaller rear wheels (9.5 to 9.0) or tires (285/30 to 255/40).
Here is another unexpected pleasant surprise. I tested, using Waze and cruise control, my speedometer at 50, 55, 60, and 65 MPH. I used the Dulles toll road, a nice and straight highway for a few miles, enough to lock the cruise and see what the gauge said in comparison to Waze speedo. I did this a long time ago with the stock setup to see how accurate Waze was, and it was spot on. But today, I was surprised to see I don't need to get my speedo adjusted as it was spot on at all 4 test speeds.
I am very happy, but it is only day 1. I will report back and tell you of any issues that may arise.
My rims came 1 week early, ready to bolt on from TireRack yesterday afternoon, very excited, and it was actually my birthday. What a wish!
So I can tell immediately the road noise is the BIGGEST, yet unexpected, improvement. Day and night difference between the 19" run-flats and the 18" non-RF. When I was on speakerphone driving before, people could always tell I was in the car from the background noise. I made 3 calls today while driving to the carwash, and nobody knew I was driving. That big of a difference.
The obvious and expected improvement was the ride quality. Still stiff, but nothing like before. I don't sense much increase in body roll from the taller 40 series tires, but I rarely push this car to the limit where I might notice. I do take some of the back roads with nice curves, and I take them at speed, and so far it seems to stick the same for the speeds I drive.
I did not notice any weird or unexpected behavior from going with smaller rear wheels (9.5 to 9.0) or tires (285/30 to 255/40).
Here is another unexpected pleasant surprise. I tested, using Waze and cruise control, my speedometer at 50, 55, 60, and 65 MPH. I used the Dulles toll road, a nice and straight highway for a few miles, enough to lock the cruise and see what the gauge said in comparison to Waze speedo. I did this a long time ago with the stock setup to see how accurate Waze was, and it was spot on. But today, I was surprised to see I don't need to get my speedo adjusted as it was spot on at all 4 test speeds.
I am very happy, but it is only day 1. I will report back and tell you of any issues that may arise.
David
You should also be able to rotate your tires which is another plus over staggered rims.
My mistake in asking you about the rims, but thanks for the quick response. TireRack says these Enkei PF01 rims of the OP (howarddavidp) have a 35mm offset, but will not fit my 2006 SL500 for some reason. I'll have to check a little further on what the offsets were on the stock Mercedes rims for my SL500. I think the stock 2006 Mercedes offsets were pretty close to 35mm...
03-29-2023, 03:55 PM
