crhait

Hi All,

It's time to buy a set of new tires. Question is can/should I go up a size on my 19's? Currently have 245/35 19 up front & 275/30 19 out back. Anyone tried larger in back? Will 285's or 295's fit or will they rub. car is not lowered yet (would like to some day)

any input would be appreciated,
Thanks.

p.s went crazy looking for the answer on the forum last nite.

ROCKETW19

i havnt tryed 285s yet but i yhink they will work. just what ever you do dont go 25 series tires you will bend a rim. thats my opnion and my tire guys. post a picture of you ride, it looks nice in you sig but i can hardle see it.

Rock

There are a few guys the forum with 19's that have gone 255/35f and 285/30R. 295 on the rear seems to be a no-no.

I am planning on doing the change this spring. You may wish to pm board member Rafal. I'm sure he'd be helpful.

Kens-E55

Either 285/30 or 295/30 will fit.
On the 285/30 w/a 10" rim is absolutely no problem and fits ALL DAY LONG!!
The 295/30.....You must stay away from the Mich. PS2's as the sidewall is just too soft and really is dangerous with the infamous "wiggle"
I did prefer the stance of the 295/30 over the 285 but could not get that size f/Bridgstone RE050A. (Backordered)

On the 295, the clearance is a little tight, but there was NO RUB, and you should "roll" the fender......but my CCW 505's were a BEAUTIFUL and PERFECT FIT!!!

jangy

Lets be clear. The 295 PS2s have had issues with the CCW setup. Not with all setups. My stance is still that proper offset AND added support to the suspension allows for sweet fitment. I have run PS2 295s with absolutely no rubbing or damage for quite some time on 3 different rim sets (all custom offsets). Just wanting to clarify. There are many factors here, including the "flex" in the car and tires, power, LSD, rims (weight and offset).

Making a blanket statement may or may not necessarily cover all people's setups.

Kens-E55

Jangy - are you saying that you have run the PS2's w/295/30/19's and never got the "wiggle"? Mine was worse than a wiggle - you would have thought my car was bouncing on "hydraulics" go'in down the hiway at high-speed. YES - it was that bad!!

jangy

I don't deny your experience in any way. I was involved in all those discussions as well. My take on it was and is that the CCW offset is not aggressive enough making it too close to the inside, thus the rubbing (again on the inside). A simple test would be to add a small spacer and see. If you like the results, then get a set with the adjusted offset.

Also, for the record, no I have never run 19s on this car. I have, however, run 295/30/18 PS2s with NO issues. I am in the process of putting a new set on my car as we speak. I have also gone through 4 sets of rims to get the exact offset to not rub the outside or inside.

I don't disagree that a tire with a stiffer sidewall or higher load rating will not rub under your setup. I am simply saying that to simply blame it on the PS2s is oversimplifying the issue. The entire rear end on these cars flexes a great deal as you add power and or traction.

Rafal

I have the 255/285 PS2, which are great on 8.5 and 9.5 19"rims. The only issue is that Michelin has stopped manufacturing the 285/30/19 tire. My rears are almost gone and now I have to buy all four in either 245/275 PS2 or 255/285 Bridgestone RE050A. I am angry with Michelin as my fronts are still good for 10K.
RE050A's are OE on CLS55 and CLS63. Yesterday I saw the brand new Porsche 997 Turbo stock with RE050A's (235/305), so they can't be that bad!

Yesterday I ordered two sets of the RE050A's from Luke at TTR, for myself and my business partner, whose E55 is roughly the same age and mileage.

Stay away from 295's and save yourself the heartbreak of wiggles, rubbing, tire shredding, fiddling with offsets, posting endless questions, blame game with the tire dealer who didn't stop you from making a mistake etc. Who needs it?

crhait

Ok...thank you all for your responses.

So given the 275/30 19 PS2's are no longer available here is my next question...Would you stay with 245/275 set-up with the PS's or go with 255/285 RE050A's??? will the car feel better on the latter?
What other tire? I don't care about wet weather traction dry is what it's all about for me.

what to do, what to do?

jangy

I would get R rated tires, if wet is not an issue. That is where I am going as soon as my PS2s are toast (which is almost there).

Rafal

275/30/19 PS2 is still available. 285/30/19 PS2 is the one which has been discontinued.
Most drivers stay with 245/275/19 set up. I went to 255/285 due to the conservative offset of my wheels: ET35/8.5" and ET38/9.5", showing too mach gap under the fenders.
Compared to the 275/30/19 used by my business partner, the 285/30/19 grip is better but out of the hole the rear of the car does this little "squat and shift" from left to right and left again as the diff engages and traction shifts.
My dealer tells me it's normal and totally different from the rubbing induced ESP "wiggle" experienced by most 295/30/19 users.
I am taking a leap of faith into 255/285 RE050A's!

crhait

Thanks Rafal...just a typo on the tire sizes. I would like to go up a size. When are you doing your RE050A's should they be stickier than the PS2's?

Rafal

Reading the Tire Rack survey ,I think not, but what choice is there for an allround tire in that size? Yokohama Advan Sport? Pirelli P-Zero Nero, Conti2,
Nitto, are we now scraping the bottom of the barrel...?

If it is good enough for OE on CLS55, CLS63, SL55, SL65 and Porsche 997 Turbo, who am I to argue?

crhait

sounds good. I might go that route too. Thanks again.

stevebez

I got the RE050A's on ... 255/30's and 285/30's on AMG style IV split 19" rims....

The rears are 9.5" and under max compression when the tyres were new there was some rubbing on the fender - I was going to roll them but it was minor rubbing and only under max compression.

I would say the tread is mbe 25% worn now and there is zero rubbing.

Worth it in the end for me and I will get these tyres again in 285 config - tey just dont last too long

Please note my car is not lowered ... if you plan on lowering you better go 275, or roll fender and get a bigger offset.

My offset is +31 for the rears ... would recommend +35 if you can find them for 10" type and 295's... and get the fenders rolled.

As has been said allot depends on the profile of the side wall - but B/stones for me are just fine.

Kens-E55

The size is more about the stance you want, as there are not issues with rubbing. I've read the many posts about the "rubbing" 'causing the "wiggle" on the 295's................ Sorry guys YOU ARE WRONG!! There was no rubbing on my set-up with the 295/30...I repeat NO RUBBING!!

The PS2's on the 295 had a sidewall, I repeat...the SIDEWALL was JELLY The sidewall was the part that could not handle the Tq and shifting of the car. For those of you who did not have the 295's, you did not experience nor have the opportunity to really dig into the problem of what was going on. Guarantee you one thing.......buy a 295 with a good, stiff, strong sidewall...there will be NO WIGGLE!!! I would have tried the heavier, stiffer sidewall of the 295/30 Yokohama's Advan, but at $484/per tire.....No Thank You.
Yes-you will need to make sure the offset is near perfect, but you can't beat how it looks when filling up the wheel-well

crhait

so ...I have 10" Carlsson UL's in back. not sure of offset, anyone know what they should be? should 295's work? do I realy need to worry about "wiggle" how can i tell if a tire has a stiff sidewall? Sorry for all the questions but not sure what to do!

Kens-E55

One indication (though not always 100%) is the weight of the tire and the "Load" rating in #'s. You will want to consider a heavier tire(bad for performance )as that usually means more substance/ on the sidewall.
You need to consider tires rated at 1650#'s and higher.
It really is a matter of seeing who has run 295/30/19's and taking a poll.
My experience was frustrating when I ran the 295's, but will go back to experimenting with other brands here shortly.---I loved the stance!!

crhait

Thanks Kens-E55...maybe I should stick with the combo you are running now. sounds like it'd working for you.

Rafal

You will have a near perfect match in rolling diameter with 255/285.
It is the combination Brabus uses on the CLS Rocket and EV12 speed record cars.
Why re-invent the wheel (bad pun...) and risk 295's. If your rear offset is less than ET38, and that is guaranteed with 10" ULs, you will regret it.

See the picture of my ET38 rears with white masking tape under the fender. when I was checking the clearance with max compession. There are only 3 credit cards all around (3mm). If the rims were ET 33, I would be shaving 2mm off the tire every time it bottommed out.

Rock

Hey Rafal,

Do you see any issue with my BBS LMs 8 1/2f and 9 1/2 rear with offsets of 32f and r, if I go 255/285?

Thanks

jangy

I do. et32 on a 9.5 is going to be CLOSE on the rear with 285s. What are you running now? I got pretty bad rubbing with et32 on a 9.5 with 285s, but my car was lowered and I was driving it hard. It only rubbed the fender at the top of the tire, but it was enough to burn some rubber off.

Obviously how square a tire is matters, too. My guess is that your setup is at the very edge of it, so you may have to try to see. Last thing, mine were with 18inchers, so I'd almost guess 19s would be worse?

Rafal

Yes, if you car is lowered 1/2"' or more!
Here's why: your BBS are the same width F&R as my set, 8.5 and 9.5".
Your rear wheel offset is ET 32 to mine ET38. The difference is 6 mm more out
towards the fender.
My rear tire (285/30/19) set up leaves only 3mm gap with the fender.
Therefore, you will be scraping the 3 mm excess off your tire on every speed bump.

I tried it, by using a 5 mm spacer on the rear, which gave me ET33.
As I drove the rear wheel on the curb to test it, you could see the fender bulging out under pressure- no damage as it was a static test only.
Rather stick with 275's whose sloping side walls follow the negative camber on compression and give you tread width 5 mm less inside and out, so you will clear the fender by 2mm. A nice "shoe horn" fit!

ShelleE55

Any issues with 275 on the rears with 18

Rock

Rafal, I am still stock height. Is it still a no-no?