i just picked up my first mercedes, a black 05 e55 last week.after reading hundreds of posts on 19 vs 20 i'm still confused a bit. as i live in san francisco and this is my daily driver i think it would be better to go with 19's even though 20's look great . i found a deal on some lexani onyx wheels stagered 19x8.5 and 9.5. the wheels come with a choice of two offsets 35 and 38. i dont like the look of a streteched tire and want to have some rim protection and sidewall. can i achieve this with a 275/30/19 on a 35 offset or should i look to a 285/30/19 for a 38 offset. for the fronts the choice is 255/35/19 or 265/35/19 on a 35 offset. thanks

 

ET 33 works fine with 275/30

 

You've obviously done your research. I would go with the 285s and the 38 offset. You can always add a small spacer and it is the more natural offset for the car. 275s are MAX with less offset.
Fronts, 265s and 35 is perfect.

 

I just put some wheels on my W211 and they are ET 35 front and 40 rear. The tires are 255 and 285 (18 inch) and they fit fine. Front could be larger as Jangy says and the rear is perfect with an ET40. I bet 295 would work with that off-set.

 

+1

 

ok, another question, what would be the best size tires in a ps2 or a bridgestone RE050A Pole Position for brabus monoblock VI replicas that are 91x8.5 and 19x9.5 [both have a 35 offset] that will give me some more meat for grip and rim protection. i will later lower the car.

 

The front could take a 265/30/19 easily and the rear could take a 285/30/19. I think the 285 will be very close to the body with a 35mm et. I know a 33mm et in the rear rubs with a 285 P-zero Rosso (but not very much). So add 2 mm more fender clearance by going to a et 35 and its still very close. At that point tire brand will be the difference between rubbing and not rubbing. If possible I would get a set of wheels that fits better in that size and go from there.

A 35 - 36 et is ideal up front and a 40 is ideal in the rear.

With those sizes you can run a 265 front and 295 rear without worrying that much about rubbing.

I would avoid the PS2 tire just because they cause a pretty pronounced wiggle under load (they have a very soft side wall). I have a 295 rear PS2 on my SL55 it it wiggles and wonders around the road when I try to accelerate quickly. Quite and ODD feeling.

Go for the Bridgestone RE050A poleposition.

Jangy thoughts?

 

OP: Sorry, not mean to hijack the thread... but since jangy is here and I want his opinion also, I'll ask over here... hope you don't mind.

Jangy or any other experts:
I may have located HRE wheels but they're currently on W210 E55. Not sure about the offset yet.

My question:
1. Do HRE's have offset info at the back of the wheels / spokes?
2. IIRC, W210 uses shorter lugs than W211. Is this true? Does it mean I need to purchase a new lug set or I can use my OEM ones?
3. Any other potential fitment issues other than offset & lug length?

Thanks bro!

 

+1 to the hilt. The PS2s are great, BUT you have to get the extra load ones or your sides will do the wiggle. Other than that, all numbers are tit on. The 35 won't hold a 285 with no rubbing. It will not do damage to the car, but it will rub the sides of the tire onto the interior of the lip (which is smooth).

Consider shaving a few mms off the inside. Getting to a 37 or 39 would let you put some rubber under there.

 

What up:

1 - Yes, HREs have a code. Look on the wheels and see what they are. Also, you can have some rebuilt cheaper than new ones, so take a hard look.
2 - You will need new lugs, period. The W210 ones do not fit a W211 and the W211 OEM ones do not properly sit in the HREs. Discount Tire carrys them. I think you need ball or acorn seat vs cone
3 - What size? What tires? etc?

 

Thanks Jangy....

1. Rebuilt.... what's the indication? Any particular section I should look for?

2. OK.... know the price on the top of your head? I plan to call HRE also to verify once I know the offset would fit.

3. It's HRE 543R... should be 8.5f & 9 or 9.5r (9 is higher likelihood). Current tire size is 245f & 275r. Do you know the approximate weight? Heavier or lighter than stock 18"?

I should know more once my cousin takes better pictures tomorrow (he just bought an '02 E55 off of dealer's auction w/ HRE on it). He said just need some polishing (dirty)... only few minor and short curb rashes (< 1") on 2 wheels. He would sell them to me very cheap (may be couple hundred more than the cost of him getting stock wheels - whatever the price is).

Just hope the wheels are good, the offset is right and I just need the new lugs.

 

1 - I just meant to not give up on them if they are not ideal. You can have HRE adjust the particular offset (and width) for about $500 per wheel. Yes, it adds up, but it gets you a nice set of HREs if you have a great deal on the face.

2 - ~$20

3 - It depends on the diameter size. Are they 18s? Are they 19s? Are they 20s? The OEMs run about the same weight as a 20" HRE. The Competition series are a little lighter. So, assuming you have 19s, they are lighter than OEMs but your rotational mass changes as well.