NocalAMG123

hey guys im new to the forums. got referred to here by a buddy who has an 05 E55 AMG.

looking to get one myself.
i got a question however.

i know the benz comes with stock 18s and 245/265 tires.

whats the WIDEST tires you can run on the e55 amg on the stock 18" wheels?

this is both for stock suspension as well as with the renntech ELM.

thanks.

NGS_E55

I've done 275, others may chime in wider.

2005E55AMGLOL

any rubbing issues?

subscribed.

im thinking of going 245/285
any idea of if that will fit on stock 18s

supre55

I have 275 on the stock wheels as well in the rear without any problems

enzom

I run on 275 rears. I have heard that you can run 285's without rubbing, but I think running 285's may be too wide for the stock wheels. It will work, but the tread may not hit the road as it should.

MB_Forever

Shawn is running 295 in the rears with no problems at all, but he's using BFG drag radials.

jangy

There is plenty of room. It all depends on how much tire you want to put on a 9 inch rim. I've done 295s no problem, but it becomes a bit of a bubble tire. The extra slack does help with traction, though.

2005E55AMGLOL

jangy, when u were running 295s in the rear, how much of a significant help in traction did you feel vs the 265 stock?

also, what size were u in the front? wondering if u increased the front as well to maintain the same ratio/balance.

jangy

The difference is HUGE. But, the only 265s I have ever run on this car (in the rear) are the OEM Contis. In my view, they get hard very quickly and have horrid traction compared to some of the more tacky tires. I ran Pirellis off of a OEM 996, Michelin PS2s, and Advan A048 on the rear in a 295/30/18. Obviously, the advans stuck like drags, but even the PS2s were very good. I could almost floor the car with no slip with the advans and a nice launch.

The first setup I ran was 275/35 fronts and 295/30, but what I forgot to say in my previous post is that I only ran 295s on 9 and 1/2 inch rims, NOT the E55 OEMs. The fattest I have run on the OEMs is 285.

Now, I run 265/35 in the front and 295/30 in the rear. I try to drag race with DRs (275s) and 245 in the front.

2005E55AMGLOL

damn jangy.

so when u were on 285s in the rear on OEM 18x9s what was your front tire size.

yeah i agree contis suck, as im on 245/265s right now in PS2s, as theyre definitely my tire of choice. very sticky, good grip, good wet traction. my only gripe is they dont last. get about 12,000 off a set of rears on my m3 and about 15k on the benz, although ive only had the car for about 9000 miles and my rears are almost out, due to a few spirited sessions and 2 drag strip sessions. =)


i mean ive entertained the idea of aftermarket wheels, but im keeping the E55bone stock for now, and plus i actually really like the way the 18s look, oh and being able to run DRs helps too, since they dont make DRs for 19+ wheels.

jangy

The front was a 275/35 on the same 18X9 as the rears. It balances the car. that was my first mild mod was to just pick up a set of rears and run them on the front. Even 265 all around is nice. If you want to experiment, swap out your front and rears and see.The rear E55 rims fit on the front just fine.

Now, you can take it to another level with the same cost. Instead of buying two new E55 rears, buy two SL550 (Style IV) rims and put them on the rear. Then, you can put your current rears on the front. If you plan to go this route, Let me dig, because I heard they released that same style in an even better offset in the 9.5 inch width.

2005E55AMGLOL

thanks jangy.
another question. since u have quite extensive experience at the drags, was 275front and 285 rear harder to drag than 245/275?

i know the stock setup is setup for a bit of understeer and by going almost square you are adding tire weight (fatter tires= more weight) which may slow you down in the straights although ud ideally pick up more speed in the turns.

were your drag times slower or faster with the wider setup?

i know wider tires add weight but perhaps the better grip would more than make up for that.

jangy

The wider hurts the drags, but I can't give it a number. On the road, I just love the feel better. Also, the front lifts a bit anyways under good power (especially now thanks to Vadim).

My new drag setup is going to running the HREs with 265s on the front and 295 on the rear.

Weight makes a HUGE difference at the strip and even on the butt dyno.