alextaylor29

Gents,

Quick question. Will 285/35/18 fit on my 2004 stock E55 18 inch wheels or should I only go to 275? Just want to go a bit wider as I'll need to order new tires soon.

Thanks as always.

Alex

amdeutsch

Look at the tire's spec, allowable rim width range. Personally I wouldn't go bigger than 275 on 9".

alextaylor29

Roger that.

Alex

RenntechE55

A 285 will fit, when I bought my car is had a 295/35/18 on a stock wheel.

alextaylor29

Good to hear on the 285, thanks.

shardul

iTrader: (1)

I have had 285/35 on the back, they fit fine. My car is lowered too.

komp55

The issue is not whether a particular size tire can be mounted on a particular width rim, the issue is whether the tire is designed to be mounted on a particular width rim. That's why every tire manufacturer specifies a range of rim widths for a particular size tire.

A 285/35/18 tire can be mounted on a 9" rim, but the rim width specification of every tire manufacturer of that size calls for a 9.5" width rim. Now why would they do that?

It's about tire design, load handling and safety. When you mount a tire on a rim that is narrower than the rim width specificied by the manufacturer, you are pinching in the sidewalls and causing them to load under cornering and acceleration in a manner not intended by the tire manufacturer. It's a safety issue, and at the track I've seen tires blow out that were too wide for the rim they were mounted on. The sidewalls couldn't handle the loads because they were pinched in on the rim and ultimately failed under cornering loading conditions.

At least AMG gets it. That's why they offer the AMG twin spoke rim found on the E55 in a 9.5" width (SL AMG version) and oh, they mount a 285 tire on it. What a surprise! A 275/35/18 is the widest tire a 9" wheel in intended to be used with. Let's be safe out there . . .

E55Bullet

I am running a 295 on a 10' wheel, its close, stock height