Michigander

Looking to upgrade to 18" on my '99 CLK. Thinking 2 ways:

1 - 18x8.5 BBS CH All Around. 255/35-18 Rear & 225/40-18 Front Bridgestone Potenza S-03 Pole Positions.

2 - 18x8.5 AMG 5 Spoke (see attached picture) With 35MM Offset and 5x112MM Bolt Pattern All Around. Hankook 245/40-18 All Around.

Any comments about fitment (Luke!), experience with Hankooks, staggered widths fron-to-rear, etc. would be most appreciated.

THX

E55AMG99

Why not go for a staggered rim setup as well? This will look a lot better. IMO, non-staggered rims with staggered tires looks out of place. If you are looking for AMG Monoblock style, get a set from a 219 SL in 8.5x18 front and 9.5x18 rear. The right tires are 235/40ZR18 and 265/35ZR18 front and rear.

I have no experience with Hankook on a performance car but my choice for a good all around tire is the Pilot Sport. SO-3 are better performance wise but they wear out faster. It sounds funny putting an Asian tire on a Eurpean auto, doesn't it?

Harris

I dont get it...why you are buying 18x8.5 CH all around and put staggered tires??!! Why dont you buy 18x8.5 and 18x9.5?

And if you were to buy AMG Style III, you should get 18x7.5 and 18x8.5 instead. Which AMG 5 spoke are you talking about, there is no 18x8.5 with an offset of ET35, only ET37!!

You've spent so much on a set of wheels, better put some decent tires on them. There is a huge difference in performance between S-03 and Hankook. In fact, I dont know anyone that have tried Hankook tires. Yes, S-03 will run out pretty fast, while I think Pilot Sport is a bit overpriced. For similar performance, durability and relatively inexpensive, I always recommend Toyo T1-S!!

Luke@tirerack

staggered tire sizes on non-staggered wheels sizes is a bad idea because of the differeneces in sidewall delfelction front to rear ... it would upset the handling of the car .......

245 on the front ???? Good Luck

Michigander

Thanks for the feedback folks. I'm new to the world of MB after 15 years of BMW, and am still learning. The Hankook package I referenced was from an E-Bay auction that runs every week. Didn't seem like a good setup, but wanted the experts to comment as I'd never even heard of Hankook and the specs in the auction said 35MM offset, 5 x 112, etc.

I definitely don't want to upset the handling of the car, but want the look of the 18"s. Prefer the AMG style wheel that comes standard with the 430. The car is a 320 that comes with the 16"s standard.

Looks like the 7.5/8.5 or 8.5/9.5 staggered setup is workable. Won't go wider than 225 in the front.

Having no success finding a source for the wheels. Don't find them offered at Tire Rack.

?

Harris

Have you tried ME?!