clco

I have a '99 E430 and looking to upgrade to 18" rims. Is there a noticeable difference. Also want ot get the wider rims on the back- 18x8 front and 18x9 back. Will there be a difference coming from my 17" E430 sport rims?

henry47

im not sure what kind of question you're asking. What's the difference? 1" of course. "Noticably difference" is in the eyes of the viewer. to your average 90 year old grandma, there will be no difference, same with a 9 year old child. What you SHOULD do is search for cars that are the same model as yours with 17" and 18" and decide if you prefer the bigger rim.

E55 KEV

Yes, you will feel and hear more rattles when driven over bad roads. You trade some comfort for handling. Wheels and tires are more subseptible to damage and quicker wear.

The recommended staggered setup with E55 AMG Monoblocks is:

18x8.0 et31 235/40/18
18x9.0 et35 265/35/18

Good Luck.

clco

I know my grandma could careless about cars, she never learned to drive. My dilemma is, I got a Benz, now should I skimp and go with some 18" replicas, ASA's stye ST4's on Tirerack, which are cheap enough. On the other hand I could go with a name brand AMG or BBS 17's which are a bit more affordable. If I went as far as getting the name brand "Benz," why not complete the package with some name brand wheels.
Would AMG, BBS or Kleemann wheels add resale value above a good looking replica like the ASA's?

Harris

If you are gonna change aftermarket wheels to 17", my advise to you is to forget about it. Doesnt make much sense to get 17's.

Dont expect to get any money back by selling replicas in the future, the wheels are so inexpensive already, how much can you sell them for?

And nobody would buy aftermarket wheels in 17's, especially BBS. Kleemann doesnt even make 17's.

Personally, I think the difference between 17's and 18's is not very significant. 17's vs. 19's is more noticeable.

E55 KEV

Unfortunately, aftermarket wheels and parts especially modifications do not add real value to used cars. In some case you will have a harder more difficult time selling and/or trading a car with custom parts. At trade-in dealers will insist on the original (OEM) wheels. Without them they will mark your trade value down because the may have to invest in returning the car to OEM specs. Aftermarket rims are such a personal taste that other people may not like the rim you have selected.

I had to re-buy a set of OEM wheels & tires for my 98 E430 in order to get the best trade-in with dealers. I had 17" Carlsson custom wheels and every dealer insisted on the 16" OEM setup.