wide rims a bad idea???

[|27|]

So...I was going to get 17" asa rims 225 wide... my fathers starts to talk to his mechanic about this and he says that wider and bigger rims will make the turning worse and harder to drive in a straight line. the rims are these... http://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/pts/356318364.html ...I was planning on also getting koni lowering springs... Is the mechanic right and if so, how much of an effect does it have.
P.S. i have to do what he says as he pays for the insurance and I'm only 16

[c55m8o]

The stock AMG wheels are 17" 7.5 wide in the front with 225mm tires, and 17" 8.5 wide in the rear with 245mm tires.

..."what's good enough for the Mercedes & AMG partnership to use on the W202 out of the factory is good enough for me"... ;)

Offset is your bigger issue (35mm front and 27mm rear (or 25? 23mm? I forget; it's on the site found w/a search) for the stock AMG rims cited above. If you run the same offset front and rear using a narrower rim in the rear as the front, you may find the car oversteers; all dependent on alignment. Mine does pretty easily when I put the 17" OZ rims I use for snow tires on the car in the winter. I use either a 5mm or 10mm (again, I forget) spacer in the rear which helps. I wish I got 15mm or 20mm. The car would be more stable if I did.

[trymonlam]

another problem with wider rims/tires that we recently talked about in another thread is the steering sensitivity to road textures. u may find the car suddenly want to go off control at well traveled road surfaces, as micro grooves had been worn into the road and it somewhat affects driving. do read up on it as we did come to somewhat of a conclusion.

[c55m8o]

that is exactly, what the OP was asking.

stock AMG rim and tire sizes with a non-aggressive wheel alignment doesn't bring that behavior to a level where it's much of a problem.

[stox]

Wider tires give a different driving experience. They require more active driver involvement, and are rougher riding. In exchange, traction, cornering, and braking are enhanced. Sadly, they will give little warning before letting loose.

For a young driver, I would strongly recommend that you start with the narrow stock wheels. They will let you learn better when they are going to give.

BTW, I cut my teeth on a 1972 Buick 225, with a 455ci engine and 6.5 inch wide tires. Needless to say, it taught me a lot of lessons.

[c55m8o]

Great observation on new/experience. I'll add as our OP is probably asking himself, 225mm isn't 'too wide' for the 202. It is unfortunately about the max you want to go in the front; 235 with some likely rubbing; 245 most def rubbing, unless you get the wheel's offset just right (according to Speedybenz who does so).

To elaborate on what I said previously, from my experience, watch the offset and subsequent front and rear track-width; if you go too narrow in the rear your tail will always want to kick out on you. (I dont' think people give track-width font&rear ratio enough importance.) The specs for stock W202 AMG and non-AMG track widths are on MB's Pre-owned site. Wheel offset calculators that tell you how far in or out a new/different wheel will be from stock based on its offset are all over the place and have been discussed @ nausea on this board (under this forum 'specially). You want to try to keep front and rear with the same differential with the different wheels as they were stock. Say, If the front says the same, Too wide a track width in the rear and the car feels like a truck; too narrow it feels and is loose (rear kicks out on turns).

[davis449]

I ran 235/17 front and 255/17 rear and had few rubbing issues. It took a big bump or incline to get it to rub. Only did it in the front, no problems in the rear. Then again, I was lowered on Eibach Prokit's and Bilstein Sports. I wouldn't recommend this combo though. I would do 225 in the front w/255 in the rear as the profiles of the tires will match better. I suppose the ideal combo is to run AMG specs, 225 front and 245 rear. Also, I had BARELY a decrease in turning radius with staggered setup, but did notice the car's track behave differently on well-traveled roads. However, it was a VERY minor annoyance and having the wider tred, especially on lowered suspension, is SO worth it.

[OzC36]

I like the 225 front and 245 rear which is AMG standard on the 202.

The fronts make the steering a little more responsive (twitchy if you like). You get better turn-in and responsive steering with the low profile tyres that match this setup.

This setup is not beyond the capabilities of a young driver provided he has been properly trained. Some practice runs and training with his dad will teach him what to expect and will grow the bonds of driver discipline and trust between him and his dad.

[expo5.0]

i have never seen a thread on an automotive forum with so many people giving so much lame/wimpy advice.

you will be absolutely fine running the widths you are talking about.

[c55m8o]

Originally posted by expo5.0
i have never seen a thread on an automotive forum with so many people giving so much lame/wimpy advice.
you will be absolutely fine running the widths you are talking about. wow, now there's a way to endear people to you... way to make freinds! lol

me, I'm sure our 16 yr old freind appreciated some insight as to 'why' he shouldn't worry 'bout it.

[expo5.0]

i'm not here to try to make friends- i'm here to share a bit of my experience modifying various cars, to keep up on what other people are doing with similar cars to my own, and mainly to get help and advice when i run into situations i'm not knowledgeable about. If i make friends so be it, if i don't that's all the same. I've built a few cars and been on a few forums. Most of the time people like what i do, sometimes they don't. I win a lot of shows. I speak my mind. I make people jealous.

i didn't see too much of the above explaining the pros and cons very intelligently/concisely/helpfully for this kid's situation either.

the response would have seemed appropriate to me if he had asked "can i run 295 wide drag radials"...

[c55m8o]

my experience is with that attitude you get a lot of people who 'could' answer your questions, but don't/won't.

The normal resp to |27| would have been 'use Search' anyway. The archives of this board are a treasure trove of info, so you really won't need to interact with anyone as you find that so objectonable <grin>, so enjoy.

[expo5.0]

i may have pissed you off- and maybe a few other people- but there will be a lot of people who appreciate my honesty and also the fact that i don't just regurgitate the same stuff i've heard elsewhere and speak from experience. I wouldn't have responded to this question if i didn't have specific experience with running a couple different combinations of VERY much wider tires on a very similar vehicle (c43). My response was inflammatory, but i felt that the only way to express the results of my own experience with enough emphasis was to be a bit inflammatory. I'm probably not going to leave the forum, and people probably aren't going to not help me when i have questions, so you can do with it what you may. Additionally, i am likely to do some things to my car which many people would appreciate the chance to see and be influenced by.

[davis449]

Originally posted by expo5.0
i have never seen a thread on an automotive forum with so many people giving so much lame/wimpy advice.

you will be absolutely fine running the widths you are talking about.

Who the f--- are you talking to? EVERYONE in here so far has given the kid the advice he asked for. He asked if he could run 225 and everyone pretty much said "yes" and then told them the setups THEY themselves were running, NOT just repeating B.S. they heard. You, sir, are an idiot. You shouldn't run all over people in this forum without justification. For one thing, offset is an issue when fitting rims, if you don't think so, then you need to go find another hobby. Everything in here so far has put forth legitament concerns when running different rims, tires, and suspension. Hell he could've done a search and found the information himself!



i'm not here to try to make friends-

Good, 'cause you're making EXCELLENT progrees toward this goal.

[expo5.0]

the sentiment seemed to be that it would be dangerous for a "kid" to have wider than stock tires...

i'm sure the person with the tires people on here DON'T think will fit doesn't know that offset matters

[stox]

Originally posted by expo5.0
the sentiment seemed to be that it would be dangerous for a "kid" to have wider than stock tires...

Well, while working on your non-existent social skills, you should also work on your reading skills. Nobody suggested that wide tires are dangerous. I suggested that "27", being a 16 year old, first cut his teeth on stock tires before moving on to wides. That way, "27" would develop a better feel for the handling of the car.
It takes time to develop a good feel, and at 16, "27" has obviously been driving for less than a year.

[trymonlam]

guys, relax a little.
expo, no one on this forum has any problem with you making ur point clear. i believe all of us are speaking from experience here. we've all been there and done that, just trying to prep "27" for what he's about to go into. how u think of the members here really doesn't matter in this case.
as with every forum, there are rules. as long as u don't wander too far off the grid, your contributions here will be appreciated and your questions, if arise, will be answered.

[c55m8o]

Originally posted by expo5.0
I wouldn't have responded to this question if i didn't have specific experience with running a couple different combinations of VERY much wider tires on a very similar vehicle (c43).
Right, and our OP does not; and he's 16. We were giving him a break; I'll repeat the usual answer is "use Search!".

Do you think anyone here is responding from "what they read" and not experience? Look @ the Gallery threads of what people have done and run; look @ my links in my sig for the way I decided to mod my car. In addition there are people not active on this board anymore that have done -insane- stuff to their W202s. Luckily, it's all there for you to read and learn from and hopefully contribute to.

To something about pissing people off. I'm not the least bit perturbed myself; frigg'n laughing because I used to be just like you in attitude and approach [ahem] 20 years ago! LOL :rolleyes:

[c280nz]

every1 take a chill pill.
and you have a nice car for a 16 year old!

as advice says, if this is you first car to mod, and you dont have a full workshop or anything, just go for 17s, or 18s and maby some lowering springs.
why you learn more about the pros and cons of the car

[|27|]

wow... did not expect this from my original question... :) but thanks to the people helping out, I'm definitely showing this to my dad.
P.S. Turned 17 on Wednesday! Still probably the youngest on the forum though :)

[stox]

Happy Birthday to you 27. You're not young, you're just wisdom impaired. :p