Question about wheels

[galenpriv]

This is my first post to hopefully it's not too horrible. I have a '97 C280 Sport which I've owned since August and it's a great car. It has the stock 15" sport wheels that I'm starting to become a little tired of. Im going for 17" wheels and I was wondering if anybody has a C280 with wheels from an E430 sport

I did a little photoshop job to see how they look. Any opinions or suggestions?


http://i14.tinypic.com/52wpt9d.jpg

[galenpriv]

Now I realize this should be under suspension.. I'm off to a great start. Mods?

[Section 8]

thay look ok but i think its worth going for 18"s basicly the same fell and because its like uder 19" you dotn have to go to such a low profile....but thay look goog from the e sport

peace

[svt ricco]

i'll be selling my 17" authentic amg wheels (chrome) with pirelli pzeroes and they're staggered. are you interested? they are in excellent condition with no curb rash. pm me if interested, thanks

[galenpriv]

Not interested in chrome, but thanks for the offer.

[benzofanatic]

i would agree that it would be worth getting the 18's.
i have a 99 c280 sport and i put 18'' AMG replicas on there and they turned out really nice.

here is a pic of my friend's (Chris) 280 with the rims before i got them

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k88/benzofanatic/1997C280withamgwheels.jpg

[Will_w202]

18s IMO are too large for this car unless you'e planning to race it on the track. I have 17s and not only do they look perfect, but with the Bilstein HDs, the car handles great and is stable, but also rides as hard as you would ever want it to. I'm probably going to go from 225/45s to 215/50s next time just because the impact is so harsh on bad roads. TRUST ME, if you're going from 15s to 17s, you will notice PLENTY of improvement.

You will also note that the kids around here running 18s are also using lowering springs, and body kits. If you go with a wheel that large, you simply can't run stock suspension, and if you lower it, you're going to need a body kit, else it will look odd. What's your goal on a decade-old car? If you want to spend about $4k, go with 18s, suspension, and body kit. It's worth noting that the car is worth about that. I got 17s for $900 brand new, tires will run you another $800 if you want something decent (Michelin Pilots).

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/852/img0234jf4.jpg

[galenpriv]

Im going to stick with 17's as I'm not looking to spend a ton of money, I just want my car to look a little more updated. Would the wheels I suggested even work on a 202 since they were made for an Eclass (210)? I don't know too much about wheels/tires but I do know that there are endless different measurements that need to be taken into account.

The wheels I'm looking at have the following specs (from the Mercedes wheel book - the model is Mekab) : 7.5 J x 17 ET37 - 235/45 R17. If possible I want the same size tire all around and know many setups of 225 on the front and 245 on the rear. Is 235 too big for the front, and if so, will these wheels fit with a 225/45 tire all around?

[Will_w202]

210 wheels are not interchangeable with 202s. 203/208/209 are. 203 being the newer C-class, 208/209 being all versions of the CLK. C/CLK have a lot of wheel options, so just check ebay. Don't "stagger" them unless you want to do a body kit. I got a set of fronts (17x7.5 all around) from the Wheel Exchange (they used to be on ebay a lot, look around). 225/45/17 is the widest tire you would want for a 7.5w wheel; any wider and you're going to get a lot of pull all over the road when you hit grooves on the highway, etc. In fact, like I said, I'm probably dropping to 215/50s next time. Tires will make a HUGE difference in your experience with these wheels. I had some bargain-basement Coopers and I have had Bridgestones, but nothing is like the Michelin. For everyday driving, you should check out the Pilot Exalto A/S michelins. That's what I'm going to next. Haven't seen a bad review yet. I have Pilot Sport A/S now, and they are sticky as hell, but I hear the H-rated Exaltos stick about as well, plus they are quieter and you get a 50k tread warranty (as opposed to no warranty on mine).

http://stores.ebay.com/The-Wheel-Exchange

I got mine 3 years ago - they were the last of the 2002-2004 style AMGs, and again, they were 2 sets of fronts. Ask teh wheel exchange if they can source actual AMG wheels still (most of their wheels are high-quality replicas)

[galenpriv]

That was very helpful, thanks. In the wheel book I see the same wheels I saw for E class were offered on the CLK, and in 225/45 17 as opposed to 235, so I now think they will work on my car.

[benzboy]

W210 E55 wheels ARE interchangable with the W202, I and plenty of other members are running them on our cars.

Whats wrong with staggered on a non kitted car, it looks better and enables you to fit wider tyres on the rear without having rubbing issues on the front.

Agree on lowering with 18s unless you have sport suspension, but why do you need a kit??

[sensoryx]

IMHO 17" are too small. I currently have 17" Brabus Monoblock Vs. I wish I had went for 18" or 19". I already have them on a lowered suspension as well. Check my sig for my car.

I guess its each person's preference, but 17" and 18" isnt that big of a money gap, so if you can afford it... go for the 18"s

Good luck!

[Denlasoul]

Will-

Some 210 wheels can be used on the 202 platform. Like stated above, many Members have E55 wheels on the C.

Also, you can still use stock suspension with larger wheels. Not sure what you meant by the statement a few posts above.

[benzofanatic]

i agree about the 18's, they fit the car nicely but the most important thing is what u feel looks best.

not sure what u mean wil but i personaly feel that stagered rims and lowering springs dont require the addition of a body kit but we each have our own views on what makes a car appealing.

[benzboy]

Originally posted by Denlasoul
Will-

Some 210 wheels can be used on the 202 platform. Like stated above, many Members have E55 wheels on the C.

Also, you can still use stock suspension with larger wheels. Not sure what you meant by the statement a few posts above.

My understanding was a standard ride height with 18s doesnt looks overly great

Of course you can physically do it

[OCKlasse]

I ran 17s and 18s lowered with a stock body, and I think it looked fine.

17s:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v373/trefiveincognito/C230/DSC05630.jpg

18s:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v373/trefiveincognito/C230/June%2006/DSC05911.jpg

[benzboy]

I think that looks very good, especially the 18s!!

[Section 8]

i could never drop below 18"s

get 18s, 17s will look good at the start but if u went to a meet every ones gonna have AMG 18s one model or other and thay wil look justa tad to small and it will piss you off every time you look at emm

lol

im sorry but OCKlasse

that car amazes me every time i see it i cant beleve it hasent got a body kit on it
stock c class kits dont lok to bad with some good paint

[OCKlasse]

Originally posted by Section 8
i could never drop below 18"s

get 18s, 17s will look good at the start but if u went to a meet every ones gonna have AMG 18s one model or other and thay wil look justa tad to small and it will piss you off every time you look at emm

lol

im sorry but OCKlasse

that car amazes me every time i see it i cant beleve it hasent got a body kit on it
stock c class kits dont lok to bad with some good paint

trust me, the bodykit's comin!

[AirPost]

Originally posted by OCKlasse
trust me, the bodykit's comin!

Boo, pics of the body kit now! :D

[Logic]

18's all the way not only do you get a better fill in your wheel well some times 17's with tires look too small ...and if you try a smaller tire like a low pro then the wheel looks too small...if your planning to lower it in the future do 18's and stagger them for that mercedes look

[jay_jay_n]

Originally posted by OCKlasse
I ran 17s and 18s lowered with a stock body, and I think it looked fine.

17s:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v373/trefiveincognito/C230/DSC05630.jpg

18s:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v373/trefiveincognito/C230/June%2006/DSC05911.jpg

what are the specs on the 18" riims? and what kind of suspension are u on? any help would be great.

[cjbg]

Originally posted by OCKlasse

18s:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v373/trefiveincognito/C230/June%2006/DSC05911.jpg


Originally posted by jay_jay_n
what are the specs on the 18" riims? and what kind of suspension are u on? any help would be great.

i love the look of these wheels! any word on the spec? which MB they came off of? size and offset? did you have to run spacers?

[Proven Guilty]

i'll venture to chime in, and take a stab at it.

i believe those wheels came off a SLK55 and he had to run 5mm spacers in the front and rear.

he'll chime in i'm sure!

[ludachris]

Originally posted by benzofanatic
i would agree that it would be worth getting the 18's.
i have a 99 c280 sport and i put 18'' AMG replicas on there and they turned out really nice.

here is a pic of my friend's (Chris) 280 with the rims before i got them

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k88/benzofanatic/1997C280withamgwheels.jpg

hey! whered you get that picture!

[benzofanatic]

is that u chris? i got it from ur myspace when i was thinking about getting ur rims, actually i was there stalking you lol.