Downsizing Wheels - Any Experience?

[andys320]

16 inch wheels on my E280 avant-garde, great ride. However pretty sure sport brakes will prevent fitment of 16's, very little clearance on mine to caliper and sport brakes are bigger calipers I think.

May be worth a trial fit of 16 on the front before commiting to buy.

Good luck.

 

[LostKiwi]

I ran 245/45 17s on my E240 estate for 4 years. Ride was always sublime. It was often commented on how smoothly it rode. That was on a 210 (wheels off a 211 using special bolts).

 

[Noddy 99]

16 inch wheels on my E280 avant-garde, great ride. However pretty sure sport brakes will prevent fitment of 16's, very little clearance on mine to caliper and sport brakes are bigger calipers I think.

May be worth a trial fit of 16 on the front before commiting to buy.

Good luck.

Thanks for that, Andy. I'm driving up to the shop tomorrow and they'll do a trial fitment.

Mind you, if the insurers decide to play silly buggers, then I'll be staying as I am...

 

[Noddy 99]

I ran 245/45 17s on my E240 estate for 4 years. Ride was always sublime. It was often commented on how smoothly it rode. That was on a 210 (wheels off a 211 using special bolts).

Was that on an Elegance, Kiwi? They don't have the lowered suspension...

 

[LostKiwi]

Was that on an Elegance, Kiwi? They don't have the lowered suspension...

Avantgarde. It sat very low.

 

[Severnless]

@Noddy 99, as you have mentioned that you have a cdi sport (which I have) I think you will find that all this talk of fitting smaller wheels is wishful thinking, as the CDi sport was fitted with the much bigger brake disc and calliper, to the standard w211, please check the front wheels and see how close the calliper is to the wheel rim and you will see what I mean.

edit
just checked standard front disc is 295mm the CDi sport is 312.7mm

 

[Noddy 99]

@Noddy 99, as you have mentioned that you have a cdi sport (which I have) I think you will find that all this talk of fitting smaller wheels is wishful thinking, as the CDi sport was fitted with the much bigger brake disc and calliper, to the standard w211, please check the front wheels and see how close the calliper is to the wheel rim and you will see what I mean.

Thanks for the tip - I'll get that checked before I even set out.

 

[andys320]

Let us know how you get on.

 

[Wighty]

Thanks for the tip - I'll get that checked before I even set out.

If you have a spare wheel that’s a 16” they will fit

 

[Noddy 99]

If you have a spare wheel that’s a 16” they will fit

Another good tip - I'll check that out as well!

 

[JBell]

I'm pretty much decided I'm going to go with 16" - if I'm spending best part of a grand, I want to notice a BIG difference in the ride quality...

Just make sure they fit over and clear the Calipers

OEM Fit is 7.5 x 16" ET 42 fitted with 225/55 R16 95V

I would hope the cost is way under £1k for 16" wheels and tyres.

Remember the ride is also affected by the tyre construction so a GY EfficientGrip is a good option or the Uniroyal RS5, stay clear of Pirelli and Bridgestone they tend to have stiffer sidewalls.

 

[JBell]

Mind you, if the insurers decide to play silly buggers, then I'll be staying as I am...

They won't say anything if you put OEM MB wheels on

 

[Wighty]

40 mins remaining with winters on , do they fit ?

R17 Dezent alloy wheels with TPMS sensors 5x112 fits vw audi mercedes caddy | eBay

Dezent wheels made in Germany. Wheels are in good condition as you could see in the photos. CB 70, there are centre rings to reduce to 66.6mm. Will fit many cars such as.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[Noddy 99]

40 mins remaining with winters on , do they fit ?

R17 Dezent alloy wheels with TPMS sensors 5x112 fits vw audi mercedes caddy | eBay

Dezent wheels made in Germany. Wheels are in good condition as you could see in the photos. CB 70, there are centre rings to reduce to 66.6mm. Will fit many cars such as.

www.ebay.co.uk

100 miles away + I don't want Winters... Sorry.

 

[Noddy 99]

If you have a spare wheel that’s a 16” they will fit

Just checked the spare wheel - 17". This seems to confirm what Severnless said about 16" rims being unable to accommodate the bigger discs and calipers that come with the sport model.

So... I can only drop to a minimum of a 17" wheel, probably with a 45 ratio. Coming from 40 at the front and 35 at the back, I'm not sure I'll get the improvement I would want for an outlay of £900...

 

[JBell]

So... I can only drop to a minimum of a 17" wheel, probably with a 45 ratio. Coming from 40 at the front and 35 at the back, I'm not sure I'll get the improvement I would want for an outlay of £900...

The Ratio is the percentage of the tyre width so you will have a much larger sidewall and as has been said the W211 wafts on 17" wheels

 

[Wighty]

Just checked the spare wheel - 17". This seems to confirm what Severnless said about 16" rims being unable to accommodate the bigger discs and calipers that come with the sport model.

So... I can only drop to a minimum of a 17" wheel, probably with a 45 ratio. Coming from 40 at the front and 35 at the back, I'm not sure I'll get the improvement I would want for an outlay of £900...

It’s a huge comfort difference to 17’s , but I don’t know if I would pay £900 .

 

[DMK/Happy]

@Noddy 99, as you have mentioned that you have a cdi sport (which I have) I think you will find that all this talk of fitting smaller wheels is wishful thinking, as the CDi sport was fitted with the much bigger brake disc and calliper, to the standard w211, please check the front wheels and see how close the calliper is to the wheel rim and you will see what I mean.

edit
just checked standard front disc is 295mm the CDi sport is 312.7mm

Makes sense, the sport would be bigger,interesting research.

 

[Noddy 99]

I'd just like to thank everyone who has contributed, and sorry it's ended up as a bit of an anti-climax. I hope other people can benefit from the thread.

My wife says I'm exaggerating the problem and that she's fine with the ride as it is. I appreciate that 17s WILL be softer but I've reflected on the fact that the suspension set-up will contribute more to the ride quality than the wheel size. My car will have a sports suspension and so smaller rims are still going to be working hand-in-hand with a stiff suspension with the net result that the ride may STILL not be magic carpet, regardless of what wheels I put on...

In the end, then, when I consider the large outlay and the hassle of selling my current wheels, I am (semi-reluctantly) going to stay as I am. The trade-off for the lesser ride comfort is a set of sensational looking wheels which fill the arches and look properly bad-ass. They're also exactly as Mercedes designed them for the car and there's some comfort in that. Besides, if I've got the Sport model with big wheels, discs and calipers, then that makes me King of the Road, right?

 

[JBell]

You could always sell it and buy an AG