CLK Aftermarket Wheels and Tyres.

[Bam Bam]

I've just come back to Mercedes ownership after a 2 year fling with a racy Italian, anyhow that's another story for another time, my reason for posting is to see if there is anyone on here who can advise me on the tyre size I need to fit a new set of aftermarket alloy wheels to a 99 Model W208 CLK 230K.

I've just ordered a set of 19" Replica Merc. alloys (replica because I nearly collapsed with shock at the dealer price), they are a staggered fitment meaning the fronts are 8.5J x 19" and the rears are 9.5J, fitment is correct for the car at 5 x 112 PCD and an Offset of 35mm.

What I want to know is what tyre sizes do I need for the rim sizes, I want to avoid the stretched look where the wheel rim actually sits further out from the car that the sidewall of the tyre, it wasn't by a great margin but I inherited this on a previous car and over time tiny stone-chipping appeared on the rim edge which was annoying, and I also didn't like that stretched look anyway. I do have a rough idea of what sizes I need and just want some confirmation or opinions from someone/anyone that has been there before me and knows the problem.

For the front I'm thinking 235/40/19
for the rears I'm thinking 265/35/19.

My questions are;

Do you think these sizes will avoid the stretched look I've mentioned above and do you think the clearances inside the wheelarches front and rear will be enough to prevent wheel scrubbing on the arch liners and tyres fouling the suspension components etc etc. front and rear.

The annoying thing is my brother had a 320 CLK fitted with a set of 19's a few years back, they looked absolutely beautiful but he can't remember the tyre sizes he had fitted.

All advice will be greatfully appreciated. Thanks.

 

[television]

Have a look on the chart.

http://www.alloywheelsdirect.net/information/fitting_chart

 

[100%Bitch]

Have a look on the chart.

http://www.alloywheelsdirect.net/information/fitting_chart

Hi Bam Bam, this is another great site for info and working out stuff like the rolling radii etc.

http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html#

 

[Bam Bam]

Thanks you two guys, I wasn't expecting any replies so quickly but I'm glad you have got back to me with your help.
That's an excellent reference site Television, it's gone straight into my Bookmarks and has confirmed mostly what I already knew.

100% Bitch ;-) I already had the CarBibles site but thanks anyhow for you reply, it's an excellent site and doesn't just apply to Merc. owners, everyone should have that site for reference as it covers everything you need to know.
The Tweel (Tyre and Wheel Hybrid) was an interesting concept by Michelin although scrapped now.

So I'm going for 8.5J x 19 on the front with 235/40 tyres and 9.5J x 19 on the rear with 265/35's.

This will increase the rolling radii by about 20mm front and back which will fill the arches out better but it will also knock the speedo out, when the speedo shows 70mph I'll actually be doing 74, I'm assuming around town at 30 I'll be doing just under 32, I can live with that.

Hopefully the tyres will not cause any fouling, I definitely want to aviod fitting spacers.

I'll let you know the outcome in a few weeks time when I get the car and maybe show you a few pics.

Thanks again for you help.

Jim.

 

[MIW615]

I'm in the process of changing wheels, where did you get the replica wheels from?

 

[Bam Bam]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=330144009387&rd=1&rd=1

See the above link from eBay, they are 19" Type4 Replicas, if you want the staggered fitment where the rears are 9.5J wide it is an extra £20 a wheel.

You get 2 x 8.5J fronts and 2 x 9.5J rears, Mercedes chrome centre caps and 20 Stainless steel wheel bolts. Although replicas they are not from the Far East, they are manufactured in Germany so they should have at least some quality to them and for the price I don't think you can get cheaper.
They cost £420 including next day postage.

 

[MIW615]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....MEWA:IT&viewitem=&item=330144009387&rd=1&rd=1

See the above link from eBay, they are 19" Type4 Replicas, if you want the staggered fitment where the rears are 9.5J wide it is an extra £20 a wheel.

You get 2 x 8.5J fronts and 2 x 9.5J rears, Mercedes chrome centre caps and 20 Stainless steel wheel bolts. Although replicas they are not from the Far East, they are manufactured in Germany so they should have at least some quality to them and for the price I don't think you can get cheaper.
They cost £420 including next day postage.

Thanks for that :grin:

 

[shadowninja]

£420!! Good price!

 

[Chris Murray]

Did you actually buy those tyre sizes?? They are incorrect.

 

[Bam Bam]

....Still just the wheels at the moment, they arrived yesterday and I'm looking into tyres later this coming week as I have a couple of days off work.

Your advice will be appreciated as you say I've quoted the wrong sizes, I'm going off what my brother *thinks* he had on his 320 CLK and a bit of research I've done myself.

The car at the moment is fitted with 8J x 18's with 225/40 tyres and for me they don't look big or wide enough hence 8.5J x 19 on the front and 9.5J on the rears, as for the tyres I've come up with;

Fronts at 235/40/19
Rears at 275/40/19

As well as the extra width these will give me there will be a small increase in overall diametre from the 35 series profile I was originally looking at. I know it will knock the speedo out slightly but at 30mph I'll be doing approx. 31.5 which I can deal with.

What sizes do you recommend. ?

Thanks,

Jim.

 

[Chris Murray]

235/35R19 front, 265/30R19 rear or
225/35R19 front, 255/30R19 rear
Don't fit anything else, it's not just about the 11% speedo correction. German tuners spend millions finding the optimum tyre sizes for various vehicles..

 

[Bam Bam]

Thanks Chris,

I'll go with your advice and post up some pics. when they finally go on the car.
Here's the car as it is now, to me the 18's with 225/40's on it all round look too small, the fronts are not too bad but the rears look small under the arches.

Thanks for you advice which is really appreciated.

 

[Chris Murray]

To optically fill the wheelarches, the wider rim and 265/30R19 tyre will help; so will lowering it.

 

[Bam Bam]

..Just thought I'd post up a few Pics. of the finished job,...finally got round to taking some photo's....it's taken me long enough. !!
Hope this info is of help to anyone thinking of going the same way as me.

Details;

AMG Type 4 Replicas, 5 x 112 PCD, 35mm Offset.

Front 8.5J x 19 with 235/35 Pirelli P Zero Rosso
Rear 9.5J x 19 with 265/30 Pirelli P Zero Rosso

Standard Springs and Shocks and as yey no problems regarding rubbing or scuffing of tyres although I havn't had a full load yet or really pushed the car to get a reaction.

Special thanks to Chris Murray who recommended this tyre set-up which I'm very pleased with. Hope you all like it.

Jim. ;-)

 

[High-Lo]

They look great well done!

 

[television]

Looks nice, whats next ?????

 

[Bam Bam]

...Thanks guys, What's next you ask, that's it, nothing more to do.
For peace of mind I'm going to get the Tracking done as the tyres are that expensive I don't want any premature wear.

I'm still not convinced I've corrected the humming noise on the front end, I was trying to convince myself it was tyre noise but I'm not so sure, replaced both front wheel bearings and I still get a slight whirring noise changing to a drumming noise on occasions...speed related as if there was a high spot on the tyre tread or a blister on the sidewall. Can't pinpoint it to O/S or N/S so I'll jack the front end up tomorrow and check the tyres are not fouling anything. Anyone any ideas. ?

Jim.

 

[FADEC]

That looks absolutely fantastic!!
I have wanted to see what those alloys would look like on a 208 for a while.
I have a silver CLK also and I am very impressed with your work! I also have been looking at fitting the original AMG parts but have been put off by the expense. I really thought that 19 inch wheels would either not fit, or look a little oversized, but your car looks the part. May I ask a few questions of you?

I have read on other threads that a non standard wheel size can affect the cruise control, have you experienced any problems?

I noticed that you mentioned that the speedo would be affected. With the final set up, have you noticed any change?

Has the ride/comfort been adversley affected by the change in undercarriage?

Good work!

 

[Bam Bam]

Hi FADEC,

Thanks for your compliments, in answer to your questions I'll go in order that you have asked.

Regarding the Cruise Control there has been no problems, I've checked it at varying speeds up to 80mph and maybe just over and it still works fine, I've never heard of this problem before until another user on here warned me as he experienced problems with his ML 4x4 but this has been fine. I'm assuming that since the "rolling radius" is the same meaning that the new wheels rotate at the same speed as the standard 16's there are no problems.

That also answers your 2nd question too, with no change in the rolling radius the speedo is unaffected.

Regarding ride comfort, yes there is a noticeable difference which is expected when going down to 35/30 Series profile tyres. Symptoms are a more harsh ride although it's not too bad as I've had worse in other cars I've owned, you may suffer increased tyre noise as you have a lot more rubber on the road and you will notice an increase in "Tramlining", where the cars front wheels and tyres tend to follow any deviations or ruts in the road surface as you are driving.

Long term negatives maybe an increase in suspension wear as the lower profile tyres don't *give* as much over the bumps as the bigger profile standard 55 Series sidewall making the suspension work harder.

Those are the negatives, the positives are better grip and handling and not forgetting the looks. ;-)

Thanks again,

Jim.