New alloys for my C320

[Ethan320CDI]

Hey, I have a C320 elegance with 17inch alloys And want to upgrade to buying new 18” Or 19” with wider rears.

Abit worried about getting 19’s incase it ruins the ride(due to less tyre)
But also worried 18’s won’t make much of a difference to the look of the car.

Also stuck on what alloys to purchase that would really make the car stand out

If any one could give me any advice would be appreciated

Thanks

 

[M80]

Which model do you have 203, 204, 205, saloon....?

My choice is to go down rather than up. Less rubber will mean a harder ride as you lose some of the pneumatic suspension effect. The 17" on my C320 estate (203) gave a nice ride though. In truth I didn't feel much difference between those and the 15" and 16" of my earlier 203's.

 

[Ethan320CDI]

Which model do you have 203, 204, 205, saloon....?

My choice is to go down rather than up. Less rubber will mean a harder ride as you lose some of the pneumatic suspension effect. The 17" on my C320 estate (203) gave a nice ride though. In truth I didn't feel much difference between those and the 15" and 16" of my earlier 203's.

Mines the w204 model. Id like to think 18’s with wider tears would be the best option for retaining the smooth ride but giving the car an aggressive stance.

 

[M80]

Going wider will see a fall off in fuel economy.

 

[John Laidlaw]

Stick with 17s , 18s might be ok just but please do not go 19 (you might not be able to anyway)
Put a more aggressive tyre on if you need to

 

[LostKiwi]

Definitely do not go to 19s on UK roads. You'll destroy tyres and rims with monotonous regularity and ruin the ride quality.
If you fit 18" in a staggered fitment it will probably give you what you want visually but you will get more road noise, especially with some tyres.

Make sure any rims you get are suitable for your car in terms of offset, width and bolt size.

 

[JBell]

A friend of mine sells wheels and has loads for a W204 in stock in staggered fit

Hyper Silver KR1052
8x18" ET42 & 8.5x18" ET45 5x112
£495 per set.

 

[Craiglxviii]

It’s usually recognised that 18” offers the best compromise between ride comfort and customer visual satisfaction. However, rule of thumb says that every inch increase in wheel diameter reduces perceived ride comfort by 10%.

10-15 years ago most cars had 15-16” wheels and the roads were in generally better condition to boot...

Those wheels JBell posted are lovely. Similar to the ones on my CL which are black painted with diamond cut faces.

 

[Wighty]

I'm a fan of nothing bigger than 17 (my winter sets are both 16's ) . This week with the rain after the cold spell , the road surfaces seem to have self destructed .
Those CL wheels above do look great though

 

[Craiglxviii]

I'm a fan of nothing bigger than 17 (my winter sets are both 16's ) . This week with the rain after the cold spell , the road surfaces seem to have self destructed .
Those CL wheels above do look great though

They do. They’re lovely. They’ve also suffered kerb rash too since that pic!!

 

[Wighty]

They do. They’re lovely. They’ve also suffered kerb rash too since that pic!!

Eeeek !!