R129 rims and ride - is bigger really worse?

[spinedoc]

Mike I have the same setup, other than a bad tire from Tirerack my setup runs very very smoothly for a 18" setup. Highly recommended!!

[Eddie Gilmartin]

I switched to Kumhos(Continental) from Falkens(Yokohama) recently and am very happy. I'm runninng 235-45-18 on spurious German alloys all round for nearly two years now. Yes the ride is harsher BUT THE GRIP IS IMMENSE. It is almost impossible to get the ESP light to flash anymore. And they look fantastic. At high speed on the twisty bits it's unbeatable.

[Eddie Gilmartin]

And by the way. I didn't need to roll the fenders, or any other mods.

[Stuart S]

I replaced the stock 16" wheels on my '93 600SL with 18" AMG Aero II style wheels and Bridgestone Potenza SO3 245-45 all around. To me, the increase in ride harshness (which really isn't that noticeable unless the road surface is pretty rough) is worth the dramatic improvement in handling and steering response.

Style is a matter of individual choice, but I prefer the AMG style over the stock 8-hole wheel.

The key to a smooth ride is a perfect balance, so find a shop with a Hunter GSP9700 balance machine and a technician who knows how to use it.

I tried to post an avatar picture in my signature and hope it shows up. I also tried to post the same picture in this email. My first time trying to do both, so if there are not pictures I would appreciate someone explaining how to do it. Thanks.

[Stuart S]

Well, obviously my picture didn't work since it is way too small. How do I post a larger picture? Thanks.
Stuart

[KenSilver]

Hi Stuart,

Hope you can get your picture up - will be good to see it.

Did you have a recommendation to run 245's all round instead of staggering and using 275's on the rear? Is handling compromised in any way because of the same size tires?

Someone earlier said that MB endorses the staggered sizes, and I'd like to confirm it before I buy mine.

Ken Silver
--------------
~1993 SL500, glistening blue-black on black leather, xenons.
~1991 Daimler, shiny grey on grey leather, best in country!
~1991 Miata MX5, sparkling BRG on tan leather, wife's (but my polishing)
~1992 Honda US s/wagon, black/grey
ex 350SL, 230E, 280E (and a lot of other makes not nearly as nice)

[jjrodger]

Originally posted by KenSilver
Someone earlier said that MB endorses the staggered sizes, and I'd like to confirm it before I buy mine.

MB recommends a staggered set-up with 18" wheels. If you specificy 18" AMGs as an optional extra when you purchase the car, MB supplies the staggered set-up; all of the MB alloy wheel brochures I have feature the staggered set-up only. A lot of MB cars feature a staggered set-up, too: SLK and CLK, in particular. It looks better, as well.

[KenSilver]

Thanks JJ.

One of the (many) questions I still have with larger rims is about the ride quality.

With the staggered set up, 275 on the back, the ride is going to get harder than with 245's all round - is this right? I'm basing this on a wider tire having a larger contact spot. Or does the larger wheel make the ride smoother?

It doesn't help that I'm trying to achieve a 16" wheel ride with the looks of the 18" I guess.


The other issue is wide tires and greater sensitivity, the tramlining effect. I found this when I went from 14" to 16" and 205 to 225 all round on my old 350SL.

The ride was markedly more sensitive and lacked the solid feel of control that I had with the standard wheels.

Of course, one of the reason was the older suspension geometry wasn't built for the bigger wheels. But the thought keeps coming back to haunt me every time I consider moving up to 18" on my SL500.

If I could find someone local who would let me demo theirs, that would be the clincher. I've already driven 17"s on a 1996 SL500 and found no great difference to my 16" - at least I couldn't detect it, so maybe it's a storm in a teacup. (Maybe I do tend to overanalyse, but there's lot of money at stake here!)

Ken Silver
--------------
~1993 SL500, glistening blue-black on black leather, xenons.
~1991 Daimler, shiny grey on grey leather, best in country!
~1991 Miata MX5, sparkling BRG on tan leather, wife's (but my polishing)
~1992 Honda US s/wagon, black/grey
ex 350SL, 230E, 280E (and a lot of other makes not nearly as nice)

[Stuart S]

Ken,

I didn't want to go with staggered wheels because you can't rotate them.

Still need help re: how to attach a picture to my post.

Stuart

[KenSilver]

Hi Stuart,

The rotation issue is an interesting one. I have special metric tire sizes on my Daimler (Jaguar Vanden Plas), and the tires are directional as well. The techies says that when they are rotated (only front with back, not x-ed) it sets up an imbalance because the wear rate is different at both ends.

Wonder if that applies to our R129 tires too?

For the photo, it looks like you're doing things correctly, as you had previously got your sig pic in the message area. All you have to do is make sure the sig photo is the larger version, but under 66k, before you attach the file.

Ken Silver
--------------
~1993 SL500, glistening blue-black on black leather, xenons.
~1991 Daimler, shiny grey on grey leather, best in country!
~1991 Miata MX5, sparkling BRG on tan leather, wife's (but my polishing)
~1992 Honda US s/wagon, black/grey
ex 350SL, 230E, 280E (and a lot of other makes not nearly as nice)

Could you advise what size tires you run on the 18" wheels?

marek

[jjrodger]

Most manufacturers (motor and tyre) recommend that you do not rotate tyres these days. I can't see that it makes much difference, but there you are.

MB specifies the following wheel and tyre combos in 18" sizes:

8J x 18 ET 31
245/40 R 18

8.5J x 18 ET 25
245/40 R 18

9J x 18 ET 35
RA (rear axle) 275/35 R 18

9.5J x 18 ET 23
RA 275/35 R 18

10J x 18 ET 25
RA 275/35 R 18

For instructions on how to post photos, do a search in Open Discussion. In short, you need a host site, eg fototime.com. You upload your photos to that site, which will give you a link to your picture. Then you put the link between {IMG} {/IMG} (where { is a [ square bracket) in the text of your post. Or save your picture in the size you want and attach it to the post, but make sure it is under 66k in size.

[KenSilver]

After all the answers to my question - thanks all! - and a lot of mulling around (unusual for me...I normally make quick decisions and stick to them), I have decided to stay with the original 16" for the time being.

Why? Well, a couple of reasons:

Firstly, now that I have the SL one colour after painting out the two-tone - and especially now that it is overall a wicked glistening blue-black, it has changed the whole look of the car totally. Everyone who saw the old combo of blue-black/grey is amazed at the new look. Even though this single color has put more emphasis on the wheels, they still look very nice and in balance with the body. I have the 8 hole style, and it's an attractive design too for my eyes.

Second, I have serious reservations about the ride if I went to bigger rims and low profiles. At the moment this car is smooth and silky, corners well and is exceptionally stable on the straight without any tramlining.

I'm going to lose all that if I go to 18".

In my younger days, I could trade off the discomfort of a larger wheel for the extra performance. Nowadays I just want a comfortable ride without extreme performance.

I mean - I still do 160km/hr and it's as smooth as glass, and corners like a dream at twice the posted speeds - so can it get any better than this for me?

But I do appreciate all the discussion this subject has raised, and it's helped me come to this decision much more easily.

So today, as a 'celebration' I put the spare which has severe rim rash into the paint shop with a request to make it look like new like the other 4 are. I'll have a complete match inside and out!

Ken Silver
--------------
~1993 SL500, glistening blue-black on black leather, xenons.
~1991 Daimler, shiny grey on grey leather, best in country!
~1991 Miata MX5, sparkling BRG on tan leather, wife's (but my polishing)
~1992 Honda US s/wagon, black/grey
ex 350SL, 230E, 280E (and a lot of other makes not nearly as nice)

[Eli (NJ)]

Ken, I think you made a good decision that is right for YOU. As an added benefit, you can rotate them any way you like. Also, there's something to be said for keepin an SL original appearing.

When I got mine, the Benz wheels were chromed and peeling. So when I got a good deal on the AMG's, it was a no brainer.

Good luck and enjoy. Eli.

Does anybody have any experience with 18” wheels and with a sport (lowered) suspension from Brabus or AMG?

Marek