EVO II on 300E

I'm considering putting Evolution IIs on my 93 300E. They are 7.5x17 and have a 34mm offset. Will they fit my car without requiring any extra fender/suspension work? What size tire would work best on this size rim to give me the best ride and "look"? Thanx!

[Chiragp]

They will fit perfectly fine within the wheels arch of the 300E. However, thee offsets are 37, not 34. If you have a choice of color, I always suggest the titanium finish on black, silver, grey, and pearl white MB cars. Every other color, go with the polished finish. I know bekkers (www.bekkers.com) has them for $329. Now the only problem you might meet is rubbing. The size to upgrade to is 225/45/17. Sometimes the 225s rub against the fender is the offset is not perfect, or that the car maybe lowered, or even a little out of alignment. I would call tirerack and let them know that you have AMG 17x7.5 ET 37 6 spokes which are dimensionally exactly alike to the AMG 5 spoke 170 17x7.5 ET 37 off the SLKs. Let them know you want tires for the car and want to make sure that the 225/45/17 do not rub.

Your next option will be tires. I personally chose the Pirelli P7000 SuperSport All-Season because they wear much better then the other tires. However, If you want all out performance, then i suggest getting the Michelin Pilot Sport. The michlein's run about $230 each, while the Pirelli's run at about $130. Also the pirelli may say All-season, but don't expect All-Season capability besides a little slush or light snow covered. For a tire in this category, All-season means very little.

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99 Mercedes-Benx ML 430 V8 w/custom TV, Video, UHF, speaker system
93 190E 2.6
2001 C240 V6 - maybe

[Lee Scheeler]

You should be able to get away with 225/45/17 provided the wheel offset is correct. Also make sure you get new lug bolts with the new wheels...

You may not want to go with the Pirelli P7000's. I'd recommend the Michelin Pilot Sport for handling, the Yoko AVS Sport for budget handling, and the Dunlop SP9000 for ride/quiet handling balance/tradeoff. If long treadwear or snow/slush traction is high on the priority list then a 225/50/16 tire wheel combo is a better bet with a more tame (michelin Pilot XGT Z4) tire. On stock suspension the 225/50/16's are already more grip than what it was designed to deal with. For pure looks the 17"s will do well but tires made in that size are biased for performance traits more than treadwear/snow traction/etc.

Hope this helps...Lee