Hello All:

Just received a new set of shoes for the E500: RH Alurad (German-made)Monoblock II style rims in 17x8 fronts and 17x10 rears. FYI the fronts weight 25lbs and the rears 30lbs - not very lightweight but Monoblocks are rather substantial.

RH is the OE supplier to Porsche and, according to the US distributor, they are negotiating with Mercedes to supply them as well. Their website provides the TUV reports on all wheel/tire combos that were tested and certified...this gave me a great deal of reassurance that the rim sizes, offsets, and tire sizes are going to fit properly.

Recommended tire sizes are 245/45R17 fronts and 275/40R17 rears...Pilot Sports are on order.

Dean,

Sounds like a nice setup! It'll be nice to have the extra rubber on the back...maybe keep the ASR out of your face a bit more. Hope everything works out!

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Best regards, Michael
'92 500E
'88 300TE

Lee,
Still trying to get all my ducks lined up and in the beginning of this thread Michael mentioned putting 8.25" or 8.5" X17 wheels on his 500E. What is different or needs to be changed on my '88 124 to get this large a setup in the fenderwells? Is the hub to hub distance the same and the lips rolled or is the rear slightly 'tubbed'?
Instead of a Vette diff thinking of using an
all aluminum 9" Ford with torsen diff! Better
variety of gear ratios available at decent prices and the best diff around.
TobiasMB
300SE, 300CE, 190/5.0

I am thinking of putting 18x8.5" O.Z. Futura Modular for my '93 500E. Does anyone know will be there be a problem of rubbing or any other problems I should be aware of?? Thanks for the help!

Newcomer Barry
PS- if u wanna check out the style of this particular OZ, you can go to www.tirerack.com

Barry,

That wheel set should fit no prob, as long as they're the correct offset.

Tobias,

The 500E has a wider track than a regular W124, and the fenders are flared a few inches. I don't think the rear fender wells were "tubbed" at all, as the additional rubber & track were covered by the fenders and other external body modifications. Also, all fenders are indeed rolled from the factory.

Hope this helps!

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Best regards, Michael
'92 500E
'88 300TE

Hello everyone:

Well, there were problems with the new monoblock-style rims. The 17x8 fronts (ET 35mm) fit perfectly and really fill up the wheelwell with 245/45YR17 Pilot Sports.

The 17x10 rears (ET 22mm) are a problem though. At the top of the tire, the sidewall protrudes about 20 mm outward, past the wheel arch. The tread is covered by the wheelwell but it still looks goofy.

I'm in negotiations with the supplier to exchange the rear rims for 17x9 (ET 29mm), which should bring the tires in 19mm. Apparently, the 9" rims will still accept my 275/40YR17 rear rubber.

Should I be concerned about mounting the big rubber on a 9" rim (will be doing some autocross and road rallying)?

Dean Albrecht
94 E500
99 ML320

I do know that 255/40 is no prob on an 8.5" rim, so 275/40 on a 9" will be fine.

Sorry about your less-than-desired outcome; good luck!

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Best regards, Michael
'92 500E
'88 300TE

Dean

Michelin recommends a minimum of 9" to a maximum of 11" for the 275/40-17. Your overall width should be around 10.8" on the 9" rim. By the way, since you are going to autocross the car, the tire weights about 27.3 lbs so a smaller (lighter) rim will help reduce unsprung weight a little. Good luck and let us know how you like the Sport.

Tommy

After reading the responses to this topic there are several different car models represented. I would be happy to respond to each model individually because, each model has specific needs and requirements. Please post your questions individually for your model.
Thanks, Luke

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Luke Pavlick
Performance Specialist (ASE Certified Master Tech)
The Tire Rack
(click banner at top of the page
to visit Tire Rack)

AS to the E500,
AMG wheels, specifically the monoblocks, they are only available in 17x8.5" for this model. If you want to run a staggered package from AMG you will need to use the AMG 3-piece wheels which are similar to the monoblock design but, in a multi-piece construction.
275/40-17 tires do fit on the 9" wheel size.
Hope this helps,
Luke

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Luke Pavlick
Performance Specialist (ASE Certified Master Tech)
The Tire Rack
(click banner at top of the page
to visit Tire Rack)

Hi everyone,
I heard that wheels made of magnesiun are pretty light. But I also heard that they are not as tough/durable. So far I have only seem them fitted on light cars such as lotus. Is it wise to put them on MBs?

Thanks!

Aside from being fragile and expensive to manufacture, I understand magnesium wheels are also porous and tend to lose air at inopportune moments. Perhaps thats why they haven't been OEM since the 60's.

Mg is about a third lighter than forged alumium for the same strength. But mg corrode easily that makes it not suitable for general road usage. If you never drive on salted road and are willing to clean/wax the wheels regularly (inside and outside), mg wheels should be ok.

Since manufacturing methods and material composite have more to do with how strong the wheels are, it is difficult to predict the physical durability of the wheels. As with all wheels buy the best you can afford.