215’s on 15” 8-holes?! E420 help - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

AtlBenz · #1 10-16-2003, 11:45 AM

I have a 94 E420 and need new tires. I am running the factory 195/65's on the 15" 8-holes. After searching around the Wheels & Tires section I am still unclear. Most people say to go with 205/60's but the selection of tires isn’t as good as say the 205/65. Plus, apparently, the V8 W124s need a bit of sidewall thus 65 series tires. Now I read about people putting 215s on 15" wheels....which I assume are 6-6.5" wide. Can this be done with no repercussions? I am all about contact patch and if 215s are good, then heck I'll do it.

BTW I want V rated tires.

The Continental ContiExtemes struck my fancy but only come in 205/65VR15.....which is fine unless I want 215.

The Yoko's dB S2s come in all the size flavors so they're an attractive option.

Luke@tirerack · #2 10-17-2003, 09:05 AM

any of these sizes would work fine

195/65-15
205/60-15
215/60-15

tire search

DuckMuck · #3 10-17-2003, 12:15 PM

I have ran Bridgestone Potenza RE950 215/60HR15's on a '95 E420 with the stock rims...works great with no problems...

AtlBenz · #4 10-17-2003, 04:58 PM

Awesome guys, 215s should look great.

Now, 215/65's have an overall diamerter of about 26". 215/60 series are approx 25"...which is the same as the stock 195/65's, or the 205s in both 60, and 65.

Do the heavier V8s..which as I understand it, have different suspensions than the I6's really need 65's tires? If its best to run 65's, will the larger overall diameter mess things up too much?

or maybe I should just shut up and buy the 215/60's

DuckMuck · #5 10-17-2003, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AtlBenz
or maybe I should just shut up and buy the 215/60's

YES!!!

ksing44 · #6 10-17-2003, 07:26 PM

If you get 215/60/15s and your stock tire was 195/65/15, then the overall diameter is about the same for both set-ups. Since your wheel diameter has not changed, you actually end up with about the same sidewall with both configurations. That is the idea! Your sidewall only starts to reduce when you increase the diameter of the wheel and then reduce the sidewall of the tire to retain the same overall diameter of the wheel and tire together. When you go to larger rims, you have to decrease the sidewall, but you usually increase the width of the tire so that you end up with the about the same volume of air supporting your car. That is why you can run OEM pressure in an appropriate tire that is mounted on a larger 16" or 17" rim.

Maybe Luke should give you an education.

ke6dcj · #7 10-17-2003, 09:35 PM

The proper size for a stock 195/65R15 is either 205/55R16 24.9" OD) or 215/55R16 (25.3" OD), which is VERY close to the stock 25-inch diameter.

Only the 500E has a stock diameter of 26-inches (225/55R16) since it shares the ABS and drivetrain from a 500SL.

:-) neil
1988 360TE AMG
1993 500E

deanyel · #8 10-18-2003, 04:23 PM

I understood you were keeping your 15 inch wheels. Your 195/65s are 24.98" in diameter, i.e. ((195 / 25.4 * .65 * 2) + 15).

205/65/15 are 25.492", or + 2.0%
205/60/15 are 24.685", or - 1.2%
215/60/15 are 25.157", or + 0.7%

So the 215s are actually the closest to the original size. I have tried all three and they all work fine. It's just a matter of personal preference. I like 205/65s, keep the good ride, taller gearing (I always seem to be looking for taller gearing), and for some reason they seem to be cheaper, at least than the 60s.

Bob C. · #9 10-20-2003, 07:17 PM

Atl,

You mentioned that you prefer a V rated tire. I use an H rated in this size as my summer tire on my '92 300E 4M (on stock rims) with excellent results: Dunlop Sport A2s. A nice tire, at a good price, from TireRack.

Regards,
Bob