Folks,

I am in the process of upgrading my 300 D, 1980 to 16” rims. 16-inch rims come in two sizes; 7.5” and 8”. Why two sizes? Pros and cons? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Reza

I'd go with the 16x7.5 unless you plan on fitting gonzo wide rubber or really pushing the car with its new shoes. As for what the max size is in that scenario, I'll defer to Luke and the gang from Tirerack.

Hope this helps...Lee

Lee,

Thanks for your reply. I am planning on installing 215/60 R16. I hope it does not rub. Does a tire fit better on 7.5 or 8? Why does it matter what the width of the rim is ? Thanks.

Reza

SunDance - A mismatch between tire width and the width of your rims is critical if one wants to avoid a distorted tire contact patch with the road surface. If you will go to the 4th posting below yours that has the topic of "Which Tires for 18" Brabus Monoblock IV for 2000 E430" and then scroll down to my posting (believe it is the 8th one down), you will find a discussion regarding properly sizing tire width vs. wheel rim width for optimum tire performance.

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Fred Prickett
85 500 SEL, 241,500 mi
90 5.0 Mustang LX conv.

Fred,

Thanks a lot for educating me. Based on your input a 215 tire is 8.5 inches wide, therefore an 8” wide rim would be a better match than 7.5”. When you go to Yokohama site, for a 215 they require the rim to be 6.0” to 7.5”. What am I missing here?

Reza

SunDance - I can't speak for Yoko. Mistakes are made all the time, typos in catalogs, etc. The world abounds in misinformation, and its all too prevalent. I'd challenge them on it. Far too narrow a rim for that tire. Adios.

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Fred Prickett
85 500 SEL, 241,500 mi
90 5.0 Mustang LX conv.

I just had a quick question, what is your stock tire size?

Second, To the best of my knowledge, anything wider then a 7.5" wide rims will rub inside. It is a good point to match up the tire width to the rim width to the best of your abilities. However, you should be perfectly fine with a 16x7.5. The concerns mentioned below are more for deciding between 18x10 and 18x8.5, if you get the jist of what I am trying to say. I would call TireRack and ask for Luke or Sahne, because they are both aware of the this forum and will be able to help you.

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Chirag (Charlie) Patel

99 Mercedes-Benx ML 430 V8 w/custom TV, Video, UHF, speaker system
93 190E 2.6 w/ an amp, equalizer, and CD-changer, integrated w. stock stereo for integrated cellular phone speaker system
2001 C-Class - Maybe

One of the best sizes to use would be a 205/55/16, both because it will maintain the correct overall diameter 24.9" verses 24.7" stock, and the size will fit well under the fenders with a 7.5" wide wheel. Be cautious when going wider on the front, as you probably noticed, the space inside the front fender is reletively limited. We have had some reports of customers using 8" wheels and 225/50/16 in the front and having rubbing problems.