I am thinking about get a over-sized wheel/tire combo on my '92 400SE, what are some of the things I should be aware of??

I am thinking about put a set of 18"+ wheels(but possible 20"). Any help appreciated.

Dear my friend AKRY,

Watch out for POTHOLES! A 20 inch rim is a serious large sized rim with almost no room left over for your tire sidewall. It is all rim and very little tire. In my humble opinion, 19 and 20 inch rims are for show cars and should never be bolted on a serious road racer or daily driver. A daily driver will be noisy and extremely bumpy and denting the rim made more easily because there is no or little cushion between POTHOLES and the rim. Hey man, oversized rims look great, but don't fall for the advertising or the hype. Doing a plus-3 and over upgrade calls for some serious modifications to the fender and fender wells and may require fender extensions. You probably will need to upgrade shocks/struts, springs and swar bars. Hope it works out for you! Take care AKRY!

Akry,
The rule of thumb is that the "plus 1" upgrade will have the most grip and the "plus 2" sometimes will have the best slalom time. Going beyond that the suspension is not matched to the tires. Most manufacturers do consider the wheels/tires part of the suspension. You simply cannot capitalize on the more aggressive wheel/tire setup on stock suspension.

It all depends on what you are looking for. If you want to cruise (abeit uncomfortably) instead of get the best handling, then the 19" or 20" are the obvious choice. If your looking for the best handling, and want to keep as much of the W140's comfort as possible, then go with a plus 1 or at most, the plus 2.

The larger diameter wheel and/or tire you buy, the cost goes up exponentially. So too does your risk for accidental damage. Curbs, potholes, debris, etc make for a much larger (and hence more expensive) risk of damage. Repairing wheels is certainly doable, and economical vs replacement, with someone like Rennsport. The hassle of downtime while they are being repaired/repainted combined with the "stress" of watching out for every little imperfection on the road are both things to consider carefully.

Hope this helps...Lee

Lee & Kevin,

Thnx for the tips. Guess I will go for 18". Which AMG wheels look best on W140?? I like Monoblock, but it seems just too popular. And I want something that will stand out......

Thnx in advance...

If you find the AMG "blocks" too commonplace you can always browse the Carrlson line at tirerack or the Brabus line. Some of the Brabus wheels should be pictured on our Brabus page, and I'm sure you are familiar with Tirerack's "wheelrack" software.

Happy Shopping...Lee

Dear AKRY,
Also check out www.sprewellracing.com/mb.htm
owned by NBA Knick Latrell Sprewell. There are very good pictures of Carlsson, Brabus etc. wheels on many Mercedes model.

AKRY, I forgot one other great site. Go to www.dazzmotorsports.com for Brabus, Carlsson, and Lorinser etc.