Hello,

I have a few questions about tires for my 90' 300e. The tires on the car now are worn out so therefore I must replace them. Currently I have 195/65/15 Mich MXV4's on the car.
Basically here are my questions:

1. What are some larger tire sizes I can fit on the stock 15 inch rims?..What is the largest size?

2. If I went to a plus 1 (16*7.5) wheel what would be the corresponding tire sizes I should use

3. How would a 16*7.5 in wheel w/ a 35mm offset look- Would it stick out past the fenders or would it be flush.

4. Would I experience any rubbing w/ a 16 in wheel. How about 17 in. (Suspension is stock for now)

Thanks allot in advance for all the help.

Best regards,
Peter

Peter,
On the OEM wheels you can fit 205/60/15 (which is OEM Sportline size) or 215/60/15. There are some good tires available in both those sizes.

Your best wheel/tire option would be a switch to 16x7.5 rims with 225/50/16 rubber. 225 is the widest section width you can fit in normal (non-W124.036) fenders. The 225/45/17's will be much more harsh, sensitive to road hazards, expensive, etc. Plus they will not really buy you any extra handling as the suspension cannot take advantage of the lower/stiffer sidewall. In 225/50/16 you have many excellent tires in all performance categories. Put a set of 225/60/16's (from Tirerack of course) on my 93 400E and it transformed the car.

Tirerack will only sell you a wheel with the correct offset for your application. (car's + given wheel/tire size) You may want to take a look at their "WheelRack" program. It can show you what any of their wheels that will fit your application will look like on your exact model/color car. A couple size searches on the 15" and 16" sizes may also help. I don't know what your priorities are as far as Tires go but in different sizes I would recommend different tires. In general, you cannot go wrong with Michelin. For more exact info you can call/click Tirerack to talk with their staff regarding recommended fittments based on your priorities. Of course, we are more than happy to talk that stuff over with you here as well.

Hope this helps...Lee

Lee,

Just out of curiosity, how much of a difference is there between the 215/60/15 and the 225/50/16? Currently running the 215's on stock wheels, and while I'm not planning on replacing the wheels anytime soon, I was just wondering how much the extra size adds to the handling.

thanks,
anthony

anthonyb,
I'm not sure how much measureable grip there is between 215/60/15 and 225/50/16. There will be a significant gain, but it is hard to quantify exactly. You could get wide variance between tire brands, models, etc between the two sizes.

What I can tell you from personal experience is how much better road feel, response, and overall control you get with the wheel tire combo. The 215 section width is on the wide side for the OEM wheel width. By going to 16x7.5 with 225/50/16 you get both the wider footprint on the pavement, and a steadier base for that footprint. This seems to really help the dive/squat/roll, transient response, and of course the overall grip. Another party bonus is that you get more handling feedback of what the contact patches are doing.

If you asked me what one upgrade would make the biggest performance difference on a W124 the answer would be a swap to 16x7.5's with 225/50/16 rubber. Putting Sportline spec tires on a W124 is a good intermediate step as well, but ask Mike Mullins what a difference going to the 225's made on his 400E. Picking a tire to suit your tastes should be easy with size 225/50/16. There is a wide variety of tires to choose from at reasonable prices given their size/performance level. From mild (Michelin Pilot XGT H4) to wild (P-Zero, Pilot MXX3, etc) you should be able to find something that suits your driving priorities.

Hope this helps...Lee

Hmm. Interesting - I'd never really thought much about how keeping the same wheel width (while changing tire sizes) would affect handling. Thanks, some good food for thought.

anthony

Peter

The 16 X 7.5, ET35, is a perfect fit. It does not stick out. It looks like a factory delivered setup. Avoid RW wheels. Borbet is good. Have fun.

This is the only thread I found that addresses this question I have.

I have a 1991 300TE with stock 15" wheels. The tires that came with the car are Continentals and are just about worn out.

My question is: should I get an agressive ( and wider) all-season tire to fit the 15" wheels, or get snow tires for the factory wheels and upgrade to 16" wheels with good hi-performance "summer" tires.

For winter driving I've considered the same tires I have on my SD...Michelin Pilot XGT H4's, or will these be too noisy on a W124?

Any thoughts appreciated.

Thanks, Bob

__________________
Bob Roe
Lehigh Valley PA USA
1973 Olds 88, 1972 MB 280SE, 1978 Datsun 280Z, 1971 Ford T-Bird, 1972 Olds 88, 1983 Nissan Sentra, 1985 Sentra, 1973 230.6, 1990 Acura Integra, 1991 Volvo 940GLE wagon, 1983 300SD, 1984 300SD, 1995 Subaru Legacy L wagon, 2002 Mountaineer, 1991 300TE wagon, 2008 Murano, 2007 R320CDI 4Matic 52K, some Hyundai, 2008 BMW 535xi wagon, all gone... currently
2007 Honda Odyssey Touring, 2014 E350 4matic

Bob,

You may want to consider what I did: For my winter wheels, I fitted 205/60-15 Nokian WRs. These are Nokian's replacement for the venerable NRWs.

(I do only weekend driving in the snow, and then only the last leg of a trip to Tahoe, so most of my driving is dry.)

The WRs performed well in the snow, but the big surprise was how nicely they peformed on the highway. I suspect, you'd be content with these tires all year round

I bought them from Meadow Creek tire in Denver. They shipped them directly to my favorite shop for installation. George's prices are fair and he's a gentleman. Ring him at 1-800-222-7360.

All my other tires I buy from TireRack, but as they still don't have Nokians, I had to look elsewhere. Consider this another request to TireRack to offer Nokians.

__________________
'94 E500 Anthracite
'92 300E 4Matic (donated to charity)
'90 300TE 4Matic

Bob, the Nokian web site doesn't show this size.

http://www.nokiantires.com/html/WR.html

Curiously, it seems that Nokian only lists out their truck/SUV sizes for the WRs on the web site. They do produce the WR in passenger car sizes, however. (I know, I've got them!) Perhaps just ring up George at Meadow Creek Tire, or call Nokian directly at 1-800-565-2525.

__________________
'94 E500 Anthracite
'92 300E 4Matic (donated to charity)
'90 300TE 4Matic

Bob,
Do you recall how much you paid for the Nokians?
Thanks, Bob

It figures, right after posting this, that I found this website:

http://meadowcreektire.com/nokian/

This site lists a whole bunch of sizes, including a "RF" ... I'm assuming this is a run flat ... hmmm...

I didn't see any prices, though.

My 88 300ce has 15x7 wheels & I am not planning on getting 16" wheels. My question is whether to get 205/60 tires rated 90H, or 215 /60 tires rated 93H. The PO had 225/60/15, rated 96H, and they rub over bumbs. Thanks.

__________________
87 300e (white/black; amg body kit)
88 300ce (red/cream; amg body kit)
93 300ce cabrio (white/blue/blue top)
93 300ce cabrio (black/grey/black top)
98 ml 320 (totaled @ 137,000 miles)
99 clk320 (black/grey/black top)