18 or 19 inch wheels - comfort

[jmarkha1]

I have a W212 AvantGarde suspension with 17 inch wheels - 8.5 x 17 all round.
The tyres are all 245/45/17 = Avon ZV7
I would describe the ride as firm but very comfortable.

However - the wheels to me look a bit small for the proportions of the car and am thinking about changing them to an 18 inch wheel - probably 8.5 and 9.5 on rear.
There are several wheels in 19 inch that also appeal but I have concerns about how the lower profile tyres may affect comfort - any experience of changing wheels and tyre profiles?

I would need to go from 17/45 - to 18/40 or 19/35 profiles.

 

[KennyN]

I swapped the 18`s for !9`s on my CLS , looked much better but it spoiled the ride making it harsh and noisy on all but the smoothest of roads wherever they may be.

Worth considering prior to spending the ££££.

Kenny

 

[renault12ts]

The ride will be harsher, no doubt.

The actual profile of the tyres will depend on the widths front and rear.

 

[AndyRC]

If you do go 19s worth considering the noise rating of the tyre too. I’ve found Continentals on numerous cars to be very noisey on anything but very smooth tarmac. I had Dunlop SportMaxx on a TT and there was virtually no tyre noise at all.

 

[ph47mf]

Mine is on 18s and comfort level is not good enough for my 5 and 8 year olds. However this could be down to the AMG trim suspension.

 

[st13phil]

Having driven W212’s on 16, 17, 18 and 19-inch rims I agree with all the above: as the rim diameter increases so does harshness and tyre noise. Interestingly, I tend to notice how much plusher the ride is on a smaller wheeled car more than how much harsher it gets going the other way.

The difference between 17’s and 18’s isn’t as much as you may think, but 19’s really are much firmer. Personally, I’d be inclined to stick to the 17’s or 18’s if you really must. Remember that you’ll be going to a staggered setup if you go bigger than 17’s which means you can’t swap fronts to rear to even out the wear. FWIW I’d avoid 19’s.


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[jmarkha1]

thanks for all the advice - its a tough one - the flat sided W212 would look really well with a wheel arch filled with a nice AMG wheel in 19 or 18 but I really like the comfort on these 17s.
maybe best bet is 18s with Dunlop SportMaxx or similar or dry my eyes and stick with the 17s

 

[Rich H]

I have been looking into having a second set of wheels for winter tyres. My current wheels are 18's. One plan was 19's for the summer and 18's for the winter. While looking for second hand genuine MB wheels I have seen a lot of cracked and repaired 19's but not 18's. Apparently there is no issue with having 1 or 2 good quality repairs but there is no reason why they wouldn't crack again. My current plan is a second set of 18's.

 

[ace8800]

Ive just moved from 18" to 19".. road noise has increased but ride quality is only a tad harsh. I bought alloys seperate and wrapped them in Bridgestone Potenzza S001 RFTs. 225/40/19 & 255/35/19. What i did not know till i changed the wheels was my car had non RFTs on with no spare or inflator in the boot .

 

[Ultrarep]

Hi I recently bought anE250AMG sport on AMG19inch alloys.

I was ready with my dentist on standby to re fit all my fillings as expected it to be very harsh, but have been very pleasantly surprised!
Car rides well grips like nothing I have driven and although a little harder than my old S211 320 is very very acceptable and I now do not know what I was worried about as over all I love the feel of it.

It is more forgiving that I expected by a good margin having read all the horror stories.

If not sure try and drive one so you be certain for your self on those rims
As everyone has different views and different feeling of whats good or bad for them

Have to say thogh they really set off the whole car and I love my new to me S212!

 

[jmarkha1]

View attachment 76972 Ive just moved from 18" to 19".. road noise has increased but ride quality is only a tad harsh. I bought alloys seperate and wrapped them in Bridgestone Potenzza S001 RFTs. 225/40/19 & 255/35/19. What i did not know till i changed the wheels was my car had non RFTs on with no spare or inflator in the boot .

that looks very smart with the multi-spokes -

 

[jmarkha1]

Hi I recently bought anE250AMG sport on AMG19inch alloys.

I was ready with my dentist on standby to re fit all my fillings as expected it to be very harsh, but have been very pleasantly surprised!
Car rides well grips like nothing I have driven and although a little harder than my old S211 320 is very very acceptable and I now do not know what I was worried about as over all I love the feel of it.

It is more forgiving that I expected by a good margin having read all the horror stories.

If not sure try and drive one so you be certain for your self on those rims
As everyone has different views and different feeling of whats good or bad for them

Have to say thogh they really set off the whole car and I love my new to me S212!

Ultrarep - what size tyres do you have fitted on the 19 inch rims - have read that certain tyres are notably noisier - looking at tyre websites some are rated at 74db and others 69 but would not have thought that would be noticeable?
maybe just need to bite the bullet and buy some - maybe keep the 17s for the winter...

 

[Smart320]

Big difference between 74 and 69 db, exponential curve I think they call it, not a straight line

 

[190]

Sound levels are measured on a logarithmic basis only because the ratio of sound pressure levels that the human ear can safely cope with is so large at approx. 1 million. This equates to 120 dB.

1 dB is the smallest change in sound level that is just perceptible so the difference between 74 and 69 db will be easily noticed but it's not huge.

 

[knockerblip]

I swapped the 18`s for !9`s on my CLS , looked much better but it spoiled the ride making it harsh and noisy on all but the smoothest of roads wherever they may be.

Worth considering prior to spending the ££££.

Kenny

I am just looking at doing the same thing so your experience is interesting. On balance would you have stuck with the 18”. What size of tyres did you have on the 18’s and 19’s??

 

[KennyN]

I am just looking at doing the same thing so your experience is interesting. On balance would you have stuck with the 18”. What size of tyres did you have on the 18’s and 19’s??

18" - 245 / 45 / 18 Evergreens , 275 / 40 / 18 Continentals

19" - 245 / 40 / 19 Avons , 275 / 35 / 19 P Zeros.

If i had bought the car with the 19`s then i would have excepted it but with back to back driving the 19`s were noticeably more noisy on all but the smoothest roads.

All my driving is town stuff so no big dramas but if i was on the motorway daily it would have been an issue . but the car did look much nicer with the 19`s.

Kenny

 

[Gbrowncls55]

Moved from 17s to18s on my wife's SL and it ruined the ride. Looked better though. Low noise rating is always my priority on tyres for any car with big rims. Dunlop sport max or Goodyear as3 are significantly quieter imho.

 

[KennyN]

Just as an addition to my previous post .

I now have a BMW with 19`s which has P Zero runflats plus it also has the M Sport suspension , which should be a recipe for tinnitus but it is still quieter than the W219 CLS on 19`s when on the motorway as , again , they were both driven back to back.

Possibly a set Continentals on the CLS would have quietened it down a bit ?

Kenny

 

[Benzmanc]

My SL came with 19s from the factory and imo the ride is better than my old E class cab on 17s although the SL does have adjustable dampers. You could always fit slightly softer springs with the 19s to compensate for ride quality

 

[jmarkha1]

Based on all the comments here (thanks)

I reckon 18s will be a good compromise for comfort and also aesthetics.
The current tyres do not have the best noise values (Avon zv7 )
I also want to fit staggered setup _ 8.5 and 9.5
Will probably look at Goodyear asym 2 tyres in 285 and 245 widths _ they have a 70db noise rating and have decent reviews as well as being a Mercedes recommended tyre for the car.
Will share pics if and when i finally buy them...