20" Rims on a W140 S-Class....

[chodecz]

Hi guys,

Now some of you might object to my taste, but I want to put 20" rims on a W140 (when I find a good one to buy).

Are there any pitfalls in fitting such large rims? Personally I think they suit the car just right, 17"s or 18"s just look too small for such a mammoth car.

I'm not looking to get some cheap boy racer alloys, or some tacky looking Kahns I've seen on some W140's.

MB has a standard 5 stud pattern, yes? What offset does the W140 have? What tyre size should I go for, I would want low profile tyres - will this make the ride unbareable??

I've attached a photo of the 20" rims I want to get..

Please, any advice will be greatly appreciated (even if you do disagree with my taste)!

 

[andy_cyp]

Not too sure about the ofset for those wheels but i must admit those brabus wheels do look nice on that particular s class but im not a friend of the chrome bling wheels, standard alloys/silver would suit the car more imho.

Either way good look on your search for a nice clean set.

 

[graeme73s]

Hi don't know if this is of any help but here we go.
First of all the chrome wheels in my opinion look sh*te but after all thats individual taste.
Here's some pics of my SV12 on 19" Brabus wheels running 285/35/19 rear and 255/40/19 front. Beware that the wheel arches have been rolled for extra clearance.
http://www.benzworld.org/gallery/showgallery.php/cat/13647/page/1/ppuser/45840
all the best Graeme.

 

[chodecz]

I found these: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/20-O...960QQitemZ330101097479QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW
, they look a bit shabby but will 45 offset be okay, as the official offset should be 35, please let me know, thanks.

 

[Howard]

Hi there ,

It says US shipping only .... to ship to the UK is going to cost as much as the wheels are ( if the guy is willing to do it anway ) ...

The wheels are pretty bashed by the sound of things, and when chrome starts peeling, nothing will stop it .....

Do you really want to risk your money on these ?

 

[chodecz]

Well I buy heavy subwoofers from the US, and they weigh anything upto 20kg.. surely one 20" alloy with tyre wouldn't weigh more than 20kg!? How much would it weigh btw.??

If I was to buy 4 alloys, i'd have them shipped in 4 seperate packages. And judging from the prices of just about everything else, i'll probably save money by buying from the US. If anyone thinks I won't and kows where I can find them cheaper in the UK, please let me know.

Thanks for your input so far guys.. one last thing, what about the offset being 45, I read 20" needs to be 35 for the w140. Could I just use a 10mm spacer???

 

[david_h]

18 or 19" look so much better in wide fitment.

The above is 18x10" fronts, 18x12.5" rears.

 

[Shude]

Thanks for your input so far guys.. one last thing, what about the offset being 45, I read 20" needs to be 35 for the w140. Could I just use a 10mm spacer???

I don't know where you read that but offset has nothing to do with wheel diameter.

Also your car will look ridiculous on 20" rims if you don't lower it, in that picture you posted the car has clearly been lowered - that's why it looks good

 

[rajinder_1]

hi,
Chrome rims are a personal choice, i have some 18" on a c class, and to be honest i dont think i would buy any again, partly due to the care needed to look after them. ( i put them on 3-4 yrs ago...)
but on a w140 i would not go for the brabus rims and look more towards the antera range, a friend of mine had 20" anteras on a w140 coupe and they looked really nice.

Raj

 

[Chris Murray]

A chap bought these from us last week. They are the ultralight forged "Segin" wheel as fitted to the 600 models of the 220 and 215.

 

[Dieselman]

18 or 19" look so much better in wide fitment.

The above is 18x10" fronts, 18x12.5" rears.

Looks like the poor sod spent all his money on wheels and couldn't afford any springs..

 

[Dieselman]

Also your car will look ridiculous on 20" rims if you don't lower it, in that picture you posted the car has clearly been lowered - that's why it looks good

I like the look of the first picture but not chrome wheels. Find an alloy in bright silver with an open space design, lower the car and this could look good, but only on the right colour car.

 

[chodecz]

Thanks for your input guys, I agree that chrome does look tacky on quite a few cars I've seen, but done right and it can look very nice indeed.

That slammed S-Class looks very euro, like many Golfs/Polos etc. I've seen in tuner mags. I don't think the S-Class is quite a tuner car. It's a huge car and doesn't look right being slammed. That's my 2 cents worth, anyway.

 

[MBManInKen]

Looks like the poor sod spent all his money on wheels and couldn't afford any springs..

LOL!!

I'll commit an act of heresy (especially dangerous on this forum I presume ) and confess that I think all these ludicrously large and thin wheels look absolutely ridiculous.

I find that cars look far better the way they come out of the factory (well, apart from vauxhalls that is ).

So, I'm curious (really, not winding you lot up ): what is it that makes people put all these plastic trims and oversized, too wide wheels on their cars?

I used to have a W140 but I would not be seen dead in this one

 

[MBManInKen]

A chap bought these from us last week. They are the ultralight forged "Segin" wheel as fitted to the 600 models of the 220 and 215.

Much better than the previous example, but I think the wheels still look out of proportion - breaks the overall balance of the car's lines IMHO. But then again, I'm a heretic

 

[chodecz]

Can anyone offer me advice as to what tyre size I should choose. Should I go for the same tyres all round, or have wider ones at the back (like I've seen on many cars)??? What advantages/disadvantages are there of having wider rear tyres??

I know 20" rims aren't going to offer the same ride quality as smaller sizes, but what profile should I get in order to make the ride bareable?.. I've looked at either 30 or 35 aspect ratio tyres. With 255 to 285 width.

Any info will be greatly appreciated.

P.S. I've just noticed some 19" alloys for sale with this tyre setup.. :-S
FRONT WHEEL: 19 X 8.5" WITH 255/40/19.
REAR WHEEL: 19 X 9.5" WITH 285/35/19
Why have lower profile at the back!?? Surely that will unbalance the car!?

 

[Chris Murray]

Same size allround= cheaper and you can rotate tyres front/rear for uneven wear characteristics.
I'd use 255/35 allround or optional 285/30 rear.

 

[chodecz]

So 35 at front and 30 at rear!? Wouldn't different cause problems???

I've added you to my MSN ([email protected]), cud we have a quick chat there?

 

[Dieselman]

The sidewall profile is a percentage of the tyre width, so a 255/35 = 89.25m and 285/30 = 85.5mm
So 4mm difference in height of sidewall.
295/30 might be a better match at 88.5mm

 

[trooper]

The W140 is one of the only cars that make 20" rims look normal

I like the ones in the original post.

I have the regular 16" rims which are very small by todays standards but I can't be bothered to spend a bunch of cash on new wheels and tyres. I also like the spngy handling and comfort that the high side walls give me.