Advice on alloys offset on W124?

[alloam]

Hi folks,

I just acquired a set of 8 hole original alloys (16x7.5) which have ET51. They were previously used on a W210. I want to put them on my W124 E280 estate which currently has steel rims. I'm in no hurry as I just bought a new set of Michelins for the steel rims but I have the alloys in hand for when the time is right... must use a lead foot to wear the suckers down!

However, will the offset be a problem. Reading back through the forum it seems that the offset for 16" wheels is usually around 38-40. Will I need spacers when I come to fit the wheels?

Advice gladly received.

Peter

 

[Ian B Walker]

My 16 Inch alloys have an ET of 40. With those I get 1/4 inch clearance between the tyre and the shock absorber. I would suggest that spacers may be needed but will probably alter your camber angles, therefore degrading the handling. Getting the Angles rectified at the Stealers costs £175 plus VAT. I do believe that there was a thread some time ago on the subject of spacers (either that or it was mentioned in a thread) and that they were not advised due to the extra load you would put on the wheel studs. I may be wrong and if so apologise.

 

[alloam]

My 16 Inch alloys have an ET of 40. With those I get 1/4 inch clearance between the tyre and the shock absorber.

Did you post a pic a while back with the alloys on your W124? If so, they are the exact same design - strange that the offset is different. I figured I would need to put them on and see what the clearance is - but it sounds as though they may just foul the shocks.

I'll need to go back and check out the stuff on spacers, they seem to be pretty frequently used for aftermarket alloys, but I can see that too large a spacer will require camber adjustment.

Hmm... lots to think about.

Peter

 

[Ian B Walker]

Good luck Peter, Just holla if you want a hand.


Ian

 

[alloam]

Ian, the guy who previously had these alloys had 205/55 tyres fitted which is what I was planning to do. Those are narrower than yours, right?

How much of a difference do you think that will make?

Peter