HELP! What size wheels tyres?

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zahid

New Member
Joined
May 5, 2003
Messages
18
Location
West Midlands
Car
Mercedes 300E 4MATIC
HELP
I have a 300ce 1989. I am looking to chnge the wheels for larger items. It currently runs 17" amg's. Whats the largest tyre wheel combination which will fit without modifying bodywork etc.
The car is on standard suspension.
Also what would be the largest tyre/wheel combo if I did have it lowered, whats better for the car / looks better? ( I've been told that lowering your car places a lot of stress on other components, is this true or is the salesman just trying to get me to buy a set of 18" 's):confused:
 
It is an older car and you must remember that the shocks and springs will be pretty worn!

you can put 19`s on, but usually the largest is 18`s on the 300ce`s, theres one down my road with 18`s and H&R lowering springs and it looks nice!
 
h&r?

excuse my ignorance ( new to this game ) but what are h&r springs? and where do get I them from?
I was told you cant get any bigger than 15's with a lowering kit.
If I do replace my springs and shocks do you know where I can get a good set from?
 
most of the performance wheel\exhaust places should be able to get them, check out www.h-ruk.com and see if they have a set for your car

you can also ask them for a local dealer!

regards
 
you can change the wheels to whatever size you like as long as you adjust the profile of the tyres to maintain the same rolling radius - search the forums there are enough threads on tyre/wheel sizes but just fitting a set of 18's wont fill the gap between the tyre and the wheel arch.

Most lowering kits aren't going to drop the car by huge amounts - the springs vary from about 15mm shorter to 65mm shorter. You can add to the drop by using different spring pads.

A few points to consider....

1, it's a W124 - don't touch the front springs yourself!!!!!!!!!

You need the proper tool to compress them. Attempting this job with anything other than the Klann spring compressor (cost approx £700) can result in serious shortening of your life expectancy. There are many stories from respected mechanics of these springs firing over 40' in any direction and knocking holes in concrete walls, floors ceilings other cars in the vicinity etc if they are not removed properly

2, bear in mind you will need to have the whole suspension geometry reset by a specialist before you drive the car.

3, Whilst the suspension is stripped down it's going to be worth replacing all of the bushes, ball joints etc as lowering the suspension won't neccessarily increase the stress but will shift the stress to different areas that on a 1989 car will probably be "tired".

This is not a cheap modification and certainly not one you can do yourself. The springs are relatively inexpensive but the labour costs on the other parts of the job will total up to a considerable amount as only Merc specialists are going to have the correct tool so you are going to have to pay their prices then add to that the costs of new rims and tyres.

Talk to Andy Gayle (he's local to you) before you proceed - you'll find a link to his site on the forums under "midlands specialists"

Andy
 
Last edited:
thanks for the info

Recieved an email from andy gayle. He states that that I should not go bigger than 16". I have emailed him on why he thinks this is the best course of action but am still waiting for a reply. You got any ideas on why he's suggested this course of action? :confused:
 
I suspect his answer will relate to the ride quality.

If you want a harsh sportscar ride, go buy a hothatch. If you want to retain the Mercedes 'Magic carpet' feel then you dont want to go any lower profile than on the 16" wheels.

I may be completely wrong though - I'm sure he'll be along to explain before too long :)
 

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