My SL is standard ride height. With the offsets I have its possible that any sinking in the suspension may bring the wheel arch into contact with the tyres.
My SL55 AMG
- Thread starter Talkwrench
- Start date
OP
OP
Talkwrench
Active Member
I see what your saying, I'll get the wheels test fitted before shodding with rubber and see what I think
OP
OP
Talkwrench
Active Member
So I've just been doing a bit of digging to ease my concerns over fitment. With reference to the following link:-
www.alloywheelsdirect.net
It suggests that 20x9J ET23 fronts & 20x10.5J ET23 rears by the likes of Brabus do fit the R230 chassis, which essentially is the fitment I have selected and why I mentioned I would need a spacer for the rear as the rims I have bought are ET25 front & ET35 rear, so with a 10mm spacer that will make it ET25 all round, 2mm less poke than the Brabus fitment. Here's how they stack up against the original 18's I have on the car.
Im confident these will be fine
Mercedes-Benz Fitting Chart and Wheel Fitment Guide | Alloy Wheels Direct
Comprehensive wheel fitting chart and guide for Mercedes. Information on tyre and wheel sizes, offsets and PCDs. Find out which wheels will fit your vehicle
www.alloywheelsdirect.net
It suggests that 20x9J ET23 fronts & 20x10.5J ET23 rears by the likes of Brabus do fit the R230 chassis, which essentially is the fitment I have selected and why I mentioned I would need a spacer for the rear as the rims I have bought are ET25 front & ET35 rear, so with a 10mm spacer that will make it ET25 all round, 2mm less poke than the Brabus fitment. Here's how they stack up against the original 18's I have on the car.
Im confident these will be fine
OP
OP
Talkwrench
Active Member
Yet another productive day with the car. Got the wheel alignment sorted out, not 100% but plenty good enough until I I take the suspension apart again for more upgrades in the near future! Pulled a favour from a friend and he squeezed me in at short notice. The car drives like a dream in comparison to before all the work, no knocks or clunks and tight as a nun's! I think we could call that a success.
Another little bonus from today was I've fixed the keyless go too
I love a free fix.
Also managed to test fit the front wheel to see how it'd fit.
I think its safe to say they're going to look sick as F££K and Im not concerned about the fitment at all. Nowhere near as aggressive as they could be. New wheel bolts will be sourced too.
Got the centre console back in the car with the new ashtray that closes! also trimmed the manky leather part of the gear knob to match. The shifter gaiter has gone away to be remade in black alcantara to match everthing else. Starting to come together
Another little bonus from today was I've fixed the keyless go too
I love a free fix.Also managed to test fit the front wheel to see how it'd fit.
I think its safe to say they're going to look sick as F££K and Im not concerned about the fitment at all. Nowhere near as aggressive as they could be. New wheel bolts will be sourced too.
Got the centre console back in the car with the new ashtray that closes! also trimmed the manky leather part of the gear knob to match. The shifter gaiter has gone away to be remade in black alcantara to match everthing else. Starting to come together
Dickster
MB Enthusiast
Love the wheels and the trimming
OP
OP
Talkwrench
Active Member
I thought the wheel would fit rather snugly. With the tyre on i think they will be proud of the wheel arch. What size tyres are you going to fit?
Are you thinking of replacing the COMAND head unit? If you do you will also need to replace the BOSE amp and maybe the speakers.
Are you thinking of replacing the COMAND head unit? If you do you will also need to replace the BOSE amp and maybe the speakers.
OP
OP
Talkwrench
Active Member
That'll be reet that, tyre sizers are listed in post 43 they'll be subtly stretched but nothing silly, I think they'll be flush with the arch and I'm confident I can make this fit and look on point, I've done massively more aggressive fitment on previous cars. Looking forward to getting these fitted, its gonna look sick
I think the head unit will remain, I'll install a bluetooth receiver to negate the need for the cable to run AUX from my phone and I'll be happy.
Dickster
MB Enthusiast
Is that charcoal alcantara that you used for the trimming? I’m tempted to do similar myself if I can’t get my c/f repaired..
OP
OP
Talkwrench
Active Member
Ive used black and it’s not genuine alcantara as it’s a pig to work with as it doesn’t stretch. I used a product called Milano :-
Milano Black 901 : AS Trim, Vehicle Textile Suppliers - Buy Upholstery, & Adhesives Online UK Ipswich
AS Trim : Milano Black 901 - Adhesives Studio+ Acoustic Cloth Alcantara / Milano Suede Carpets / Lining Headlinings Upholstery Vinyl Thermal / Sound Control Foam/Wadding Sundries Tools Seating Fabric / Vinyl Samples Swatches Sewing Threads Rubber Edge Trim Chemicals Personal Protective Equipment...
www.as-trim.co.uk
I think the car will look great, good work so far. I still have the original COMAND in my SL, I have a BT receiver connected to the AUX port in the glove box and a DAB receiver. I use Waze on my phone for satnav.
D
Deleted member 149005
Guest
too proud of the bodywork once tyres are fitted?
OP
OP
Talkwrench
Active Member
Thank you
Nice! Which BT & DAB receiver have you used? I've had a look around at some options but nothing has grabbed me yet.
I'm not convinced they will be proud of the bodywork. I think the angle the pic's were taken aren't helping. The wheel specs are slightly less aggressive than Brabus would fit to the R230.
D
Deleted member 149005
Guest
They are rather nice wheels 
I have a Nextbase DAB350BT which is connected to COMAND on RF. The BT adapter is a cheap £15 one connected to the AUX. When I get around to it I could connect the Nextbase to the AUX and use its BT capability but at the moment BT over RF is poor.Thank you
Nice! Which BT & DAB receiver have you used? I've had a look around at some options but nothing has grabbed me yet.
Yes, the tyres may protude unless they are stretched. Im not a fan of the stretched tyre look. Will be good to see the end result.
OP
OP
Talkwrench
Active Member
20" 9J ET25 Front 255/30/20
20" 10.5J ET25 Rear 295/25/20
Exact specifications my wheels and tyres will be, looks good to me
That does look good. Are you also lowering your car? Standard rear width tyre with a staggered setup is 285 on a 9.5" width wheel..20" 9J ET25 Front 255/30/20
20" 10.5J ET25 Rear 295/25/20
Exact specifications my wheels and tyres will be, looks good to me
OP
OP
Talkwrench
Active Member
More than likely will be lowered through STAR, the interwebs suggest a 285 on 9.5J is above the maximum recommended width. The 295 on a 10.5J is considered the maximum size . I'm certainly not a fan of the bloated / balloon tyre look and will stick with what I feel is correct and wont be over-sizing the tyres.
At this point the other 3 wheels are still state side and stuck in an international distribution centre, going off some complaints online might mean they stay there for quite some time yet! God knows how the first one get here so fast. Fingers crossed
. I'm certainly not a fan of the bloated / balloon tyre look and will stick with what I feel is correct and wont be over-sizing the tyres.At this point the other 3 wheels are still state side and stuck in an international distribution centre, going off some complaints online might mean they stay there for quite some time yet! God knows how the first one get here so fast. Fingers crossed
Mercedes recommended staggered setup for the R230 SL is 285 tyre on a 9.5j wheel at the back and 255 tyre on a 8.5j wheel on the front. If you are going with a 25 profile tyre on a 20" wheel the tyre width should be 285 rather than 295 but I think the speedometer error will not be much. A 285 tyre may be too small on a 10.5j wheel though.More than likely will be lowered through STAR, the interwebs suggest a 285 on 9.5J is above the maximum recommended width. The 295 on a 10.5J is considered the maximum size
At this point the other 3 wheels are still state side and stuck in an international distribution centre, going off some complaints online might mean they stay there for quite some time yet! God knows how the first one get here so fast. Fingers crossed
