R230 with 20" wheels

[leemanuel]

Hi all

I have an r230 SL with standard 17" alloys.

I've been offered a set of 20" Kahn alloys, these are currently on an SL55, I'm just looking to gain some "will they work" guidance..... I've used the links in this forum and they look ok, but real life people guidance would be ace.....

I currently have:

255/45/17 on the front and rear, ET35

The new wheels are

245/30/20 with an ET20 and then 245/35/20 with an ET22

My car is standard ( not lowered etc).

 

[F1BHP]

That is some strange tyre sizes, stock was 285/35r18 on the rear and 255/40/r18 front on my r230

When going to 20" wheels you will need 25 series on the back and 30 on the front unless you use the 255 on the back then you could go to 30 series. That is very narrow for the rear wheels.

I run 305/25/r20 back and 255/30/r20 front with no issues.

What are the wheel widths you are looking at?

 

[leemanuel]

That is some strange tyre sizes, stock was 285/35r18 on the rear and 255/40/r18 front on my r230

When going to 20" wheels you will need 25 series on the back and 30 on the front unless you use the 255 on the back then you could go to 30 series. That is very narrow for the rear wheels.

I run 305/25/r20 back and 255/30/r20 front with no issues.

What are the wheel widths you are looking at?

They are 9" width - I'm kinda new to buying wheels, I've only ever kept the wheels that came with the cars.

The ones I'm looking at are just a good price. Can I put thicker tyres on?

 

[WDB124066]

Here's a good selection starting from cheapest at the top just to get an idea of what various manufacturers have made over the years....might help discover some of the more unusual ones that may have been forgotten.

You can change the sort category by making a selection in the sort box above the picture column.

Motors search results - Find vehicles on Trade Me Motors

 

[F1BHP]

I think you should check your rear tyres, if they are stock they will be 285mm wide at the back.

9" rim the widest I would go is 265mm.

I cannot answer if the offsets you mentioned on the new wheels will work.

 

[leemanuel]

I think you should check your rear tyres, if they are stock they will be 285mm wide at the back.

9" rim the widest I would go is 265mm.

I cannot answer if the offsets you mentioned on the new wheels will work.

Thank you

Appreciate your help.

 

[zoros]

Lee: be very careful about this process.

Start here for beginners:Online Wheel and Tyre Fitment Calculator. Offset, Tyre Stretch and Speedo Error | Will They Fit
There are similar sites that do the same. Do your R and D or you'll come a cropper.
If you get the profile wrong, your speedo will be way off for starters.
And also search for tyre width calculator on those 9" rims too.

GL

Z

 

[97w210]

Hi all I have an r230 SL with standard 17" alloys. I've been offered a set of 20" Kahn alloys, these are currently on an SL55, I'm just looking to gain some "will they work" guidance..... I've used the links in this forum and they look ok, but real life people guidance would be ace..... I currently have: 255/45/17 on the front and rear, ET35 The new wheels are 245/30/20 with an ET20 and then 245/35/20 with an ET22 My car is standard ( not lowered etc).

if you go 20"s just pay to get the fenders rolled to fit the bigger rim and tire and youll be able to drop it more. Plus give it a stagered look. Just be careful over bumps and holes on road the rims coul crack from impact, less tire cushion. If you dont smah on it youll be fine!

 

[97w210]

Hi all I have an r230 SL with standard 17" alloys. I've been offered a set of 20" Kahn alloys, these are currently on an SL55, I'm just looking to gain some "will they work" guidance..... I've used the links in this forum and they look ok, but real life people guidance would be ace..... I currently have: 255/45/17 on the front and rear, ET35 The new wheels are 245/30/20 with an ET20 and then 245/35/20 with an ET22 My car is standard ( not lowered etc).

or

 

[97w210]

Heres what it would look like if offset and non lowered i think go for it funk it bro!!!

 

[97w210]

Here's a good selection starting from cheapest at the top just to get an idea of what various manufacturers have made over the years....might help discover some of the more unusual ones that may have been forgotten. You can change the sort category by making a selection in the sort box above the picture column. Motors search results - Find vehicles on Trade Me Motors

question... I got theese AMG rims 18x9 all 4 i beleive. I have 97 w210 and i was wondering what tires should i put i lowered my car with eibach pro#1 kit. About 1" 1.5" drop or between that. Any inside??

 

[97w210]

They came off of a MERCEDES ML55 AMG '00-03

 

[leemanuel]

Thanks again for all the help

 

[MicB]

It is generally accepted that changing wheels to anything other than what was an available option from the manufacturer when the car was new seriously risks altering the way the car handles in a negative way.

MB offered 17 and 18 wheels as the only options.

I still have stock 17s and the car is ''comfortable''.......to lose 1.5" of tyre depth is not something I would want to do for every day motoring on our poorly maintained highways.

Mic

 

[F1BHP]

The facelift came with 19" as an option. And the black which is very different in a lot of ways I know came with 20" on the back. I have found with the ABC 20" wheels are no issue and surprising to me the ride is still good.

A lot of time the problem with going to a bigger wheel it means increased un-sprung weight, which then causes the rough ride. With my setup I actually lost substantial overall weight and went to a 20" rim which I think was the reason for no loss in ride quality.

 

[Pitts Pilot]

The facelift came with 19" as an option. And the black which is very different in a lot of ways I know came with 20" on the back. I have found with the ABC 20" wheels are no issue and surprising to me the ride is still good.

A lot of time the problem with going to a bigger wheel it means increased un-sprung weight, which then causes the rough ride. With my setup I actually lost substantial overall weight and went to a 20" rim which I think was the reason for no loss in ride quality.

Your 20" setup sounds interesting.

I never considered 20's because I assumed the ride quality would be as hard as nails, but apparently not so in your case?

Could you let me have details of which wheels you have, and if possible where you first looked for some extra light 20's?

Buying wheels seems to be easy, everyone sells them; but few retailers quote wheel weight, which is SO important for unsprung weight - as you point out.

Thanks

Robert

PS. What rubber do you have?

 

[F1BHP]

The problem is light and strong = expensive. I decided that the cost was worth the handling and the looks benefit. My wheels are Carlsson 1/10 Ultra lights. The fronts weigh 21lb the rears are around 24lb I think. I paid over 6k for them.

I had the same problem when looking you can find lots of wheels but the weights are not shown because most 20" wheels weigh over 30lb and some close to 40lb.

If you are interested I have put about 1k miles on them then did a wide body kit so I am looking to get a new set with the correct offsets for the widebody. If you go to wide-body sl600 v12 in the search you can see the wheels, they are fantastic.

 

[Pitts Pilot]

....My wheels are Carlsson 1/10 Ultra lights.....

They do look very special I went to the Carlsson site to have a good look!

What are the dimensions of the rims? And what size & make of tyres do you have fitted to them?

Finally, which of the 3 finishes are your wheels?

Thanks,
Robert

 

[BFT]

I have genuine Brabus 20" and feels no different to 19" wheels if that helps.

 

[F1BHP]

The rears are 10.5" front 8.5". They fit the standard car perfectly. I have brand new (currently 0 miles) michelin PSS 305/25r20 rear 255/30r20 front which are almost identical to the stock diameters so no issues. These are in my opinion the best all round sport tyre on the market.

The Ultra lights came in a matt and polished silver mix however I have painted them gloss black, if you look at my build thread you will see them.