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S211 - Wheel Upgrade - will it ruin the ride?

B

BQF

Active Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2010
Messages
173
Location
West Kent
Car
E55 AMG 2004
I have 16" Rucha 5-spoke alloys on my s211, and they are bubbling a bit. It's an avantgarde so has a sportier suspension.

I am thinking of using the car for my annual trip to the 'Ring - it's RWD after all (!). Apart from that I do 700 miles a week on motorways.

So - I want to swap my wheels for shiny new ones. Should I go for 17s as a ride/handling compromise, or go balls out for some 18" 10 spoke-type alloys? if I go for the 18s will the ride be ruined? Equally, if I go for the 17s have I got the worst of both worlds? Ruined ride and not noticably better handling?

Any answers?
 
I went right out to 18" on my S211, with no regrets! Only very slightly firmer ride and much better handling, steering is more direct and cornering is a lot stickier! (but I went for much wider also: 245 front 275 rear!) :)

Of course, the biggest improvement (IMO) is the appearance! 16s were very underwheeled to me whereas 18s fill the arches very well - even SWMBO reckons it looks more "serious"! :D
 
I have the same issues.

Olly had for sale some lovely 18inc AMG bad boys. Would look so good on my car and give a better dry road handling.

But worse wet weather grip, worse MPG, more road noise and ££ tyres.

I like my 16's but for some press on driving I can see the advantages of a larger wheel.

Personally I say go for it, keep the 16s and shove some winter tyres on it and have the best of all worlds.
 
Hello

I'm all for bigger wheels but it really depends on your miles I guess and what type of driving.

Saying that I recently changed my 17" alloys on my ML for 20" and too be honest very little difference in the way it drives.

My wifes A class with 17" alloys is much harsher, so I guess it depends on the springs etc also.

Bigger certainly look better imho and fill the arches nicely. As mentioned you can always but the other on over winter.
 
bpsorrel said:
I went right out to 18" on my S211, with no regrets! Only very slightly firmer ride and much better handling, steering is more direct and cornering is a lot stickier! (but I went for much wider also: 245 front 275 rear!) :)

Of course, the biggest improvement (IMO) is the appearance! 16s were very underwheeled to me whereas 18s fill the arches very well - even SWMBO reckons it looks more "serious"! :D
Click to expand...

Of course, going for 18s is the natural thing to do! Bigger, more serious wheels - whats not to like!!

That said, I bought 20" rims for my other car (VW Touareg) and it just ruined it. It was like driving over speed bumps when I went over tarmac chippings!! Can't be having that again.

Is it really a negligible deterioration in ride?
 
No, not really. I think the higher tyre wall of the 16s made the ride slightly softer, but not better. Personally I prefer the ride on the 18s and as I said it sharpened the handling a lot. Worth every penny!
 
Depends how sensitive you are. Bigger wheels and lower profile tyres have very hard walls and not much give when hitting ridges bumps and potholes. I've driven the S211 with 16 inch , 17 inch and 18 inch wheels. The bigger wheels create a lot more tyre noise especially at motorway speeds. And they reduce the amount of feel from the steering as the wider tyres create more drag when turning. You will get less feedback as there will be less 'castor return' or tendency to return to the straight ahead position when you let go of the wheel.

Bigger, wider wheels aquaplane more easily, have higher CO2 emissions (see tables on MB website or in brochures), use more fuel and to me look like we're trying to be teenagers with a Nova, or rappers.

I recently borrowed the 212 estate for a couple of days and it was very noisy from tyre noise at speed. I complained that it was noisier than my 211 and they said 'Ah but that's the 18 inch wheels. Try it with the 16 inch wheels on the SE and it is quieter than the 211.' Pay your money take your choice. I scoured the country to find an S211 with 16 inch wheels and don't regret it.
 
18`s will be fine, they put these on the AvantG and AMG models as standard.
 
Alps said:
18`s will be fine, they put these on the AvantG and AMG models as standard.
Click to expand...

No, A/Gs have 16" as standard, anything bigger is an upgrade. Sport trim has 18" as standard.

I've had an S211 in A/G with 17, and now have an S211 SPort with 18". Yes, the bigger wheels are slightly noiseier, the rider slightly harder, but the handling is better, and the car feels smaller as a result (not sure how much of that is down to the bigger wheels or the stiffer suspension of the Sport). Like Barry said, I too prefer the 18"s.
 
try and get some second hand 18's to see how they feel. if you dont lik them you can probably sell them on for minimal loss, if you like the ride but want new wheels you can still sell them and buy the new wheels you like, knowing the ride will be right for you :)
 
All this thread proves is different folk like different things. The OP should test drive a 211 with 18s on it and see if its for him,
 
If the OP could get up my way, he could have a ride in mine.. :)
 
I have an S211 with 18" wheels. I also had an S210 which had 16" and 17" wheels on it, though not both at the same time. :) The 18" wheels do give what I'd describe as a harsher ride and this can be quite noticeable when driving on what I can only describe as 'poor' road, but I'm finding it quite acceptable and don't regret (yet!) buying a car fitted with 18's.

What I would advise is to check costs of the relevant tyre sizes if you're going to be doing a lot of miles.

If you're ever up Heathrow/Uxbridge way, you'd be very welcome to have a ride in mine.
 
BQF-you coming to Ollies GTG in portsmouth?

If so someone will probably be armed with a 211 on 18's to give you a rub.
 
If it's any use, I'll be at WIM in Chesham on monday morning... :)
 
:D !!! Wouldn't you like to know!! :D
 
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