SLK Wheels and Tyres Size Combinations

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David.

New Member
Joined
Jan 10, 2004
Messages
14
I would like opinions regarding the best wheel and tyre size combinations for my SLK 200K.

Same all round?
Bigger back, smaller front?


Thanks.
 
David. said:
I would like opinions regarding the best wheel and tyre size combinations for my SLK 200K.

Same all round?
Bigger back, smaller front?


Thanks.
I have stock 16" SLK wheels on my C Class 202 . . .

Fronts are 205/55/16 - 7J - Offset ET37

Rears are 225/50/16 - 8J - Offset ET30

If you want larger, I can check the MB Wheel catalogue for the correct sizes in 17s upwards.

S.
 
sym said:
I have stock 16" SLK wheels on my C Class 202 . . .

Fronts are 205/55/16 - 7J - Offset ET37

Rears are 225/50/16 - 8J - Offset ET30

If you want larger, I can check the MB Wheel catalogue for the correct sizes in 17s upwards.

S.

S, that would be great.
Can you please tell me the sizes for 18" wheels.

Thanks.
 
David. said:
S, that would be great.
Can you please tell me the sizes for 18" wheels.

Thanks.
David . . .

Can't find my wheel catalogue at the moment :(

But . . Brabus recommend the following sizes :-

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BRABUS Monoblock IV, five-hole design, 8Jx17, one-piece, tires 225/45 ZR 17 FA + RA up to 245/40 ZR 17 RA[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BRABUS Monoblock V, spoke design, 8Jx17, one-piece, tires 225/45 ZR 17 FA + RA up to 245/40 ZR 17 RA[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BRABUS Monoblock VI, twin-spoke design, 8Jx17, one-piece, tires 225/45 ZR 17 FA + RA up to 245/40 ZR 17 RA[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BRABUS Monoblock IV, five-hole design, 8.5Jx18, one-piece, tires 225/35 ZR 18 FA + RA up to 255/35 ZR 18 RA [/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BRABUS Monoblock V, spoke design, 8.5Jx18, one-piece, tires 225/35 ZR 18 FA + RA up to 255/35 ZR 18 RA, optionally 9.5Jx18 modular rear with 255/35 ZR 18[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BRABUS Monoblock VI, twin-spoke design, 8.5Jx18, one-piece, tires 225/35 ZR 18 FA + RA up to 255/35 ZR 18 RA , optionally 9.5Jx18 modular rear with 255/35 ZR 18[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BRABUS Monoblock IV, five-hole design, 8.5Jx18, modular, tires 225/35 ZR 18 FA + RA up to 255/35 ZR 18 RA, optionally 9.5Jx18 modular rear with 255/35 ZR 18[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BRABUS Monoblock V, spoke design, 8.5Jx18, modular, tires 225/35 ZR 18 FA + RA up to 255/35 ZR 18 RA , optionally 9.5Jx18 modular rear with 255/35 ZR 18[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BRABUS Monoblock VI, twin-spoke design, 8.5Jx18, modular, tires 225/35 ZR 18 FA + RA up to 255/35 ZR 18 RA, optionally 9.5Jx18 modular rear with 255/35 ZR 18[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BRABUS Monoblock V, spoke design, 8.5Jx19, modular, tires 225/35 ZR 19 FA + RA, optionally 9.5Jx19 modular rear with 225/35 ZR 19[/font]
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]BRABUS Monoblock VI, twin-spoke design, 8.5Jx19, modular, tires 225/35 ZR 19 FA + RA, optionally 9.5Jx19 modular rear with 225/35 ZR 19[/font]

http://www.brabus.co.uk/prog11e.html


Hope that helps.

S.
 
David

If you want idea of what 18 inch BRABUS MONOBLOCK VI wheels look like on an SLK230, check out my webpage for pics ...
 
AMG 18" for SLK from latest wheel brochure (which you can pick up from your local stealer):

Style III (one piece)
f: 7.5J x 18 ET 37 (225/40 R 18)
r: 8.5J x 18 ET 30 (255/35 R 18)

Style III (multi-piece)
f: 7.5J x 18 ET 37 (225/40 R 18)
r: 8.5J x 18 ET 34 (255/35 R 18)

Style IV (two-spoke multi-piece)
f: 8.5J x 18 ET 30 (225/40 R 18)
r: 8.5J x 18 ET 30 (255/35 R 18)
 
David. said:
I would like opinions regarding the best wheel and tyre size combinations for my SLK 200K.
Same all round?
Bigger back, smaller front?
Thanks.

I wouldn't go bigger than 17" because a) you need body mods (according to Mercedes) b) you'll make the ride a lot worse and get tram-lining and c) you'll have to lower the car to make it look right and this'll make the ride even worse again. I reckon the best to go for are:

Front: 7.5JX17 ET37 (225/45)
Rear: 8.5JX17 ET30 (245/40)

Get the latest Mercedes alloy wheels catalogue. There are some stylish wheels there and you can get a set as above for about £500 which is amazing for Mercedes. Watch out for insurance hikes though. As far as they're concerned it becomes a "modified" car and you know what that means.
 
MainMan said:
Watch out for insurance hikes though. As far as they're concerned it becomes a "modified" car and you know what that means.
Never had my insurance loaded for fitting larger OEM wheels . . . as long as the value is not ridiculously high I doubt they will load it - normally just make a note on their file.

S.
 
sym said:
Never had my insurance loaded for fitting larger OEM wheels . . . as long as the value is not ridiculously high I doubt they will load it - normally just make a note on their file.

S.

I was going to fit bigger OEM wheels to my SLK (identical pattern to what is standard on the SLK320, but 17") and was told that it was another 50% on my premium. The really stupid thing is that the 17" wheels are cheaper than the 16" ones - I pointed this out to the guy at the parts department and he was surprised but couldn't explain it.
 
MainMan said:
I was going to fit bigger OEM wheels to my SLK (identical pattern to what is standard on the SLK320, but 17") and was told that it was another 50% on my premium.
Ouch! Who's your insurer ? I'm with Tesco, and they have been very tolerant so far ! Just dutifuly make lots of notes on my file !

S.
 
Directline made it sound like I was wasting their time when I told them I was swapping the oem 16" wheels for 17" wheels. They made the same noises when I told them about the bodykit, exhaust, grill, mirrors etc ;) . They're only concerned I think when people fit aftermarket parts to their cars, oem parts they can easily track down and price or replace if neccessary.
 
sym said:
Ouch! Who's your insurer ? I'm with Tesco, and they have been very tolerant so far ! Just dutifuly make lots of notes on my file !
S.

I'm insured with esure. They are very cheap but they seem paranoid about any risk factors. You have to have a clean record, park it in a garage overnight, etc. I might change when renewal comes up, because I'm going to go ahead and buy the 17" wheels, mainly because I want to put winter tyres on the 16" wheels. So I'm actually making the car safer. I'm sticking to the same pattern as standard and strangely the 16" wheels are £130 and the 17" version is £113.

The really stupid thing is that I reckon at least half SLKs on the road have 17" wheels on from new and they don't have their premium loaded. I asked esure if that meant that people had to declare all options when they insured and they were evasive.
 
A few things ...

Wheelarch mods only needed if you intend to go bigger than 18inch
Lowering springs definitely needed to make car visually correct
Ride is definitely going to get harder
NO insurance uplift in my case

Hope this helps
 
Bodywork mods

mbzslk230k said:
Wheelarch mods only needed if you intend to go bigger than 18inch

I was just going on what's said in the Mercedes wheel catalogue. I would have thought that the wheel diameter didn't really matter, since you're (hopefully) going to end up with the same rolling radius of tyre. (That's if you can get a 19" tyre with that low a profile). The only reason you might need bodywork mods is if you go wider than 8.5J rear or 7.5J front. I suspect the catalogue is just wrong.

As for lowering, d'you know if it's possible to lower the SLK rear suspension without changing the springs. Are there spacers that can be removed. Most SLKs seem to a bit higher at the back than the front for some reason.

BTW, who are you insured with?
 
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