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Very different S Class wheels

Mactech

MB Enthusiast
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Dec 19, 2005
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Norfolk
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Bentley Bentayga D V8, BMW i3
Just before Christmas I drove a CLS 55 AMG and was very impressed with the traction and grip offered by the 285/30/19 rear tyres. Better still, the ride comfort and tyre noise levels with Airmatic suspension were actually very good.
I got to wondering if this rear tyre section would work on the S Class.
Six weeks later some Kahn RS-X Diamond Edition wheels popped up on ebay with 21” rears and 20” fronts. These would give the same overall diameters as the staggered AMG 20” option for the S class with 285/30/21 rears. I put in a silly offer and to my surprise it was accepted! I guess the odd sizes put most people off, but I saw this as a positive advantage being able to maintain a similar 3” gap from rim to road both front and rear. I’ve run many cars with different front and rear wheel sizes and even raced some with different compounds on each corner! The tyre profiles with 255/35/20 fronts are incidentally the same as those chosen for the latest M5 beating Jaguar XFR.
Tyres were carefully selected from those I have personal experience with, Conti SportContact 2 rears and Dunlop SP 01 fronts. Price and availability are also issues with the rear size being like hen’s teeth. Both are non directional so I can at least swap side to side. Some of the more aggressive directional treads (GSD 3, Sessanta and Falken 452) have quite high rolling resistances.
The Conti’s I knew had good grip and wear characteristics but can become noisy when worn. It happens with all tyres, but some more than others, and is due to the tyre ‘ringing’ or resonating more as the fat tread damping ‘belt’ reduces in mass. It’s very noticeable on concrete road surfaces. The Dunlops I already have on 19” wheels and are good all rounders. (Pun intended!)
The centre caps are normal Mercedes chrome star ones, but I’ve taken them apart and covered the cap in metallic titanium vinyl to match the wheel colour before bonding the chrome stars back on.
I’m very pleased with the result; the grip and particularly the traction is much better. Ideal for putting down over 600Nm of torque. While I will not claim to have improved the ride or interior noise levels, they have remained perfectly acceptable thanks to the Airmatic. Still a little better than the CLS on 18” wheels that I have been in this week.
It’s too early to say if the fuel economy has suffered, but I’m expecting a 1 or 2 mpg hit.
The looks of the car are now a bit Marmite. You either think ‘purposeful’ or ‘bling’. If you think the wheels look a bit ‘drug dealer’ then that’s probably because their previous owner was a….pharmacist! You couldn’t make it up!
 
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Mmm, not keen personally, they are very fussy looking, and the join between the spokes and the rim is very busy, they sit in the arches just about perfectly though, size is spot on.
 
Hmm, I shouldn't like them- but actually I do! They look great-well done!
 
Love them !

Car looks great ! :bannana:
 
Car looks brilliant!

Even if you dont agree with the wheels, they fit perfectly and give it the perfect stance.
 
I never thought I'd say - or type - a positive or even neutral comment about a Kahn product, but they do actually look rather good!!

They work really well on the black car used in some of Kahn's marketing shots:

08_Project_Kahn_Mercedes_Benz_Fitted_With_RS_X_Diamond_Edition_Wheels_8.jpg


But please, please, please, please, please reassure us that you won't be tempted to do any more Kahn mods!!

For example, unfloating the floating roof on the Range Rover is a classic Kahn mod, and something I cringe at. IMHO it's right up there with...

...removing the doors on a Gullwing, making it look like a Mini Moke; or

...removing the venetian slats on the rear screen of a Miura, because a few Capris used to have them back in the day.
 
Very nice looking wheels and they suit the car perfectly IMO.
They look a bugger to clean though;)
 
They look good , i must agree tho with bobby ... im not a fan of Khan :)
 
I know I'm probably in a minority of one here, but I got the wheels for function rather than form. They are not easy to clean, and if I'm honest they are not my first choice in terms of style, but they were inexpensive, good quality and the right size. I promise there will be no other Kahn mods to the car! (Kahn imagine why said a spokesman;))
Thanks for all your comments!:cool:
 
They look great filling the bubble arches...... thumbs up from me....
 
They look really good, i would paint the centers and leave the lip polished to give it a more understated look imo
 
They look really good, i would paint the centers and leave the lip polished to give it a more understated look imo

I agree, the polished spokes are a bit 'bling':o
If I get dazzled or they ever need a refurb, then I think the centres will go to a painted silver.
But I bet it will be the rims which will need a refurb first.....they look like kerb magnets!
 
Just taken some more pictures of the car on the new wheels:)
It's nice to have some sunshine and dry roads...the traction is better than I could have hoped for and much less of that flashy orange light on the dash:D
 
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Looks stunning! I think the wheels really accentuate the lines of the new s class. Do you experience much rubbing with it being lowered?
 
No problem with tyres rubbing. They are all 'certified' sizes and offsets by Brabus amongst others and the suspension bumpstops are still in the same place on the Airmatic. Tyres are designed to roll on the road not rub on bodywork which should be avoided at all costs!;)
 
I can't see anything but AMG's on the S-Class. I must have looked at hundreds of wheels and my 20" AMG's, nothing comes close, same with the C43 AMG Monoblock 11's are the only ones that look good.
 

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