Widest tyres for W202 i can get away with

[John Peerce]

Hello all,

I would like to know what are the widest front and rear tyres i can have for my car (its a 1999 C43, but I guess this question would apply to any car in the W202 range)

I currently have 17" alloys with stock-size tyres : the fronts are 225/45/17, rears are 245/40/17.

I think the rear tyres can go to 255 or even 265 without a problem as there is plenty of room in the back, but i am concerned that for the front tyres anything more than the current 225 will cause the tyres to rub the inside of the arches, especially when doing full-lock steering turns, and also especially as the C43s come with lowered (sport) suspension. I am aware that i would have keep the aspect (the profile) size in mind in order not to mess the speedometer reading too much (i guess +/- 2% or 3% difference between the "true" speed and the speedometer reading shouldnt be a problem).

Many Thanks

 

[Steve_Perry]

At a guess...

265 on the rears and
225 on the fronts.

based on the following two threads:

http://mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3567
http://mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3378

S.

 

[BaldGuy]

255/35 Rear
235/40 Front

 

[John Peerce]

Thanks for the replies so far.

As a side issue, what difference in the ride quality would i notice with the 235 instead of 225 at the front and 255 instead of 245 at the rear, all other things being equal ?

I know fuel consumption would be higher but thats not a big deal for me as i am a low mileage driver anyway. My guess is that the ride will feel softer, which would not be a bad thing given that the C43 has one of the "harshest rides of any merc" (not my words, but from an early review of the C43 back in 1998 ! ) It wouldnt surprise me if one of these days the fillings fall out of my teeth while going over a pot hole in the C43 !

 

[Guy]

Originally posted by John Peerce
Thanks for the replies so far.

As a side issue, what difference in the ride quality would i notice with the 235 instead of 225 at the front and 255 instead of 245 at the rear, all other things being equal ?

I know fuel consumption would be higher but thats not a big deal for me as i am a low mileage driver anyway. My guess is that the ride will feel softer, which would not be a bad thing given that the C43 has one of the "harshest rides of any merc" (not my words, but from an early review of the C43 back in 1998 ! ) It wouldnt surprise me if one of these days the fillings fall out of my teeth while going over a pot hole in the C43 !

I went from the standard C32 AMG 17" wheels to Brabus 18" wheels which are 8.5" and 9.5" wide rather than the standard 7.5 and 8.5; I stuck with the recommended tyre sizes which are 225/40/18 (was 225/45/17) and 255/35/18 (245/40/17).

This is the info I got when researching the changes -

How wide you can go with the tyres will depend on the exact offset of the replacement wheels - and when you get close to "the limit" can also vary with the make of tyre.

Fuel consumption shouldn't be much higher really, any more than it would noticeably change as your tyres wear.

Going to a lower profile tyre in theory will harden up the suspension, given that there is less sidewall to flex; but it seems to be generally recognised that going from 17" to 18" is much easier to live with than going to 19" wheels.

I don't believe that the width of the tyre you choose will affect the ride, only the extent the tyre can flex on the rim, which may be something better avoided - it can affect steering response if the tyre can move too much.

Hope this helps!

PS Glad to see that despite some early probs you seem to be modding the car with great enthusiasm

 

[John Peerce]

Guy, hehe ... ya i have finally stopped "sulking" and I am beginning to enjoy the car again.

My new Avantgarde grill just arrived, and will fit that soon, and as you can see i am looking to have fatter rubber too

A positive thing that came out of the problems that i had with my car is that these problems broke the "psychological barrier" for me, if i can put it like that. For the first few months when i got the car i was driving it as if i am driving on eggs and dont want to break them.. but after i had the problems i realised that cars can break down sometimes no matter how carefully you look after them.. so i might as well enjoy the car and DRIVE it like it was made to be driven .. I am much more at ease now...and really enjoying the full throttle of the of the car

PS. as a side point, would having wider tyres over-strain the steering mechanisim (becuause the wider tyre will have more surface area contact with the road surface). I already drive with the tyres deflated 10% below the standard recommended pressure in order to reduce the harshness of the ride. I guess the other side of the having wider tyres is that the braking action will be improved ...

 

[Guy]

AMG's certainly seem to thrive on hard work - but then the tyres start to go off after about 10,000 miles when you enjoy the full throttle feeling - unfortunately!

Are you sticking with the 17" wheels?

Here's a link to tempt you!

 

[Alps]

Hi John

im currently running 225/40/18 in the front and 255/35/18 on the back, until now i was running 265/35/18 on the rear and i had to bend a little arch near the bumper. but 255`s would have been fine, the AMG`s have the arches pre-rolled although they still leave a little arch which is better offf rolled, although it shouldnt give any problems!

my car only rubs a little whilst hard turning on the front, thats only cos its decked! on normal springs not a single rub or scrape!

as for psychological barrier, my c36 sh*ts my up all the time, but i must admit since having the 18`s and the h&r springs, it holds the road like glue!



hope that helps!

 

[R2D2]

so could you get away with 235/45 R17s at the front?

 

[GordonTarling]

Sorry - wrong thread!