Will 9.5" rears have adverse affects on performance?

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bigmacplease

Active Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2006
Messages
685
Location
South West
Car
W245 B170 & R170 SLK320
Good evening everyone!

I'm looking at a possible wheel upgrade and I've found a set I like. However they sell them with two options.

Option 1 is 18x8 all round.

Option 2 is 18.8.5 front, and 18x9.5 rear.

I looked in the sticky and it lists upto 18x10 on the rear so they should fit however my question is will a suffer reduced performance with the wider larger wheels or has my C230 got enough grunt?

As always thank you for any info! Pics are welcome too!

Thank you!

Mike
 
Got 8.5 / 9.5 x 18 on my CLK and no difference whatsoever.... Ollie at PCS has 10" on his C280 Sport... they look awesome, you'll have to ask him about performance....
 
Thanx for the reply baldguy!

Do you have any pictures of your car from behind so I can see how wide the wheels look?

You do have a CLK 500 though!! I bet theres a fair whack of torque available!! :D
 
Sure.... here you go.....

100_0077.jpg


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Looking good :)

I do think they are nicer than your first set! Do you have a picture of the rear from a lower angel? Sorry to be a pain.

Lets hope the seller comes back with the right info and I can see me getting some nice new wheels!

Does anyone know if my current locking nuts will fit with the new ones? I currently have standard 16" wheels.

Thank you!!
 
You shouldn't be able to notice any difference in performance - I haven't.

You might however notice slight increase in road/tyre noise. If you can afford it go for a quallity tyre, Continental, Michelin or Bridgestone.
On my previous car when I changed from Bridgestone to Kumo's, There was a lot of increased noise.
When I put the 265 Michelin Pilot Sports on the back of my C class, there was barely any difference. That said, they're due for replacement and this time I need to replace with something a little less expensive.

I'd definately go for the 8.5/9.5 set up, It will look very nice.:cool:

You may find the front (and maybe the back) will need lowering to make it look right.
 
Thank you for the replies jay and baldguy :)

I'm not sure on the provided tyres I will ask, I do doubt they are any big brand though.

Jay that is one of my worries about having to lower the car. I really want to get new wheels but I don't want to have to lower the car. My second car was a focus and I changed to 17" and lowered it to finish the look and the ride was horrendous!
 
Good evening everyone!

I'm looking at a possible wheel upgrade and I've found a set I like. However they sell them with two options.

Option 1 is 18x8 all round.

Option 2 is 18.8.5 front, and 18x9.5 rear.

I looked in the sticky and it lists upto 18x10 on the rear so they should fit however my question is will a suffer reduced performance with the wider larger wheels or has my C230 got enough grunt?

As always thank you for any info! Pics are welcome too!

Thank you!

Mike
After almost a year of deciding which to buy, I finally took that plunge and bought these staggered 8.5" fronts and 9.5" rears. Tyres included, Replicas of course. Delivery next week.

Owners of original equipment manufacturers(OEMs) will hate me for this, but my opinion is, no logic in spending the high money for OEM wheels on a 2001 C Class.

After I fit them, I shall road test and photo them, I will give a full report with pics.
 
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Thank you for the replies jay and baldguy :)

I'm not sure on the provided tyres I will ask, I do doubt they are any big brand though.

Jay that is one of my worries about having to lower the car. I really want to get new wheels but I don't want to have to lower the car. My second car was a focus and I changed to 17" and lowered it to finish the look and the ride was horrendous!

You may not have to, It depends on how aggressive you want the car to look. If you do, use Eibach's on the front and use a thiner pad on the back with the standard springs. The ride will still be good.
 
There is more road noise with the 265. I think the tyre choice is important for this.
 
c240 would u believe it but those are the exact wheels i am lookin at! Please please do post a review with plenty of pics! :)
 
The after market wheels are very heavy too. Mine are not so bad but some seem to be made of lead.
 
c240 would u believe it but those are the exact wheels i am lookin at! Please please do post a review with plenty of pics! :)
£649 with tyres from flea bay, why not. After viewing hundreds of cars / pics, I reckon if you did not buy the staggered set up, you would only later regret not doing so.

I will post pics in approx 2 weeks. (I'm abroad next week)
 
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Thank you for the replies jay and baldguy :)

I'm not sure on the provided tyres I will ask, I do doubt they are any big brand though.

Jay that is one of my worries about having to lower the car. I really want to get new wheels but I don't want to have to lower the car. My second car was a focus and I changed to 17" and lowered it to finish the look and the ride was horrendous!
There is no need to lower, unless you are going racing, or wish to spend a lot of money.
 
It depends what make springs and shocks you are going for. There are many options out there.

There is no need to spend much either. A decent kit will be £500

Bigger wheels and no lowering will make it look like its riding high, but its up to you.
 
£649 with tyres from flea bay, why not

I can think of a couple of reasons. Swopping expensive, good quality forged or cast rims for a set of soft, heavy eBay no-name replicas with cheap tyres seems like a huge step backwards to me. Look at the pros and cons:

Cons:
* heavier
* lower quality
* quite possibly difficult to balance
* increased gyroscopic effect
* softer material
* cheapest of the cheap tyres
* may not be hubcentric

Pros:
* look good

I think I am in minority here, disliking cheap wheels & tyres, but that doesn't worry me

Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk
 
I have 9.5J rears on mine with 265/30/19 tyres.

The additional grip the wider tyres offer is a plus point for me. I also find the lower profile 19"s communicate more. Another plus point for me as I like feedback. A Mercedes on it's own rides comfortable enough despite the use of larger wheels and stiffer springs.

Agaga004.jpg


My car is lowered with H&R Sport springs, on stock sport shocks. £160 for the springs. A much better drive if you like to go round corners at at least 60MPH. Hardly any body roll :D

LMP_MSV_080503_0123_03-05-20082013-.jpg
 
Option 2 is 18.8.5 front, and 18x9.5 rear.
The front is the more crucial. You need to have the correct offset with an 8.5J front wheel, or else the inner edge of the wheel/tyre will be rubbing against your front strut on your 203. With an 8.5J front wheel, you need at least ET32 offset.
 

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