Winter wheels and tyres

[ianw19]

My car is a W212 350 CDI and I am looking to slip on some winter tyres in the not too distant future.

I currently have the following summer tyres:
Front: 245/40 R18
Rear: 265/35 R18

There is not a lot of choice of winter tyres for the rears so I was wondering about changing the wheels.

There are a number of websites offering wheel and tyre packages, with most offering the same size for front and rear.
Has anyone experiences to share with any of these sites?

My current thinking is to have 245/45 R17 for both front and rear.
The wheel websites suggest that this is okay.

Inside my fuel filler cap it gives the tyre pressures for the different sizes:


Does my approach seem reasonable?

 

[Mr Kripling]

I have a set of 18" wheels which are 8" width at the front and 9" at the back. Like yours, the recommended fitment is 245/45 and 265/40.

I couldn't find any winter tyres with the correct dimensions for the back so just put some 245/45 on them as well. There's a little bit of stretch on the rears but it's only noticeable when you put them side-by-side with the fronts. I ran them for most of last winter (including a trip to the Alps) without any issue.

 

[st13phil]

Online info can sometimes be a bit unreliable regarding alternative wheel fitments.

In the Owner's Manual there's a whole section that lists alternative winter fitments for each variant of the car.

 

[ianw19]

I've managed to locate my manual.
Winter tyres 245/45 R17 8.0j and 8.5j are acceptable.

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[Chrishazle]

As you'll be charged about £15 per wheel to change the tyres - so that's £120 per year to swop summer-winter-summer tyres - buying a second set of wheels can be cost effective, plus you do not run the risk of your expensive summer rims getting damaged during tyre changes (as happened at the MB main dealer when I bought my s204!!). You have to know the EXACT specification of the rims you're after (e.g.17 X 8J ET52 5 x 130 pcd) then shop around - I picked up an immaculate set of 16" genuine MB rims with as new winter tyres for a very attractive price off Ebay!

 

[PobodY]

In the Owner's Manual there's a whole section that lists alternative winter fitments for each variant of the car.

Agreed. - For the CLK (for example) the winter tyre fitment seems to be 225/45/R17 for both axles (no matter what summer tyres or rims you'd usually have).

 

[Druk]

I have a 212 350. Full set of 17" alloys and winters from here. Delivered to the house. Tyres came from Germany...rims from France.

https://www.tyreleader.co.uk

https://www.tyreleader.co.uk/alloy-wheels/rial/dh-60/7.5x17-et47-5x112-66.6-1783?car=10111 complete with bolt set.

https://www.tyreleader.co.uk/car-tyres/nokian/wr-a3/225-45-r17-94v-391690



.

 

[scgfull]

I have a 212 350. Full set of 17" alloys and winters from here. Delivered to the house. Tyres came from Germany...rims from France.

https://www.tyreleader.co.uk

https://www.tyreleader.co.uk/alloy-wheels/rial/dh-60/7.5x16-et45.5-5x112-66.6-428200?car=59456 comes complete with bolt set.

https://www.tyreleader.co.uk/car-tyres/nokian/wr-a3/225-45-r17-94v-391690



.

I bought the Rial M10 for my winter tyres for my 212 350.

 

[ianw19]

Thanks for the responses folks.

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[ICarr]

I know which tyres I need but I don't know how to find out what rims I need, apperently there is only one that fits my car but I cant find out from the dealer what they are offering me for £1800!

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Check your manual, winter tyre sizes will be listed in there. For staggered wheels it's common for the same size tyre to be fitted to the rear as would be fitted to the front. As suggested the tyre will be stretched more than it is with a summer tyre staggered setup.

 

[PobodY]

^Agreed.

 

[ianw19]

Cleaned up 2nd set of alloys with new Pirelli Winter Tyres: