You guys are bound to know this stuff and can possibly direct or help me. I hope. How do you know what size wheels and tires will look best on the S class cars. The original tire and wheel sizes on the 2000 S class is 16". What size will be too much or look odd? There are so many choices, 17" - 18" - 19" etc. Advantages and disadvantages of staggered verses not staggered ? (cannot rotate). Will getting larger wheels cause speedometer problems or is this minor? Opinions or recommendations? Thanks, Tim

 

Tim,
Your selection depends upon your affordability. I purchased original AGM Mercedes 18" wheels. These look real good however the choice of the tires are limited and very expensive. I have 275-45-ZR18 on the back and 245-45-ZR18 on the front. Due to the factors that the tires can not be rotated and the vehicle weight is very heavy, the life of the tires is very short. The retailer will tell you the tire life is 30K miles buttruly I never got more than 5k miles. (no, the wheel allignment and wheel balancing are perfect and not the cause, its the weight of the car and Z rated tires).
Now if yougo with 17" you will have many choicesof tires and very less expense comparatively however you will be compromising with the beauty.

 

Tim, I think that you would counter the increase in wheel height with a lower profile tire, so any speedometer variations would beminimal. Like STARWAR, I'm running 18" AMG wheels on my '03 S500...they look great and I love the performance of the lower profile ZR rated tires.Unlike STARWAR, I just replaced my tires with just a touch over 50,000 miles on them, so keep in mind that driving conditions, road conditions and driving style, in addition to having proper balancing, wheel alignment, good steering linkage, bushings and proper strut charge/height will all affect the life of your tires. And yes, they are quite expensive. Good luck, Lance

 

Try http://www.tirerack.com/to view how various wheels might look on your car, it's a good place to get started.I used their site to finally decide upon some 17"x8" BBS RXII's for my 1991 560SEC.

BTW, I chickened out on going to 17"x10" on the rear, sticking with the capability to rotate my Z rated tires front to rear. I drive like a maniac and get almost 25,000 miles out of a set of tires.

John

 

Hey I saw that you are looking for some tires I came across a good site that specializes in mercedes. I have a link if you would like to try it. http://www.myhotmercedes.com

 

I have a 2002 S 430 and picked up a sales brochure at the M-B dealership in 2003 that tells the wheel & tire size for this car. It is the same as your 2000 S 500. The original tire, 225/60R16 is 26.7 inches tall. I just installed new tires (at 46,000 miles) and changed to 18 in wheels and 245/45R18 that are 26.7 inches tall. the 18 inch wheels with 245/45R18 tires is the size that came on the new Sport model S series those years. That will not change the final gear ratio of RPM to ground speed. You can pick up charts at most tire stores that tell all the information including tire height. Tire Rack sales people know all of this and can help you. Make sure the wheels are hub centric

I have dark tint windows, chrome, 20 spoke alloy wheels and 5/16 silver metalic pinstriping with MB Star emblem in the stripe 6 inches in front of the front doors. It is black. I like the look! [8D]

 

http://www.finishlinewheels.com/MERCEDES/

http://www.thewheelexchange.com/

i like 18's or 19's. personally i have the amg 18's w/ 275 rear 245 front. [sm=signs003.gif]

 

I just purchased a 1989 SEC and was looking for something like the three piece oz amg wheels, but replicas. I'd like to have staggered front and rears. What is the proper offset for the front and backs?

 

Are 20 inches out of the question for S550 4 matic?