TIRES > Major issues!!!

noregret4life · 04-13-2008

So i finally mounted the tires on my rims.

Based on everyone's input here i purchased the up-sized wheels which were supposed to fit fine... HOWEVER this is not nearly the case!

Original setup:
225/40/18
255/35/18

Sized up based on input:
235/40/18
265/35/18

Results:

265/35/18 = Fit fine, no issues. look great. Fill in the wheel well.

235/40/18 = HORRIBLE FIT!!!!!! Looked fine and on flat road they are ok. Now on the highway or with even the slightest pothole = SHREDDING. No my friends not rubbing... But actually shredding chunks of the tire's outside. The tires where smacking the fender's edge on the front top. and Chunks were flying out. So now i have 2 shredded brand new front tires that don't fit my car!!!!!

Luckly i have hazard insurance on the tires and will be sending them both back for new replacements, which i then will have to find a buyer for.

I don't know if its my setup combination of rims, tires, sports suspension, spacers... All i know is that 235/40/18 DO NOT FIT FRONT TIRES!!!!!! < or at least on my setup.

Ordered 225/40/18 for the front.

**ir-ops** · 04-13-2008

afraid not much i know and can say on the tech aspects, but sorry to hear this has happened.

best
ir-ops

*easty* · 04-13-2008

Must be how much its lowered mate. I've always had 235 on the front on the stock setup for the 55

noregret4life · 04-13-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by easty

Must be how much its lowered mate. I've always had 235 on the front on the stock setup for the 55

It is really hard for me to believe that the MB Sports suspension lowers the front more than the AMG or even Brabus. All i know is the results. Perhaps it is indeed lowered more than expected.

MDLSLK55 · 04-13-2008

What's the offset and width on the front wheels? I would think they're pushed too far out towards the fender due to the offset of the wheel.

**got_power55** · 04-13-2008

Lenny I agree with MDLSK55 try removing the spacers first tires will sit in wheel well better and not protrude out side the fenders as much. Do a test drive and see, nothing to lose.

**-1-** · 04-13-2008

Lenny, sorry to hear of your front tire issues. Why are you using spacers, and what size?

noregret4life · 04-14-2008

Can't go without spacers. I had to put on spacers even with the 225/40/18 tires. The inner tire wall rubs up against the metal cup thing that holds the springs.

Yes, without spacers i may have cleared the fenders, but i would not clear the springs then. in other words screwed from both directions

Problem is that i can't keep swapping rubber, i get smacked with close to $25 a tire change.

The tire shop i went to here in Brooklyn helped me out a great deal. Since i need my car every day to get around, they had a pair of used 225/40/18 tires for me to use while i wait for the new ones to arrive. Mounted them for free for me, so i am riding around on "loaner" tires till around Tues/Weds. then will switch to the F1 all season.

Outside of all the negative, the tires are actually very good. quiet, stiff on tight turns, and grip better then both the Pirelli PZero Nero and Rosso. Up size in the rear to 265 fits just fine and looks great.

So if anyone is in the market for 235/40/18 Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season Ultra High Performance tires, i will have a new set of 2 for sale once i claim road hazard damage on them.

**alroumi** · 04-14-2008

Lenny, I am extremely sorry to hear of your front tire issues.

**dsb** · 04-14-2008

Are you lowered on springs or coilovers? If coilovers, did you adjust your camber? What size spacers are you using? The fact 235 has worked for others leads me to believe two things...

1) If you're on coilovers, you adjusted your camber and that is contributing to the tire not clearing the fender.

2) If simply lowered, you must have the wrong offset. If you need spacers, then try another size. Spacers are availabe anywhere from 3mm and up. I would first try various spacer sizes before exchanging the tires for new ones.

As a last note, please realize there is a small metal protrusion in the front wheel well that may be causing contact. You can read about it here: http://www.mbworld.org/forums/showth...ght=protrusion

noregret4life · 04-14-2008

dsb, thanks for the info.

I have the stock Mercedes Sports suspension from the dealership. This was the $200 or so option, but i am assuming that it is springs. Sorry don't know much more about it.

The only spacer i got to clear prior wheel issues at 225 were 10mm. After measuring that is the min i need to keep my rims from rubbing on 225s. When i put on my 235 tires, and was just testing them driving down the street, doing a few K-Turns to test for rubbing, they where already rubbing the inside but only at the Max wheel turn in one of the other direction. Now keeping in mind this is Inside rubbing (still nothing to do with the outside)

So as i drove around i thought i actually needed to bump the spacers up to 12-13mm to get them to stop rubbing on turns. and is noticeable on the inside wheel well.

The rubbing didn't actually come from the little metal thing in your pics, it was actually from the very top center of the fender itself.

I'm no tire/rim expert, but perhaps because these rims came off my CLK320, they are incorrect spec for the SLK? and perhaps they fit fine with 225 and 10mm spacers, but bumping these specific rims and the Sports Suspension causes this issue?

Another thing that came to mind is the fact that after i put on the front rims with the 235 tires, the car looked like it was dropped on seriously low springs. I'm talking only about 1 index finger's width between the tire and the fender, never mind even the camber or the spacer's 10mm.

Perhaps someone can enlighten me on what exactly is the "sports suspension" from MB? to my knowledge it was just a slight drop and forward stance.

noregret4life · 04-14-2008

my other question is will the car be fine with 225 in the front and 265 in the rear?

**DansSlk** · 04-14-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by noregret4life

Perhaps someone can enlighten me on what exactly is the "sports suspension" from MB? to my knowledge it was just a slight drop and forward stance.

Correct mate

**nevets** · 04-14-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by noregret4life

my other question is will the car be fine with 225 in the front and 265 in the rear?

Lenny...sorry to hear about the troubles, I haven't been on much but thought I would chime in here...I am running 225's and 265's without issue. I stayed away from the 235's myself after some digging around and found hit and miss problems. Hope you resolve it soon....call me if you need anything. - S

*easty* · 04-14-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by noregret4life

my other question is will the car be fine with 225 in the front and 265 in the rear?

I'm sure it'll run ok. But it'll enhance the ploughing feature of the car. take care with the power application in really tight corners. I'm sure the ploughing in the 350 aint as bad as the 55. as we have a lump of a safe in the front.

MDLSLK55 · 04-14-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by easty

I'm sure it'll run ok. But it'll enhance the ploughing feature of the car. take care with the power application in really tight corners. I'm sure the ploughing in the 350 aint as bad as the 55. as we have a lump of a safe in the front.

Since I'm looking at going to 225/265 at some point soon, what exactly do you mean by that? Obviously you're increasing the grip of the power wheels while leaving the steering wheels alone, which I would think is a good thing, no? Are you saying it'll contribute to understeer?

*easty* · 04-14-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by MDLSLK55

Since I'm looking at going to 225/265 at some point soon, what exactly do you mean by that? Obviously you're increasing the grip of the power wheels while leaving the steering wheels alone, which I would think is a good thing, no? Are you saying it'll contribute to understeer?

Certainly it'll contribute to under steer. The car is setup to promote under steer which is a lot safer than the back end spinning out especially for unexperienced drivers.

Imagine it as the car sliding completely sideways if the tyres give equal friction it's a guess which side of the car (front or back) will go forward. when you reduce the friction on the front it slides first. it's a lot easier to recover from understeer rather than oversteer. it's all obviously effected by weight distribution.

But on the track on very tight corners I know the 55 under steers a lot. in certain points on the track I feel the limit very easily. I'm talking complete 40mph hairpins.

Tslick · 04-14-2008

Will rolling your fenders help?

04-13-2008	#1 (permalink)
noregret4life Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NJ Vehicle: '05 SLK350 Posts: 1,089 Country: Thanks: 1 Thanked 17 Times in 11 Posts	TIRES > Major issues!!! So i finally mounted the tires on my rims. Based on everyone's input here i purchased the up-sized wheels which were supposed to fit fine... HOWEVER this is not nearly the case! Original setup: 225/40/18 255/35/18 Sized up based on input: 235/40/18 265/35/18 Results: 265/35/18 = Fit fine, no issues. look great. Fill in the wheel well. 235/40/18 = HORRIBLE FIT!!!!!! Looked fine and on flat road they are ok. Now on the highway or with even the slightest pothole = SHREDDING. No my friends not rubbing... But actually shredding chunks of the tire's outside. The tires where smacking the fender's edge on the front top. and Chunks were flying out. So now i have 2 shredded brand new front tires that don't fit my car!!!!! Luckly i have hazard insurance on the tires and will be sending them both back for new replacements, which i then will have to find a buyer for. I don't know if its my setup combination of rims, tires, sports suspension, spacers... All i know is that 235/40/18 DO NOT FIT FRONT TIRES!!!!!! < or at least on my setup. Ordered 225/40/18 for the front. __________________ Obsidian Black Metallic / Red Leather Comfort, Lighting • Premium Package • Heating Package • Airscarf • Sport Suspension • MHI Installed • Entertainment Package • Nav Komfort Variodach Module (Piecha) • Kleyman Puddle Lights • Euro Clear Side Markers • Pirelli PZero Nero • Custom Flipout 7" LCD • w/Rear Camera • Front Nightvision Camera • TV tuner • 250gig Media Drive (movies/pics/music) • Kleyman 3BFM V1.5 (Noregrets Custom Works) • White LED License plate bulbs • Chrome Rear Turn Signals • 50watt Xenon White Reverse Bulbs • 8000K Fog Light HIDs • Full LED conversion:doors, parking, sidemarkers, dome lights _________________ -NoRegret Customs-
	http://www.slkworld.com/

04-13-2008	#3 (permalink)
easty Moderator Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Montreal Vehicle: ///AMG Posts: 2,074 Country: Thanks: 17 Thanked 19 Times in 9 Posts	Must be how much its lowered mate. I've always had 235 on the front on the stock setup for the 55 __________________ "I'm not a roman mum, I'm a kike, a yid, a heebie, a hook-nose, I'm kosher mum, I'm a Red Sea pedestrian, and proud of it!" Life of Brian To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

04-13-2008	#6 (permalink)
got_power55 SLK World Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Vehicle: 2005 slk55 amg Posts: 46 Country: Thanks: 17 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	Lenny I agree with MDLSK55 try removing the spacers first tires will sit in wheel well better and not protrude out side the fenders as much. Do a test drive and see, nothing to lose. __________________ Fast Ken To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

04-13-2008	#7 (permalink)
-1- Don Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Virginia USA Vehicle: SLK 55 ///AMG The MON55TER on the block Posts: 2,207 Country: Thanks: 50 Thanked 55 Times in 39 Posts	Lenny, sorry to hear of your front tire issues. Why are you using spacers, and what size? __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. *----------------1-----------------* --------SLK 55 ///AMG--------- THE MON55TER ON THE BLOCK

04-14-2008	#8 (permalink)
noregret4life Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NJ Vehicle: '05 SLK350 Posts: 1,089 Country: Thanks: 1 Thanked 17 Times in 11 Posts	Can't go without spacers. I had to put on spacers even with the 225/40/18 tires. The inner tire wall rubs up against the metal cup thing that holds the springs. Yes, without spacers i may have cleared the fenders, but i would not clear the springs then. in other words screwed from both directions Problem is that i can't keep swapping rubber, i get smacked with close to $25 a tire change. The tire shop i went to here in Brooklyn helped me out a great deal. Since i need my car every day to get around, they had a pair of used 225/40/18 tires for me to use while i wait for the new ones to arrive. Mounted them for free for me, so i am riding around on "loaner" tires till around Tues/Weds. then will switch to the F1 all season. Outside of all the negative, the tires are actually very good. quiet, stiff on tight turns, and grip better then both the Pirelli PZero Nero and Rosso. Up size in the rear to 265 fits just fine and looks great. So if anyone is in the market for 235/40/18 Goodyear Eagle F1 All Season Ultra High Performance tires, i will have a new set of 2 for sale once i claim road hazard damage on them. __________________ Obsidian Black Metallic / Red Leather Comfort, Lighting • Premium Package • Heating Package • Airscarf • Sport Suspension • MHI Installed • Entertainment Package • Nav Komfort Variodach Module (Piecha) • Kleyman Puddle Lights • Euro Clear Side Markers • Pirelli PZero Nero • Custom Flipout 7" LCD • w/Rear Camera • Front Nightvision Camera • TV tuner • 250gig Media Drive (movies/pics/music) • Kleyman 3BFM V1.5 (Noregrets Custom Works) • White LED License plate bulbs • Chrome Rear Turn Signals • 50watt Xenon White Reverse Bulbs • 8000K Fog Light HIDs • Full LED conversion:doors, parking, sidemarkers, dome lights _________________ -NoRegret Customs-

04-13-2008	#2 (permalink)
ir-ops Lifetime SLK World Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Athens, Greece Vehicle: happy owner of a black on black R171 200K Sport since 07 July 08 Posts: 541 Country: Thanks: 149 Thanked 58 Times in 35 Posts	afraid not much i know and can say on the tech aspects, but sorry to hear this has happened. best ir-ops

04-13-2008	#5 (permalink)
MDLSLK55 Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Bucks County, PA & Overland Park, KS (Work) Vehicle: '08 SLK55 AMG Other Toys: '07 Infiniti G35x Posts: 214 Country: Thanks: 0 Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post	What's the offset and width on the front wheels? I would think they're pushed too far out towards the fender due to the offset of the wheel.

04-14-2008	#9 (permalink)
alroumi Moderator Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Kuwait City, Kuwait Vehicle: 2006 Kleemann Designo Mocha Black SLK55 AMG Other Toys: 2007 Ebony Jaguar XKR Coupe' and 06 Black Cayenne S Posts: 6,208 Country: Thanks: 287 Thanked 221 Times in 132 Posts	Lenny, I am extremely sorry to hear of your front tire issues. __________________ 06 Kleemann Designo Mocha Black SLK55 AMG 06 Porsche Cayenne S 07 Jaguar XKR Coupe' I use the Torque and keep the HP for my Steak Sauce!

04-14-2008	#10 (permalink)
dsb Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: NorCal Vehicle: '06 slk55 Posts: 1,154 Country: Thanks: 45 Thanked 96 Times in 40 Posts	Are you lowered on springs or coilovers? If coilovers, did you adjust your camber? What size spacers are you using? The fact 235 has worked for others leads me to believe two things... 1) If you're on coilovers, you adjusted your camber and that is contributing to the tire not clearing the fender. 2) If simply lowered, you must have the wrong offset. If you need spacers, then try another size. Spacers are availabe anywhere from 3mm and up. I would first try various spacer sizes before exchanging the tires for new ones. As a last note, please realize there is a small metal protrusion in the front wheel well that may be causing contact. You can read about it here: http://www.mbworld.org/forums/showth...ght=protrusion __________________ FOR SALE! $39,995 OBO 06 Mercedes Benz SLK55 Caspian Blue / Black & Ash *To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 5 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.*

04-14-2008	#11 (permalink)
noregret4life Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NJ Vehicle: '05 SLK350 Posts: 1,089 Country: Thanks: 1 Thanked 17 Times in 11 Posts	dsb, thanks for the info. I have the stock Mercedes Sports suspension from the dealership. This was the $200 or so option, but i am assuming that it is springs. Sorry don't know much more about it. The only spacer i got to clear prior wheel issues at 225 were 10mm. After measuring that is the min i need to keep my rims from rubbing on 225s. When i put on my 235 tires, and was just testing them driving down the street, doing a few K-Turns to test for rubbing, they where already rubbing the inside but only at the Max wheel turn in one of the other direction. Now keeping in mind this is Inside rubbing (still nothing to do with the outside) So as i drove around i thought i actually needed to bump the spacers up to 12-13mm to get them to stop rubbing on turns. and is noticeable on the inside wheel well. The rubbing didn't actually come from the little metal thing in your pics, it was actually from the very top center of the fender itself. I'm no tire/rim expert, but perhaps because these rims came off my CLK320, they are incorrect spec for the SLK? and perhaps they fit fine with 225 and 10mm spacers, but bumping these specific rims and the Sports Suspension causes this issue? Another thing that came to mind is the fact that after i put on the front rims with the 235 tires, the car looked like it was dropped on seriously low springs. I'm talking only about 1 index finger's width between the tire and the fender, never mind even the camber or the spacer's 10mm. Perhaps someone can enlighten me on what exactly is the "sports suspension" from MB? to my knowledge it was just a slight drop and forward stance. __________________ Obsidian Black Metallic / Red Leather Comfort, Lighting • Premium Package • Heating Package • Airscarf • Sport Suspension • MHI Installed • Entertainment Package • Nav Komfort Variodach Module (Piecha) • Kleyman Puddle Lights • Euro Clear Side Markers • Pirelli PZero Nero • Custom Flipout 7" LCD • w/Rear Camera • Front Nightvision Camera • TV tuner • 250gig Media Drive (movies/pics/music) • Kleyman 3BFM V1.5 (Noregrets Custom Works) • White LED License plate bulbs • Chrome Rear Turn Signals • 50watt Xenon White Reverse Bulbs • 8000K Fog Light HIDs • Full LED conversion:doors, parking, sidemarkers, dome lights _________________ -NoRegret Customs-

04-14-2008	#12 (permalink)
noregret4life Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: NJ Vehicle: '05 SLK350 Posts: 1,089 Country: Thanks: 1 Thanked 17 Times in 11 Posts	my other question is will the car be fine with 225 in the front and 265 in the rear? __________________ Obsidian Black Metallic / Red Leather Comfort, Lighting • Premium Package • Heating Package • Airscarf • Sport Suspension • MHI Installed • Entertainment Package • Nav Komfort Variodach Module (Piecha) • Kleyman Puddle Lights • Euro Clear Side Markers • Pirelli PZero Nero • Custom Flipout 7" LCD • w/Rear Camera • Front Nightvision Camera • TV tuner • 250gig Media Drive (movies/pics/music) • Kleyman 3BFM V1.5 (Noregrets Custom Works) • White LED License plate bulbs • Chrome Rear Turn Signals • 50watt Xenon White Reverse Bulbs • 8000K Fog Light HIDs • Full LED conversion:doors, parking, sidemarkers, dome lights _________________ -NoRegret Customs-

04-14-2008	#18 (permalink)
Tslick Elite SLK World Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Long Beach, Ca Vehicle: SLK32 AMG Posts: 1,303 Country: Thanks: 63 Thanked 49 Times in 24 Posts	Will rolling your fenders help?