Stoneboy..where are they worn , inside corner, including the sidewall or just the thread part...are they unevenly worn across the whole width...another thing to consider is if the tyres are not XL or RF they will wear badly on the shoulders...leaving loads of thread in the centers....pix might help..
BTW..what width are your alloys..?
They were worn right on the very edge of the tread. The worn area was about an inch or so wide with the one half tapering off on the tread and the other tapering off on the side wall. Other than this band the rest of the tread wear was perfectly even.
The tyres were XL and the outer edges were fine.
Not got the old tyres and didn't take photos unfortunately.
No idea what width the wheels are... actually, just found the recipt for them. It says...
8'JX18' MERC STYLE 1 WHEEL 5X112 ET35
Guessing that's 8" wide and is that a 35mm offset?
Ok, this weekend gone, Mercedes signed a deal with Bentley (where you guys been? didn't you know??) so I went out and got a set of 9J wide 19's off a GT Continental. Alloys came with some beautiful 275/40 profile tyres on them. Got back and sat one next to the front wheel. Looked SWEEEEET!
This is exactly how i want the end result for the front - after lowering and what not.
So went ahead and stuck one on today but sadly couldn't let the jack down cos the bolts were too long for these alloys so wouldn't tighten enough. too much play in the wheel so have to find some shorter bolts before i let it sit properly. Second pics gives you an idea of how much they stick out.
on the flip side, the wheels had more than enough clearance from the inside even though the tyres are 275's. On full lock, last picture shows that they would rub on the inside front part of the wheels so maybe 245's or 235's with a 35 or even 40 profile would be better suited here. (stoneboy: i think this is where your 245 tyres are rubbing dude. With an ET of 35 I get the distinct impression that's where you need to look. may be wrong, but take a peek when you can)
All in all i think the fronts will be fine.
Last edited by HotPanties : 01-14-2008 at 03:50 PM.
Rears on the other hand will be a slight headache...they fitted on fine aside from the bolts being too short, but the problem was i will never be able to keep 275's on the rear with a 40 profile simply because when i lowered the jack, the arch ended up SITTING on the wheel...and the jack wasn't fully released either
on a good note, the clearance on the inside looks and feels ok for now...but then i haven't pulled the jack away yet.
to give you an exact idea of how much 275/40's stick out on an ET of 41, check these pics.
Looks like i'm going to have to go 245 or 255 on the rear with a 30 or 35 profile. I've always loved the oldschool fatboy look on these mercs so what ever happens, I will be rolling and/or flaring arches. How and when that'll happen, I have no clue just yet. Working 8 til 7 every day doesn't help so now i'm stuck....
Any thoughts or ideas on a good tyre setup would be much appreciated
Last edited by HotPanties : 01-14-2008 at 03:33 PM.
Reason: forgot to add pics...............
Vehicle: vito108cdi ,zx7r,gsxr 750, ford consul rod, ford pop rod, Custom Astrovan,New toy.. Benelli Tornado.
Location: ireland
Posts: 552
Lovely wheels mate....now ,here we go...youre problem on the back (which is probably smaller than mine will be) isnt the tyres but the wheel itself, so no point changing them for different size/profile...there are wide arch kits for the vito, not the crappy stick on ones either, they're fiberglass and about 50mm extra width, so you could cut away the arch thats rubbing on the tyre..the fronts look fine (read:Awesome) but again the arch kit will extend to cover the tyre.....does the van rise when you start the engine, enough to leave a gap above the rears..?? i dont know the workings of the air thingy..as i said mine is lowered 40mm but only touches base when i have a big load in her (easy now )...
Lovely wheels mate....now ,here we go...youre problem on the back (which is probably smaller than mine will be) isnt the tyres but the wheel itself, so no point changing them for different size/profile...there are wide arch kits for the vito, not the crappy stick on ones either, they're fiberglass and about 50mm extra width, so you could cut away the arch thats rubbing on the tyre..the fronts look fine (read:Awesome) but again the arch kit will extend to cover the tyre.....does the van rise when you start the engine, enough to leave a gap above the rears..?? i dont know the workings of the air thingy..as i said mine is lowered 40mm but only touches base when i have a big load in her (easy now )...
Glad you're lovin the beasts too matey. Damn things are sexy and i could comfortably say the load rating on them is enough to roll a Challenger tank
now to more pressing matters...the problem is the tyres that are on there make the overall circumference difference almost 7.5% which is HUGE! the wheel in total ends up being a lot bigger as well as 3 inches wider. Dropping down to say 255/35's brings the circumference down to a more realistic 1% bigger which should, all things equal, be ok.
I hear what you're saying regards the 50mm fiberglass arches but the way it's sitting, the air compressor wont even kick in, the light on the dash remains on when i start it up. With the normal wheels soon as the dash lights come on, pump starts purring and the back lifts up to the correct height. I don't even have to start it.
Also I get a nasty feeling, with 50mm flared arches, the sliding doors might end up clipping them. As it is, with these wheels on the door just misses them. But then i may be wrong. I mean why would they design 50mm arch extensions if that was the case.
having said all that.........i am interested in this fiberglass kit. forget fatboy...i'll make her a FATCHICK link me up dude!!!
Last edited by HotPanties : 01-14-2008 at 03:34 PM.
Reason: editor wasn't happy :P
Nice one HotPanties!
Some where in the world there must be a Bentley owner trying to figure out how to get original MB vito alloys to fit their continental GT.
Nice one HotPanties!
Some where in the world there must be a Bentley owner trying to figure out how to get original MB vito alloys to fit their continental GT.
well, he wont have much to figure out. His discs and calipers will be way too big so the vito wheel wouldn't get anywhere near being bolted on
...there are wide arch kits for the vito, not the crappy stick on ones either, they're fiberglass and about 50mm extra width, so you could cut away the arch thats rubbing on the tyre...
gixxer, you got a link or number for the supplier of these arch kits?
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