Wheel Spacers - 2003 c230 Coupe

[govertime]

I am clueless when it comes to wheels, offsets, and tires and can't figure out the offsets. I think some of the recommendations are for aftermarket larger wheels like 18s or 19s.

I have stock 16" wheels on my 2003 c230 Coupe. I've heard that adding wheel spacers to the rear wheels to align with the fender trim can make a major improvement on the looks without costing much.

Can anybody please inform me of what size (5, 10, 15, 20mm) I should add to the 16" rear wheels to give it a more aggresive stance without buying new wheels/tires just yet? Having spent all my money just to buy the car I can't afford new wheels/tires.

Thank you very very much for any help!

[Buellwinkle]

I added 10mm and thought it looked good. As a point of reference for the metrically challanged, 13mm is about 1/2". 20mm is about as far as I would go as it weakens the link between the wheel and hub. Make sure it has a concentric hub and made for MB not just some cheezy generic spacer and make sure you get the exact bolts for that spacer. If the bolts are too short it's goodbye wheel, if it's too long it will interfere with the brakes, either way, certain death is imminent if it's wrong. Depending on your mood, you may want to put anti-sieze compound between the spacer and hub as these are two dissimilar metals and they'll bond and make the spacer difficult to remove. So you are saying to yourself now, why would I have remove the spacers? Because if you get a flat and you want to use the spare tire/wheel, it has it's own special bolts and won't fit with the spacer. Unfortunately, the time you need to use your spare is not the time you want to be banging on the spacer with your cell phone to get it off, I know, been there, done that (not the cell phone though).

[cpiercy]

Well, I have done exactly what you are asking about.

I worked through the different wheel sizes that the C Class uses and determined that a 20 to 25 mm would work well and would match pretty close the wheels found on a W203 with a "Sport" designation.

I proceeded and have with the high end added a 25mm to the rear on my C240 and pushed it up to a 30mm on my C320. Every thing seems to work well.

I like the idea of anti seize between the two metals so I will have to go back and do that....good idea buellwinkle!!!

I have attached some pics of my C240 before and after to show the look!!! For reference, I'm running the standard 205/55 - 16 Yokohama AVID V4s.

Pic isn't that clear on the uplift....will take another a post tomorrow!!!

[MoTown-Benz]

I want to reinforce what Buellwinkle said - be sure to get quality hubcentric spacers, not cheap ones. Good spacers will cost 60+. In addition to that, you will absolutely need longer wheel bolts - roughly $2-$3 each.

- jason

[flip@CarLAB]

Hey guys,

Just posting what my colleague has posted over on another forum, hopefully this clarifies a few things about spacers:


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Ok,

Recently i've been bombarded with questions regarding spacers. So i decided to write this up to clear and explain the myth about spacers: what they are for, when they are needed, and what spacers will fit Mercedes in general.

Lets start with general information about PCD and HUB Size for the Mercedes. Mercedes bolt pattern / PCD is 5x112 with the exception of the G-Class. The hub diameter on the mercedes is 66.6mm.

What is an ideal spacer?
An Ideal spacers should be made out of a light weight aluminium alloy such as T6061 aircraft grade. They should be machined precisely so the center bore and the PCD holes of that spacers match to the hub size and the PCD of the car perfectly.

Spacer comes in many diffrent thickness, ranging from a 3mm - 30mm. Anything over 30mm I would consider unsafe because of the amount of stress that will be put on the bolts itself. The surface of a spacer also have to be dead flat and not bent / rough.

Remember a slight bend or a rough surface on the spacers can cause wheel vibrations.

H&R makes a good quality spacer. They are reasonably priced and easy to get. If you need to make a certain thickness that is not offered by H&R. Please call us and we can probably machine one for you.

Also use a longer bolt if you're putting a spacers on.

Whats type of spacer can i put on a mercedes?
Mercedes front Hub was design differently than most automaker outhere. The maximum size you can put safely on the front wheels will be 5mm. The reason being is that mercedes front hub that are 66.6mm in diameter is only 8mm thick. So if you put anything over 8mm your wheels will be sitting on the bolts not on the hub - exception being spacers made to bolt onto the wheel itself i.e. Brabus.

MOST COMMON QUESTIONS?

I have a 5mm H&R spacer in the front and my wheel still vibrating. Why?
Ok, Wheel center bore is also another factor why your 5mm spacer won't work. Some wheel was built with a slight tappered edge center bore for easy installations. Most wheels out there were built these ways, with the exception of HRE, iforged or most forged wheels. See illustration below (working on it).

So if you use any wheels with a tapered edge centerbore and try to put on a 5mm spacer. Let me tell you, it won't work because the tappered edge is not 66.6mm so it won't grab the 3mm space that you have for the wheels to sit.

What about loctite? Well I personally never use any it for a spacer application. I heard about it but i never used it. I don't think any glue/epoxy combination out there will hold the spacer tightly attached to the wheels with the load of the car applied to it.

It is best for you to choose a right offset wheels before buying them. Trust me it saves you a lot of time and headaches. Ideal offsets for your mercedes is 35-38. I also heard that Mercedes Benz roadside assistance won't touch your car if you use spacer on your wheels.

As for the rear, you can put spacers without a problem. Just make sure you got a longer bolts to use with your new spacers.

That will wrap up my brief explanation about spacer application for your mercedes. Feel free to leave any other additional questions.

Best Regards,

Darwin

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flip