Mercedes-Benz Forum banner

2009 C300 4Matic - Staggered Rims and Winter Tires

6K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  Brucetreker 
#1 ·
My girlfriend has a 2009 c300 4matic. It has a staggered setup:

Front: 17x7.5", 225/45 R17
Rear: 17x8.5", 245/40 R17

The previous owner gave us his extra set of rims that he used for winters. They also have a staggered setup as above. These winters are starting to wear out, so it may be time to get new winters soon.

The thing is, 245/40 R17 appears to be a rarer / more expensive size. It would be easier if we could just put 225/45 R17 all around, even though the wheels itself are staggered.

From looking at online calculators, the 225/45 R17 tires would fit the 8.5" width wheels, as it is the minimum accepted width.

As a sanity check, could you guys provide some thoughts on whether this is acceptable? Thank you.
 
#3 ·
Thanks for that!

Yes, we'll definitely keep the larger rims on the rear.

In the case that we end up buying unidirectional tires, it will limit the ability to rotate (Unidirectional + Larger rims in rear). But, still easier than buying staggered tires, the limitations are the same.
 
#4 ·
These winter tires will fit

I am currently running Michelin Ice-X 225/45/17 on all four rims. Yes, same tire size on both front and back, yet stock rims are staggered.

Tires WILL fill the rear rims with no problem, and this tire is the best winter tire in my opinion. I have an extra set of staggered wheels, so I have one set with dedicated winter tires.

Amazingly, they are quiet tires, and have great traction in dry/wet, so I'd have no problem running these year-round.. but am only keeping them on from December to March.

My summer tires are staggered Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ 245/40/ZR17 and 245/55/ZR17 rear.
 
#5 ·
My summer tires are staggered Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ 245/40/ZR17 and 245/55/ZR17 rear.
I quoted my summer tires wrong. My summer tires are Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ 225/45/ZR17 and 245/40/ZR17

My winter tires are correct and are all four Michelin Ice-X 225/45/17 x 4 tires. I'm expecting the winter tires to last a long time since I only use them 4 months a year. Not much snow in Cincinnati, but I've got a steep hill as the only way out of my subdivision, and have to be able to get to work. I've owned many sports cars, but had to get a sensible AWD to get though the winter, and this C300 with winter tires gets the job done.
 
#7 ·
I have a 2011 C250 and use 205/55 R16 winter tires. (They end up the exact same diameter as the 225/45 R17.) They work really well in deeper snow that I need to get through. A friend of mine had wider tires on his truck for plowing and had some trouble with traction. He went to basic stock winter tires and improved his traction significantly. I would use the 225/45 R17 tires all round as traction should be better in snow. As mentioned above they should fit on the wider rims but would limit the rotation possibilities. Using winter tires all year round would effect gas milage reducing it. Also above 7 degrees Celsius the performance would be below that of the summer or all season tires.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top