I have been looking for some 18" rims and tires lately. No rush, probably get something over the winter for the spring and summer and put my winters back on 4 matic. I have seen a lot of staggered wheelsets, i guess the back is wider than the front right ? what advantages/disadvantages does this present ? i heard a lot of hiway driving is not good with staggered, is this true ?
#1.) increase the already massive amount of understeer
#2.) not allow for tire rotation creating more tire wear
#3.) create and tremendous amount of stress on the 4-matic system without exact diameter matching tires which is not that easy to accomplish.
#4.) the traction control and ABS are also very sensitive so there are possible problems there also
Now, this is just a short look at this subject but in conclusion the staggered set-up would hurt the handling of the car, raise the operating cost, possibly hurt the 4-matic system, make tire shopping much more difficult, and possibly cause on-board computer problems with the ABS and traction control systems, but it will in some peoples opinion look a little better. Is it really worth it ? I don't think so that is why I will not recommend the staggered fitment on any 4-matic cars that do not use a viscous drive differential.
Hey, I'm gonna go staggered on my 99' E 430 sport. 19" but I'm not a 4 matic. My friend is also a mechanic at MB in FL and he says the staggered on a 4 matic is fine.
I believe that the E55 4Matic sedan/wagon are staggered, but the ESP has been recalibrated to compensate.
I would run the same width rim and tire on mine. 235mm is plenty wide enough for the back end of a 4Matic car. If you are breaking traction with the 235 and on all 4 wheels, you have different issues[:D]
I run staggered tire sizes and the the biggest pain is not being able to rotate them. As long as they are the same diameter it shouldn't hurt a 4-matic, but you will lose a lot of tire life not rotating them. Looks good though.
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