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Staggered wheel/tire on E500 4-matic Q's...

2K views 6 replies 3 participants last post by  Kajtek1 
#1 ·
Please don't respond if you are just guessing or it's just your opinion. Thanks!

My understanding is that all 4 tires need to be the same Overall Diameter on MB 4-matics in order to not screw up the system... Question though is why can't I run a staggered wheel/tire setup if the OAD's of all 4 tires are exactly the same and very close to stock...?

For instance:
stock tires are Bridgestone RE050 245/45-17 which are 25.7" OAD
(140 A A 95W )

I'd like to run these are something similar:
Michelin Pilot Sport AS's
F 245/35ZR19 on 19x8.5 ET35 MM w/ 25.8" OAD
R 285/30ZR19 on 19x9.5 ET35 MM w/25.8" OAD

I can't imagine tire width would make that much difference to a 4-matic but the rear wheels would have a nice lip and be a staggered setup... I've seen wheel websites that say I can run staggered on an E-class up to 275 in the rear on a 9.5" wheel... Am I nuts or would this work for me... I need the AWD for winter driving here in Colorado but don't want to have my E-class look like it belongs to a 65 yr.old grandpa...
 
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#4 ·
Did that on several manufacturers websites under "specs" for the tires... The ones quoted above states both sizes are 25.8" OAD but one has a revolutions per mile of 806 and the other 808 ... I can't imagine that would cause the 4-matic system any more grief that if someone were running 4 of the exact same tires and 2 were considerably lower on air... The inflation specs sticker on my car shows they recommend 29 front and 35 rear in the stock 245/45-17's... In theory, that alone would cause the front and rear tires to have different OAD's and revolutions per mile... I'm under the assumption then that while the tires need to be close in OAD and revolutions per mile, that there is some % of difference that is acceptable to the 4-matic system which will allow it to operate correctly... The question is, what is that %...
 
#5 ·
MB like to have customers faith in their product, what means keeping them in the dark.
Years ago I was trying to get info what % slop is the SUV capable of driving on. Got lot of advise "if you feel the car tipping over -steer down or up" but never firm figure.
Same might be with the % you are asking about.
Tires rpm are very tricky business. They change with inflation, speed and load. The change is not linear. So even when you have 2 rpm difference at rated speed, doesn't mean it might be 12 at different speeds.
Is staggering really issue of "life or death" for you?
 
#6 ·
Running staggered isn't really a "life and death" issue for me I guess. I'm just hung up on being different and "not running with the pack" more than anything else... A fault of mine for sure...

At any rate, I found a thread on MBWorld.org where they discuss 2008 C300 4-Matic Sports that are coming from the factory with staggered Continental ContiProContact Tires in 225 front and 245 Rear... I looked up the specs on Tirerack and another website and they list them as 24.7" F for the 225 and 25" R for the 245 tires, and they even go so far as to call them out as OEM Fitment on the C300 4-Matic so I know I'm looking a the right tires... They are 3/10th of an inch different from the factory so I guess that answers a few Q's ...

http://http://mbworld.org/forums/showthread.php?p=2707594
 
#7 ·
I'm just hung up on being different and "not running with the pack" more than anything else... A fault of mine for sure

From what I remember from short visit to Colorado -driving Mercedes makes you quite different.
In California MB are very popular brand and we have areas where in one block you can find 3 MB shops. Still my family looks good driving MB. Our close friends bought new cars at about the same time we bought our new ML. After 10 years their cars qualify for replacement, while even after giving it to our son -ML is still having paint in showroom condition (interior mess is another story).
 
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