I managed to find a set of 15 x 7 Bundt style replicas (same design as 14" MB original alloys) for my 1989 300SL (W107). Now I want to have a real genuine 70´s style look by fitting whitewall tires.
After an hour of surfing and calling it seems like no-one makes whitewall tires in dimension 205/65-15 (std size) or 215/65-15 (std size for 560SL). Is this true?
In case there are no such tires, I thought about fitting 205/70-15. For this dimension it is not a problem to find whitewall tires. I do however have some concerns:
* Is the 7" rim to wide for 205/70?
* Overal diameter is larger than std sizes. However, according to my calculations 205/70 diameter is only +7,5mm = 0,3" larger than 215/65-15. Is this a problem?
* Seems like the tires that come in dimension 205/70-15 are not exactly high performance models. How will it affect handling? Can I still drive 200km/h (125mph) on autobahn?
After an hour of surfing and calling it seems like no-one makes whitewall tires in dimension 205/65-15 (std size) or 215/65-15 (std size for 560SL). Is this true?
In case there are no such tires, I thought about fitting 205/70-15. For this dimension it is not a problem to find whitewall tires. I do however have some concerns:
* Is the 7" rim to wide for 205/70?
* Overal diameter is larger than std sizes. However, according to my calculations 205/70 diameter is only +7,5mm = 0,3" larger than 215/65-15. Is this a problem?
* Seems like the tires that come in dimension 205/70-15 are not exactly high performance models. How will it affect handling? Can I still drive 200km/h (125mph) on autobahn?