CLK wheels on Pagodas?

[lurtch]

Hello All - -
 
Check out this Photoshop composition I just did and please comment.

I am considering doing this and would like to conduct an opinion poll.

The wheel is from  1999 CLK. They are 16 inch and take a 205/55 tire. I am not even sure they will even fit onto the car properly.

Does it cheapen the look  - -  or enhance the look?  I like the simplicity of this wheel as opposed to the busy-ness of my bundt cake style.

It does make the car look more modern, does it not?

Please have your say,   Regards, Larry in CA

Download Attachment: CLK-wheels-on.jpg
24.73 KB

[rob walker]

Larry I think they look a bit too glossy, although the original alloys, which mine runs on are a bit fussy, they look better in my opinion than these which look a little bit Chav.
If I was going for non original 16" alloys then I would look at something more period in a matt finish like the Bundts and would probably go for a period minilite which was a competition wheel.

[menesesjesse]

These wheels dont do the car justice.  They look out of place.  I would like to see some nice wire wheels just for kicks.

[psmith]

Hi Larry,

Good work with photoshop!  I like the bundts, but I've thought about using a more modern MB wheel to increase the tire options, but IMHO the CLK wheels are a little too modern.  What about these?





I found them on this website with lots of unusual combinations
http://members.tripod.com/~breastroker/MB_M100Wheels.html

[Naj ✝︎]

quote:Originally posted by menesesjesse

These wheels dont do the car justice.  They look out of place.  I would like to see some nice wire wheels just for kicks.

15 inch Bundts with 215/65s




naj

[menesesjesse]

The wire wheels look nice.  I think it fits the period correctly without taking from the car.  Modern wheels draw attention to themselves and unfortunately away from the body of the car.

[waqas]

quote:Originally posted by lurtch

I actually quite like them. Their simplicity vaguely reminds me of the first car I learnt how to drive, a Peugeot 504 wagon from the 70s. Generic pic from the net:

[JamesL]

I have often thought Minilites would look good



As, IMO, would the 15 or 8 hole alloys found on R107s, W124/W202s. I would not think a modern MB alloy would look too good (similar to Larry's pics)

[JimVillers]

The CLK rims are a bolt on 16 inch replacement wheel.  You may or may not like the looks, but you can mount 205/65/16 tires on them which are one inch taller than the 205/70/14 tires (that I was using).  This will lower your cruising RPMs by about 5% (or 200-300 RPM at highway cruising speed).  I ran a set on my 190SL when I drove it to California last month for the 190SL Group Convention. The RPM reduction for 6,800 miles was worth the change in appearance (I installed my normal 14 inch wheels on the car after arriving home).

The change in driving feel is significant.  I will keep the wheels and continue to use them for long distance driving.

[norton]

I have run 16x8 wheels with 205/55/16 tires fron a 2003 C  class on my SL. Much better choice of tires for the 16" wheels. Better handling and braking.

Download Attachment: 16merc.jpg
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[JamesL]

I think the R107 looks much better with the flat face alloys it was fitted with later in life than it did with the one piece wheel embellishers hungover from the w113

[JimVillers]

James .... I agree, the 205/55/16 is a perfect tire for the 16 inch rims.  My objective was to lower my cruising RPM so I chose the largest rear tire that would fit into the wheel well.  I drove for a day or two on the 205/55/16 and they provided a tighter, quicker handling and a smoother ride than my normal 205/70/14.

[psmith]

quote:Originally posted by norton

I have run 16x8 wheels with 205/55/16 tires fron a 2003 C  class on my SL.

Can we see the whole car with the wheels please?

[Cees Klumper]

Personally that look is not for me Larry, so my vote is 'no'. I do like the 15 inch Bundts that Naj posted.

[thelews]

Don't like.

[hauser]

Here's the link to the Hatch car with 15" bundt wheels.

http://www.hatchandsons.com/pages/site_info/280SLR/

[JimVillers]

I am with John and possibly Cees in that I prefer the original wheels with classic painted hub caps (every car now has fancy wheels; bling, bling).  On the other hand, I might be inclined to install my CLK wheels for a long trip where the benefits of high speed cruising exceed the loss of curb appeal.

[Ulfi]

Have wire wheels similar to the burgundy car shown elsewhere and they really look out of place - except for the Mercedes logo on them, they would look great on a British car but not on my pagoda. Trying to find someone willing to swap them but I'm not sure whether the wheels from a W123 will fit...

[JamesL]

some wheels from a w123 will fit. Check the For Sale section under "Alloy wheels..."

[hauser]

Have wire wheels similar to the burgundy car shown elsewhere and they really look out of place - except for the Mercedes logo on them, they would look great on a British car but not on my pagoda. Trying to find someone willing to swap them but I'm not sure whether the wheels from a W123 will fit...

Ulfi, the wheels you have might just be a set of Zenith wire wheels.  Many of the 107's had these as an aftermarket item.

[JimVillers]

I mounted my CLK wheels on my 230SL and took several pictures.  I prefer the original wheels but the use of a 16 inch rim greatly expands the tire options.  The rear tire size is a 205/65/16 which has a diameter of 26.5 inches; 1.3 inches taller (4.7%) than my 205/70/14.

[zoegrlh]

Jim might want to rethink the CLK wheels.  On our way back from PUB 2009 we were following Jim back to Virginia, some where in West Virginia, Jim had a right rear blow-out at about 65 mph.  We slowed traffic down behind us so that Jim would not get rear-ended and could make his way over off the right-of-way.  It seems that the oversize wheels caused the tire to rub the exhaust pipe.  With the rubbing and the heat of the exhaust pipe, the blow-out was a given.

Jim and Robby were fine and we got the spare on after some rotating of tires from front to back, and was on our way again.  I will let Jim fill in you in on his thoughts of these rims.
Bob   

[Peter van Es]

Uh-oh... so not only are they ugly, they are unsafe too? I'd better put a warning in Jim's driveability improvements here... 

Peter

[jeffc280sl]

I'm glad Jim was able to get off the road safely.

I just installed 205-60/15 tires on my car and this has me thinking about exhaust pipe clearance.  I had 205-70/14 tires before with no problems so I thought I'd be ok. I didn't measure clearance with my old tires.  I suppose I can put one back on and check.  With the 15 inch tires at rest I have 1 inch clearance between the tire and exhaust pipe. Gibson exhaust recommends a minimum of 1 inch clearance from the exhaust system for tires, brake and gas lines.  What sort of clearance do others have?  Jim, what was the clearance with the larger wheels?  I hope I don't need to use spacers.

[hauser]

I tried to find a post by Naj where he posted a photo of a 280sl with 15" bundt wheels and 215/65/15 tires.  Would like to follow up on this to find out if there were any issues with rubbing.

[jeffc280sl]

I think the 15 inch bundt wheels have a 25 or 27 et.  They rims are also wider at 7 inches.  At et 27 the calculations indicate there is 9 mm less clearance than stock.

[hauser]

I have a set of 15" bundts that I'm thinking of using.  The problem is that I really like the hubcap look.

[Naj ✝︎]

I'm glad Jim was able to get off the road safely.

I just installed 205-60/15 tires on my car .

Jeff,

What's the ET on your 15" wheels?

Thanks.

Hauser,

The 250 SL with the 15" bundts won the Club Concours this year.

I have talked to the owner but not specifically about heat problems on tyres. However he did not mention anything about them.

naj

[jeffc280sl]

My wheels are 6 inches wide with an et of 31.  Same as stock.  Here is a handy et comparison calculator



www.1010tires.com/WheelOffsetCalculator.asp

[Naj ✝︎]

Thanks, Jeff


naj

[hauser]

The bundts I have are 15x6 et 25.

[hauser]

Naj would you please post the link to the 250sl.  I believe there is a pic of the car.  Thanks!

[Peter van Es]

Why does no-one here use the Search function or look in the Technical Manual... pictures galore

http://www.sl113.org/wiki/WheelsTires/TireSize

Peter

[jeffc280sl]

I didn't know the 15 inch bundts were available in a 6 inch wide version.  All of my reading indicated they were available in 7 inch only.  The pic of the red SL with 15 inch bundts appears to be the 7 inch wide version because the wheels seem to stick out farther.  The et calculator indicates 3/4" of that that extra inch is on the outside making the inside 1/4" tighter.

[Allenh]

When I restored my 230SL, I stayed as faithful to how it was originally built as possible.  That is what restoration means in my dictionary.  I did, however make a couple of reversible changes.  When I purchased the car it had a 250SE engine in it and I decided to put a fan clutch on it to reduce high RPM engine drag from the fixed 4-blade fan.  The other was to mount 14" Bundt alloy wheels.  The wheels are almost correct except they were not an option in '64. 

Both items can be reversed but both items positively improve drivability via less wieght or engine load.  Last time I checked my highway mileage, it was over 25MPG at 75MPH.  Not bad for old technology.

Allen   

[Naj ✝︎]

Naj would you please post the link to the 250sl.  I believe there is a pic of the car.  Thanks!

[mkbull]

Hi Jeff
how are you getting on with your 15" c class wheels.
Is the clearance fine?
Are the 15" hubcabs reasonable to get a hold of?

If the answer is yes to both of the above I think these would be a great option.
My real desire would have been the 14" alloy hub cap wheels - but these are like hens teeth - probably dont even exist here in Europe.
the 15" c class wheels are abundant here in the uk and the trye choice size that you have opted for allows for a far wider choice of top quality tyres.
I could have picked up a set of Michelins this weekend at Costco. you cant say that about any of the other commonly used tyre sizes.

Regards
Mark UK

[jeffc280sl]

Hello Mark,

I'm completely satisfied with my decsion to go with the 15 inch wheel setup and I can recommend the upgrade.   Performance is greatly improved.  The Goodyear tires feel like they are glued to the road and the car is fantastic in the corners.   The 15 inch C class steel wheels could not be found here.  Same goes for the W126 wheel.  I think its because everything delivered to the US came with alloy wheels.  I didn't look a whole lot for the 15 inch caps.  I found mine in Australia of all places and they were painted white.  The hub caps use the same 4 clips and they are very securly fastened to the wheel.  

Clearance is not an issue.  Plenty or room for the brakes of course.  No suspension interference.  No rubbing in the wheel wells.  I have 1 inch of clearance between the exhaust pipe and rear tire.  From all that I have read this is adequate.  I didn't measure this clearance with my old setup.  If you get some time can you measure the clearance of you rear wheel and exhaust and let me know.

[mkbull]

Hi Jeff

sorry but I cant tell you much about the setup beside the exhaust as my car is still under restoration so no exhast fitted yet.
You have inspired me though -- so I have just purchased a set of SLK alloys these must have been early original SLK's since they are 15" rims.
I am only getting them as an experiment to see if it is possible to retro fit the 15" hubcaps to the alloy wheel??
If that is do-able it would be an ideal solution....
Is there a problem to solve or am I just enjoying experimenting?

Regards
Mark

[jeffc280sl]

Hi Mark,

I gave some thought to doing the same thing and decided not to go that way.  A hubcap has 4 clips which secure it to the wheel.  The steel wheel has a groove which accepts the clip.  The width of the grove and its diameter has to be sized properly for the clips to hold tight. A little off and good bye hubcap. The period alloys that I have do not have such a groove.  Even if it were the correct diameter there is nothing to hold the clip from working its way out and off the wheel.  Look at your spare and you will see what I mean.

[mkbull]

Hi Jeff
I did not think it was going to be as straight forward as using the original clips, but wonered if with a bit of thought the hub caps could be firmly attached by an altenative method.

BTW i did find out that there is no shortage of the 15" hubcaps you can buy them directly from mercedes they still have over 400 in stock so no chance of running out anytime soon at about £110 each.

Ok they are more than double the cost of new 14" rims but for the extra cost I like the availabilty of modern high spec tyres. The SLK alloys were quite inexpensive so no harm in a bit further investigation.
Regards
Mark

[mkbull]

Hi Jeff
Quite a surprise- it turns out to be easier than I thought, these particular alloys 15" (slk stock mercedes) accept the hub caps much the same way as the steel rims.
Looks like I have eventually found my wheel and tyre nirvana!!

I really liked your idea of going with 15" rims as it opens up a great range of tyres, I would have gone the same route as yourself since the steel 15" wheels are easy to find in any breakers yard.

Mark

[jeffc280sl]

Hey Mark,

That's good news.  If I understand correctly the alloy wheels have a groove , like the steel wheels, that accepts the hubcap clip and secures the cap to the wheel.

Can you post a pics when you get a chance?  If you need the dimensions of my hubcap clips or wheels to check further let me know and I'll get them.

[mkbull]

Hi Jeff

heres a shot of the alloy wheels not sure how common these are in 15" but they are lightweight original mercedes so they are very likely a high quality wheel.
I found these on ebay but have not noticed any more when searching.
Its got to be a great option as the backing to a 15" hubcap.
I have now found the 15" hubcaps for 85 Euro each so thats getting better also.
the hubcaps are the 15"ers off a merc 600 and they clip right on, really tight. they belong to a friend so it was the only 15" hubcap available to try right now.

Mark

[jeffc280sl]

Mark,  

Nice!  Sounds like you have found the ideal light weight wheel and hubcap combination.  I'm sure others are going to start searching for these slk wheels.

What is the size of this wheel?  MB EPC  says the 1704010002 is 7x15 et37.  You may have clearance problems with this wheel.

[mkbull]

Jeff
Yes thats the correct size.
according to my calcs clearance is reduced by 18mm this is only an offset problem.

I suspect I may want to use small concentric spacers at the rear probably only 6mm.
Actually I have no issues with spacers at all, they only have the exact same effect as altering the offset.
as long as you are effectively adjusting the et within sensible parameters there should be no difference at all.

[jeffc280sl]

I tend to agree with you on the use of spacers. 

18mm less clearance on the inside is about 3/4 of an inch.  FYI I have approximately 1 inch clearance between my tire and exhaust pipe.  I'm not sure what the minimum clearance should be.   

[cbero]

Larry I think they look a bit too glossy, although the original alloys, which mine runs on are a bit fussy, they look better in my opinion than these which look a little bit Chav.
If I was going for non original 16" alloys then I would look at something more period in a matt finish like the Bundts and would probably go for a period minilite which was a competition wheel.

Larry I would have to agree with Rob here on this one.

Chris

[cbero]

Do you plan to add white walls?

[shanecallahan]

I just finished mounting those 16" CLK rims on my 280sl.  I never cared much for the rims when I saw them on the early CLK's but they slightly resemble the bundt style rims.  To mount them I ordered 20mm hub centric spacers and 39mm lug bolts to correct for the offset.  I bought new 205/55 R16 tires which gave me the same overall diameter as the 14" tires.  To spruce it up a bit I replaced the center caps of the CLK rims with the MB emblem style center caps.  That is almost an identical match to the MB emblem on the bonnet of the car.

I am sure the purists on this site will not like this modification.  I still have the steel rims/hubcaps and also a set of bundt rims in storage.  I would love to get feedback whether positive or negative.  

[jeffc280sl]

Shane,

How did you decide on the 20mm spacers?  Were you looking for a wider stance or was it clearance? How do you like the handling? My 205/60 R15 are great.

[shanecallahan]

I could say I checked the wheel offsets, but honestly I couldn't be bothered by that.   Someone on this thread also mentioned that the CLK rims may have been mounted too close to his exhaust which may have caused a blow-out.  That was a good hint that I needed a spacer too. 

The CLK rims and stock rims were both 7" in width and have 205mm width tires.  If the CLK rim was wider I would have had to learn about offsets.  I laid both the CLK rim and stock rim face down and put a straight edge across the back of the rim.  Then I measured from the back of the center hub to the leading edge of the straight edge.  On the stock rim it was something like 2" and the CLK rim was 2 1/2".  By adding the 20mm spacer (about 1/2") to the CLK rim it brought the rim out to the same stance as the original rim. 

[jeffc280sl]

How about performance?  How much space do you have between the exhaust pipe and rear tire?

[Ulf]

Ulfi, the wheels you have might just be a set of Zenith wire wheels.  Many of the 107's had these as an aftermarket item.

They are actually from Dayton and was added by the first owner in San Diego, but right now I'm in the process of replacing them with standard steel wheels with hubcaps, but unfortunately one of the rims I received is 6,5" wide rather than 6", which I discovered after spending the good part of a day sanding and painting them...have a tread somewhere about whether it will make a difference with my 205 Tiger Paws that I intend to keep.
The wire wheels will be up for grabs if someone wants them, but only after I'm sure the new rims are up to the job :-)

Ulf

[shanecallahan]

I confirmed the distance between the exhaust and tires is the same as with the stock 14" rims.  The car rides much tighter with this rim/tire combo.  

My tire project was done on the cheap $620 total ($80 for 4 good condition CLK rims on Craigs, $120 for spacers and lugs, $420 for new Contentials and I had the MB logo center caps).  I spent a good portion of the afternoon sanding out curb rash from 2 of the rims and taking it to the buffing wheel. Overall, it's the look I was going for.  

To Jeffc280sl,  I read all about your 15" hubcaps and challenges finding rims.  That turned out really great!!! 

[jeffc280sl]

Thank you.  The rims were hard to find because I wanted the correct offset and did not want to use spacers.  I'm not anti spacer.  I also wanted the classic look as well.