I am wanting to upgrade my Chrome 15" rims on my 300SDL. I have thought about installing some 16" 8 holes Mercedes rims.

Will the 16" rims effect the ride quality? And if so, how and is there any remedy (tire size) to offset this?

Thanks

When changing wheels, and hence tires as well, you have to keep one thing the same; rolling radius. That is the diameter of the rim + 2x the height of the sidewall. (the one above and the one below the wheel itself) If you go to 16" wheels you will have to use a lower profile tire to maintain rolling radius. The other thing you have to keep in mind when changing wheels is the offset. Contact Tirerack for specifics on fitting a wheel with the correct offset. They have a database that lists all the cars, all applicable offsets, all "doable" aftermarket sizes. They should be able to help you out with any fittment questions.

The best thing you can do to improve ride quality among a certain size is buy a specific type of tire. Certain sizes are predisposed to certain types, (you wont find touring tires in 19" sizes and you wont find max performance tires in 14-15" sizes) but most sizes give you quite a choice. For a great ride, long life, improved mileage get the Michelin MXV4. This tire is also known as the Energy MXV4 and Energy MXV4 Plus. They are the best touring tire you can buy bar none.

Tirerack will be able to give you any/all specifics you require. (banner at top of page) Their prices are the best I've found as well. BTW, shipping is always less than local tax.

Hope this helps...Lee

I just took delivery of a very nice '84 300SD. Brilliant silver, blue MB-tex interior. (A personal favorite color combination.) The car is all original as best as I can tell, right down to the admittedly ugly 14" alloy wheels. My '83 had the 15" rims on it. I may be able to swap wheels with my old car if I act soon.

I wonder if the 15" wheel is substantially better in terms of handling or if Michelin MXV4's in 14" provide acceptable handling on a 126. Here in Pennsylvania some roads are very rough, and if the 14's give a better ride, I'll keep them.

I also found about a $21 per tire difference in price going from a 14 to 15 inch MXV4, keeping the same rolling diameter. My '84 came with Dunlop D60A2's in 195/70-14. Are they worth keeping, or do I need to watch myself in the rain (in case it ever rains again in the Northeastern USA...) My impression of the Dunlops is that they are a cheap H-rated tire. I remember Tire Rack recommending Bridgestone RE930's over them a few years ago when I asked them for advice on new tires for an Acura Integra.

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Robert W. Roe
1984 300SD 164K miles

[This message has been edited by Robert W. Roe (edited 08-01-1999).]

I know from experience that the 15" make the car ride and handle MUCH better.

And they without a doubt are the single most important thing to add when you are wanting to improve AND update the look.

I also think the pre 1986 126's sit so much better with the 15" wheels

Robert,
The 15's will be an improvement in just about every way over the 14's. Any ride penalty will be very minor, even over bad surfaces. As long as you stick with a good tire like the MXV4 you should be quite happy with the results. If you can't get the wheels off your old car you can try Tirerack for new, or PartsShop for used.

Hope this helps...Lee

Thanks, guys; you've sold me on the larger wheels. I'll try to swap if I can.

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Robert W. Roe
1984 300SD 164K miles

My "new" SD seems to be attracting attention, even with the ugly 14" wheels. The gas station attendant asked me what year it was, and now my boss encourages me to park next to all the new vehicles at my work parking lot, the cheapest of which cost over twice what my SD cost "so far". My boss said, "you don't want people banging their doors into your car."

That "German racing silver" is my favorite color for many MB models, IMHO. Especially the S-class.

Anyway, today I got the OK, from the dealership where I traded my cars, to swap my 14" wheels for my 15's. One thing though, one of my 15" wheels has some noticable flaking on the finish.

Can this be economically repaired or is it cheaper just to get another 15" wheel in similar condition to my three good wheels?

If I get one wheel refinished, will it match closely between the other wheels on the car?

I have a feeling that I will be happier with the handling of the 15" wheels. Driving my '84 vs. my '83 the '84 does seem more "squirrely" and it does feel like it's the tires. The stability of the Dunlop 14's is inferior to the 15's even with generic tires on 15" rims.

With MXV4's and 15's I can imagine having to watch my speed to avoid speeding tickets.

Do you recommend getting the MXV's mounted and balanced at an independent garage, an MB dealership, or can most any good tire shop be trusted not to crack or otherwise damage my alloy wheels?

Thanks again for the advice,

Robert W. Roe
1984 300SD 165K miles

[This message has been edited by Robert W. Roe (edited 08-02-1999).]

Robert,
Your dealer/indepentdent should have no trouble balancing/mounting the wheels. They may have a bit of tension with you bringing tires that were bought elsewhere in to them. (depends on the individual place) Ask beforehand to make sure no toes are stepped on. Other than that a reputable independent garage that specializes in speed stuff should be able to do the job for you. Make some phone calls in advance.

Getting a wheel refinished is about half as expensive as getting a new wheel. Give Rob Rice at Rennsport a call. I'm almost certain he has your wheels 14's and 15's in stock for core exchange. His banner and contact info are at the bottom of the page. Also look at the Mercedesshop DIY section and look at the article titled "Tour of Rennsport" to get a look around his shop. I'll be having the 500E's wheels refinished there shortly as the previous owner was not as stringent with wheel cleaning as I would of liked.

Hope this helps...Lee

I was able to visit my old SD tonight at the dealership where I traded it. Their detailing person spent two days buffing, polishing, and cleaning up the car. To my amazement the car looked very presentable!

Anyway, for some reason, it seems that they spray painted my wheels silver ... ack! The one that really needed it was just buffed a bit... I guess I still want the old wheels, but now I wonder if I might just trade them as a core exchange for newly finished wheels to a company like Rennsport.

I doubt that I will be as meticulous as some when it comes to wheel care, but I'd like to start off with a nice wheel, and the silver paint might be hard to match, and I doubt that there is a clearcoat over it...

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Robert W. Roe
1984 300SD 164K miles

Robert,
Sorry to hear about the repaint. Unless the dealership did a core exchange or had some non-standard equipment, repainting a wheel on that short a time period will not result in a finish that will hold up anything like OEM or specialty (Rennsport).

Give Rob at Rennsport a call. He should be able to give you all the specifics. He takes wheels to finer than OEM tolerances and his paintwork on wheels is at least OEM if not better. He can also offer various options. Custom anything of course, but the usuals are silver with clearcoat, polished (looks almost like chrome but is super-polished bare metal and hence is still 100% as strong as OEM), and polished with clearcoat which is similar to the 94-95 8-hole wheels. The last one is polished but not quite as brilliantly as bare polished metal (as the paint wont stick to the super polished option) and then clearcoated. I know Rennsport does many W126's so they should have something for you application ready. If not, repainting/refinishing takes about a week turn-around time.

Hope this helps...Lee

Rennsport went out of buisness around 1999 - 2000.

This note will be added as FYI for new members.