Ditching my knockoffs and need wheel/lug information!

[Roadstir]

I am getting rid of my knockoff wire rims as they are just too hard to seal and go tubeless.  Many attempts and just as many failures.  However, fortune smiled upon me recently and I found a gentleman who had a brand new pair of Dayton wire wheels he purchased many years ago but never used. (long story)  Short version is I was able to purchase all four of them for $300.

As I was taking off the old wheels I also had to take off the knockoff hub adapter which was secured by 5 lug bolts.  Fine.  It's then that  I realize that there are no lug bolts to attach the new 5 lug wheels to.  In other words, there are five threaded holes in the hub for mounting and not the five bolts that I was used to in my youth.  Yes, this showcases my inexperience on wheels since I've always had the knockoffs.

My question is:  Do a 280SL use mounting bolts and if so what size dimensions?  I'd like to use chrome to match the wheels.

Thanks for any advice~

David- VA

[georgem]

Hi David,

Bolts rather than studs is the usual wheel mounting method for European cars - used for all Pagodas and I would nearly bet for all Mercs of our generation at least. It can be a bit of a PITA mounting the wheel with bolts, so the thoughtful people at Mercedes provided a short steel rod in the tool kit which goes into the smaller hole between two of the bolt holes. When removing/mounting a tyre, insert that first and the wheel will be supported by this until you can grab the wheel and lift it off or get the bolts in.

The bolts are not a bolt  that you can buy from the local hardware; they have a taper immediately behind the bolt head, as per a stud nut to help centre and stop the wheel from moving.
You may already have them as I would guess the original ones were used to hold the knock off attachment.

Cheers

George

[Paul & Dolly]

They must be available new from someone local to you,
SLS sell a complete set here at reasonable cost.

Paul

[garymand]

If you are buying wheels the dealer will order lug nuts that match the wheel.  Wreckers have ordinary MB lug bolts lying around, but you need to match them to your wheels for length  and appearance.

[Roadstir]

One more question-  I need some offset advice.  If I go from my stock 185/70/14 ET+30 wheel to a 205/50/17 will I need to change my offset from +30 to get it to fit properly?  The two tires are the same height but I'm not that familiar with the offset question. I don't want to buy a new set of 17"s with a +30 offset and find the new wheels/tires rub or cause problems.  One dealer wanted me to go to a 17" and said +45 was the way to go with that particular wheel.

[garymand]

Way to go or Will it fit.  If you take the dealers recommendation and they don't fit, its not the way to go.  If they don't fit, I would think the dealer will make it right.  45 is a lot of offset.  But You just need to get the wheel to fit in the center of your Fenders.  Order them mount one up and see it fits.

[Roadstir]

Yesterday I got a real break on replacement wheels.  I found a junkyard with older cars nearby and found 4 Bundt (14") in the trunk. After trudging through the rain with a wheelbarrow I gladly paid $100 and was on my way.  They are in decent shape, but am having them sandblasted and powder coated.

•   Since they are silver not chrome wheels is there a lug bolt that matches up with it or does everyone use chromed ones?
  

 What size lugs are used to mount the new Bundts?

Thanks for all the help~

[Peter van Es]

See: http://www.sl113.org/wiki/WheelsTires/Alloys

[Roadstir]

Thanks, Peter.  I should have been able to find that myself but apparently I didn't use the proper search terms.  Can anyone tell me whether the Bundt used a chrome lug, plain lug, or a lug painted the color of the wheel?

[Peter van Es]

My lugs looked like the wheel color… but not painted. Certainly not chrome.

[ja17]

The lugs for the alloy are a bit longer than those for the steel wheels. The are left as plated from the factory. The plating is metallic but most likely is a zinc or silver cadmium?  Use the proper length for your wheels. I f you use lug bolts too long in the rear, they can extend into the emergency brake assembly and damage the emergency brake mechanism.

[Roadstir]

Thanks to the link Peter posted above I found that the alloy wheel lugs ar 50mm overall with a 28mm shank.  Also see that the correct color is Astral silver #9735.  Trying to find out how to find non-chrome, matching lugs now.