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
24.06 KB

[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.