Wide wheels on a CLK..... Warning!
Discussion
Hi folks,
I recently bought a 2002 CLK cabriolet. This is my third CLK and I know how well the car drives. The car was fitted with non standard 8.5" 18 rims and tyres all round (from an E class). The fronts had 225/45/18 tyres stretched onto the rims. The car should have 7.5" rims on the front and 8.5" on the rear. As you can imagine, the handling and ride was severely compromised. The steering would not self centre and the car tram lined badly.
I found a set of the correct 17" AMG wheels on E-bay, but unfortunately before they could be fitted, the outer wheel bearing collapsed on the N/S/Front. The hub tilted and took out the ABS sensor and the failed bearing 'welded' itself to the stub axle, requiring it to be eventually ground off with an angle grinder.
As an Engineer, I was able to sort out this mess, albeit with a lot of hassle and expense, plus the car off the road for three days. A Mercedes Benz dealer would have charged a fortune to do this repair and probably replaced the stub axle and hub assembly. The car is now repaired and a joy to drive on the standard wheels and new tyres. The standard wheel bearings are designed to cope with the correct offset rims, be very carful if you are considering wheels which do not conform to the standard specification.
I recently bought a 2002 CLK cabriolet. This is my third CLK and I know how well the car drives. The car was fitted with non standard 8.5" 18 rims and tyres all round (from an E class). The fronts had 225/45/18 tyres stretched onto the rims. The car should have 7.5" rims on the front and 8.5" on the rear. As you can imagine, the handling and ride was severely compromised. The steering would not self centre and the car tram lined badly.
I found a set of the correct 17" AMG wheels on E-bay, but unfortunately before they could be fitted, the outer wheel bearing collapsed on the N/S/Front. The hub tilted and took out the ABS sensor and the failed bearing 'welded' itself to the stub axle, requiring it to be eventually ground off with an angle grinder.
As an Engineer, I was able to sort out this mess, albeit with a lot of hassle and expense, plus the car off the road for three days. A Mercedes Benz dealer would have charged a fortune to do this repair and probably replaced the stub axle and hub assembly. The car is now repaired and a joy to drive on the standard wheels and new tyres. The standard wheel bearings are designed to cope with the correct offset rims, be very carful if you are considering wheels which do not conform to the standard specification.
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