Winter tyre choice

[450chim]

Hi,
Just looking at putting some winter tyres on my wife's 350 E ,currently we have the 19 " AMG seven spokes on,but we keep getting offered 17 wheels and tyres .The winter tyres and RIms will only be a temp winter solution hence we probably don,t really need the 19 ".

Are there any associated problem with fitting the smaller wheel size ie will it alter the odometer readings.

[r129sl]

If you fit the appropriate tyre, the circumference will be the same so the odometer and speedo will be accurate. 17" will easily fit the E350. You will notice an improvement in the ride quality and probably also the handling. 17" steels will be significantly lighter than 19" cast alloys. If 16s will fit, I would fit those.

[nakulan7]

If the car is a keeper, get a spare set of 17 inch alloys and mount the winters on it. Then it will be a simpler swap come winter/spring.

[StephenP]

nakulan7 said:

If the car is a keeper, get a spare set of 17 inch alloys and mount the winters on it. Then it will be a simpler swap come winter/spring.

I'd agree with that suggestion ....

We bought a set to nearly new genuine 19" rims for our GL via eBay for £400 and they are fitted with MO-spec Pirelli Ice & Snow. The last set managed four seasons and I can't fault the tyre. The rims and tyres are the recommended ones for our GL for winter use.

Performance is absolutely excellent in all conditions - we live in the middle of the Lincolnshire Vales and the village was very difficult to get in and out of when the snow came but not any more.

Personally, I take a look in your manual under "Wheels & Tyres" as it will probably tell you the recommended wheel size and matching tyre (marked M+S) - it certainly does in our GL and CL manuals.

[450chim]

Cheers guys we will be buying a set of wheels to go with the tyres,just wasn't sure about using the 17 ".

[r129sl]

I think the correct tyre size on 17s is 245/45 R 17 but check your manual and it should be clear. I bought a steel wheel and winter tyre combination from mytyres.co.uk and the price was barely more than the price of four winter tyres. They came in a couple of days. I quite like the look of the black steel wheels: very German. And you don't have to clean them. I'm not kidding about ride/handling and unsprung mass: we were amazed at the positive difference they made on our Golf Mk5 (17" alloy wheels to 16" steel wheels) such that we left the winters on as long as possible. Which reminds me of my jobs for this weekend...