380sl, Should I Use 15 Or 16 Inch Rims?

I AM IN THE PROCESS OF CHANGING THE STOCK RIMS TO EITHER 15 OR 16 REPLICA 8 HOLES.... SHOULD I USE 15 OR 16... ?

ALSO MY CAR IS GOLD SHOULD I GO WITH CHROME OR SILVER? PLEASE GIVE ME ADVICE ON THE SIZE AND YOUR OPINIONS ON CHROME OR SILVER?

[BDBENZ]

There are many reasons to not go with chrome, even if you like the look better. First, Mercedes does not recommend them, they add unsprug weight to the wheels which hurt the ride, and they are a weaker rim. I would stay with the silver or "polished" rims. As far as the look, that is really a personal thing, but IMO chrome looks heavy and to glitzy. I would go with the 16 inch, that is a good compromise of ride and handling. I am sure you would be satisfied with either; there would not be much difference.

BD

[4NDELIT]

I'd say 16's, because of the ride difference, and because they look nice and big compared to the stock ones. as far as the chrome, I think it depends on the style of the wheel as well as the look of the car... it's a personal opinion, but they are much heavier.

If I remember correctly, you've expressed an interest in the past in better acceleration. Smaller diameter tires (like taller rear end gears) will get you away from a stop light faster.

And lighter wheel/tire combos improve ride/handling as well as straight line performance.

What's more, smaller is cheaper.

I'm not talking about tires too small to handle the considerable weight of a SL, but 205/60's on 14" alloys would be a lightweight wheel/tire combo that would significantly increase acceleration over a set of 205/60x16's. Whatever you do, recognize that "over tiring" (e.g., by going to 225's or bigger) will slow you down.

You'd lose "kewl" points with smaller wheels/tires, but you can't have everything.

Let us know what you decide - that's the cost of asking for input!

[Steve Gutman]

The 205/60/16 will ride harder than a 205/70/14. The 205/65/15 might be the best compromise. They all have about the same diameter and won't change the speed. If you go to 225s it will take more power to turn them over.

In reference to the Chrome alloys, I think they look good but they take a lot of maintenance. Check the guarantee. I saw one company had warranty that was voided if you drive in the winter without waxing them twice a month. But heck, any rim takes a lot of maintenance to avoid corrosion, particularly in the winter.
IMHO

[4NDELIT]

hey doc... I would like to pick apart a few things you said, because they don't make sense to me and the things I was taught.

Originally posted by M D Nugent
Smaller diameter tires (like taller rear end gears) will get you away from a stop light faster.

This is only true if the overall size (tires and wheels) is smaller, and that can give you speedo error.

Originally posted by M D Nugent
And lighter wheel/tire combos improve ride/handling as well as straight line performance.

I was always told that a lower profile tire improved handeling, because a metal wheel has less flex than a rubber tire (or whatever they use). you could have a low profile while keeping the same overall size by putting on 16's, but they would weigh more.

Originally posted by M D Nugent
Whatever you do, recognize that "over tiring" (e.g., by going to 225's or bigger) will slow you down.

This is true, but if you have a problem with traction (ie: the back kicking out in turns, or burning out too much on a launch) You might want to consider wider tires.

If I am wrong about any of this, please tell me, because is all stuff I was told by other people.

First, some definitions:
- By "Diameter of the tire" I mean from the ground to the top of the tire (could also be expressed as 2x the rolling radius of the tire although the lower "half" is less than the top "half").
- By "Handling" I mean things like transients ("slaloms") on REAL WORLD ROADS, and this is highly correlated with the capacity of a tire to follow the road. A smaller/lighter tire, because it has less inertia, will move upward over a bump and back to the pavement faster than a bigger/heavier one. You can't get any cornering power (or acceleration or braking) from a tire that's not making contact with the world.

Two points where I agree with what you said:
1) Changing the diameter of the tire WILL affect the accuracy of your speedo (and odo).
2) Wider tires will improve cornering power (assuming both sizes are the same compound, tread pattern, profile/series, etc.) as measured in lateral g's, but ONLY on perfectly smooth surfaces (e.g., a skid pad or newly paved road).

I think you missed the fact that my example kept the profile/series constant at 60 - there should be no difference in sidewall flex between tires of any given profile/series.

Tire size choice always involves tradeoffs - there's no single tire size that is best for handling, economy, initial price, durability, aquaplaning resistance, looks, speedo/odo accuracy, smooth ride, quiet, AND everything else you might want. That's why it's important to know what your values are. In competition, I cared about handling, period. On my 107, because of the engine and gearing I'm running, I'm most concerned with acceleration grip, braking, and to a lesser extent handling. Given that, I won't have great aquaplaning resistance, cheap tires, etc. On my wife's Subaru LSI wagon, we go for aquaplaning resistance, smooth ride, and quietness (Aquatred III's).

As I understand Hudson66's values, I recommend small tires. They'll look stock from a distance, will lower the car a tad (better handling), have a stiffer sidewall than stock (better handling), will increase acceleration by means of a smaller diameter, will be cheaper, and will have better aquaplaning resistance than what most others were recommending. To be fair and balanced, they won't look as cool as my 225/50x16 fronts and 245/45x16 rears (both of which happen to have the same tire diameter as the stock 205/70x14s, so I will have speedo accuracy).

At the risk of offending (not intended), I doubt that his 380SL will "overpower" a set of 205/60x14s unless the road's VERY icy.

Still disagree?

[4NDELIT]

Originally posted by M D Nugent
As I understand Hudson66's values, I recommend small tires. They'll look stock from a distance, will lower the car a tad (better handling), have a stiffer sidewall than stock (better handling), will increase acceleration by means of a smaller diameter, will be cheaper, and will have better aquaplaning resistance than what most others were recommending. To be fair and balanced, they won't look as cool as my 225/50x16 fronts and 245/45x16 rears (both of which happen to have the same tire diameter as the stock 205/70x14s, so I will have speedo accuracy).

ok... so by doing this, he'll lose speedo accuracy, right?

Originally posted by M D Nugent
At the risk of offending (not intended), I doubt that his 380SL will "overpower" a set of 205/60x14s unless the road's VERY icy.

although he may not be laying down 50 feet of tread at a stoplight, I know that the 107's are notoriously heavy, and with that come problems of traction in turns, and braking. With a wider tread, it will help him hold turns, and brake harder without sliding.

I never really thought about the "real world" factors, so I guess my knowledge is based on a perfect setting; perfectly smooth surface with no bumps or pits.