My C43 has a staggered layout. I am thinking of getting a set of wheels and tires that are the same, front and rear. This would allow for rotation front to rear, as well as side to side.
I would like to stay with 17" wheels. Can the 8.5" fit in the front without rubbing, or should I look into a 8.0" rim? Does anyone know of a proper tire size and wheel offset for this application?

Thank you
George

'99 C43
ex: 97 ///M3

John;

Thank you for your post. I was told by the tirerack sales rep that BBS RC 17x8 will fit. The only caveat is the tire size - they said that while 235/40 may work, they have only tested 225/45... And I'd rather not go from a 245/40 to 225/45 in the rear....

I guess next thing to do would be try posting in the performance/racing forum or call a tuner....

Bestg regards,
George

>What's wrong with the staggered set-up? I liked the look on our
>AMG car.

Absolutely nothing... Not a thing. Actually, the staggered setup, with it's narrower fronts and wider rears, allows for more understeer and thus is safer for most drivers in most situations. Narrower fronts will start loosing traction before the wider rears, thus understeer.

Theory aside, I prefer a neutrally handling car. Also, if one is hard on the tires it's best to rotate them thus maximizing tire life. I had an identical staggered layout on my '97 M3 sedan, and actually ended up with a slighly narrower 235/40x17 on 17x7.5 rims as my track wheels. Mount Yokohama A032Rs, rotate after each track event, and they last a whole season of driving schools/lapping days.

>It means no rotating, but with the short life of Max->Performance tires, it didn't seem too big an issue.

I know... it's all relative. I was trying to come up with a perfect scenario just in case I would track the C43... According to tirerack, most M-B owners do not do that. They don't even have access to a C43 to test the tire fit. I offered to bring mine down from WI; perhaps in the spring.

I will probably bang my head against the wall a while longer, and then just get the frickin' staggerd layout tires and call it a day...

Best regards,
George
'99C43
ex: 97M3/4

I believe my C43 has ESP and ASR (or whatever), and it kicks in all the time, but that's mainly due to all-season tires that are on it now...

I have not driven the E46 M3, but a friend of mine is getting his in December, and I'm sure I'll take it out for a spirited run when the snow melts.

Best regards,
George