Wheel question (I'm sorry)

[armyphil]

It's really only a confirmation question really. Until I can afford Mefro's what type of Mercedes steel wheels are available to me?
15" but what width tyre? 195,205
Is it still PCD 112?
What offset is it still around 31 ET?

I have been looking for cheap merc wheels but without a correct fit ment I am struggling. Eventually there will be AT tyres fitted.

Sorry for all the bone questions

[syncropaddy]

Mercedes wheels are best from the W126 S Class (1980 - 1991) and are 7x15 ET25. That size is spot on for a Syncro as they have the highest rating. The other ones are from a C Class (1993 - 2007). Most other Mercedes wheels will require either spacers or the centre bored out or both.

Did a little research on the Russian Mercedes Parts site on these rims

Mercedes C Class 1993 - 2000 W202
Mercedes C Class 2000 - 2007 W203
Mercedes E Class 1995 - 2002 W210

3 sizes available and all ideal
6 x 15 ET31 A 203 400 00 02
6.5 x 15 ET37 A 210 400 02 02
7 x 15 ET37 A 210 400 07 02

The older W202/W210 model followed Mercedes' habit of using stronger rims on their estate cars so these would be the ones to go for if possible. I cant find any evidence of the later W203 Estates having stronger steel wheels.

[armyphil]

Thanks for the information, I can now have a look a specific wheel.

Next tyres etc etc

It's an ongoing project

[syncropaddy]

Thanks for the information, I can now have a look a specific wheel.

Next tyres etc etc

It's an ongoing project

In my humble opinion there are two types of tyre, an A/T tyre like BF Goodrich or a simple M&S style from Continental or similar. M/T tyres are a waste of time on a Syncro. They look cool though but are noisy, rubbish in the snow/ice, and not great in the rain compared to a good M&S. Now having said that, all the M/T shod owners will be on telling us how good their M/T's are but Paul has a video of my van getting through places that his M/T shod van had the same difficulty getting through.

Let the games begin .......

[armyphil]

I've been looking at BFG A/T tyres but I am a bit torn between having some road tyres as mine is a daily and some A/T's

What's the normal route for syncro owners?
What's the tyre width generally opted for?

[axeman]

Can't resist must stop¿? All tyres have there limitations and there intended uses. I personaly think that a nothing compaires to MT on the rough stuff and mine performed with out falt in the snow in the past 2 winters. Having said that most of the time I run a set of aglis tyres and there is no question that the ride and driving experience is much better with these tyres on. But they are road tyres and that is what they are designed to do. There limits would be met very quickly if used of road.
The a/t tytes are in my opinion a good comprise but will always be a comprise. Rember that no one tyre can perform in all situations. The a\t tyre is a good place to start
Neil

[..lee..]

i think AT`s are the way to go phill. they will cope with most things you`ll throw at the camper. if you worked a doka or single cab hard then MT`s would probally give you an advantage but would be a disadvantage 95% of the time on a camper.

i really wanted the agressive look of MT`s on mine but settled for generall grabber at2`s. at about the same time i fitted a set of kuhmo kl71 muds on my delica and although they were quite quiet when new they now make a buzz which if it was on the syncro would drive me mad.

with MT`S you`ll be checking your wheel bearings every fortnight.

widths. 215`s seems the popular 15" i run 255`s on 16" rims the bigger and wider you go the more it will blunt the performance and the more drag they will give.

dont rush in. study all the info available and choose what you think is right for your needs.

ps. nice van.

[syncropaddy]

performed with out falt in the snow in the past 2 winters. Neil

You really need to try real snow tyres ....... chat with Dave!

215/75 seems to be the popular size and there is so many brands to choose from but remember the bigger/heavier the tyre combination the more wear and tear on the running gear. I run a 225/70 M&S on a 7" rim and it just clears the sliding door

[silverbullet]

Phil,

I've got early Vito steels, 5.5 x 15" ET60 (!) with 30 mm spacers, combined with 215/75 General Grabber AT2 (ex-Neil) and the sliding doors clear the sidewall by about 10-12mm.
This is on a light Velle with no suspension lift. Wheel-arch to ground 800mm, arch to hub centre 475mm.

If I were you, I'd go and find some cheap ML alloys.

Hope this helps.

PS the freshened up DG isn't quick on this combo but performance is adequate and it's returning 26-27 mpg on a run

[v-lux]

Its often easier and cheaper to get a set of alloys. Granted alloys might 'chip' offroad and you cant bend them back out like a steel, but ive found its cheaper to replace an alloy than a steel half the time...

Go for a set of AT's, the noise difference between rated commercial tyres and AT's is imperceptible. At's are great in the snow due to the 'sipes' they have and they'll give you commendable offroad ability in all but the filthiest of conditions.

Whatever happened to those tyres lurking around in a MOD shed somewhere......?

[armyphil]

[quote="v-lux]

Whatever happened to those tyres lurking around in a MOD shed somewhere......?[/quote]


They are 16" if anyone wants a set send a PM or give a call.

Thanks for all the info, I have a lot of pondering to do I think.

I've found some wheels but they are in ipswitch 3 hours away which is a pain but needs must.

[syncropaddy]

Winter tyres have sipes .......
Winter tyres are made of a compound specifically designed not to go hard at 7 degrees C and below and remain supple. Part of the job of 'sipes' in a winter tyre is to cool the tyre because when winter tyres are working above 7 degrees C they go off. Sipes also aid the tyres flexibility helping it to grip. Snow traction depends on several things: rubber flexibility, lots of biting edges (sipes) and wide grooves and rubber compounds that stay soft in below freezing temperatures. Summer tyres dont work well in snow because the tyres go hard in the cold.


Off road tyres (A/T & M/T) dont have sipes like winter tyres and are not made of a compound specifically designed not to go hard at 7 degrees C and below and remain supple. Like summer tyres they go hard. Do our Scandanavian friends use A/T and MT in the winter? Mostly 'no' Id say


BF Goodrich make a 215/75/15 winter tyre and its neither of these tyres above !!

[lloydy]

The AT tyres on mine (continental) also have the M+S mark in the sidewall. So best of both worlds

[v-lux]

Bf Goodrich AT's and MT's are M+S rated.

The AT's do have sipes, they're not quite like the ones on a dedicated winter tyre, but they are there nonetheless. They certainly make quite a difference in snow and ice compared to the MT's also. I know because ive tried both.

I tried quite hard to get the AT's to break free in last years snow and ice and was pleasantly surprised by how they kept on gripping.

[toomanytoys]

Lots of egdes.. the more edges the better they are in snow etc.. Deeg tread also helps as it allows the edges to bite.. winter tyres dont work as well below 4mm.. thats why its now law (or at least insurance co's wont pay out) to have more than 4mm on winter tyres in germany, highly recomended more than 4mm in Holland and several other countries.. (I've got a new data sheet I can scan)

Also... any winter or all season tyre apparently MUST have the "Snowflake in the mountain" symbol on it rather than just the M&S marking to be legal in germany (cant confirm if this is actually true, I have a feeling its for any new tyre being sold..)

Winter tyres are made with softer compounds with lots of sipes, to allow the tread to move around exposing more edges...
Winter tyres have "silica" (essentially sand) in them which improves the grip at a microsurface level (lots of tiny sharp edges)
A narrower tyre works better in winter conditions also (higher ground pressure)

AT's generally have quite a lot of egdes and deep tread, thats why they work quite well..
MTs have deep tread and even wider grooves.. so excert high ground pressure on limited surface, so thats prob why they tend to work ok ish too... but are compromised..

Of course.. we have a cracking 4wd system and low power really (most of us) so that helps massivly too..
My legacy performed amazingly well on well worn (prob3-4mm at best) "summer" tyres in both winters... and I was reg driving on fresh and highly compacted snow..

Ive been running semperit vangrips on the syncro for the last 5 years or so.. they are supposed to be a winter tyre, but not in the same vain as more modern stuff, they worked brilliantly in the winter 2 years ago.. work well in summer and I reckon I must have got, +40k miles out of them.. I reckon they are now at 4-5mm tread...

I am too looking at what all season tyre for the syncro I can buy that will do a lot of everything.. but I have some constraints I am trying to stick to... (dont ask )

The wifes HRV will be getting some of the latest "all seasons" this week....