Wheels & Tyres - Is this going to be a big mistake ?

[andisnewsyncro]

Ok, so I've been looking at changing my wheels for a while now and have come up with a plan

I have a set of Marshal Power Guard AT 195 R 15 (100 load rated) that have covered minimal mileage on a now scrapped vehicle. They still have the moulding marks on etc...

I want to move up to 15s on the van and also have a set of Mercedes 6.5 x 15 E class steels. Apart from the general opinion that these are too low rated for a van, or are "soft" I want to have try with them and the Marshals just to get a feel of the new sizing without spending out huge amounts on a set of Mefros and new tyres if it turns out I don't like it. If all is good then I'll swap to the "proper kit" as soon as finances alow.

I'm wondering about a 10mm spacer all round too, the wheels are ET 37, whereas my Carats are ET30 so the new set up would sit in quite a distance, so wanted to bring them out a bit, but is an effective ET 27 too little?

I've read as much as I can on the sizes etc and it should work I think, but has anyone got 1st hand experience thay could share, good or bad with this size tyre, before I do anything that might be silly?

Sorry to pester with another question, one day I'll be able to offer something back to someone I hope.....

Cheers
Andi

[syncropaddy]

They seem like a decent tyre and are used quite a bit by utility companies here in Ireland. Using this tyre will up your overall gearing by 6% or thereabouts which is no bad thing. These tyres will fit the rims you are looking at but before you run off and get spacers, just check to see if the clearance is ok all around. You may have to bore out the centres to fit the front as well. I think ET37 on steel rims is ok but please dont quote me on that. With the spacers you might have to get longer wheel studs and while fitting them to the rear is easy enough, the front is a different story though.

Good luck with the plan and if your rims came off a Mercedes W124 Estate then they are fine for what you want them for.

[toomanytoys]

I run on merc steels, for my offroad tyres... yep, they are "soft".. bent 2... on the road shouldnt be a problem... but...

ET37... IIRC these will go on a syncro no problem (I have a couple od 37's as spares, will try one ata the weekend), ET 32 are better though...

Tyres should be ok.. are there 5?? as spare is then a problem.... you cant run with a 14" spare... not without removing the propshaft...

[andisnewsyncro]

Thanks chaps, looks like I have understood enough from my reading (nearly).

I'm going to have a go with the above set up, I assume I already have longer studs all round for the alloys which are on at the moment, so if required the spacers should fit ? If not am I right in thinkink it's a case of new bearings if I need to fit them, so hopefully I can get away without the spacers.
I was told the rims were from an estate, but both Mercedes & Lemmerz are very slow at coming forward with any load rating info.

As for a spare, I understand the not using a differnt diameter wheel/tyre combo and the importance of equal tyre wear etc, but my 5th rim is an ET32, would that be ok as an emergency measure (matched tyre), just a smaller offset?

The resulting raising of the gearing I tend to agree will not be a bad idea, it does "seem" a bit low overall to me. I know VW spent £XXXX working it out but ...

It seems to be easier to find decent tyres in 15" and I think it will also improve the look of the van considerably, the 14" Carats look a bit lost in those huge arches in my opinion. I know there are lots out there with much larger tyres on but hopefully this will be fairly straightforward and give me at least a taster of what I need to be saving up for next (once I've got a new clutch after Monday's little problem !!)

Cheers all, I'll put some pictures up once it's done

[syncropaddy]

The Merc part number for Estate wheels is 124 400 100 2

[toomanytoys]

Carat alloys look good with 205's or 27/8.5's on.. but limited to whats available... I am looking at some 215/75 r 14 for all round use... butt hen I also have a wide selection of wheels depending on what I actually decide....

[andisnewsyncro]

The Merc part number for Estate wheels is 124 400 100 2

Thanks for that, that's what I've got so that's another plus point.

Carat alloys look good with 205's or 27/8.5's on.. but limited to whats available... I am looking at some 215/75 r 14 for all round use... butt hen I also have a wide selection of wheels depending on what I actually decide....

It's been availability (and lots of reading) that's made me think that I might as well go up to 15s. I did have a set of Semperit Transspeed 215R14 which were the "summer tyres" that came with my van, but they made the steering very heavy, now disposed of due to age related issues from the DOT codes, but they did look the part on the Carats. Again though I prefer the look of plain black steelies to alloys, more in keeping with the overall appearance of my van - in need of a good clean and paint (which isn't happening!!)

Thanks again for your input

Andi

[syncropaddy]

15" steel wheels from a Mercedes W124 Estate have a higher rating than those from a W124 Saloon.Their dimensions are 7J x 15 H2 ET46 and they should have a little sticker on them with a picture of and Estate with 'T - Modell' printed underneath

[andisnewsyncro]

OOps, on double checking I've NOT got estate rims, had to go and have a look- think I'm going number blind!

Mine are 6.5J x 15H2 Merc part no 210 400 0202, Lemmerz ref 2150246 with 10B7 also stamped on so I'm back to the load rating problem again. They seem to list as being OEM for a wide range of Mercs so I'm busy checking what's the heaviest they were fitted to.

Might have to have a re-think yet again, can't afford any more at the moment as the new clutch has come as a bit of a surprise to the wallet. Glad I went & double checked though, thanks for the part number.

[Aidan]

I ran those et37 rims with 215/75/15 MTs, they just rub on full deflection on the rear lip of front arches but fine et wise, though not much clearance between rim and upright/trailing arm about 11mm,

[andisnewsyncro]

Thanks Aidan. The tyre calculator shows my proposed experiment as being 10.5mm less in overall diameter than the 215/75x15 so that might be enough to not rub. The clearance issue on the upright/trailing arm was more of a concern but 11mm sounds ok (?)

With the ET37 I think it means that the 195s will be 12mm "further in" than my 185s which is why I wondered about the spacers - 10mm spacer all round to bring the inner edge back to where it was or at least just 2mm further in, with the outer edge 8mm further out than the current tyres. The offset would be effectively reduced to within 3mm of what it is now. I have some spacers already, should I try them and see how everything sits, or is it best to avoid using them at all?

[toomanytoys]

To fit the spacers you are gonna need longer studs.. and that means new front wheel bearings, which is a lot of work...

Try em first... should work fine.. others out there have them...

[andisnewsyncro]

Fingers crossed all will be well without spacers and associated costs... I'm looking forward to trying it out, hopefully over the weekend if I get chance.
As an extra input into the Merc wheel situation, I've posted an interesting email I received today from the UK importers of Lemmerz rims. I put it in Technical, here's a link https://club8090.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=51884 to it.

Andi

[toomanytoys]

You are worrying a little too much for your "test purposes".... I am using the "soft" merc rims in my avatar offroading... You will have to remove the bolts that hold the rear drums on for the wheel to sit right... not an issue...

Hey.. idea... fancy coming down the A1 to Colsterworth to an offroad day??? can have a ride in mine if you dont fancy trying yours... Sun 31st..

[andisnewsyncro]

You are worrying a little too much for your "test purposes"....

Comes from a lifetime of "if something's going to go wrong for somebody, you can bet your a**e it will be me" I have become scarily over cautious in my old age its true....

It was originally the plan to use the Mercs permanently, then I got paranoid from reading stuff about them on here - hence the extra research but I thought at least I could try out the bigger size with the intention of saving for some Mefros - now it looks like they might be ok after all.... Still it keeps me occupied between jobs

Colsterworth would be a good day out, but I've got tickets for Amy Winehouse at Shepherds Bush that night!! Another example of Sod's law - if I go she will cancel, if I don't go it will be the best show ever We're actually away from the Friday through to Monday, otherwise I'd be well up for it, I'll keep checking for the next one though, cheers for that