Correct offset for staggered look

[E5001344@]

Hi all... can anyone share the correct offset for a staggered look? Im looking at putting 18inch wheels on my 94 e500 and want them to sit as flush as possible without having to worry about tyre rub around the arches front or back... TIA

 

[gsxr]

Offset depends on the wheel width. Need to know the exact width AND offset for the specific wheels you plan to use. There is no "one offset number" that works for all wheels.

Near the limits, with very wide wheels, in addition to width+offset... tire size and sidewall shape is also critical to avoid rubbing.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[g300d]

To add to gsxr's advice, if you are still in this stage of assessment you can take a look at the various build threads to narrow the choices down.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[talbir]

In addition to offset and width, the design of the centre face of a wheel will also be critical as to whether they will clear the front brake calipers. For example, you could opt for a BBS RS 18inch wheel with the applicable offset and width parameters, but it will likely not fit due to flat face structure not clearing the front calipers. The AMG Aero Is are a classic example of this issue, where the 8j with et 28 would typically work on a 500E, albeit far from flush, but not this wheel due to its flat face structure. The only version of this wheel that works is that designed for the w126 models, which were same width but offset of 11mm.

The widest 18s that i have fitted up front are.9.5J, et26. These are Brabus Monoblock IIs, 3-piece. Brabus produced the specification specifically for the w124 500E.

The widest 18s I have fitted at the rear are 11J, et 30. These are MAE by OZ Racing, 3-piece.

One has to be careful at the rear not just on the outer rim but the inner rim too. Wide wheels with the wrong offset even by a single millimetre will foul against the hydraulic inlet valve on the rear struts, which reside in a crevice inside the rear wheel well. However, the hydraulic inlet valve protrudes from the inner arch and a wrongly set wheel width/offset has the potential for serious damage on the hydraulic suspension components. A leak from the hydraulic neck of the strut is the last thing one would want whilst driving.

I have fitted the following 18inch wheel widths with corresponding offsets to my 500Es:

1. 8J with ET 11 (AMG Monoblock Aero Is)
2. 8.5J front with ET 18 (AMG Aero III 3-piece by OZ Racing), 10J rear with ET17
3. 9.5J front with ET 26, 10J rear with ET 20 (Brabus Monoblock II and III) made by Ronal
4. 8.5J front ET 25 and 10J rear ET 25, AMG Aero II, r129 part.nos made by BBS)

Typically, with 18j wheels, 8.5j fronts with et 18 to 25mm, and 10J rear with et 17 to 25mm will work fine.

Tyre sizes are important to avoid arch fouling. As a basic rule, ensure the tyre width is not exceeding the width of the wheel in millimetres plus 20mm. So for an 8.5J wheel, multiply width in inches by 25.4 and add 20. Always compare any tyre option on a selected wheel size with the factory specification tyres for the 500E, which were 225.55.16s, to avoid speedometer error by keeping within a 3% variation tolerance.

Disclaimer - the above is my experience across my 500e collection and not AI verified. Please verify as wheels and tyres are critical to road safety.