Biggest tires?

[littlehandegan]

Biggest tires without serious rubbing on a 2002+ G500.....

Whatcha running?
Pics?

[littlehandegan]

I am thinking about a 285/75/18 Open Country M/T. which is equal to 34.8/11.2/18..

Input?

[zimm]

why are you thinking that? that roughly 5 inches over stock, i believe. not positive, may be model year dependent. my lx470 has bigger wells and you cant run 35's w/o a lift and gearing sucks w/o new r&p's.

[littlehandegan]

I hear of people running 315's on the G's.

Maybe I am wrong, but thats why I posted on here looking for some expert advice.

[4x4abc]

on the 2002 G500 you can run up to 295/75R16 with slight rubbing front and rear under full compression and max steering angles
285/75R16 will have no rubbing

285/75R18 is too big


the G500 has enough HP - no gearing effect noticeable with 295/75R16 on mine

by the way, 16" wheels are superior to 18" wheels when it comes to off-road driving - and they substantial comfort for on-road driving

[Bhos]

Harald,

Using Karl's 1" to 1.5" spacers, the 295/75R16 would be just fine, correct?

[littlehandegan]

How about a 33x12.50x18 Mud Grappler with a 30mm spacer?

[zimm]

im running 265 75 r 16's with plenty of clearance so far. i dont think 33's ought to be an issue with my g320, clearance or power, but i wont go over with the 6 cause from what i can tell its not worth the r&p change for 35's. the truck goes really well on most trails ive been on and im sporting LT M&S right now. i dont think 35's will buy too much more ability.

im still gonna jack er up 2+ inches when i get the the ting back from the bodyshop, but 33s will be the limit.

[zimm]

by the way, 16" wheels are superior to 18" wheels when it comes to off-road driving - and they substantial comfort for on-road driving

absolutely, i prefer 15's myself (and the same OD tires are 20% cheaper). but alas... the g needs 16's.

dont the later g's require 18's for the disks?

[Fernweh]

absolutely, i prefer 15's myself (and the same OD tires are 20% cheaper). but alas... the g needs 16's.

dont the later g's require 18's for the disks?

All G-wagen up to 2010 can use the MB 16" Atik wheels.....except the G-55's

Zimm - no R&P gear changes necessary unless you have a G320 :sombrero:

[littlehandegan]

Ok, looks like I want to go with the 33x12.50x18 on stock wheels.
Wish me luck????

Anyone think I will be screwed :sombrero:?

[zimm]

All G-wagen up to 2010 can use the MB 16" Atik wheels.....except the G-55's

Zimm - no R&P gear changes necessary unless you have a G320 :sombrero:

dont mess with the mighty six.

[Fernweh]

Ok, looks like I want to go with the 33x12.50x18 on stock wheels.
Wish me luck????

Anyone think I will be screwed :sombrero:?

Here is a proven concept for using the stock 18" wheel. A good friend and customer of mine just wrote to me:

My tire size is 275/70/18 in the General Grabber AT2. I reprogrammed the computer and speedo using the same settings as Harald and you did. My tires are rated 33" and change. I have occasional brake pulsing in tight turns, it is barely noticeable and not an issue really. I have used the ESP off button in areas where I know there is usually interference and my speed is less than 40MPH. I had a hard grab a couple of weeks ago that surprised me, and I have noticed that the ESP seems a little more sensitive lately. I have almost 20K miles on the tires and comparing to my spare there may be almost 1/4 inch lost off of the radius, so I suspect that is the reason.


My gas mileage is 12-13 mostly, but on highway drives where I am cruising 55-60 I have gotten up to 15.5MPG average (thats over a 200 mile local trip).

Maybe this would be a good start for you - did you purchases your dream G-wagen yet?
You always can gain your own experience, learn from it and change to a different vehicle/tire size/life at the next crossroad:smiley_drive:

[JohnBrukiewicz]

Where can I go about receiving the reprogramming? Is this something my local MB mechanic can tackle with his fancy proprietary MB computer?

I'm manning up to a 33" BFG - closer to 34" - pretty soon. Should I expect my ESP to put up a good fight? :sport_box

[littlehandegan]

Where can I go about receiving the reprogramming? Is this something my local MB mechanic can tackle with his fancy proprietary MB computer?

I'm manning up to a 33" BFG - closer to 34" - pretty soon. Should I expect my ESP to put up a good fight? :sport_box

I too am interested in this also.....:sombrero:

[Fernweh]

Where can I go about receiving the reprogramming? Is this something my local MB mechanic can tackle with his fancy proprietary MB computer?

I'm manning up to a 33" BFG - closer to 34" - pretty soon. Should I expect my ESP to put up a good fight? :sport_box

Yes, you will have an ESP fight once a while......

Just wave me down, next time you see me driving past on the I-5 :smiley_drive:

I do always carry my Star System with me - for all my good friends :sombrero:

Email me, if you like to have your own "fancy proprietary MB computer"

karl@g-wagenaccessories.com

[littlehandegan]

Picked up a 2002 with 75,000 miles.


Time to begin modding.....

[otiswesty]

My Mercedes dealer did the computer changes for me. It was 1 hr of diagnostic time, but I supplied them with the required settings in the specific menus. I would imagine any shop with the Star Diag system could make these changes. You can drive without making the computer changes, but not only will the ESP be sensitive, the shift points will also be off.

I recommend Karl's service as he know the drill and can provide you with further product improvement for your G500 at the same time.
Lets see some before pics.:ylsmoke:

[Fernweh]

Thanks Eric,

it doesn't really matter what size tires you are running......

Try not to run over things and keep always air in your tires....

http://up.picr.de/5652204.jpg

[4x4abc]

Where can I go about receiving the reprogramming? Is this something my local MB mechanic can tackle with his fancy proprietary MB computer?

I'm manning up to a 33" BFG - closer to 34" - pretty soon. Should I expect my ESP to put up a good fight? :sport_box

here is how its done:
ESP fix (http://www.pointedthree.com/disc/forums/showthread.php?tid=9622&start=1)

I am pretty sure only independent MB shops will tackle this computer reset for you - official MB dealers are not only clueless, they are also not willing - not even with their outlandish charges

[JohnBrukiewicz]

here is how its done:
ESP fix (http://www.pointedthree.com/disc/forums/showthread.php?tid=9622&start=1)

I am pretty sure only independent MB shops will tackle this computer reset for you - official MB dealers are not only clueless, they are also not willing - not even with their outlandish charges

I'm finally wearing thin on my existing set and will be installing some larger tires within the next month. I will check with my local shop to see what he can do as not to bother Karl!

Karl- we're finished on I-5 for now. Enjoy the new rest stops on your next trip! :sombrero:

[littlehandegan]

Can I just turn the ESP off on the dash until I can get to a Mechanic to do it?


What needs to be changed? The tires size to the 235 and then what else?

[JohnBrukiewicz]

325/60/18s, they measure out to approximately 33.2"x13.00"W.

No rubbing in standard conditions (street aprons, et cetera).

Rubbing:

Took the vehicle out to the ranch to play around last night at greater angles and the tires do rub the inner liner once the spring bumper begins to compress but do not come in contact with any critical parts. If the inner liners were not $1000/pair, I'd start cutting, but after pulling a front and rear liner off last evening and running the front wheel onto a 3' boulder to inspect at full flex I am confident I fabricate a replacement sheet metal liner at my shop to relieve the rubbing.

ESP:

Absolutely no ESP issues thus far. As a matter of fact while taking the roundabout offramp my ESP comes to say hello every day, ESP did not kick in. Several offramps and tight turns near my home activate ESP and now do not with the larger tire. I am unsure whether the computer will pick up on this at a later date and decide to become overly sensitive. This is day two with these tires.

Just thought I'd share my experience.

[mercedes_uae]

First up... Great looking car, youve done a good job with it.

Secondly, Im looking into something similar... And Ive got a few questions: are you using any lifts / spring or hub spacers to clear it?

Also, when you say no rub... You mean none at compression right?

[JohnBrukiewicz]

No rub during street driving.

It does rub at compression, but does not come in contact with either the fiberglass flares or the sheet metal above. It will take a toll on the plastic liners I predict which need to be pretty heavily modified/replaced with something "custom". I did a quick sketch up on the computer with the rough dimensions I measured out with the liners off taking into account what I can trim without effecting aesthetics and will probably rivet something together here pretty soon.

The width is more so to blame than the diameter. I did not originally order a tire this wide. My tire shop told me along the lines of 11.50-12.50" width but these tires showed up. He offered to replace them with the size I ordered if I had any serious problems later down the road had I found them to potentially come in contact with the body metal/flares. They are not and I plan to keep them and utilize the additional width and modify the liners. I would not recommend slapping these tires on and taking your vehicle down a trail requiring full flex at any sort of speed as you will likely tug at the liner mounting. I tested flex at low speeds and saw this with the existing.

Thank you for the compliment. The rack, light bar and rack accessory mounts were all purchased from Karl at G-Wagon Accessories. Other than the tires and rooftop equipment, the truck is stock. Will likely purchase the spring spacer he offers soon to better distance my front tires from the wheel wells.

[ChuckB]

John, love your rack :sombrero: What year is your G?

[JohnBrukiewicz]

It's a 2003. About to roll over the 100,000 mark. She's getting old but I'm hoping for another 100,000 miles :sombrero:

[Fernweh]

It's a 2003. About to roll over the 100,000 mark. She's getting old but I'm hoping for another 100,000 miles :sombrero:

Great Truck John,

sorry I haven't followed the thread at all.

Yes, you are absolutely right, the "oversized" width of your tires are to blame for the rubbing. The spring spacers might help a little bit, but only for the compression issue. How is the rubbing when turning full to the right or left?

The light bar looks so cool, I wished I had that one install on my last Baja adventure. Could have used a bit more light.....

I have an optional ESP OFF switch on my rig, it turns off the ESP completely until the ignition has been recycled. This might be dangerous to your health and I can't get deeper into it here.

I definitely will stop at the I-5 rest stop on my next trip up North

Happy Trails

[JohnBrukiewicz]

Hey Karl,

Left to right the tires don't rub at all.

When propped up on a curb measuring approximately 8" tall, the tires make the rub sound at full turn ONLY in reverse (??????).

When one tire is propped on one of those boulders in my driveway approximately 28" tall which is about where one of the rear tires begin to take flight, the tire higher tire presses fully against the liner, but misses the flare. Without moving at speed it has not caused damage, but I guarantee it will at 5+ mph. This is front and rear at full flex.



ESP is STILL behaving better than with smaller tires. Am I mistaken or isn't it supposed to be MORE sensitive? :Wow1: