Upgrading the wheels on your Mercedes CLK 500 is a popular modification that can dramatically enhance its appearance and even improve handling. However, ensuring the correct fitment is crucial to avoid issues with performance, safety, and the overall look of your vehicle. Choosing the right wheels for your Mercedes CLK 500 requires careful consideration of several factors, moving beyond just aesthetics to ensure a seamless and effective upgrade.
When exploring new wheels for a Mercedes CLK 500, understanding wheel specifications is paramount. Key measurements include bolt pattern, center bore, offset (ET), wheel diameter, and wheel width. The Mercedes CLK range, including the CLK 500, typically uses a 5×112 bolt pattern and a 66.6mm center bore. These specifications must be matched to ensure the wheel mounts correctly to your vehicle’s hub. Using wheels with an incorrect bolt pattern is unsafe and simply won’t fit, while a mismatched center bore can sometimes be addressed with hub-centric rings, though it’s always preferable to find wheels with the correct bore.
Offset is where things can get a bit more complex, but it’s vital for achieving the desired stance and ensuring proper clearance, especially for the front calipers on a CLK 500. Offset, measured in millimeters, dictates how far inward or outward the wheel sits in relation to the wheel arch. A lower offset will push the wheel outwards, while a higher offset will pull it inwards. The original poster’s experience highlights this perfectly: a 35mm offset wheel initially caused issues with the front brake calipers on their CLK 500. They had to switch to a 20mm offset for the front to achieve the necessary clearance. This example underscores that when selecting wheels for your Mercedes CLK 500, you might need a different offset than initially anticipated, especially with aftermarket wheels that have different spoke designs.
Considering wheel size, the original post mentions using 19×8.5 wheels for the front and 19×9.5 for the rear of both a CLK 500 and CLK 320. These sizes fit without fender rolling, indicating that 19-inch wheels are a viable upgrade for the CLK 500. While 19-inch wheels offer a sporty look, you could also consider 18-inch wheels for a slightly more comfortable ride and potentially lower tire costs. Some owners even venture into 20-inch territory, but this can sometimes compromise ride quality and may require careful tire selection and potentially fender modifications for optimal fitment.
The width of the wheel also plays a crucial role in both aesthetics and tire selection. An 8.5-inch wide front wheel and a 9.5-inch wide rear wheel, as tested, provide a wider stance and allow for wider tires, which can improve grip. The original poster even speculated that a 10-inch wide rear wheel could potentially fit on a CLK, suggesting there’s some room for going wider in the rear arches. However, pushing the limits of wheel width requires precise offset calculations to avoid rubbing against the fenders or suspension components, especially when turning or under suspension compression.
Another important point raised in the original post is the difference in hub clearance between the CLK 500 and CLK 320. The 35mm offset wheel that initially didn’t fit the CLK 500 due to caliper interference also encountered a hub cap clearance issue on the CLK 320. This emphasizes that even within the same model range, subtle differences can exist that affect wheel fitment. Always test fit wheels, especially if you are changing offset or wheel design significantly.
In conclusion, finding the right wheels for your Mercedes CLK 500 involves more than just choosing a style you like. Understanding bolt pattern, center bore, offset, wheel size, and considering potential caliper clearance issues are all critical steps. While the experience shared suggests that 19×8.5 and 19×9.5 wheels with appropriate offsets can work well, always double-check specifications and ideally test fit wheels before committing to a purchase. Consulting with wheel fitment experts can also provide valuable guidance to ensure you select the perfect wheels for your Mercedes CLK 500, enhancing both its looks and performance without any headaches.
