Winter Wheels and Tyres

[Paul Mc]

I’ve been enquiring about MB winter wheel/tyre packages and can’t decide between the steel wheel or alloy 17” package. Going for the original 18” rims seems unnecessary for winter use only.
If I go for the steel wheel option I will have to buy the tyres separately and add the cost of the centre hub caps and the tyre pressure sensor units.
Anyone fitted winter wheels/tyres to their Marco Polo Sport?

 

[Graham]

My van is in getting tyres fitted as I type. I have a wee place in Como and even when we drove over in October it was snowing in Switzerland. my local garage are getting me a set of Continental WinterContact TS860's for £220 a pop and will store tyres not being used and change over for £60 p.a.

 

[RFT]

My van is in getting tyres fitted as I type. I have a wee place in Como and even when we drove over in October it was snowing in Switzerland. my local garage are getting me a set of Continental WinterContact TS860's for £220 a pop and will store tyres not being used and change over for £60 p.a.

Are they to fit your 19" AMG Line wheels?

 

[Graham]

Yes it is. Discussed the whole "steel wheels v changing tyres" thing. I have used these guys for years but never really needed winter tyres before. They have loads of high end clients e.g. Porches etc and they just change the tyres and then they have the nice wheels on all year round as opposed to running on unflattering steel rims. I didn't think it was good to change tyres too often, however my man assures me if it is done properly then there is no issue.

 

[Ian]

I'm certainly interested in fitting some winter tyres to my MP sport. We had ours last winter and there were a few unavoidable journeys where driving it in the snow / slush felt very unsure on the factory fit tyres (Goodyear 245/45R18 100W). I put this down to the van being rear wheel drive and so heavy. I've had no real trouble with front wheel drive cars in the past with standard tyres.

In an ideal world I'd get a separate set of steel rims with TPMS (perhaps 17 inch instead of 18 inch) and fit proper winter tyres (3PMS) to them then just swap them over for the winter months. I'm not really convinced that taking tyres on and off the rims multiple times does either any good. If we ever visited a ski resort in the van these would be better for taking chains as well.

Does anyone know if a smaller steel wheel would fit the MP and have any recommendations? I'd have thought that there would be some cheap options around that might be standard fit for vito vans.

 

[Crispin]

As a new MP owner im definitely going to fit 4 x all season tyres my choice at presentb on 250d AMG with 17 ins wheels is going to be Nokian weatherproof 235x55x17 XL I will comment when I get around to doing it!

 

[Grand Tourismo]

There's a load of 17" wheels (alloy and steel) on FB marketplace - just got to work out which ones suit the 2017- ???? Vito

 

[Ianross69]

As a new MP owner im definitely going to fit 4 x all season tyres my choice at presentb on 250d AMG with 17 ins wheels is going to be Nokian weatherproof 235x55x17 XL I will comment when I get around to doing it!

All season = no season..

 

[Epigram]

As a new MP owner im definitely going to fit 4 x all season tyres my choice at presentb on 250d AMG with 17 ins wheels is going to be Nokian weatherproof 235x55x17 XL I will comment when I get around to doing it!

If you are going to the trouble of changing rims it might be worth considering putting snow tyres on the 17 inch rims for winter use and use the original rims and tyres for ”summer“.
That way you will you won’t be compromising grip, road noise and wear so much with the different rubber compounds and tread patterns.
That said a 17 inch rim will allow you to fit a higher profile tyre which in general will be quieter and less prone to sidewall damage from rocks or potholes.
As someone who occasionally goes off the beaten track, I will be interested to know how they perform on mud and wet grass.

 

[Crispin]

If you are going to the trouble of changing rims it might be worth considering putting snow tyres on the 17 inch rims for winter use and use the original rims and tyres for ”summer“.
That way you will you won’t be compromising grip, road noise and wear so much with the different rubber compounds and tread patterns.
That said a 17 inch rim will allow you to fit a higher profile tyre which in general will be quieter and less prone to sidewall damage from rocks or potholes.
As someone who occasionally goes off the beaten track, I will be interested to know how they perform on mud and wet grass.

Hi there yes original rims are 17in but were fitted with summer tyres.. I go off piste too I am hoping it’s enough and by compromise a good all round performance tyre .. The only other tyre in that size is a Cooper AT .. which I know well... just trying to get best all round motor way and mud/grass too! .. I’m still awaiting delivery from (mytyres) I’ll post my thoughts!

 

[Crispin]

Hi there yes original rims are 17in but were fitted with summer tyres.. I go off piste too I am hoping it’s enough and by compromise a good all round performance tyre .. The only other tyre in that size is a Cooper AT .. which I know well... just trying to get best all round motor way and mud/grass too! .. I’m still awaiting delivery from (mytyres) I’ll post my thoughts!

Hi there, at last a comment from me... The Nokian weatherproof are perfect for all but... walls are too soft, off piste fully laded ( as you do with these campers) you must be careful of curbing and rocks, if you go off piste/tow and fully laden , you need stronger walls, tyres otherwise great in rain/snow etc. Still looking to find the correct BFG AT fitting ( My choice)

 

[Webbah]

Hi there, at last a comment from me... The Nokian weatherproof are perfect for all but... walls are too soft, off piste fully laded ( as you do with these campers) you must be careful of curbing and rocks, if you go off piste/tow and fully laden , you need stronger walls, tyres otherwise great in rain/snow etc. Still looking to find the correct BFG AT fitting ( My choice)

I've looked a lot into how to mount BFG AT KO2's on my 2021 MP. The issue is with the fender liner inside the front. I've seen on the Mercedes Metris forums (US model) that this size will fit: 215/70/16 BFG AT

The issue for me is that 16 inch wheels in Switzerland are not homologated for the MP. Only 17 or higher. The only way to move forward is to change the suspension to a VB Air Suspension with 30-40mm lift, but with different settings to allow you to still enter car parks, etc. When using the parking mode (lowest setting) you need to be aware that you won't have the same turning radius without rubbing. It will now allow you to use 17 or 18 inch wheels with BFG AT KO's, or General Grabbers, etc.

The wheels I found that I really like are the Twin Monotube Projekt in Granit size 18.

Sorry but in German only. Easy to find with the photos near the bottom: https://www.tnc-tuning.ch/alufelgen/twin-monotube

 

[Crispin]

Hi there good timing

Im currently in conversation with Rogue Alloys on this subject.
Sopplied me with awesome 16'and BFG AT fitted the back ones then but would not fit over the brake cals on front... so going back! ( sad as it was going to look good and solve the issue. - They are getting a Marco P in to look at work out a solution with the correct BFG AT fitted and I will report with my findings! I need BFG ATs

 

[Webbah]

Hi there good timing

Im currently in conversation with Rogue Alloys on this subject.
Sopplied me with awesome 16'and BFG AT fitted the back ones then but would not fit over the brake cals on front... so going back! ( sad as it was going to look good and solve the issue. - They are getting a Marco P in to look at work out a solution with the correct BFG AT fitted and I will report with my findings! I need BFG ATs

One thing my mechanic is doing for MP's is using a heat gun to mold the plastic fender liner to allow more travel for the larger tires.

 

[Webbah]

Hi there good timing

Im currently in conversation with Rogue Alloys on this subject.
Sopplied me with awesome 16'and BFG AT fitted the back ones then but would not fit over the brake cals on front... so going back! ( sad as it was going to look good and solve the issue. - They are getting a Marco P in to look at work out a solution with the correct BFG AT fitted and I will report with my findings! I need BFG ATs

This should help you, but unfortunately it is only in German. I also don't speak German so just copy/pasted into Google translate. Terranger knows their stuff and apparently they also state that the only way is with 45mm lift for a W447 version Marco Polo.

https://www.terranger.de/WebRoot/Store14/Shops/62914780/MediaGallery/PDF_Download/191212_Reifendimensionen_Vito_639_447.pdf

 

[Epigram]

Edited:
Having taken out an inner sidewall on a pothole courtesy of Gloucester County Council,) I was just about to go down the same route and change out the wheels in order to fit some BF Goodrich tyres.
A Google translation of the footnote in the link provided by Webbah (above) doesn’t make very encouraging reading:
If I understand it correctly, 16 inch wheels won’t fit and 17 inch wheels with the tyres in the table will change ride height.with a higher profile tyre because the overall wheel diameter will be some 30mm (2x15) larger with a 225/60/17 tyre.
More important, IMO it is not in the acceptable wheel / tyre size combinations in the operating instructions approved by Mercedes possible because it has the potential to affect electronic control units without recalibration.
Im very happy to be proved wrong on this.



As a stopgap I have opted for two Michelin Cross Climate 2 on the rear to replace the damaged tyre. Not so much for snow, but in the hope they might provide a better grip on mud/grass.
A quick check on wet grass earlier this week confirmed a subjective improvement over the half worn OEM Continentals.

Meanwhile the quest for a suitable all terrain tyre on a 17 inch wheel continues or a 16 inch rim (possibly steel) that fits the later V Class.

 

[Nibor]

Hi there, at last a comment from me... The Nokian weatherproof are perfect for all but... walls are too soft, off piste fully laded ( as you do with these campers) you must be careful of curbing and rocks, if you go off piste/tow and fully laden , you need stronger walls, tyres otherwise great in rain/snow etc. Still looking to find the correct BFG AT fitting ( My choice)

Good point on the Nokia tyres , I did not realise mine were winter tyres and all four failed the Control Technique due to cracking of the walls, they still had 6mm of tread. Now fitted Perelli and a much quieter ride. I still have two Continental 245x55x17 winter tyres with 5mm on alloys surplus’s to requirements.

 

[PeteS]

Just be careful swapping wheels and tyres. As the photo in the post above shows you cannot swap between wheel size categories without having to have modules recoded. I assume this can only be carried out by dealers or someone with the correct tools ie STAR.

 

[Epigram]

Having taken out a sidewall on a pothole courtesy of Gloucester County Council, I was just about to go down the same route! and change out the wheels and put on some BF Goodrich tyres.
Putting the whole of the footnote through Google translate, it doesn’t make very optimistic reading:
If I read it correctly 16 inch wheels won’t fit and 17 inch wheels will require lifters
Very happy to be proved wrong!
As a stopgap I opted for two Michelin Cross Climate 2 on the rear to replace the damaged tyre. Not so much for snow, but in the hope they might provide a better grip on mud/grass. A quick check on wet grass earlier this week confirmed a subjective improvement over the half worn OEM Continentals.
Meanwhile the quest continues!

Just be careful swapping wheels and tyres. As the photo in the post above shows you cannot swap between wheel size categories without having to have modules recoded. I assume this can only be carried out by dealers or someone with the correct tools ie STAR.

Gone are boy-racer days and “just” worrying about the effect on the speedometer and flaring wheel arches.
Nowadays the “computer” knows all.
At best it could invalidate warranty and at worst invalidate insurance.

 

[Webbah]

I was just proposed these tires by Hess Automobile in Switzerland as a good option with their 18 inch wheels as A/T's won't fit without a suspension lift of 30mm. They also told me that it might not even be possible for me to change the suspension to the VB Air Suspension as I already have the Mercedes AirMatic Air Suspension from the factory. Damn...

Tires: Cooper WSC Winter 235/50 R18

I then called my Mercedes Service Center and they told me these should be fine. I also checked using a tire size calculator comparison and this is acceptable. Not an A/T tire but as close as I'll get with a Winter tire. I'm not convinced these are acceptable though as it appears the load rating is not the minimum 102. Haven't decided yet though. ;-)

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