[W126 Coupe] New Tires for 1985 SEC

[Josh Allen]

> *This is my first post as I have just bought a 1989 SEC.  It is 

> totally stock and I have been thinking a wheel change from 15" to 16" 

> might be a good idea for appearance.  I suspect that many owners have 

> increased the size of the wheels.  Does anyone think that the ride or 

> handling suffers as a result?*

> ** 

> *Frank*

You're likely to see a slightly stiffer ride, but only by a very small 
amount.  Depending on the tires that you mount on the new wheels, you 
may even see the opposite, depending on the tire design.

I've found that even with the same size tire, you can dramatically 
change handling just with tire choice. 
(I had a Subaru STI that I stupidly put cheap tires on.  They had such 
sloppy handling that I had them off again in three days, and they only 
lasted that long due to it taking two of those days to get the Michelin 
tires in that I replaced them with...)

I can't say how yours will be, as we all like our cars suspension in 
different ways, and for that matter have them set up differently.  With 
my 500SEC I bought it already lowered a little, and then put 16" wheels 
on it.  With Michelin Pilot Exalto tires, it rides well, but just stiff 
enough that it handles well.  If I were driving it as a touring car, it 
would likely be too rough though.

Before I bought the 16" wheels, I had read a LOT of commentary on this 
list, as well as on a couple of the owners forums, and it seems that 
these cars do well with wheels up to 17", and if you like a STIFF ride, 
you can go further, but they get rough at that point.