original wheels for '72 300SEL 4.5

[Peter Richardson]

My '72 300SEL 4.5 has the fancy chrome wheels, no doubt felt by many to be pretty hot stuff--but the chrome is flaking off to expose some rust, and I'm told that the bead can be endangered by that rust, causing a flat (or worse). Besides, I prefer the wheels-with-hubcaps that my former MB had, a '71 280S. Among other things, they're easier to keep clean. Is there a specific designation for those more conservative/practical wheels, so I can begin a search for them?

Question #2: The previous owner installed what he termed a state-of-the-art radio, but the silly thing just buzzes and whoops, making the inside of the car sound like a zoo. I'd like to return to the original radio for this model, which I believe was a Becker Europa stereo. Does anyone have a performance report on the Becker, especially its ability to fetch and reproduce signals that could be on the weak side? (I live out in the country.)

Thanks in advance for any information about these matters.

Peter Richardson

[Tom Hanson]

The wheels for your car are common. You can use a 14x6 or a
14x6.5 with the standard hub caps. The wheels were used on just about everything up through 1976, and the hub caps through 1985. The standard radio could have been a Becker Europa, Europa stereo, or even a Becker Grand Prix. You could even go with a Becker Mexico Cassette. You can probably find one at a Place in Burbank, Walter Odemer Co. 818 846-2819. He's an authorized center for Becker, Blaupunkt, Hirschmann, etc. You should be able to find a good set of used wheels and hub caps just about anywhere. Look in the Star for dismantlers like TriStar Pete, or Potomac German Auto. Maybe there will be something in your area as well. Good luck.

[gerryvz]

Peter,

My strong recommendation, if you want to go to the steel wheels, is NOT to go to the standard factory 6Jx14" steel wheel and hubcap combination.

Rather, go to the little-known but MUCH BETTER 6.5Jx15" factory steel wheel and hubcap combination. All parts are available and orderable from Tom or any dealer. The reason for going to a 15" wheel, is simply that you have a much wider variety of tires available in the 15" size.

With 14" tires you are limited to HR-rated touring tires, which are OK but are not necessarily of the load and performance rating that the car deserves. With the 15" tires, you open a complete universe of proper, load-acceptable tires that have HR, VR and beyond speed ratings. Plus, this is where the bulk of state-of-the-art tire design is happening. 14" is largely a dead end these days, and the 15" steel wheels aren't all that expensive -- certainly far less than a new or refurbished set of the alloys.

On the Becker issue, Tom's advice about Odemer is sound, and they are a very high-quality operation that knows their stuff with Beckers. They can set you up with an appropriate antenna to match your needs as well, with some consultation.

The classic "pinstripe" Beckers are not well known for their sensitivity, ESPECIALLY with weak stations. I wouldn't expect much, to be honest with you. Most modern radios are far better in this department when it comes to receiving stations.

In urban or suburban areas, they are quite good.

Your best bet is to get one and try it out, and see if it meets your needs. You can find used models on eBay for under $100 (I'd recommend one of the later units that don't have the separate amplifier pack, have FM stereo capability & do have more FM presets, such as the Becker Europa II). Then I'd send it to Becker North America (or Odemer) and have it completely refurbished, which will cost anywhere from $100-300. You will then have a properly operating unit with good cosmetics and operating as it would have new.

You can reach Becker on line at http://www.beckerautosound.com

and Odemer at:
http://www.shop.store.yahoo.com/walters-store/index.html

Good luck!

Cheers,
Gerry

[Peter Richardson]

Thanks for the sound advice about both wheels and radio, Gerry. On the wheel front, though, I wonder if the larger (15") wheel wouldn't cause a speedometer misreading. And is there enough room in the wheel well to accommodate the larger wheel without rubbing on tight turns or dramatic bumps? I don't push the car into such places, but I should think this could be an issue. (PS: If the 15" wheel is better, why didn't they equip the car with it in the first place?)

[Tom Hanson]

The 15" steel wheels are availabel, but the hub caps are not. Your speedo will be close if you use a 205/65X15 tire.

[gerryvz]

I have a very reputable source in Europe who has several thousand of the hubcaps as new production, having received them directly from Mercedes-Benz.

Please contact me offline at gerryvz@comcast.net if interested in purchasing them. I will put you directly in contact with my source. He also has new factory 15" steel wheels in stock. The hubcaps are I believe around $20 US apiece. He will ship internationally as well.

The wheel sizing issue is called "plus" sizing. What this means is that one can easily approximate the same overall (wheel + tire) diameter as stock, with a larger wheel & smaller tire sidewall combination. If one purchases the correct size of tire (width and sidewall profile) all of this is a non-issue.

Several web sites such as tirerack.com and others (do a google search for "tire size calculator") can do this for you easily. You just input your original tire and wheel size & width (such as 14" wheel, 195 series tire and 70 series height) and it will calculate the equivalent size in a 15" wheel/tire combination.

For the 300SEL 6.3, which came with the now-outmoded P-metric 195-70 size V-rated Michelin XWX tire, the proper size in today's tire is 205 or 215-70-VR-14, which is no longer in mainstream production (though modern reproduction XWX tires are available from Coker Tire for approximately $250 apiece -- but these wear out in fewer than 10,000 miles).

In the 15" steel wheel size, the correct tire for a 6.3 is 215-60-VR-15. So you see that the tire sidewall profile shrunk and the width grew a notch, while the wheel size grew from 14" to 15".

The same can be done for your car. Just get the factory spec on the tire size in the 14", then convert to 15".

If you follow the calculator's measurements, there will absolutely be no problem with clearance. There is plenty of room under the wheel wells for larger wheel and tire combos.

I see that you are in McMinnville. I'm in Portland. If you need additional assistance or help ordering the wheels, you can get them locally through MBI Motors, at 13th & SE Hawthorne in Portland. Call 503-231-0444 and ask for Josh or Rick in parts. Tell them I sent you and you'll be taken care of.

My recommendation for a very good tire is the V-rated Yokohama AVS dB2, which can be ordered through the Tire Rack. These tires are used by a lot of 109 enthusiasts who have moved to the 15" Bundt cake or steel wheels, and provide great handling and grip, and excellent wet-weather performance. if you order steel wheels through MBI, order the tires online through Tire Rack to be delivered there as well, and MBI will mount and balance them for you. Then all you have to do is drive to Portland, pick them up, and put them on the car yourself (or they'll do it). MBI can also order the tires from Tire Rack for you if you wish.

Regards,
Gerry

[Tom Hanson]

I believe the stock tire on a 6.3 was a 195VR14 (not a 70 series).
The optional size in an XWX was 215/70X14 . Say hi to Rick at MBI for me.