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I have a 2003 C320 Mercedes & am needing to replace the front 2 tires & rims. I have 255/35/ZR19 on the back so would a 245/45/R17 work for the front?

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What do you currently have on the front? – Rory Alsop Oct 16 '12 at 18:57

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In my experience tirerack.com does a fantastic job of determining appropriate fitments for all kinds of cars. They do list some 17" wheel fits for the 2003 C320, but they suggest a 225/45-17, not 245/45-17.

Your current rear wheel/tire setup is a bit bigger in diameter than their recommended packages. Their recommended 19" fitment is either 225/35-19 all around, or 225/35-19 front and 265/30-19 rear.

The front setup you've asked about is also bigger in both width and rolling diameter than anything I've seen recommended, which probably doesn't bode well for a good fit--I'd expect you're in danger of rubbing the wheel well.

If you've got access to the wheels and tires you're talking about, it can't hurt to try bolting them on, but based on what I've seen, I wouldn't order/buy that size for that car. I'd stick with 225 wide for the front.

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Significant changes to the tire diameter could throw off the speedometer and odometer. Probably they don't recommend any size where this would be the case. Might not be a problem, depending on which axle the speed sensor is on. – Mark Johnson♦ Oct 23 '12 at 17:06
@MarkJohnson, it's definitely best not to change the rolling diameter by much, and they generally don't list fitments that do change the diameter significantly, but this is not the sole consideration. There are wider tires that would not result in significant changes to the rolling diameter: 245/40-17 for example is pretty close to 225/45-17, yet no fitments are listed wider than 225. This is why I infer that wider tires, by virtue of being wider, might be a problem for this car. – mac Oct 24 '12 at 18:04
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I wouldn't recommend fitting different size wheels on each axle unless you really need to. If nothing else it makes things a real pain if you have a puncture!

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For the fronts, the main issue is whether the tyres rub on the wheel arch- bigger tyres have less clearance at full lock.

Have a look at the clearance with the current tyres at full lock and you should be able to work it out.

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