Hello - I am new to the Crossfire world and I know that our Crossfires did not come with a spare or even a donut spare. I would like to have a donut. I have read some other threads on this forum and its seems like a SL500 donut will fit on a Crossfire Coupe. But, it also seems like the SLK320 came with a spare - is there any reason why that would not work on a Crossfire Coupe?? Thanks.

 

David
There were two different spare tires used on the first gen MB SLK's. The SLK320 (Crossfire Base/Limited) had 16" wheels on those models, but on the MB SLK32 (Crossfire SRT6), those SLK models had 17" wheels due to the larger brakes (discs & Calipers) for clearance. If you have a Base/Limited Crossfire, you can use either a 16" or 17" space saver tire. The SRT6 will require a 17" or larger wheel for fitment reasons. Keep in mind, the sidewall aspect of the SLK320/32 had tires with either a 60 or 55 sidewall as compared to the low-profile tires of 40/35 on the Crossfire.

Another aspect of adding a "spare", is the calculation related to the tire diameter of the rear tire that is currently on your Crossfire. If the measurements are unequal between the spare and the existing tire, that difference will cause harm to the rear differential if the spare is used over an extended mileage use. The fitment on the front end is not impacted by the size difference, except for the ride and steering capabilities.

Unless the spare comes with the shorter lug nuts, they must be purchased, since the spare is a steel wheel vs. the cast standard wheels on the Crossfire.

Do your research, to confirm fitment before you buy a spare....
Good Luck....
PIZZA GUY, JUST GIVING INFORMATION, DON'T JUDGE, KNOW YOUR FEELINGS!
Dennis
DTMenace

 

Thanks Dennis - as always, you are a big help and I appreciate that. I have an 04, so that’s means it’s a base. But you’ll remember that my car is a Startech and so your comments make me think that I should verify that it’s not been modified in some regard by Brabus/Startech impacting the hubs/wheels - but I don’t think so because nothing like that is on the Startech option list for my car. I have AAA roadside coverage but frankly I don’t want to see my Crossfire dragged up on some flatbed damaging the underside after waiting 3 hours for it to appear. Seems like a donut solves that problem for a short drive to help. Thanks again Dennis.

 

You answered a question that was asked, no problem there, cept for your sentence structure. I have fixed that.

Unrelated to your post:
Stand by for my lecture on the asininse use of "original miles".