Chrome Wheels...

Although not neccessarily "performance related"...anyone out there have any experience with aftermarket chrome wheels?

Either through purchasing new or having thier existing alloy wheels chrome plated?

Your comments appreciated!

If chrome is your thing then there are many OEM look alike wheels that are available in chrome. The downside is that after a couple years the chrome tends to peel or flake off. When that happens you are S.O.L. It isn't necesarily the dirt or anything that kills em, it is the constant heat cycling. I'm not familiar with how much it costs to chrome plate a wheel but when buying new wheels there is usually about a $100 premium for chrome per wheel.

Hope this helps...>Lee

Chrome Wheels look nice with a BLACK BENZ !
Almost any wheels can get chromed, I've seen it done at $80/wheel. Quality is your own judgement. You can almost re-chrome it at about the same price and there you go ( new looking wheels !).

You might want to ask the local body shop to see if there's chrome shop they recommend.

When doing the chrome, becareful with the tire. When the chrome process is done and you're ready to have them put back the tires; if they inflat the air too fast, sometimes the chrome gets chipped. Therefore, be extra careful and watch them do it.

By the way, what kind of wheels you getting for your Benz? I recommend the AMG Monoblock 2.




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Happy Cruzing...

///Marco
-Opera Design Silver E320 99"
-245/275 P-Zero 19"

Thanks for your comments...both of you.

Based on a previous post...I looked at tirerack.com and found a few wheel choices for my vehicle...a 1988 560SL. Thanks for the AMG referral, right now I'm looking at either Mille Miglia or Borbet.

I'm really only considering chrome...becasue the car is "Black" with black leather.

I've had several bad experiences with aftermarket wheels that have no lip for balancing weights on the outside of the wheel. Just haven't been able to get a really good balance with tape weights only on the inside of the wheel. My last go round was with Borbets.

Anyone know of any wheels with the lip for the E320?

OLC,
What year E320? If it is a W124 then I would recommend going to 500E spec "8-holes" 16x8's. They will have the "lip" and be very stealth. 225/50/16 size tire works well for a handling upgrade. Ride isn't harsh and with the 50 sidewall you don't have to sweat potholes as much. W210 is a different story... You can also use a set of the W210 V8 lookalikes. (or real ones for that matter!) They have the "lip" and look sort of like the AMG "blocks". Wheels are very much personal taste so it is hard to recommend specific designs beyond the "close to stock" options I've outlined above.

Hope this helps...Lee

ALSO BE AWARE THAT CHROMED WHEELS DO NOT PASS TUV STANDARDS IN GERMANY AS THE CHROMING PROCESS REDUCES THE STRENGTH ABOUT 30%.

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Robb Rice
Rennsport, Inc
Alloy wheel repair specialists

Lee, Thanks for the wheel suggestions. I have also looked at the E430 5-spoke wheels, but the local dealer wants $335 each for them. Tire Rack sells the 16" AMGs for $325 and they appear from the picture there to have the lip. Looks like a better deal than the MB parts department unless you know of a dealer that discounts parts and accessories.

If you were looking at the E430 5-spokers initially, Tire Rack has quality lookalikes for a lot less than either dealer rims or Tire Rack's AMG wheels.

Other than the AMG wheels, none of the Tire Rack wheels have a lip on the rim for clipping on wheel weights. I have never gotten as good a balance with tape weights on one side of the wheel as when weights have been used on both sides.

If your looking for wheels check out these additional sources that specialize in MBZ:

1. Precision Auto Design: (800) 222-7253
Web Site: www.precisionauto.com
(note: First call and get the free catalog, their website does not have their entire inventory yet. They carry OEM, replica and tuner wheels.)

2. Capital West: (800)455 8648
Web Site: www.mother.com/capitolwest
(note: The E430 16 inch replica is $279.95 in chrome.

I own a 1998 E430. I upgraded from the OEM 5-hole (16 inch) to a Mercedes tuner wheel, the Carlsson 1/6 in chrome. I did a plus one increase to a 17 inch wheel. I purchased them from TireRack.

One wheel started to peel the first week I had them. The chrome has started to peel off inside the spoke area. Tirerack only chromed the face of the wheel. I have found out that there are 3 ways to chrome a wheel 1) face only, 2) entire wheel and 3) face plus lugnut wells.

After I purchased them I found out that chroming is not recommended in areas where snow salt is used on the roads. Salt has damaged my wheels after about 7 months and one winter, I live in Washington D.C.

Chrome wheels look great, however you must wax them and they must be re-chromed every couple of years. I will probably buy or have my wheels fully polished and clear coated next time around.

Mercedes issued a service information about chrome plating on alloy wheels, it says don't do it as it will damage the wheel. Try the polished look, it's almost as good looking!

Kevin, If you are interested in selling your OEM E430 wheels, please email me at
olc@gci-net.com