Genuine MB wheels v. other high quality brands
 

Hi,

I'm considering buying a wheel upgrade for my W124 E420. I'm leaning towards a mild upgrade from 15x6.5 to 16x7.5 because:

- I will seldom run the car on a track. I just want a more sporty feel on the road and a little more grip for the one or two autocrosses I might run per year.

- I don't personally like 17" wheels because it requires very short sidewalls that I don't think look quite right on a mid-sized sedan. Also, you typically see a lot more brake components with a larger wheel and I think that looks odd when the brakes don't fill the wheel space. (Sorry if I offend anyone with 17" wheels, I know they are popular, they're just not for me.)

I've read a lot about wheels purchased at TireRack and other places and here are some questions I have:

- Are genuine MB wheels significantly better than most other brands, or is it the other way around?

- What are the 3 or 4 highest quality brands and where would you rank MB amongst them?

- Does MB actually make their own wheels, or is it outsourced to a company that manufactures and supplies wheels to many companies for rebranding?

- If I wanted to stay with genuine MB wheels, where would I find their available selection? I can't find anything at www.mbusa.com and the dealership parts department is only recommending stock wheels (the stock Sportlines are 15x7).

Thanks for your help!

Mercedes wheels, including the AMG units, are "outsourced" and not just one company, depending on the style.

I bought the 17" Speedline (MB OE) wheels for my car and the spokes are seriously close to the front brake calipers (like 2-3mm close)

I'm thinking that if the spokes were slightly thicker inside...:eek: it would've sucked.

be careful.. I read that the 92-95 400Es calipers might not clear some wheels.

I agree that 16" is more tasteful and honestly :p I would've done 16 if I could do it again. The 17's ride is really killing me. I would also go for 55-profile (215 wide perhaps).

I think Tirerack's 16" 8-hole (16x7.5 ET41) replicas are perfect and with ET41, 215/55/16 tires would most probably work.

I put on a set of 16x7.5 ET35 replica wheels with 215/55/16 and they rubbed on the plastic cladding and ripped the paint off ...

I really like the polished finish of the stock W124 wheels though and I knew that I had to have wheels that have a similar finish (these 17" Evos being one of them).

Check out the original SLK's 7spoke wheels in 16" - I think they are really nice for a W124.

Good luck!

None taken ;)

of course the perfect upgrade would be the 16x7" 8-hole wheels MB installed on the 400Es in Europe.

I was advised by a few people in my local MB club, including a couple old rally racers and autocrossers, to never use "replica" wheels. I've also heard it on-line as well, yet many people here seem to use them and like them. Any comments on that?
Yes, I saw a pic of it when doing my search and I did like them! They may be a serious contender. Is there a reference for all MB wheels so I can find out all the MB wheels that would fit my car?

Also, I don't see an official Mercedes-Benz web site where I can shop for wheels. Is there such a thing? The dealer would only show me factory approved wheels for the W124 at the time of production. So, it had part numbers for a couple options like the Sportline, the E500, polished and chrome, etc., including lug bolts, etc. I would like to see all the current wheels and be able to sort by size!

Thanks,

The Tirerack 8-hole replicas are made by AT Italia, which in my opinion is a well respected wheel manufacturer.

Some MB AMG wheels are actually made by BBS and some MB wheels are made by Speedline.. you never know who really made them.

I bought a set of 15" replica wheels mfg'd by ASA

(15-hole a'la later W126 and R107) and they held up really well, looked great and never had a problem w/ wheel balance.

If you ask the dealer, they'll tell you that nothing else fits on the 124... :rolleyes: other than the 15" ones that came with the ccar in the US.

btw, the SLK's 16" wheels definitely fit the 6-cyl. 124 because I have seen omegabenz post pictures of his beige 300D Turbo with them. Would they clear the 400E's calipers? I don't know...

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-benz-used-parts-sale-wanted/97628-fs-16-mercedes-5-hole-wheels-tires-fit-300e-400e-e320.html

What about scotts wheels?

MB has other companies make their wheels (German or Austrian Companies usually).

BBS, OZ, Ronal make very very good wheels, they usually are OE for Porsche, MB, BMW, etc.

UMM, I dont know if the SLK wheels clear the 400E calipers, but I know that the CLK 7 spoke wheels clear the 500E calipers on the Ivory mercedes.

Holson, the SLK wheels were on the black 300D.

On a 124 car that you dont autocross or drive events, then I suggest 16x7 ET 37 with 205/55/16

You guys want pics?

The 8 whole wheels on C280's are slightly wider and look great on W124's.

JCE has them on his W124 and they look great.

He's posted pics before....

I e-mailed Scott (6cndmbz) about his wheels on eBay. They sound like exactly what I need.

The Kumho 716 4H tires on his wheels get good overall reviews at Tirerack with the occasional complaint about early tread wear and some side wall bubbles (hitting pot holes breaking down the side wall).

I am going to autocross the car two times this year. If I really enjoy it, then maybe I'll be spending a little money on a helmet and some really sticky tires for the 16" rims. I don't see spending money on suspension modifications, different rear axle ratio, smaller sport steering wheel, etc. because I would prefer to spend it on the old SL.

Thanks for your input everyone, it's great to hear from owners who have used the various setups on their cars.

Yes, MB OE wheels are VERY different than OEM wheels.

Original Equipment (OE) wheels are made stronger and more durable than the majority of aftermarket wheels out there (save forged wheels), including OEM wheels which are NOT builit to the same OE specs.

In short, just because Ronal, Speedline, etc. make an OE wheel from MB, doesn't mean their line meets MB OE specs.

MB OE wheels have to endure a stricter quality control (QC) and engineering specifications. This is the dirty secret among aftermarket wheels told to me by someone who makes and sells aftermarket wheels. It's also the reason why aftermarket wheel (mostly cast) bend/get out of true compared to OE wheels.

If you can get find/afford them, get OE wheels.

If you like the 15-hole look, 16x8 ET34 wheels from a 1991-1993 R129 SL would work IF you don't use a a tire wider than 215/55R16.

If you like the 8-hole look, 16x8 ET34 wheels from a W124 500E or R129 SL would also work, with the same caveat about tire size.

If you check the German ebay, you can get 16x7.5 ET41 8-hole Mercedes OE wheels cheap, however, shipping is long and can be costly.

Do a search of OE Wheels on Mercedesshop.

:-) neil
1988 E36T AMG
1993 500E

PS: I believe Scott's wheels are OE. If you like the style, and they fit, I would get them.

Very good Points to bring up Neil.

OE stuff is usually better than OEM.

However, I love BBS wheels, so I always recommend them because they are typically very light and very strong, also very expensive.

Unfortunately, only the forged BBS wheels, IMHO, are very strong.

My friend who has a WRX and the cast BBS wheels ($300+ each!), BROKE/SPLIT a pairs of his BBS wheels at the "streets" of WillowSprings raceway (others with OE wheels, bent them on the same berm).

I saw the pictures and the wheels in person, and they ripped apart like a soda can!

You can check out the thread here, but he doesn't have the images hosted anymore:

http://myimprezawrx.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=615&highlight=bent

:-) neil
1988 E36T AMG
1993 500E

german ebay
 

If you go the german ebay route, there are some really good deals. I bought some AMG wheels w/tires and the shipping was only about $220 (UPS). It was still a great deal overall.