T.H.Carrera

http://www.ebay.com/itm/MERCEDES-19-INCH-63-GUNMETAL-WHEELS-RIMS-NEW-FITS-S550-CL550-S500-CL500-S55-AMG-/111788425884?hash=item1a071c029c
I am having a hard time believing these are original mercedes wheels? Thoughts?

mrbobby

They are not O.E. You couldn't buy 1 wheel for this price at the dealer's.

Mike5215

Those are replica wheels. I've run several sets from Ebay vendors and they're nothing to be afraid of. Find a style you like, verify the offset and for under a grand you've got a new look for your car. The only downside to them is they're usually only sold in full sets of 4 so if you need to replace one you're buying a second set.

T.H.Carrera

Thanks. Hows the quality ? Are they much heavier or weaker than OEM? Will they cause vibrations or pull to one side due to being chinnese replicas?

Mike5215

China is an ancient culture. They mastered the wheel many centuries ago. But seriously, they're fine. I've bent more OEM wheels than reps. The finishes are nice and they seem to hold up as well as OEM. Obviously if you curb a wheel it doesn't matter who built it... It's going to get gouged up or bent. But in terms of them being weak, or getting "crushed" I've never experienced that. They mount up easy and run straight and true. The last time I had tires mounted and balanced on reps, one of the rears took zero weight. The tech was so surprised he took a pic on his phone.

The big sellers (OEM Wheels Plus, Aspec etc) are big, professionally run outfits.

alx

The non oem wheels are very very soft. I doesn't matter on a lighter car but on a 4500 pound one they bend just by looking at them. There is a reason why 4 cost lest than 1 oem. You get precisely what you pay for in this case.

Mike5215

Yeah I hear that a lot but I've actually owned several sets on my S and never had a problem. As I said, I've bent more OEM than reps. I currently have two different sets of OEM S63 wheels. They're so prone to little bends I have a spare front and a spare rear so I have something to put on the car when they have to be sent out for truing, which is fairly often. They're sort of frail to be honest with you.

I don't think there's anything magical about the composition or construction of your basic OEM Mercedes wheel that justifies the price other than the fact they're Mercedes wheels.

There may be evidence of replica wheels folding under the weight of the car, but literally thousands of sets have been sold and I've never seen a post here (or anywhere) from actual owners of replica wheels about the issue.

I think the occasional resistance amongst Mercedes enthusiasts has a much greater basis in psychology than reality.

T.H.Carrera

Thanks for the good info.

Where do you generally purchase your wheels from?

Mike5215

I think all of the vendors on EBay selling reps are all selling wheels by the same manufacturer, so I find a design I like and then hunt down the best price. Just look for one with several thousand sales and 100% feedback.

All MB passenger car wheels share the same bolt pattern and hub bore, so all you need to verify is offset. 35mm is the most common, and they look good on an S since they sit further out toward the fender lips. The closest offset to OEM S Class are 45mm, but your choice of style will be limited.

Rep wheels usually require different lug bolts, with a smaller (Audi Ball) seat than the OEM lugs, so order them from the wheel vendor when you buy the wheels.

Your existing TPMS sensors will transfer.

1bad540

I hav the oem wheels plus s63 staggered. in a 20" so far there great.

Mike5215

OEM Wheels Plus is a solid vendor. I also got a set from Aspec Wheels that were beautiful and never gave me a ride problem. Those were S63 reps from Aspec that took zero weight on the balance machine, and fooled a MB tech who had no idea they were reps.

T.H.Carrera

Good info guys.

So I currently have the Triple 5 spoke AMG wheels with brand new tires on them and want to use them on my next set of wheels. SO s63 staggered in 19 with 45 offset is the exact size to get to make the tires work ?

Mike5215

Yeah, any staggered 19" MB rep wheel with an offset of 45mm or less will work. I've been where you are in terms of trying to salvage the tires to save some money, and the results were always underwhelming.

Probably a better play to keep the original wheels and tires together either as a spare set or to sell (and recoup some of the wheel and tire money), but I understand if the budget is tight and you just want a fresh look.

The combo of 19" and high offset may look a little puny on the S. Minimally I'd go 35mm. To give you an idea of how conservative 35mm is, I'm on OEM S63 20" with 20mm rear spacers and 15mm front, making the effective offsets 24mm and 29mm respectively.