FrankW

damnit...I thought u were selling Courtney Day...

I'd buy her alright!...

brabus c

i would too but i dont think i could afford her Unless i get me a 911 TURBO

BlackC230Coupe

How about we all chip in for Courtney? :p I call her first!

TXTiger

I was curious, wha's the advantage to going with OEM wheels vs. replicas? There seem to be a lot of replica Brbaus and AMG wheels for sale at a significant discount to OEM wheels. What should I look for? What questions do I need to ask to ensure they're ok? Thanks for the help.

S_kLaSse

hhhmm... firstly I think that Original is the best to go with since they are stonger(you dont want it to crack in the middle of highway when you hit potholes ). But if budget is the matter, go with replica or if you are a person who get bored easily. I dont think the replica one are alot cheaper too, I might be wrong.

nevide

replicas can be a lot cheaper. If you just want style, I say go with the replica, if you want prestige, go with the OEM. A lot of OEM wheels are constructed using a 2-piece or 3-piece construction giving them a deeper lip and a cooler looking. If you're looking for brabus or carlsson style, I say go with the replica but if you're looking at lowens, ain't gonna find a replica. As strength go, I say there isn't much difference since most tuners doesn't make their own wheels and most replicas are TUV and bla bla bla approved. As far as I'm concerned, I pick OEM since I don't want to be caught riding a merc on a replica.

jo17jC230

I dont think there is much difference as far as strength is concerned either... replica's are cheaper and in some cases considerably a lot cheaper however they are not multipiece and in some cases very heavy...

dmatre

There is a huge difference in quality between different wheels.

I'm sure that some replicas are of similar strength as the wheels that they imitate. . . but. . . I've seen a Porsche OEM replica wheel come apart (fracture at the spokes) at a high-speed track event - causing the car to crash and be totalled. Question: How much money did he save?

If you're going to cruise the strip, and drive back and forth to work or school, replicas will probably be fine. But, if you are going to run 10/10ths, whether on a track or down the canyon; you'd better be certain that the wheel will hold up to the stress.

If you buy replicas, I'd check with a reputable outfit (like TireRack) that sells the replicas. I'm certain that they wouldn't sell the lower quality stuff.

nevide

yes, yes, but seriously, who wants to run track with a C240 ( no harm just fact).

TXTiger

Agreed. I'm not going to be tracking or autocrossing my car. Just looking to change the look and street handling at lowest cost. I'm not concerned with having the "brand name" rims, but safety is of paramount concern.

S_kLaSse

I saw my friends replica wheels bented for hitting pothole. OEM are made in europe as for replica are made in Asia (Taiwan, China....) If you want replica, should choose Brabus or Lorinser(easier to find). I agree with Nevide, I dont want people to caugfht me using replica wheels on my Mercedes.

tberry

i think potholes arent just for replicas. One of my friend has 18" OZ F1 cups and she hit a pothole this morning. Sucker cracked like a **** and had to be towed to a local shop (they dont make it anymore so she's getting a whole new set of wheels) and she said when taking up on a ram the thing almost broke in half!. Those things weigh about 26lbs a piece too! I have my "replicas" (although dunno what it replicated from) Flik Lex wheels. Love 'em and it seems I was the first to have em on a c class (big in Audi circle and seen em on RX7s in Korea). The wheel only weighs 19lbs (well for 17x8 so not that light) and been driving in Pothole city Houston, TX for two years now, no probs.

amdeutsch

Flame suit is on because this will offend somebody.

If you find a wheel you like buy it. Don't put too much stock into the replica vs. OEM. As you found on this thread there are a lot of reasons both ways. Some buy OEM because they got too much money, want to track, etc. Others are after a certain look, don't have deep pockets, etc.
In the end the only person that has top be pleased with the choice is you. Now I ask you; what is more important? Your satisfaction or keeping up with the Joneses. Keep it mind that wheels will not significantly do anything regarding resale. Look at the classified thread or ebay sometime and watch the asked for prices vs actual received prices.

jo17jC230

Ya I have to agree... buy a wheel that YOU like that is within the budget you want to spend... and about the issues with potholes and cracked/bent rims... that's just something you got to live with it... no matter what aftermarket wheels you get, with the low profile tires you have to run, you shouldn't be driving over potholes anyways... those are drawbacks and things that you gotta look out for... if you can afford the brand name rims, then go for it... but if you can't or dont wanna spend that much theres a lot of decent affordable rims out there that are good quality... just shop around...

BenzOwner02

One question for those who are considering buying replica rims. Once you answer this question then you will know which rim to buy. Think about this for a minute before you answer it.

"Would you ever buy a replica Benz if they made it?"

Now you decide what you want.

oggle

I have no problems with people buying replicas, but just don't put on the real center caps posing around as if they're real.

BenzOwner02

Clearly I have an issue with it. If you buy an expensive and original car then you want it right all the way. Its kind of like buying expensive nice pants with a nice shirt and then buying PAYLESS shoes. Come on, it wont look good.

Only advise is if you can not afford the rims you want just save up and buy them when you can. Simple

Robert Schrader

I thought the c-class was a replica. :p

amdeutsch

Replicas on replicas. What a concept. Are you trying to say that anybody buying a C-class really wants to have an S-class but can't bring themselves to get it because of other life priorities.

Robert Schrader

Yep. Minor stuff like food...clothing...shelter.

amdeutsch

:p

nevide

Thooootalllyyy. I mean, If they would just save up and feast for a full year and eat nothing but tofu, they'll be able to buy "the real thing" by now. What a joke.

oggle

Not everyone wants to lug around in a huge a$$ car like the S class you know... Especially if you're single and not married yet. But that's just me. For you, I guess it's because you need the $ for lunch.

FrankW

first, I want to clear up the meaning of OEM. Original Equiptment Manufacturer means those manufacturer produce certain parts that are used in/on a car. For Mercedes-Benz, AMG is the only OEM rims maker other than the maker of those stock rims that come with the car. Brabus, Carlsson, Lorinser, etc are not considered as OEM because their product are not sold through Mercedes-Benz North America.

back to the topic. I don't think that replica and real brand wheels makes that much difference unless you are talking about the forged wheels that's not easy to replicate such as HRE and SSR. Some replica rims are not easy to spot from a distance, but for AMG because they have AMG mark on the flat surface, the replica could not do the same thing. It'll be easier to spot a replica AMG rim.

IMO if you are willing to and can afford the real thing, get the real thing. If not, replica is the best way to go.

c230 sport

Replica Benz? You mean Lexus?