2011 C300 4-Matic Sport (Red)

Wife is insisting she gets snow tires... that being said my plan was to take tires off OEM wheels, buy another set of wheels (nice ones) and throw the regular tires back on for summer.

Problem I have is finding nice 17" wheels.

Her car is red, she likes either red wheels, or something polished.

We honestly don't know good wheels, bad wheels etc...

I don't want to spend more then say $1200 for new wheels.

Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!!

 

If you only have $1200 I would check out the
Tirerack.com

 

If you like the current oem wheels, just keep them for summer - there are a couple guys on here selling the "more basic" looking oem wheels fairly cheap (400ish), you could buy those and slap the winter rubber on them...simple cost effective option.

If you already have the very basic looking wheels and want a nicer summer set, go a similiar route and purchase a set of the 17 inch AMG wheels, also sold on here quite often from other members...I have these and think they are one of the nicest looking stock wheels I have seen on any make/model car (pic attached)...good luck

 

Power Wheels Pro
http://www.powerwheelspro.com/shop/index.php?cPath=23

 

+1

Quality, price, design, and customer service

 

Don't mean to stir the pot, but I wouldn't describe those as "quality". They are the worst quality of cast wheels which are inherently heavy and weak in comparison to other options. With wheels in this price range, you really do get what you pay for. If you have a budget of under $1500, I highly recommend going Forgestar. Those are the highest quality cast wheels you can get- they are flow formed.

 

Sorry to retort, but this is misleading. These deserve the term "quality" because, unlike many other suppliers, PowerwheelsPro sources from suppliers which have met TUV, JWL, and ISO9001 standards. If not familiar with those terms, there is plenty to read online. Further, cast wheels may be gravity cast or pressure cast. It appears "flow formed" is merely Forgestar's name for the more commonly known generic term, "pressure cast". Pressure cast does create a better dispersion of material in the mold. Forged wheels are more expensive and typically lighter, but for general purpose use, essentially all alloy wheels in OE applications, except for the highest end applications, are cast wheels and meet/exceed all requirements. Cast wheels may be slightly heavier than the more exotic forged wheels, but they are in no way "weak", which is more a function of the specific design of a particular wheel.

Please provide the evidence for your claim of being able to establish Forgestar as the "highest quality". Is the measure the rate of wheel fracture, the rate of out of round? What is the large sample data for this, please?

In my earlier career, I have approved the purchase of wheels in the tens of thousands and am familiar with the industry's cost structure. The pricing on more expensive cast wheels does not directly reflect any significant difference in the quality of the wheel, but rather tooling investment recovery and cost of production based on volume, marketplace acceptance of branding and imagery, and the methodology of the finish (painted, polished, machined, etc.). Purchasing excess capacity from existing overseas OE quality suppliers is what makes PowerwheelsPro such a good deal. This does not apply to all aftermarket wheel companies.

 

Just some advice. U will need 2 sets of tires/rims combos w this car. Its not easy to just switch tires amongst 2 sets of wheels. U will def break sensors (TPMS) and spend more after 2-3 years doing R&R and balancing. Just get a set of takeoffs from someone or get a set of aftermarkets w tires and sensors and just switch wheels as a whole. Ive got 5 sets I rotate and I hate nothing more than chancing damage to the wheel and sensors by changing tires. These are not basic cars u can just swap tires easy like regular non TPMS rims/tires