Need some help on some wheel selection. I plan to get some 18" wheels soon (not considering 19"s), and have nailed it down to the Brabus monoblock VI (single piece) or the SSR GT3 (multi-piece). I like both styles, and was leaning towards the SSRs beacuse of the lighter weight. But than a couple of wheel shops mentioned that the SSR wheels are too weak for the heavy C32, and that they will flex, bend (under track conditions), and get damaged very easily if I hit some potholes (these are the shops that don't carry SSRs) . I don't track my car, but might in the future if I get the chance. What do you guys think?

 

With "Sooooo" many wheels out there, why would you want to follow the pack??? But I would go with the Brabus

 

if its 1 piece, i might wanna consider the ssr gt3! multi piece rims looks really nice

 

SSR GT3. Nice lip on them.

 

brabus is also heavier than the gt3, might wanna consider that too.

 

Beat me to it. But you putting wheels on your Mercedes-Benz, not a Honda Civic. If you're going to spend big bucks on your vehicle, why not invest a little more in cosmetics?

 

Hello everyone. I am new to this board, but I thought this was a perfect time for me to weigh in on something. In my opinion, the Brabus set will increase your unsprung weight, reducing ride quality and handling, are cast so will have a great susceptibility to deformation from pot holes and the like, and are ludicrously expensive. On the other hand, to my knowledge, the speed star racing wheels are semi-solid forged, which makes them much stronger than a cast wheel when done correctly. They can bring you a forged wheel much more cheaply because their process, which only they have a license for, takes less time and energy to produce. SSR's are much lighter than stock and even more lighter than Brabus' wheels. Plus, the SSR's are multipiece, which not only looks great, but also probably means that if you scratch a part beyond repair, like curb rash, or you dent a part, you don't have to buy an entirely new wheel. This depends on how they work as a company, and whether the pieces are a heat fit or bolted together. Anyway, a cast wheel is when they melt the metal and pour it into a mold, letting it cool into the shape of a wheel. It is quick and cheap, but when you heat metal to it's melting point, you destroy the process by which it was made and weaken it's crystalline structure. A forged wheel is when they take a "blank" of, usually, billet aluminum and press it into a basic wheel shape, and then mill out the rest. This way the crystalline structure is just as strong as what the metal foundry produced. A semi-solid forged wheel is a sort of a combination where they heat the metal to make it more malleable, but do not melt it, and press the billet blank into shape when it is hot, and then mill out the rest. This takes a lot less time and effort, which is money in a wheel factory, and it retains the strength of the crystalline structure from the foundry. I hope this isn't too long, and I hope it helps. I tried to make it not too simple and not too complex, so some techies might take opposition to one or two technicalities. Maybe you all knew this anyway. Thank you.

 

SSR GT3 > Brabus Monoblock VI

 

I've got the brabus VI one piece. Mine bend real easy. They are overpriced. I looked on the inside of my rims and they are made by Ronal. The same company that made the Ronal Bear rims

 

Ronal "Bear" rims rock :p :p

 

and same company that makes the new AMG wheels!!!

 

Honestly, I'd go for something more exclusive. But from those two options, the Brabus; it looks classier.

 

Are the Brabus Mono VI singlepiece 17" heavier than the stock C32 rims? How about Work Wheels? Are the heavy? Me personally, I love the MAE crown jewel rims.. but I guess they weigh a ton and are mass expensive..

 

Work Wheels should be really light... but i dont know if they make the offset for our cars!!! I think a set of Volks Racing wheels should be sweet if they make them for the W203!!

 

I have the SSR GT3s, and I have to say they are the best quality wheels I have ever had, including Breyton and OZ. And for my taste they look better then the Brabus.

 

Agreed. If not just second HRE or Iforged or good 3pc wheels. I'd settle for the SSR's though

 

ya ssr gt3 is nice~ go with that!

 

The 2 biggest reasons why I'm choosing between these two wheels is because of price and fitment on the C32 (heard too many nightmares on this board about bad wheel fitments). I also want to get the renntech springs with the wheels and plan to go with the EVO stage 1 soon, so if my wheels cost too much...

Thanks for all the input, I have decided to go with the SSRs :p .

 

good decision! Post some pics up or the cars with the wheels and springs after you get them plz!

 

V1 dog, don't listen to these ricers.......

=SSR

 

I believe you have that backwards. Rice = Chosing somthing for looks only. Since the SSRs weigh considerably less, and are built better, the Brabus wheels = rice.

 

agreed with AaronC!

 

Brabus Rice?? hehe..mann I was clowning, you guys are for real.
If Brabus were rice you would see V1's on Nissans, just like every 350Z in OC with SSR GT3's..
All this justifying what wheels are better because of the cost/weight factor is stupidity.
Did you buy a BNZ to drag race, or because you are a track nut..no..So when people talk **** about weight I just laugh.
Most of you guys barley break the speed limit...
Now if you have a BNZ that is a non AMG weight and cheapness of a wheel is a factor, because you don’t have 6K to throw around and your car is slow as it is...
Now that is clearly evident.
note, not aimed at track nuts or drag nuts, I know who you are, I am just calling out the sheep..

 

Brabus wheels wleigh like bricks, but they look nice. What I don't get is, for $6k why couldn't they have made them lighter/stronger?

 

i'm not a big fan of the SSR wheels...i would not buy anything for my MB that i might see on a JAPANESE CAR..so my vote went to BRABUS