aniantchev

Guys, I hate to sound like a pontiff here and you don't have to agree with me but I think the days of the wheels with big lips are gone. Don't hate me for saying that (I know many of you have invested in such wheels) but the new trend seems to be "no lip+a slightly inward positioned hub", compared to the plane of the periphery of the wheel. We are seeing this more and more in the AMG 19s, TechArt wheels for Porsche, as well as the new 21s that BMW released for their 7s. Let's see what wheels the CLS63 will come with. I bet you it will have at least one option other than the 19 five spokes.

lorinserbenz

You are joking right?
I am very in tune with the wheel business, and just about everyone wants wheels with fat large lips.
Desired sizes, 20's for CLS and nothing but 22's for a 6 or 7 series.
VERY VERY few people ask for 19's or 21's, and if they do they end up wanting to upgrade to 20's or 22's because 19's and 21's look to small.
You are way off on your comment.... Yes there are buyers that want 19" AMG's and 21" Stock BMW wheels but they are a very small segment of the market.
How do you come to your conclusion?
Its amusing to hear people talk about ride quality with 19's etc... there is NO difference in ride between a 19 or 20, unless you go with a very tall (looks stupid) 19. I run a 305/25/20 on the back of my SL, people think that my car rides bad because the tire is so short. All are amazed at how smooth my car is after I take them for a ride.

RennTechV12

I agree to disagree...

Tezta

Yes i agree, especially about the ride. i was almost certain my car would ride like **** due to the 25 series in teh rear, but to my astonishment they are quite smooth and not as loud as i would imagine. Plus the tires are not the best, imagine when Pirelli starts selling the 305/25/20, those would be very nice to drive on.

vrracr

MDCLS

What he said.
However, one of the few here who likes SOME of the no lip style choices. (stock wheels,new M5,7 series style) I really like my "stock" chromed wheels but must admit sometimes I long for some of these.


Slightly OT. If people want to chatter their teeth you need to come take our Sport Package Mini for a ride with 17" Run Flats. Fun like a GoKart with a Suspension to match. LOL

aniantchev

I know you think I am crazy, but see for yourself. We can't all think the same way...my preference is for classic five-spoke, no bling, and massive width. I also enjoy big wheel lips but only on certain cars (BMW M3 is one exmaple). The CLS is not one of them IMHO. I respect all of your opinions; that's why these forums are here.

aniantchev

Here are some more. I apologize for violating these forum pages with BMW pics. I am just conceptually illustrating a point.

vraa

Everyone wants lip.
It's more expensive though, why waste money on OEM stuff.

RennTechV12

Hey I respect your point of view, I can see the allure of the classic 5 spokes. To each his own...it's still a great car!

Vader55

To me the quote trend should not matter......It is all about personal preference. I love the deep dish look, the deeper the better....... Non lip wheels ... > weaksauce !

mono2100

You cant compare OEM to aftermarket.....Rarely do OEM wheels come in a multi-piece config.

MBAMGPWR

Whenever the HRE R-Series goes out of style, I'll stop driving cars.

factoid junkie

guys, when you say "everyone wants lip," that's a pretty large statement. many people who post on forums like these talk about wheels and have terrific passion for different makers.

some of us actually lean a bit away from designer wheels and prefer to invest in other parts of the car. if you could actually get statistics on the number of individuals in the world who have purchased a CLS and changed their stock wheels, you could qualify statements like "everyone." i know some people who purchase high end cars (like a guy who just got a McClaren) who are satisfied with the wheels that come with the car. some owners I know think the whole wheel thing is "eye candy for the young."

don't get me wrong - just the opinion of a few - but not everyone is hot about wheels.

AMG2GO

I was kinda thinking about this same thing myself the other day. What a lot of people don't realize, is that most if not all these trends and their various incarnations come from motorsport. Its racing that dictates large exhaust pipes, large brakes and the required lager wheels... wider, lower profile tires... air scoops, spoilers and various wings. All that is popular on cars, has its roots in racing and motorsport. It is the desire to imitate this "look" that makes things popular.

Of course then it's all sometimes exagerrated by non-racers. But think about it... all these popular mods, if you look at their roots, were parts designed to make a car GO FAST.

If you want to see the future, you can look at trends in racing circles and see what is happening there. The "gunmetal" color now popular on some wheels comes from the fact that in racing certain alloy mixes are producing these colors... gunmetals and blacks... few people know this.

A single piece cast or forged wheel is always lighter than its multi-piece fat lipped counterpart. Since auto manufacturers can specify a wheel from the beginning, it can be cast in exactly the offset it needs to be. This makes it cheaper to manufacture, and saves weight.

Multi-piece wheels live because a wheel manufacturer can produce a number of different offsets of the same wheel by changing hubs. It used to be very popular with racers because they could change damaged hubs and save a wheel, and change offsets to suit their needs. But it has become less popular over the years mainly because the technology has changed and wheels have become stronger. So if you look at motorsport, there is a decline in the popularity of this type of wheel.

This is the usual sequence of things:

1) part is proven in racing.

2) part is adopted by the top manufacturers like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche for street legal vehicles.

3) Part is picked up by the aftermarket for "lesser" cars for individuals who want to make their car go faster or just look faster.

4) part is picked up by lower quality aftermarket makers who are now solely concerned with making something that looks fast.

5) Part is eventualy found in Autozone. People are installing it on their Ford Escapes.

By now the racers have moved on. Everyone has this part, and even the people interested only in looks no longer feel unique.

If you guys don't believe me, I can give examples. Racing finds downforce in a particular rear wing. A year later it is installed on an F40 by Ferrari. 3 year later Toyota puts one on its Supra. 4 years later Erebuni corp sells it in their catalog for $300. 6 years later you find it on camry's, at autozones, etc. Now 23 year old girls at the VW dealership want one on their Jetta. Now the racers have moved on, ferrari has gone to a new design, even the japanese hot rod crowd is building cars with no wings.

HID bulbs become popular in racing. They are adopted by MB, Porsche, etc. Now blue bulbs are sold in isle 8 of autozone.

Larger calipers become necessary in racing. Porsche and ferrari put them on steet cars. Now you can see 3" 2 piston calipers on civics spray painted red.

That's how car trends work. I could give dozens of other examples.

Aniantchev is not totally off base with his assesment. Of course as a dealer and wheel supplier you see market demand... that demand now is for big wheels with fat lips... but if you take a wider angle look, you can see the movement of the trend... fat lips although definitely not out, are slowly on their way out.

Next trend: the look of Ceramic disc brakes.