ejsheltra

wheels look very sharp. Only those that crawl up close might ever know the difference.

ejsheltra

Its $4800.00 because you bot a modular meaning multi-piece wheel that is in limited production by a boutique niche market company and were willing to pay their high price. Probably a forged wheel which is lighter and stronger and more expensive to make than cast. However, that being said all wheels sold in the US must be DOT approved and pass the same Federal requirements to be licensed to be sold new here. I have had issues with multipiece rims and knock offs. If you road race eventually you break parts. And since when does price alone justify quality? For the daily driver that is not raced a knock off serves just fine. Its all supply and demand and profit or loss is cost to manufacture and what someone is willing to pay.

oc79

Thanks,
My next mod will be to lower via Star.

ejsheltra

your very welcome.

DWJK

I would never put a pair of reps on my car if you paid me. Not out of principle, but by the lone fact that you don't know what you're getting paid the low prices.

I've owned a set of Brabus 20" Monoblock VI 2 pc wheels. After a few months of normal driving, there was noticiable bends on the smalls outer lip. I couldn't imagine what some reps would look like.

Also, I'm confident that they saved me from severe car damage that could have been worse: In a nutshell I lost traction doing a turn at way-too-many MPH on a narrow/windy road, and slammed my right from rim into the curb (see attached pic). New control bars, spindle, the whole deal. ~$2500 mistake

The wheel held up amazingly considering the speed and the post-crash curb picture. Unfortunately the inner part of the wheel was bent beyond repair, but there was nothing but a large scratch from the impact.

I don't even want to think about what could have happened to me/my passenger if I had some bargain fake AMG rims off ebay on my car

Draw the line somewhere. What's next? pirelli knock offs? fake AMG brakes?

I wouldn't gamble with this sort of **** just to make my car look "that much" cooler. Just my opinion

And PS, not that this matters as much, but there's obvious differences between the rep and the real. ive seen better reps IMO

K-A

Hey, are your side-view mirrors completely untouched? It almost looks like the blinker lights are a bit more narrow than original look. Might just be the angle, looks good either way.

oonick

Well i just came across these Mandrus wheels i think im in love,
does anyone have or know of these wheels.I think they would look
mint on my car.

RDSBENZ

Here's my car before the E55 body conversion:

oc79

Is you car lowered in this picture?
If so how much?

RDSBENZ

I'm not sure how low. I told HMS to lower it so I don't see a gap.

Benz-O-Rama

Don't think I said that anywhere in my post and I agree with you, to a point. But, in the case of aftermarket wheels and tires, cost normally goes hand in hand with quality.

ejsheltra

"Why do you think the list on my VIP Modulars is $4800.00?"

Really, then explain what this last line of yours is supposed to imply?
Most AMG wheels are cast meaning cheaper to make and inferior to forged. They demand the price due to the prestige of the name built upon their engines not their wheels. The wheels are sub contracted to an aftermarket company just like Brabus does. Brabus wheels, by the way, are not made by Brabus but by Ronal, in Germany, which is where most German car companies get their OEM wheels from. Borbet is another large German OEM supplier. they also used to supply several wheels to Tire Rack. AMG might derive the design but they certainly do not make the wheel. Their wheels are mostly cast not forged. Casting a wheel is much less expensive to make and is inferior to a forged wheel in terms of overall strength and light weight. In the case of most forged wheels the centers are still cast and only the hoops are forged. Yes, agreed you do need to be aware and do your homework when buying anything aftermarket and read all you can about the manufacturer. But the minimum requirements for strength, burst rating and load are set by the US DOT for all new wheels sold in the US. Cast or otherwise, they must meet these minimum specifications. Same holds true for the CF derived wheel sets.
Hope this helps. Please do not fall for the higher the price the better it must be or if it is made in Germany then it must be better. My Brabus wheels were more than the cost of my set of ARE two piece forged racing wheels. I would not race in the Brabus wheels as they are cast and too heavy and would not take the repeated track punishment. They are pretty though!
There are also numerous Japanese sourced parts in all our German made cars. Just check the ID tags. I am not trying to knock German engineering, I am from Germany as is half of my wife's family. I think the German engineering is excellent and they do an outstanding job in most areas. Their plastics leave something to be desired as evidenced by any 10 year old plus German made MB. Just look at the fade and discoloration in the interior pillar covers, especially in the older W124 models. And our newer 210s and 211s will be approaching that age soon enough.
Just trying to bring some reality here.

BTW, B-O-R, you do have a nice looking ride, a little too low for my taste and the pot hole climates around though but still very nice.

CharlyE500

Hey, so r u selling ur 19" wheel to get the 20" ?

RDSBENZ

Yes I am.

Benz-O-Rama

Certainly every rule has exceptions, and by no means do I mean that all cast wheels are junk and all forged multi-piece wheels are the bee's knees. But, generally speaking, when it comes to wheels and tires, you get what you pay for. No chance in hell are you going to convince me that a set of 1 piece cast ebay special wheels for 799.00 are of the same quality, or even close in quality, to a set of HRE's.

And I agree, AMG wheels are completely over priced. I've got a set of E63 AMG 2pc wheels for winter.

And if we want to question VIP's quality...

The structure of each wheel begins life as a forged aluminum disc of aerospace grade 6061 heat treated to a T6 hardness. From there, the life of the wheel progresses onto a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) mill where the design is machined into existence. Once machined and quality tested, the VIP Modular centers are then sent to a separate facility to be personalized with plating or powder coating procedures. Then, the centers are hand assembled at VIP Modular with 6061-T6 rim halves using only the highest quality fasteners and valve stems, and then hand torqued to exact specifications.


And thanks for the compliment. My sig is photoshopped. It's not quite that low.

CharlyE500

How much are you asking for the set ? and how is the wheels condition ?
shoot me some pix ! my email is chaulito@hotmail.com

THanx

Manny735

Please tell me how much?

and email pics to manny735@hotmail.com


Shipping quote to V3X 2W9