Summer Wheels / Winter Wheels
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 299
Likes: 3
From: Colorado
'03 SL55 AMG | 2021 AMG GLE 63s Coupe
Summer Wheels / Winter Wheels
I've got one set of factory wheels with winter tires, and one set with summer tires.
(Living in Colorado it's worth having the two sets)
Problem is, in the winter, the factory "20 spoke" wheels tend to collect an amalgam of snow, ice and gravel in a rather unbalanced manner.
Now that I've got my summer wheels back on, I'm looking to replace the winter set.
I'm thinking fewer spokes, less hassle.... at least easier cleaning. Anyone else have this experience?
Question to be answered: Does wheel design affect ice collecting tendency, or is snow/ice just going to collect at the bottom of the wheel when parked anyway?
or
(Living in Colorado it's worth having the two sets)
Problem is, in the winter, the factory "20 spoke" wheels tend to collect an amalgam of snow, ice and gravel in a rather unbalanced manner.
Now that I've got my summer wheels back on, I'm looking to replace the winter set.
I'm thinking fewer spokes, less hassle.... at least easier cleaning. Anyone else have this experience?
Question to be answered: Does wheel design affect ice collecting tendency, or is snow/ice just going to collect at the bottom of the wheel when parked anyway?
or
Super Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 673
Likes: 27
From: Frederick
2000 ML320, 2005 E320 CDI
I use stock in the winter and a different set in the summer. I use the S65 style wheels I installed them a bit too early and it snowed...the multi spoke design didn't cause issues.
Super Member
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 865
Likes: 61
From: Bay Area
14 550 sedan
I find the little bolt or nut design looking thing that goes around the circumference of the wheel quite annoying to clean. I went from 16 spokes to split 5 spokes and find that it's now way easier to clean, especially inside the wheel and the brake caliper. It also helps to use a little power washer as it'll save you a lot of time scrubbing.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 299
Likes: 3
From: Colorado
'03 SL55 AMG | 2021 AMG GLE 63s Coupe
I find the little bolt or nut design looking thing that goes around the circumference of the wheel quite annoying to clean. I went from 16 spokes to split 5 spokes and find that it's now way easier to clean, especially inside the wheel and the brake caliper. It also helps to use a little power washer as it'll save you a lot of time scrubbing.
So far the 'best' option is looking like the 5 spokes. Really hope that cleaning the snow 'n ice buildup isn't so necessary since there's less metal to cling to and around.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,184
Likes: 16
From: Highlands Ranch, Colorado
2014 BMW M235i
Welcome to the forums, I'm in Colorado too so I understand your struggle. The little nuts on some wheels signify that they are a 3-piece forged design with a barrel, inner loop, and wheel face that are all bolted/riveted together, but I personally don't like it either. A lot of wheels that aren't two or three piece still have them and I hate the look. I have split 5 spokes on mine I use year-around and they are pretty great in the winter, not a lot of ice build up. The only hard part about cleaning mine is the machined face on these EuroSport MB-8s is slightly textured/ridged so they tend to be harder to clean completely.
If you want TRUE custom wheels contact HRE, they make every set based on each order and don't really keep an inventory. Their wheels are mostly in the $12k to $15k range though, with the exception of their new FlowForm line. The truly bespoke HREs can be had in any design you want designed and built for somewhere around $50,000 I believe.
If you want TRUE custom wheels contact HRE, they make every set based on each order and don't really keep an inventory. Their wheels are mostly in the $12k to $15k range though, with the exception of their new FlowForm line. The truly bespoke HREs can be had in any design you want designed and built for somewhere around $50,000 I believe.
