EmE247

As some of u know, i put on some different wheels as soon as i got my ride in 19s. Low profile tires & lowered with H&R.

In the 1 1/4 year of ownership, ive gone through 1 flat and two cracked wheels because of the car/wheels.

Now my wheels arent some cheap aftermarket wheels, they are an option upgrade direct from MB.

Fortunately, because the wheels are cracked on the inner lip, i have had them temporarily welded. Also fortunately because the wheels are a two piece wheel, i can eventually get the barrels replaced, at im sure an arm n leg.

I even watch the road in front of me while driving as to avoid any potholes and swerve around them when i can. On some streets in Los Angeles, i actually know where the potholes are. How lame is that?

But this crap is retarded. Maybe im too old for this crap to have to deal with this nonsense.

From reading posts of the past of other members, i know that some of you have had the same problem with even the stock wheels with stock suspension.

In all my car ownership experience with at least 10 different cars, i have never ever had to worry about the roads and my car/wheels as i have had to with my W212. As much as i love my W212, there is definitely some kind of design flaw with our W212s.

brauhaus313

What tires are you running? They could be under rated for the weight of the car. Also, if your bumpstops weren't cut before your springs were installed, you may not have the suspension travel to absorb the potholes. If you don't know, it would be worth the trouble to check if yours are cut or not.

With a large enough pothole, and hitting it hard enough, any wheel will bend or crack, but there could also be something up with your suspension/tire combo.

EmE247

AMG Wheels 19x8.5 Front 19x9.5 Rear ET43
Toyo Proxies T1-R 245x35x19 Front 275x30x19 Rear
H&R Sport Springs for the W212 (uncut)
Stock shocks

All installed at a reputable shop called HMS thats well known by forum members here and locals of So Cal. Owner has had two to three e55s and he knows his MBs and how to mod them.

Not sure about bumpstops.

My gripe is that even other forum members that have not changed a single thing on their car have had these same problems of flat tires and cracked wheels. I have even read of one forum member even downsizing his wheels from 18s to 17s intentionally because of similar issues.

I have never had this problem ever before in my 25+ years of driving in any of my previous cars like my similarly modded W211, BMW 550i, modded Mustang GT, Rover, W210, 325i, modded Acura Integra and modded VW Scirocco. Never once have i ever had a flat or cracked a wheel because of a pothole. Born, raised and still living in LA so location is not a factor.

brauhaus313

Probably karma for going between a scirocco and an integra. Jk...force of habit from my VW days.

On a serious note...how often do you check your tire pressures? Stock PS won't cut it when plus sizing. I would still check the bumpstops. The shop may have figured you're willing to sacrifice ride quality going with lowering springs and decided to not cut the bumpstops to keep your shocks from bottoming out.

I really doubt it has something to do with the car itself. Flats happen. If you've not cracked or bent a wheel prior....consider yourself lucky. I'm in Los Angeles and have bent or cracked wheels probably a dozen times. Have you heard of Bolton's classic wheels?

K-A

Damn, that sucks. I have a feeling that this might be the reason the W212 doesn't come with a 19" wheel option. The 18's already ride like how you'd imagine 20's on this car to ride. Something about the suspension geometry+weight+dynamics of the car might not be "balanced" with over 18"'ers, which sounds odd, but considering how the 18's feel.... almost sounds believable. I almost feel like they engineered the car to ride so "sportily" over harsh elements with the 18's, yet obviously retaining the luxury qualities one would expect from an E otherwise.... going over 18's just might go too far in the "sport/harsh" side and the suspension may not be designed to compensate for the loss of rubber? Idk. Hypothesizing.

bigigg

This is a tough one, I feel like you have the proper tire size on those 19's no stretch plenty of meat.. It's just one of those things where you hit a pothole a certain way the rim may crack. I would def stay on top of the tire psi. I have stock 18's with 245/40 and I find the ride to be very smooth.

bigigg

Also I'm sure the bump stops were not cut.

MarcusBDUB

This is a scary thread as I am waiting on my 20"s. I too am a SoCal native like the OP and have had other cars with 20"s without bending or cracking the rims.

We'll see what happens after I put on the new rims, but I'm hoping these are reltively few incidents considering the number of Es on the road with aftermarket wheels.

RobbieRob

I agree, real scary. I'm thinking about getting some 19's and this thread is just killing me on my decision. 10 years ago I wouldn't worry about my decision, but the older I get the more I think about practicality. Maybe I'll just Powdercoat my factory 18's like Hype and be done with it, but I still think that 19's are the perfect fitment on the w212. Just like on the new CLS.

RobbieRob

Oh, and BTW, I live just outside of Philly. The roads are horrible around here..

EmE247

Ya pretty much sucks. I found one hairline crack in each of my rear wheels within 2 days of each other. Wasn't leaking air fast so I was able to fill up on air in each tire every day just to get around. Could only fix one wheel at a time so went thru all of this hassle of shop back and forth. I'm afraid to check out my front wheels as I know they went thru the same pots that damaged the backs. Thankfully the fronts aren't leaking yet. (Knock on wood.)

Anyways, found a decent shop to weld up the wheels and am back on the roads again. Driving much slower, keeping a safe distance from cars in front of me so I can see any upcoming potholes and swerving like a madman around the pots.

Check out this thread below for more stories about these cars and wheels...

https://mbworld.org/forums/e-class-w...rim-story.html

Basically op bought aftermarket 17s to ride instead of his stock 18s to go along with his stock suspension because of a similar problem.

It's not just me. It's not just the 19s. It's not just the lowered suspension. It's the W212 and even the stock wheels and suspension that come with the W212 as well.

VENT: Done.

RNBRAD

Yep, that's why I'm adamant about people that go a larger size rim to purchase a forged rim and a 3 piece if possible. Then you can replace inner and outer rim for around $200 if you can even bend them. Stay away from casting if your wallet can afford the inital hit. Either way most people will end up spending the money one way or another. Just my .2.

ImInPA

Light weight high performance wheels are designed for the track. Smooth pavement. I find it difficult to believe that you have avoided every pothole. It would take an impact to crack the wheel. Speed kills.........your pocket. You wanted 19 inch wheels, you got 'em. Enjoy!!!

brauhaus313

This creates a bigger problem than it normally would on standard suspensions because E350's have adaptive valving struts. It's the reason why Koni does not recommend using lowering springs with their FSD struts (even though people have gotten away with it by cutting their bumpstops).

On a related note, I notice a vocal minority complaining about the ride quality of their early W212's yet find my 2012 to ride quite nice, but also ride quite a bit higher than "hockey stick" versions. Maybe MB figured their spring and or spring pad combos were too low for the adaptive valving struts and updated.

K-A

Is your car a Sport? Interesting. Now I'm hearing about potential changes to 2012 suspensions, and am curious to see if a change in ride height (i.e the 2012's not being as low as the 2011's) would be a contributing factor to that. Would be a shame on one hand, as the stock stance of the 2010/2011's is about perfect to me (doesn't need lowering for aesthetic purposed, IMO).

brauhaus313

It is indeed a sport. Every sport package W212 I saw on the lot when looking at 2012's had the same height as mine. I agree its a shame because the ride height of the earlier w212's is much better looking to me. Good thing I have coilovers coming in.

K-A

Wow! Learning lots of new things about the 2012's. I want to go see a 2011 and 2012 E Sport side by side and see just how much higher the 2012's are. Looks like that is indeed how they must have improved the comfort. I guess it's a looks VS function thing.

EmE247

O noes Brauhaus. U got KA thinkin again about another swap.... 10...11...12???

K-A

Hahaha.

Actually, I'm just taking it as a plus to the 2011's aesthetic, with a slightly lower ride height.

Was just comparing pictures, and he indeed is right! The 2012 Sports almost look as high as Luxury model.

I guess that further confirms: Functionality goes all the way to the 2012's, but the looks (lower, hockey sticks) go with the 2010/2011's.

brauhaus313

I would have gone coilovers no matter what, so no envy here. The hockey sticks OTOH, were a curiosity (to put it lightly) at first, but have grown on me. Truth be told, I prefer the double fogs rather than LED anything. I love Audis, but don't want the Benz to follow the trend.

If my reasoning about the suspension is right, K-A, trimming the bumpstops may be a solution to your ride quality woes.

blackbullit

Might try going with tires with "softer" side walls. I have the factory AMG wheels on my E550. I have hit some monster potholes with Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetrics and Michelin Super Sports, both without wheel or tire damage.

leapingpoint

Man, my 19" two-piece forged rims are on the way.......

Question: what would be the proper psi on your tire setup, do you know?
I pla to get the same tire setup.....

EmE247

Wouldn't softer sidewalls be worse for the wheels?

I run 32 fronts 36 backs when cold. Used to run 30 fronts 34 backs but upped it because I was told that it would help prevent more damage to wheels.

brauhaus313

Man, your tire pressure is way too low. The bumpstop theory may be out the window. The stock recommended PSI on the car for the stock 18" tires is something like 34/36 f/r. While calculating correct PSI gets a little hairy when moving to a non-OEM tire, a rule of thumb I've heard and gone by is an increase of 2psi per extra inch of plus sizing wheels. For the sake of wheel protection on 19's I go with at least 38 psi.

MCF

Along with the teeth rattling rough ride. I am now really curious about a 2012 sport. Maybe slightly lower than the 2011 Luxury I have but still will handle those chatter bumps without causing rattles. Oh wait, my wife has already advised me that she will NOT drive a rough riding car and that she is keeping the 2011 Luxury...damn it...damn it!!