Davery

I am wanting to buy a set of wheel for my black 2012 E550 cabriolet and am looking at four options all about the same price. These would be just used in the summer and I am leaning towards the chrome. Does anyone have chrome anymore? Opinions?

kajtek1

None of them fit my taste, but I would advise against chrome.
When you have no way to test chrome quality on new item, there is lot of chroming done without proper preparation, what leads to peeling, what leads to leak and lot of headaches.
Chrome job can't be repaired.
I am chrome lover btw.

bob2011

The Essens in black are gonna look dope

TeeEl

That.

Davery

I'm still on my wheel question and have another question. I found a set of chrome Alphards and while they are 18" (not 19") they seem in pretty good shape. There is a part of me that would like to keep Mercedes wheels on my E550 cabriolet. I have never owned a set of chrome wheels, is this something that can be fixed without re-chroming, or do I just live with it? Aside from a bit of pitting on the back of the wheels, this is about the worst of it.

teksurv

Can you get the M158's in gunmetal? I would not do chrome, especially on a black car. Just my opinion.

DFWdude

Then go with your instincts. I normally stay out of these threads. But if you can't pick wheels without input, someone or something is telling you something, maybe questioning why change wheels at all.

Like TeeEl and Kajtek1, I feel these wheels are not that appealing. But I am one of those who feels that if you don't like the wheels that come on the car, you should pick another car with wheels you do like. So, I've never gotten the itch to change perfectly great wheels that came on the car for something else. I guess I just don't get it.

kajtek1

I have chromed Lorinser monoblock, who are about 25 years old and they still hold.
The deal with chrome is that chroming people usually prepare the fascia pretty well and unless somebody will use acid cleaners - it will hold.
But it is the inner rim part that is harder do prepare and where the chrome peels.
My Lorinsers do have factory chrome, what is really good quality, yet I still have to pay for putting extra sealer under the tires.
Than I am partially with DFWdude. MB makes such nice selection of wheels, that why look for aftermarket, what always will be .... aftermarket.
I did replace 10-spokes on W210 as I hated buying toothbrushes in Army packages, but I was always able to find MB wheels that work for me.
Than on W212 the Czech-made wheels who come with the car had damages on 3 of them. Don't know how PO drove them, but I observe forum wheel topics and seems that those good-looking 18" wheels must have inadequate alloy in them.
Anyway, for me going 18" is already stretching your luck, going bigger and/or going aftermarket is really tempting your luck IMHO

jonUF02

My vote is for the Niche top right, shown in the bronze.

I'm not a fan of bronze or black wheels, chrome is just tacky unless you have an old Cadillac or something. Black absolutely seems to be the trend, but I just don't really care for all black wheels, maybe black insert with polished face? That's how the new MBs come. One problem with black is as soon as you get any scratch it's extremely visible.

elohite

I have the Niche M157 in gunmetal (M158 is the same wheel in bronze) on a white car. They are decent and look good for a budget wheel. For a black car like yours gunmetal or bronze would look great. As other have said I would stay away from the chrome finish.

2011E350

I like the design of the Bronze but not the color. for Black I would say Hyper Grey, machined silver/aluminum Titanium Gun Metal.