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Ok, so my droning noise is back, and it is definitely a bad rim. I know it, because it came back immediately after a tire rotation that brought one from the rear to the front, and the noise immediately came back. When i bought this car as a CPO, i noticed two of the 18’ AMG rims looked new, and two did not. I’ve chased bent rims long enough, and I think this one rim is just beyond repair. But I’m not willing to spend $800+ for just one rim for a 9 year old car. I would rather spend twice that for 4 brand new wheels and start fresh all around. That said, this is what i’m thinking about. The AMG matches for what I’ve got (which are 2013 wheel on a 2014 car), all seem to be out of stock everywhere I look. So tossing in the towel for keeping it as close to original as I can.
question - anyone know this brand “Replace”? Any good?
it says a 48mm offset. Anyone know what the offset is for the AMG wheels I have now? I see 42 and 45mm on web searches. I want to keep it as close to original as I can in that respect.
You have to search around. Occasionally you find cheap sets on Craigslist or Facebook marketplace. The AMG rims are the most expensive, but the other Mercedes rim styles are cheaper, typically anywhere from $100-$200 depending on where you find them. I'd rather get a Mercedes rim than any aftermarket. You realize what will happen in a few years when you get another bent or cracked rim right? That company will no longer have that rim in production and you'll have to get an entirely new set of rims whereas if you got a Mercedes set, at least you could always find a single rim either by the Holland part number or looking up the Mercedes part number and just picking up one on eBay.
Thanks C! I thought about that route too, but decided I didn’t want to run the risk of buying used, seeing as how these AMG rims are so prone to bending in certain environments. I think I want to start over fresh from the box.
does anyone know what the offset is for these amg rims? I think their part number is 85150 from the 2013’s. I like the way they look and fill the wheel well. The ones I am looking at are 48mm offset. I can’t figure out if these AMG’s are 35, 45, 48, as i keep seeing different notations on the internet sites. If they’re 45, then i doubt 48 would make any difference to me.
also curious - how light is too light for durability? I saw one posting for the style im looking at below that said the rims were 18 poinds. That seems very light to me, and perhaps too fragile for real life living?
I’m ok if I have to replace a few along the way. At $200-$300 a rim, that’s what I would do anyway instead of spending the money to try and fix a bend. Ive spent a ton already over the last 5 ½ years and have gotten nowhere. So now it’ll just be “replace” instead of “repair”. I might even buy an extra one when i place the order just to have it.
I have coined that AMG really stands for “Always Meant for Germany only”! My mechanic says it means “All Money Gone”! Haha!! I have literally de-AMG’d this car. The rotors, now the wheels. Even the rear deck spoiler lip has given me problems.
PS, i know its the rims, because I can drive through it. 60-75mph, drone. 75+, less. 80+, perfect.
Sorry to sound like a spoil-sport, but I fail to see how a rim can do this. A tire, maybe, but not the rim. A rim can cause the steering wheel to shudder/wiggle or bounce up and down, but noises are more often caused by the tire that happens to be on the rim. If it is the tire, then rotating the tires/wheels would "move" the noise to wherever the bad tire was moved to. You will be able to "drive through" the noise if it is the tire, too.
I recommend that you have a competent tire shop inspect all of your tires before you start throwing money into new rims. You may be surprised.
Now, if you want different rims for looks or different dimensions, sure, go ahead. But Don't be surprised if the noise persists unless you buy new tires at the same time. And if you do buy new tires, too, don't for a minute believe that the new rims fixed that noise. I'm still betting on the tires.
The tires barely have 5k on them, Michelins. The one thing that has been consistent about this car since the beginning has been “you have a bent rim”, everytime i go in with the complaint. They “fix” it, but the sound changes, doesn’t fully go away. When I put the michelins on about two years ago, the noise went away, right up to that tire rotation two weeks ago. The back passenger rim came forward to the front passenger side, and the noise came with it. It is noticeably quieter that times in the past, meaning the other attempts to fix the bent rim certainly helped, but I want it silent. I can feel it slightly too in the steering wheel, fast vibration, just like before. I know which wheel it is now, and it’s clearly one of the two originals from 2014.
the fact that the dealership actually replaced two of the rims as part of the CPO process, and left two, suggests to me that it hit something that took out the fronts, and bent the rears. Something hard enough to prevent the fronts from being repaired.
no more money being spent or hunting for it until the rims are replaced. Plus, i wouldnt mind a new set anyway. The originals are starting to flake their coating, and can’t get the insides clean anymore.
Oh yeah, switch to Akebono brake pads so you won't get any brake dust. Did that years ago. FCPEuro for the pads and rotor for their lifetime warranty, Akebono is only 30 days on the pads and no one else gives you a lifetime warranty on rotors.
As for the bent rim, around here it's $95 to fix a bent rims, if they're cracked, it's a bit more to weld them and then bend them back. The other reason to stay away from aftermarket is that when I go to the guy to fix the bent rims, he's got a whole collection of aftermarket rims where the rims are actually cracked and a piece broke off so they seem to be even worse than factory rims. Needless to say, he can't fix the ones where a piece cracked off. He claims the factory ones are just soft and bend but don't crack like the aftermarket ones do. I did get a set of factory refurbished rims and they also bent/had hairline cracks. Then I got replica rims and they haven't cracked/bent yet, but I haven't had them as long as the factory refurb ones. The replica are also starting to have the finish peel off though and the factory ones didn't do that. I just prefer the factory look and you'll be able to get that style for years. The offset is the same as all the other W212 rims, 48, there are some other ones out there that are similar in style but they were actually meant for other cars so they had a different offset. I think your 85150 is actually for a W207 which was the coupe, the 85146 has the W212 numbers which is the sedan and it's a 48 offset. You should be able to look on the back of your rims and it probably has the numbers stamped on them.
Yep, I did the same as you with the brakes on the front. I ditched the drilled, and went with regular solid's and the akebono ceramic pads. Silent and smooth ever since, 0% problems there. The backs are still MB, and the back rims get dirty long before the fronts. I noticed recently the pulsation again in the braking, but coming from the back and not the front. So they're next this year too.
Thanks for the info on the offset! Huge help! My plan going forward is aftermarket rims, and replace instead of repair, so long as I can get the rims for a price of less than $300 per wheel. Around here, it's $175 to fix a bent rim. I'd rather just replace with a new one and not have to worry anymore about them getting it right.
Yep, I did the same as you with the brakes on the front. I ditched the drilled, and went with regular solid's and the akebono ceramic pads. Silent and smooth ever since, 0% problems there. The backs are still MB, and the back rims get dirty long before the fronts. I noticed recently the pulsation again in the braking, but coming from the back and not the front. So they're next this year too.
Thanks for the info on the offset! Huge help! My plan going forward is aftermarket rims, and replace instead of repair, so long as I can get the rims for a price of less than $300 per wheel. Around here, it's $175 to fix a bent rim. I'd rather just replace with a new one and not have to worry anymore about them getting it right.
The guy I use for bent rims is pretty good, found him on a Yelp review. They're all in the $90-$120 range. Also got referrals from tire shops that encounter that problem all the time and they refer them out. Maybe it's time to shop around. I believe the backs have the drum brake in the rotor for the parking brake so you should also get the brake shoes and spring kit if you're going to replace the rotor. Haven't done it yet on my 2011, but it was a pain on my 2008. I'm just thinking the quality of aftermarket rims might not be that great at $300 a rim. Lots of bad ones were at that bent rim shop. OEM is supposed to last the life of the car, aftermarket can be all over the place. The price of OEM rims also go down as time goes on and everything depreciates on the car. My replica W211 rims were under $150 each. Save the boxes the new ones come in and sell the old ones on eBay.
I ended up buying those wheels, but through Amazon instead for $200 a wheel. Wheels are from a company called Jante out of Tennessee. I’ll come back to show before/after once I get them installed. If they last 18 months, then I’m totally happy. My roads aren't great, but they aren’t terrible either. Well, not yet anyway…the thaw is coming!
i remember when I lived in Chicago with a 2007 VW GTI for 3 years. When we moved to DC and traded rough concrete roads for smooth blacktop, I immediately noticed a noise. Took it in, and they asked me what did I hit? All 4 wheels were bent. I said “that would be Chicago”. That noise, is the same as what I’ve got on this MB. I had forgotten about that experience until my wife reminded me of it recently.
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
the GAWR for the rear of my e350 wagon is 1460 kg / 3219 lbs, or 730KG per wheel. a 700KG rated wheel is IMHO underrated for these rather heavy vehicles. you also need XL rated tires, which aren't available in all sizes, they too should have a load rating capable of handling at *least* 730kg each. the standard 17" XL tires have a load rating of 99, or 1709 lbs/775kg
I saw that too LCG. But mine is a sedan with 18" wheels. Doing the reverse math (and I'm no expert here whatsoever), but the 700KG translates into 1,540lbs each. The total weight of the sedan is around 4,500lbs with a full tank of gas? The 4 rims together are rated for 6,170lbs and the weight distribution is roughly 55/45 front/rear. So the heaviest would be the front at roughly 2,300lbs with the front rims able to hold 3,100lbs.
Now I'm no expert by any means or by any measure, but I kind've also have to believe the company selling them and printing the part number specific to MB on it, along with the other SAE and DOT stamps, probably did this math too (or at least their lawyers did)? I may come to regret this decision, I may not. But time will tell. The reviews I read seemed good. Fingers crossed!
At the end of the day, in all honesty, this car probably has another year or two with me max. Getting a little hard to get in and out of with a worsening lower back and liking the SUV idea more and more. I may pass it on to my son who should start to drive in about 2 years. Hell of a first car for a kid, but it's long been paid for, which means a hell of a first car for a kid via his dad's point of view too!
Nc211,
The new rims hub is 66.5mm or has adapter for 66.5mm yes ?
My E400 with 1/2 fuel is 53.28% weight at front and 46.72% at rear and of 1,839 KG true total weight measured with proper 4 wheel scale.
If 4 adults at 100kg each ( big, me now only 70kg ) and 200 kg of luggage ( a lot ), it will be almost 2,500kg.
LCG sticker on his car is 2,595KG, probably 5 passengers or wagon style has more luggage room.
The BBS CH-R I use has 720kg TUV load rating per rim. Our tire if 97 load rating is 730kg.
Say the extra passengers and luggage load are at 600KG and is 70% for the rear wheels due to weight position, that is 420KG.
So 860KG of rear weight + 420KG = 1,280KG probable weight on rear rims. Limit 1,400KG
Front 980KG + (30% of 600KG or 180 KG ) = 1,160 KG. Limit 1400KG.
Total = 2,440 KG
Even adding a 5th 100kg passenger is still okey.
Adding say 50kg extra for more options and 50kg more if for 4matic, still okey.
700kg load rating per rim would be decent borderline I guess.
Just dont do high speed jumping
Maybe one day I need to weight my car with such weight simulation.
However to find 100KG person is tough as that is considered FAT for our typical shorter height
Thanks guys! My car is at the shop at the moment and can’t see the sticker, so flying blind at the moment. I think they’ll be ok, and at this price, if I get 18 months out of them before trouble, i would be happy. That’s kind of my strategy now - wheels that cost as much to replace as it would cost to try and fix the AMG wheel, therefore knowing for sure no bends. I think mine has a bend probably in a spot that just cant be fixed, maybe at the front along one of the spokes. The other 3 are fine, its just that one that is now on the front passenger side after the tire rotation.
Doing the math on just one cup of coffee this morning, and from the sticker above, for the front wheel, it looks like i’ll have about 300lbs of leeway on the front axle per wheel. Maybe that will be enough to absorb the unavoidable pothole hit or two before another bend.
I would be curious what the load rating is for the AMG’s they’re replacing? I know these knockoffs are light at 18lbs in comparison to the AMG’s, so i would think the AMG’s have a higher load rating?
these should fit perfectly, hopefully. One of the reviewers for them shared a picture of his 212 with them on them. Looked great to me! His was pre-facelift, but assuming no changes between the two versions in this department for fitment. I’ll have a facelift 212 with pre wheels! Ha!
End result (can compare to the photo of before at the start of this thread).
The noise was absolutely the old wheels. It’s completely gone, and smooth as glass now. Sounds like it should at highway speed. So thankful to have this truly fixed now.
Here are some photos of the old rims. You’ll see comments written by repair shops in past attempts, like “almost perfect” and “slight wobble”. End of the day, I think just enough “slight” imperfections simply came
together as one and no way to truly get the wheels back in harmony with themselves. Interesting, only two had these markings, and the other two did not. Also interesting, easy for me to tell which two the dealership replaced in 2017 as part of the CPO process, and which two they did not…. Reason number 3,459 why I don’t trust a MB dealership anymore…
My original AMG or BBS has no load rating printed on the rim.
I have to go to BBS website to see the TUV / ABE certificate and the load rating is part of the data provided https://shop.bbs.com/en/certificates/CH-R?type=design
The AMG one I think if I know its P/N ( Ronald one ), I can extract the certificate from their website.
Germany is very strict so I read, even aftermarket rim must be TUV / ABE approved for one's car.
I am not surprised though. If cars can run at many section of the Autobahn at MAX SPEED legally, the last thing you want is inferior rim and tire.
I guess if MB has USA assembly/manufacturing plant in USA, it need is to follow USA standard and/or also have certification from USA DOT, aside from others.
Which standard is more stringent ? I don't know. For sure No Speed Limit on public roads of such awesome quality is probably only in Germany.
In my country speed limit is a wallet limit, as long as you speed politely and not zig zag like maniac and hit no one, it is no big deal . No way a jail term awaits you.
I hope this "kindness" stay the same for another 20 years.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
