None of the sellers seem to give me a firm response when it comes to load rating. Or the ones that do say something vague like "oh yeah, 3000 pounds." My GL450 is my family hauler and I don't want to risk my wheels cracking on the highway doing 70mph. Anyone have any advice or input?

 

Yes sir, buy a new set of 20" HRE's from me

Great wheels
Great quality
and built specifically for a GL

 

Thanks but I'm not spending that kind of money on wheels.

 

What is the load rating?

 

This is the inherent problem of eBay / non-OEM stuff. You get what you pay for, plain and simple.

 

I can't comment on the quality of the wheels in question but I don't agree with the generalisation of you get what you pay for. There are many good aftermarket wheels on Ebay that meet or exceed the quality of the OEM wheels that can be had inexpensively.

I have purchased expensive items that were total junk. Do you think that the person who purchased a brand new Ferrari only to have it lemon lawed thinks that you get what you pay for? Buyer beware on purchases. It can be a $5,000 set of wheels or a $800 set of wheels. Do the homework and see if it is worth the price - whatever the cost.

I had a stock wheel crack with no sign of any impact to the wheel so I can't really comment on the quality of the stock wheels either. There are others that report cracking of the stock wheels too. Did I feel that I got what I paid for on a $70,000 vehicle? Hell no!

 

All valid points I agree with. The wheels in question include the following:

 

This kind of reminds me of the Forgestar debaccle. The wheels were light weight but carried a load rating of ~1200 lbs and were advertised as fitting cars that required a rating of ~1500 lbs. In the end, after much talk on the web, Forgestar redid the wheels and now the rating is upped to ~1500 lbs as well as a weight increase.

 

To your point regarding generalization, I think you're generalizing more than I am. Of course there will be Ferrari lemons, cracking MB wheels, etc., but what if you had to choose based on the statistical odds of getting a lemon Ferrari or a lemon Chevy?

I think homework is the most thoughtful word of your response - I agree that there are great deals to be had in every single corner of the economy nowadays. At the same time, the OP mentioned the hurdles when it comes to homework over the internet. So while he's trying, the lack of information persists.

My central point when saying "you get what you pay for" is that more often than not, wheels that are made by MB / whoever makes them for MB are subjected to significantly more rigorous testing standards than wheels billed as "replica" that may or may not test them at all - if you're making a replica then there's no need to reinvent the wheel (as it were).

 

Anyone know what the load rating is for our stock 18" wheels?

 

buy my carlssons haha

 

Just make sure they meet testing requirements and load rating requirements. The tests may be equal so I can't say if they are better or worse than the OEM Mercedes wheels. I have never had an aftermarket wheel from a reputable manufacturer crack but I have had an OE Mercedes wheel crack. Put it this way, I took my OEM wheels off and replaced them with a set of forged alloys. Take a guess at whose wheels I trust more?

Here is what you need to ask the seller to see if they comply with safety standards. If not, I would run away.

ISO 9001:2000 Certification - International Service Organisation (ISO) is a global collective which set technical standards (testing and qualifications) for several international industries. ISO 9001:2000 is the latest quality management system (qms) for businesses. It basically creates a unique structure, development and implementation of a QMS in order to increase the quality of business transactions, quality and customer satisfaction.

JWL Certification - Japan Light Alloy Wheel (JWL) standard is a certification level instituted by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport which requires that alloy wheels being purchased in Japan, must have the JWL mark on them thus showing the alloy wheels to have passed through a rigorous self-certification process.

VIA Certification - Vehicle Inspection Association (VIA) is a third-party group in Japan which can test and verify whether or not any alloy wheels can meet up to the JWL certification tests.

TUV Certification - Technischer Uberwachungs-Verien (TUV) translates to Technical Examination Association in Germany. This is another third-party testing group which began in Germany and now has locations worldwide. The TUV Certification is the highest performance and durability standard any product can hope to meet. To even be considered for testing, all companies must first be ISO 9001:2000.

 

This is really great information.

The problem the OP once again runs into is seller communication & proof. I know a certificate / certification stamp on the wheel would be great (read: necessary) to see, but what eBay seller's going to go to that trouble when some less-informed buyer will pick those up (all absolutely sick wheels) next week?