When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hi all, i am from Singapore and my first post here.
Has been reading posts and comments from all the members and very informative sharing.
Finally will be collecting my GLE450 Iridium silver next week.
I ordered this from the incoming shipment, thus do not have many choices or option that i like.
These are the things that i would like to do upon collection:
1. Change the wheels to 22 inch.
In Singapore, accessories for such SUV are limited and prices are very costly.
I dont like to original AMG 20 inch and would like to change to 22 inch AMG.
Any one can advise me if there are good seller in USA?
Hey OP, I am also from SG. Took delivery of my GLE end of Feb.
I too went thru the exact same dilemma so let me share a little of what I went/am going thru.
The car arrived with the 20s, I rode around with it for a month, I loved it as it was but I wanted 21s for the car. I liked the GLE 53 AMG wheels the most, and ordered it from Alloy Wheels Direct. There were some freight issues from UPS as Covid was just breaking out in China so it caused some delays (no fault of the vendor). FYI The rims are original from Germany, UPS hubs a lot of their air freight logistics from Europe thru China, before heading down to us. But the rims arrived as ordered
However I encountered a stumbling block with the bolts (I wanted black bolts) and additional wheel caps, which I also ordered from the vendor. When I took the new wheel caps, bolts and rims to LS tyre in Ubi. I was told that the bolts and cap did not fit. Turns out, the rims were correct for the new gen GLE (V167). The bolts and cap were for the older gen. But the vendor was fair , I was able to return and get a refund for the caps and bolts.
I was able to use the stock bolts and caps with the new rims, and was able to order black bolts from LS tyre (which only got fitted after covid circuit breaker lifted). I am still using the stock wheel caps.
However after going thru all that, I am now a couple months into using the new 21s, I can confidently say the ride comfort is NOT as good. Even on smooth Singapore roads, I can feel the degradation in comfort compared to the 20s, especially in the rear seats. I assume besides the larger diameter on all 4 wheels, the 21s (like the 22s) are staggered widths, the rears are much wider than the fronts so they pick up more road bumps.
Even with the air suspension, The wheels just transfer more of the road imperfections into the cabin.
Admittedly I am a family man, so the rear seats are used often. My family complains the ride is noticeably not as good. I have sat in the back when someone else is driving and it pains me to say, (after all I have spent) they are right.
I kept my stock 20s and bolts, and I am at the stage now that when these 21 tyres are due for replacement , I might just alternate back to the 20s.
I suggest if you can , you should try the car with the 20s first.
"MECHIA" thanks for the details feedback.
Local suppliers are selling at high cost and trade in value for these rims & tyres are low, thus would like to import myself.
My idea similar to yours, having 22 inch and keeping 20 inch as spares.
Did you wrap your car or apply ceramic coating? how is C&C paint protection system compare to the after market?
Is it necessary to spend additional money since the dealer provide PPS?
Hey OP, I am also from SG. Took delivery of my GLE end of Feb.
I too went thru the exact same dilemma so let me share a little of what I went/am going thru.
The car arrived with the 20s, I rode around with it for a month, I loved it as it was but I wanted 21s for the car. I liked the GLE 53 AMG wheels the most, and ordered it from Alloy Wheels Direct. There were some freight issues from UPS as Covid was just breaking out in China so it caused some delays (no fault of the vendor). FYI The rims are original from Germany, UPS hubs a lot of their air freight logistics from Europe thru China, before heading down to us. But the rims arrived as ordered
However I encountered a stumbling block with the bolts (I wanted black bolts) and additional wheel caps, which I also ordered from the vendor. When I took the new wheel caps, bolts and rims to LS tyre in Ubi. I was told that the bolts and cap did not fit. Turns out, the rims were correct for the new gen GLE (V167). The bolts and cap were for the older gen. But the vendor was fair , I was able to return and get a refund for the caps and bolts.
I was able to use the stock bolts and caps with the new rims, and was able to order black bolts from LS tyre (which only got fitted after covid circuit breaker lifted). I am still using the stock wheel caps.
However after going thru all that, I am now a couple months into using the new 21s, I can confidently say the ride comfort is NOT as good. Even on smooth Singapore roads, I can feel the degradation in comfort compared to the 20s, especially in the rear seats. I assume besides the larger diameter on all 4 wheels, the 21s (like the 22s) are staggered widths, the rears are much wider than the fronts so they pick up more road bumps.
Even with the air suspension, The wheels just transfer more of the road imperfections into the cabin.
Admittedly I am a family man, so the rear seats are used often. My family complains the ride is noticeably not as good. I have sat in the back when someone else is driving and it pains me to say, (after all I have spent) they are right.
I kept my stock 20s and bolts, and I am at the stage now that when these 21 tyres are due for replacement , I might just alternate back to the 20s.
I suggest if you can , you should try the car with the 20s first.
Thanks for the post. I bought my wife a GLE450 earlier this year and it came with the 20s. I wanted to upgrade to 21s but she was against it because she liked the comfortable ride on the 20s. Now after reading your post I will abandon the plan to upgrade.
I didn’t get my car from C&C. I got mine from Vincar.
I too went thru the whole ceramic vs PPF decision making, but eventually I was informed by a far more experienced high end car owner, that PPF is a waste of money/too kiasu unless you:
1) Intend to take your car regularly on track day (which we don’t with an SUV)
or
2) Intend to take your car regularly off-roading (which I don’t intend to)
or
3) Intend to do regular high speed drives to Malaysia / KL.
Also PPF is not lifetime, so need to change (depending on how long you intend to keep the car)
Otherwise ceramic coating is more than enough for the gentle roads here. I went to 5D solutions and they had a nice hybrid service. Ceramic coating the car, but they PPF certain more critical parts like the door edge, inside of the door handle, the boot ledge, front facing part of the side view mirrors, and headlights. The rationale is that these are the more exposed extremities, prone to scratches. It was all part of their ceramic coating package.
I didn’t get my car from C&C. I got mine from Vincar.
I too went thru the whole ceramic vs PPF decision making, but eventually I was informed by a far more experienced high end car owner, that PPF is a waste of money/too kiasu unless you:
1) Intend to take your car regularly on track day (which we don’t with an SUV)
or
2) Intend to take your car regularly off-roading (which I don’t intend to)
or
3) Intend to do regular high speed drives to Malaysia / KL.
Also PPF is not lifetime, so need to change (depending on how long you intend to keep the car)
Otherwise ceramic coating is more than enough for the gentle roads here. I went to 5D solutions and they had a nice hybrid service. Ceramic coating the car, but they PPF certain more critical parts like the door edge, inside of the door handle, the boot ledge, front facing part of the side view mirrors, and headlights. The rationale is that these are the more exposed extremities, prone to scratches. It was all part of their ceramic coating package.
Thanks for the post. I bought my wife a GLE450 earlier this year and it came with the 20s. I wanted to upgrade to 21s but she was against it because she liked the comfortable ride on the 20s. Now after reading your post I will abandon the plan to upgrade.
I and my wife find the ride with 21s very good. We have E-ABC, but Airmaitc should be similar.
Yes one thing I learnt from this exercise is that it’s best to get the rims you want from factory when you order the car. Getting OEM rims on the aftermarket is $$$
Just a Word of advice. Mine is a gle53 and coupled with 22" is far from a comfortable ride. Anyway roads in Sg are silky smooth.
Lived there for 12 years, reading words like kiasu makes me smile....
Hey OP, I am also from SG. Took delivery of my GLE end of Feb.
I too went thru the exact same dilemma so let me share a little of what I went/am going thru.
The car arrived with the 20s, I rode around with it for a month, I loved it as it was but I wanted 21s for the car. I liked the GLE 53 AMG wheels the most, and ordered it from Alloy Wheels Direct. There were some freight issues from UPS as Covid was just breaking out in China so it caused some delays (no fault of the vendor). FYI The rims are original from Germany, UPS hubs a lot of their air freight logistics from Europe thru China, before heading down to us. But the rims arrived as ordered
However I encountered a stumbling block with the bolts (I wanted black bolts) and additional wheel caps, which I also ordered from the vendor. When I took the new wheel caps, bolts and rims to LS tyre in Ubi. I was told that the bolts and cap did not fit. Turns out, the rims were correct for the new gen GLE (V167). The bolts and cap were for the older gen. But the vendor was fair , I was able to return and get a refund for the caps and bolts.
I was able to use the stock bolts and caps with the new rims, and was able to order black bolts from LS tyre (which only got fitted after covid circuit breaker lifted). I am still using the stock wheel caps.
However after going thru all that, I am now a couple months into using the new 21s, I can confidently say the ride comfort is NOT as good. Even on smooth Singapore roads, I can feel the degradation in comfort compared to the 20s, especially in the rear seats. I assume besides the larger diameter on all 4 wheels, the 21s (like the 22s) are staggered widths, the rears are much wider than the fronts so they pick up more road bumps.
Even with the air suspension, The wheels just transfer more of the road imperfections into the cabin.
Admittedly I am a family man, so the rear seats are used often. My family complains the ride is noticeably not as good. I have sat in the back when someone else is driving and it pains me to say, (after all I have spent) they are right.
I kept my stock 20s and bolts, and I am at the stage now that when these 21 tyres are due for replacement , I might just alternate back to the 20s.
I suggest if you can , you should try the car with the 20s first.
thanks for sharing and sorry for hijacking the discussion. Am from sg too and test drove both X5 and GLE and found the GLE ride to be bumpy even along AYE, whereas the X5 was smoother. Care to share what made u decide on the GLE initially?
thanks for sharing and sorry for hijacking the discussion. Am from sg too and test drove both X5 and GLE and found the GLE ride to be bumpy even along AYE, whereas the X5 was smoother. Care to share what made u decide on the GLE initially?
From SG here too. Collecting my GLE450 from C&C soon.
After coming from BMW and the numerous problems that arose as the car aged, I swore never to touch another again!
Had a couple of MB which of course had issues but were easily rectified and cheaper as well.
thanks for sharing and sorry for hijacking the discussion. Am from sg too and test drove both X5 and GLE and found the GLE ride to be bumpy even along AYE, whereas the X5 was smoother. Care to share what made u decide on the GLE initially?
Hey, so my decision to choose the GLE was actually easy after test driving both. The GLE is a bigger car internally. I use the car as a family hauler, and if you try out the second row and third row of the GLE vs the X5, you will realise the Merc has noticeably more legroom
thanks for sharing and sorry for hijacking the discussion. Am from sg too and test drove both X5 and GLE and found the GLE ride to be bumpy even along AYE, whereas the X5 was smoother. Care to share what made u decide on the GLE initially?
Usually i toggle between BMW -> Merc -> BMW and last ride was BMW thus more incline to Mer now.
I test both X5 and GLE. X5 feel better control but i get bored on BMW interior thus want to try Merc new MBUX.
Just collected my Mer few days ago and hope my comments help your decision better:
Pros:
1. I like the 9-gtronics, so much more improvement than the 7-Gtronics and imo its smoother than BMW ZF-8speed
2. one of the best start stop system. Since it has larger battery, the aircon remain cold and strong even on long stationary.
3. I prefer the design and shape of GLE than X5. this is 75% of my decision factor.
My car from C&C, i need to confirm some of the function below which is missing or not included.
Cons:
1. Active lane keeping seem lame, the vibration hard to feel or notice and it does not assist you to steer back to the lane.
2. Air suspension not as good as i expected. Comparing to S-class air suspension.
3. My navigation does not show the photo/image of the road ahead to turn. Is this normal? or the singapore version does not come with this. I thought this was standard.
4. Fuel economy is bad, perhaps its engine is still breaking in. Comparing BMW and Merc, my bmw always better fuel economy but anyway, when you pay S$350K for the car, additional $10-20 per pump wont hurt much.
5. the 360 camera not as good as BMW/.
Its a huge car but easier to drive than my S-class or 7 series.
BR
SG
My fuel economy is fantastic but I drive in C mode a lot of the time. The camera street view is not standard in the US. I don’t care for the soft suspension in C mode so have my I mode set to Sport.
Thank u to all for sharing your experiences, it was very useful for me. For me I am looking to buy a family mini bus (4 adults, 2 kids) though most of the time will just be maybe 3-4 pax.
Yet to make up my mind, essentially the GLE interior and MBUX vs X5 overall drive and handling. Would be doing another round of test drive to decide. Will keep all posted.
Usually i toggle between BMW -> Merc -> BMW and last ride was BMW thus more incline to Mer now.
I test both X5 and GLE. X5 feel better control but i get bored on BMW interior thus want to try Merc new MBUX.
Just collected my Mer few days ago and hope my comments help your decision better:
Pros:
1. I like the 9-gtronics, so much more improvement than the 7-Gtronics and imo its smoother than BMW ZF-8speed
2. one of the best start stop system. Since it has larger battery, the aircon remain cold and strong even on long stationary.
3. I prefer the design and shape of GLE than X5. this is 75% of my decision factor.
My car from C&C, i need to confirm some of the function below which is missing or not included.
Cons:
1. Active lane keeping seem lame, the vibration hard to feel or notice and it does not assist you to steer back to the lane.
2. Air suspension not as good as i expected. Comparing to S-class air suspension.
3. My navigation does not show the photo/image of the road ahead to turn. Is this normal? or the singapore version does not come with this. I thought this was standard.
4. Fuel economy is bad, perhaps its engine is still breaking in. Comparing BMW and Merc, my bmw always better fuel economy but anyway, when you pay S$350K for the car, additional $10-20 per pump wont hurt much.
5. the 360 camera not as good as BMW/.
Its a huge car but easier to drive than my S-class or 7 series.
BR
SG
Hi Suqicake, am collecting my iridium silver next week. Can I check how did u settle your rims eventually? Import or went somewhere like LS tyres? I was thinking of going to LS to get a quote this weekend, so that once I collect, I can drive over immediately to have the rims changed.
Hi Suqicake, am collecting my iridium silver next week. Can I check how did u settle your rims eventually? Import or went somewhere like LS tyres? I was thinking of going to LS to get a quote this weekend, so that once I collect, I can drive over immediately to have the rims changed.
Hi there,
Congrats on the GLE.
I did not make any changes to the rims.
LS would take in your the rims and tires around $1200 (if i am not wrong). They only have vossen rim for GLE and they need to order in which take about 4-6 weeks.
I dont think vossen rim would look good on GLE.
Another shop has 22" 7 spoke AMG wheel in stock in silver color but i want black which they need about 3-4 weeks to bring in. The trade in price also very low.
Since there are no much value on these 20" rims and RFT, i thought might as well stick to it for 1-2 years and self import AMG at later time.
I suggest get your car groomed with proper coating. The C&C polishing cannot make it.
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.
