S-Class (W221) 2007-2013: S 320 CDI, S 350, S 450, S 500, S 550, S 420 CDI, S 600

Aftermarket Wheels

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Old Jun 17, 2008 | 04:04 PM
  #1  
SonnyJ's Avatar
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From: Toronto, Ontario
'05 S500, '07 s550, '08 ML350, '08 Designo s550
Aftermarket Wheels

Hey guys, anyone had problems after putting on aftermarket wheels ?

- brakes
- suspension
otherwise?

Got some new 22" wheels coming, just curious if any mods are required other than putting the new ones on.

Thanks
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Old Jun 18, 2008 | 04:47 PM
  #2  
SonnyJ's Avatar
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From: Toronto, Ontario
'05 S500, '07 s550, '08 ML350, '08 Designo s550
I'm being told that the rear rims aren't fitting because they hit the brakes.

a Spacer has been recommended by one, but not by other mechanic. has anyone had issues. How to solve.

Please help!!!!!!
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Old Jun 18, 2008 | 05:10 PM
  #3  
AustinGuy's Avatar
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From: Paradise (a.k.a. Austin, TX)
'09 S63 AMG
I could write about 3 pages on the my experiences putting on non-MB/AMG wheels...... but I'm too busy right now..... maybe later today I'll muster up some cajones to write about it.....

You can also search under some of my postings and look for "Brabus wheels"....

Not to scare you - my car works great - wheels work fine - but I have this annoying little shimmer in the steering on certain surfaces (whcih are not any rougher than normal) - could be abalancing issue - could be something else.....
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Old Jun 18, 2008 | 06:52 PM
  #4  
Alex@wheelexperts's Avatar
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From: San Diego (RSF) / Dallas TX
07 S550 & 08 335i
We have put plenty of sets of wheels on the W221 S-Class...

No known problems to date. Most of them also opt for a lowering module and some opt for the Brembo Gran Turismo Kits we offer...

Going with a 22" Wheel, is going to make you brakes a lil underpowered since the 22" Wheels weigh more than the factory 18s or 19s, and also have a lot more rotational mass. Most recommend a bigger brake setup, but you can go by without them...





PM me if you have any questions
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Old Jun 19, 2008 | 01:14 AM
  #5  
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From: Paradise (a.k.a. Austin, TX)
'09 S63 AMG
Okay - here I am - as promised - it's about 11:30 pm, I'll be brief:

You need to know your wheels - the old - and new ones you are thinking about putting on. I didn't know as much as I needed to know about sizes, spacers and all that great stuff going in and consequently, I could have gotten burned badly on a couple of things. Luckily I didn't. For one - I went with Brabus MB VI's. Even though I was hell bent on getting a true staggered fit, I didn't realize that Brabus doesn't make true staggered wheels....... I was told by the reseller "oh sure - it will look just great - you'll see the staggered look". Guess what - NO! Sorry - staggered with spacers is not the same as having a wider lip on the rear wheels. So that's one HUGE disappointmet for me and something that's really left me a little annoyed with Brabus as a whole. They also told me that going from AMG 19's to 20's would not be a noticable diff. Guess what, it is! Luckily it's not bad but it is quite different. Road noise is definitely a little more pronounced. Their customer service? Hhmmmm.... how should I put it mildly? Okay I'll refrain for now

Oh, valve stems - the Brabus ones (at least on the MB VI's) are recessed - the MB tech had a hard time inflating the tires - couldn't get a good fit onto the valve stem

I would HIGHLY caution you on going to anything over 20" - unless you like your Benzo to look like Lorenzo's pimp mobile.

Finally - make sure you get the tires and wheels fitted by someone who's familiar with that particular brand of wheel. Again, with my experience - the MB techs were seeing stars a couple of times when trying to figure out the air pressure thing (mentioned above) and replacing the TPMS's. I'm in Austin - the wheels were shipped from CA and when they arrived, the rear spacers were not the correct size. I had to get them refitted a week later.

BTW what wheels are you considering?

Good luck!

Last edited by AustinGuy; Jun 19, 2008 at 11:39 AM.
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Old Jun 26, 2008 | 01:01 PM
  #6  
HDM's Avatar
HDM
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F150
Originally Posted by SonnyJ
I'm being told that the rear rims aren't fitting because they hit the brakes.

a Spacer has been recommended by one, but not by other mechanic. has anyone had issues. How to solve.

Please help!!!!!!
How big of a spacer are they recommending you to put?


I usually recommend going with a set of custom wheels made for the car to avoid running any spacers and also for the peace of mind that the wheels will have warranty to back them up in the case an issue arises.

We offer Kranson Forged wheels with a lifetime warranty on structure and 3 years on finishes. All work is performed in house.

Alfonso @ HDM
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Old Jun 26, 2008 | 02:23 PM
  #7  
nitromilt's Avatar
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Joined: Mar 2008
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From: Iowa
'08 S550 4MATIC SPORT,DODGE VIPER GTS,ML350 BLK/BLK
Cool

I purchased a set of 20" Avarus chrome wheels with Perilli tires and the TPMS already mounted in place.Had those sent to my dealer and he installed them.Car had 40 miles on it when i left the dealership took about 80 miles to reset the TPMS and thats it.My dealer had no problem with any of this.In fact they put the car on the showroom floor for a week to let all customers look at a '08 s550 with custom wheels.Now may i add that my car is a 4matic sport and it is said that i could have put on a true staggered fitment,but would require alot of close attention to tire wear ect,ect so that the 4matic part is still operational.Im completly satisfied with the looks,handeling,performance.If you want to talk to the person whos in the know call Luke at the tirerack.
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