Is this even a good idea? Here is some EBay options:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/MERCEDES-19....c100667.m2042

https://www.ebay.com/itm/19-INCH-MER...UAAOSwUTZcbfr4

I am looking at this exact same set of wheels. I have these in 20" stock from MB. I want 19" with non run flats for the best ride and comfort. Many years ago stock was the only way to go, anything from China was garbage. The industry has changed and so has the quality. There is Forged which is a very different story and high quality. Then there is rotary forged, good but not like forged. Then cast aluminum. Most companies are now making cast rims in China. The quality and standards went up from years ago. I bought a brand new GMC Denali Yukon XL with stock 20" rims. I bought 22" rims for it a month later. I was very surprised to see stamped right on the back of the spoke "made in China" with a GM part# on the 20" stock rims! Our stock rims are not forged and there are countless threads of guys with cracked rims. I don't see any advantage of staying with stock rims these days. Unless they are forged. I will be buying these soon. Some of these eBay vendors have the German certification on their rims.

I've purchased some before. I will tell you, they bend very easily with our cars. You cannot ride in Sport mode or problems immediately. Comfort mode you can get away with but you will be bending some. I personally buy two sets and just cycle wheels as they bend. Cheaper than better wheels anyway.

I have them in 20" and also ran a set of similiar reps on my 221. I have one bent right now Im pretty sure, but the stock wheels bend Id say just as easy. I will have it straightened at a wheel shop and keep it moving... That said i have a bent hre forged wheel on one of my cars too... u take that to mean what u want.

I will take a bent rim all day. I have forged rims on my Zo7 and have bent them twice. They were hard hits though at speed. Easy quick fix. This is why you want forged, strength but they will bend. Unlike the many cracked rims that are stock. Which means brittle to me. Its a very tough environment up north and these issues dominate there. I used to live in Staten Island and remember always dealing with a wheel or tire issue related to potholes every year w/o exception. I don't think there is any rim that can make it in the northeast! I have bent 15" steel rims with a 70 profile up there!!

Would the 19 inch wheels with non run flat tires be the best choice for the smoothest ride quality? OEM AMG's don't come in 19 inch only 20 inch so this seems like the best option as I prefer the look of the AMG style wheel on the S550.

Im in Nyc, and although ive run cool rims for years and consider myself an expert...the roads are up are crazy. The highways have spots of potholes that are basically impossible to miss. When i bought my s the stock 19" amg i know one rear was bent bc I could feel it and the dealer replaced that wheel.

Yes the 19" is the consensus because of the added sidewall and going to a non run flat. Some have posted 18" does not work on the sport package so 19" is the answer.

Loving my 20" AMG OEM wheels with Continental DWS 06 non RF's. And I live in New England (RI) where the roads are atrocious...

At what speed would you be hitting potholes?

Problem with buying any of these offshore products is they have no regulations at all. You have zero idea of their production or quality processes. Look on Amazon they sell these dirt cheap light fixtures that look great in pics but when they show up they dont even work with USA electrical boxes. Its insane they even sell them.

The same goes with wheels. Whats they do is reverse engineer everything skipping anything to do with the structural integrity and just copy the look. We have become a society of wanting what we cant afford and thats why these businesses flourish. Americans love getting a deal and love looking above their means. Of course that doesn't apply to everyone but it is the basis for their entire market. Like it or not they are stealing someones property by copying the wheel and its just wrong.

Will they look good? Probably ,if you dont look close enough. Will they work? Probably, but when you have your kids in the car at you hit a pothole at 70 I wouldn't take the risk. You buy a $100k car and then buy cheap wheels? Then you spend the next year chasing that mystery wobble or whatever. Germany has the right idea with their stringent aftermarket part testing.

I am still lost at how going from a 20 to a 19" wheel/tire combo will solve this harsh ride but thats an individual decision. I would love for someone to make a video comparing the two as maybe I am missing something. Run the car at a set speed over a speed bump with each combo and prove the difference.

19 runflat to 20" runflat is almost no difference. I went 19 runcraps to 20" continentals.

There are so many, very reasonably priced sources for gorgeous condition used or brand new OEM wheels that there is no way I would ever trust my safety or that of my family to Chinese made wheels. GEEZE! We are talking about very heavy, very expensive cars here. Don’t scrimp! Put the best wheels & tires possible on your W222.

As a guy that is heavily involved in manufacturing in China, the concerns about quality control issues and corner-cutting are very real. Even when you watch like a hawk there are 100 ways quality can be compromised right under your nose. That isn't to say it can't or doesn't happen elsewhere in the world, but i can tell you from a lot of experience that it is a way of life in China.

As someone who worked very closely with German manufacturing companies in the 1980’s & 1990’s, I can tell you there was a true work ethic there. Individual workers took great pride in producing fine products and doing a job right and the very best they could. Long apprenticeships, job security, excellent wages, benefits and instilled pride in one’s chosen profession produced some of the finest engineered and manufactured products ever known to man. To a certain extent, I believe that mindset still exists over there, but I also believe it is being diluted by changing demographics. Compare that to what I feel is zero ethics, near slave labor working conditions, ultra low pay, no job security, no pride of profession and an absolutely cut-throat mentality in China. The less stuff I get from China, the better. I’m certainly not putting China made, copycat wheels on my finely made German car, no way in hell.

As someone that changes wheels quite regularly and has owned nearly 100 sets of aftermarket and oe wheels, is able to check his own car and owns the correct tools to lift said car remove and reinstall wheels. I can say the quality is not the crap it was years ago, some of the aftermarket wheels are Tuv approved and most wheels on your car are made in china anyway. Ive bent and cracked almost anywheel you can think of living in NYC and have known quite well the shops that are able to repair. If the wheel is to badly bent i Usually just toss it and get a new one. The reps I have are pretty good. That said I looked for an oe set but quikly came to realization if I wanted Non runflats and mint condition wheels I had to get them new....the aftermarket can also be had in a better offset of 35mm which makes them flush to the fenders and quarters so no spacers are needed. That all said Im not a fan of anything made in China and do my best to avoid it when possible.