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I know there is a lot of talk (and even a class action lawsuit) about Mercedes 20" wheels tending to crack.
Did Mercedes ever "fix"/upgrade the design?
Any recalls or service bulletins, etc...?
Nothing I'm aware of. There is no cheating physics on this problem. A big heavy car sitting on low profile tires means you will get bent wheels. Forged wheels hold up much better than cast wheels. They are stronger and lighter, and they generally bend instead of cracking/breaking. A slight bend can be rounded out, although it will never be as good as new, good thing is repairs can be done within an hour at a quality shop. Cracks need to be welded; that "fixes" the problem, but again, the wheel will never be as good as new, and it will be slightly more prone to cracking again.
I had 4 bad wheels on my 2017 S550 4matic, two with cracks and all 4 had at least a slight bend at 80K miles. When I got my 18 S63, I got forged AMG wheels; they came on the car.
A taller sidewall provides more cushion so go with a 18" or 19" if you find one you like.
Last edited by carlosinseattle; Jan 27, 2024 at 02:38 AM.
They really don't seem to make any good looking 19" wheels (IMO) - all of the good looking wheels are 20"...
And now for the 2021+ S-Class - the 21" wheels are the really good looking ones.
It's not just Mercedes - it seems to be the norm for all car manufactures to keep their best looking designs for their largest wheels.
I wish there were more options for the W222, just like you! The W223 has a slightly larger wheel tire combo; outside diameter is 28 inches, while the W222 outside diameter is 27.6 inches, not a big difference. Funny thing is the W222 S63 has the same OD as the W223. One of the guys on the forum put the 21's from the W223 on his W222 and is having no problems, you might have to search for the thread for more info. Generally, a 3% tolerance versus spec is just fine. So you could get away with a slightly taller sidewall on a 20" wheel and have no problems. As long as the tires don't rub against the car's body or other components you'll be fine if you go in that direction. The extra tire height might be just enough to provide more comfort and help reduce the chances of bending a rim. Take my advice for what it is, just some random guy typing on the "interweb" before going into a meeting.
The 'fix' is to get forged wheels rather than cast wheels. Mercedes offers forged AMG wheels in 20" size for the S-class, at about twice the price of the cast wheels which most S's come with....
The 'fix' is to get forged wheels rather than cast wheels. Mercedes offers forged AMG wheels in 20" size for the S-class, at about twice the price of the cast wheels which most S's come with....
Agreed...and remember some of the AMG wheels are forged, but other AMG wheels are NOT forged, check out the brochure for details and part numbers.
The 20” wheels on my 222 S-65 have not had issues.... But I keep 45 lbs of air in the tires, keep fresh tires on the car and pay attention to the road. Drive around the pot hole; not right through it. I’m not worried about having the cushy ride... I drive an AMG car and expect to feel the road.
This isn’t a Mercedes issue, it’s an issue all carmakers have. You choose what you want, the best looks or the best ride and protection from damaging rims. IMO that compromise is the 19s. I actually quite like my AMG 19s. I like the look of the 20s better but don’t want that tradeoff
As some have already said above. There's nothing to fix here. Physics is physics. If you drive through potholes with low profile tires and a nearly 5000 lbs car, what exactly do you expect is gonna happen? The trend has been towards ever larger wheels, because they look better, especially on larger cars, but these come with issues. It's a matter of how much you wanna spend. Forged wheels are not cheap. A good set of forged wheels easily costs around $10k or more. The forged wheels on my AMG cost around $2500/piece, although they were only about a $2000 option above the standard non-forged wheels, but expensive to replace. BTW, forged wheels are not necessarily stronger. The benefit of forged wheels is that they need less material to make them as strong as a comparable cast wheel, so they are much lighter than a cast wheel with the same strength. It's primarily to save unsprung weight and not to be able to bomb through potholes w/o damaging a wheel. I ended up slightly bending two of mine when I hit about an inch of raised pavement that I didn't see in the shadow of an overpass. It only bent the lip, though, so it ended up mostly being a bit of a cosmetic blemish. One of the tires on the other hand was toast. These particular AMG wheels are super light, though. I didn't realize how light they were until I took one off myself.
As some have already said above. There's nothing to fix here. Physics is physics. If you drive through potholes with low profile tires and a nearly 5000 lbs car, what exactly do you expect is gonna happen? The trend has been towards ever larger wheels, because they look better, especially on larger cars, but these come with issues. It's a matter of how much you wanna spend. Forged wheels are not cheap. A good set of forged wheels easily costs around $10k or more. The forged wheels on my AMG cost around $2500/piece, although they were only about a $2000 option above the standard non-forged wheels, but expensive to replace. BTW, forged wheels are not necessarily stronger. The benefit of forged wheels is that they need less material to make them as strong as a comparable cast wheel, so they are much lighter than a cast wheel with the same strength. It's primarily to save unsprung weight and not to be able to bomb through potholes w/o damaging a wheel. I ended up slightly bending two of mine when I hit about an inch of raised pavement that I didn't see in the shadow of an overpass. It only bent the lip, though, so it ended up mostly being a bit of a cosmetic blemish. One of the tires on the other hand was toast. These particular AMG wheels are super light, though. I didn't realize how light they were until I took one off myself.
While forged wheels are stronger than cast, their big advantage is that they bend with harsh impact, rather than crack.
I have a 2109 CLS 450 and purchased it used and i found out after the fact that two of the rims have been welded. The dealer tried to re-weld them twice but they are still failing? whats my solution? I purchased the car Nov 2023.
Looks like the laws of physics still apply even in the future. How was the time machine? Jokes aside, once they are cracked you are better off getting new wheels.
Last edited by superswiss; Feb 10, 2024 at 03:22 AM.
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.
Jokes aside, once they are cracked you are better off getting new wheels.
