OEM Wheels / Exhaust question
I just got my 2016 C300 4Matic base and besides my spoiler, it looks bland. It has the 17" wheels on it and it makes it look like a dad sedan and I was wondering where I can get the 18/19" AMG rims? Are there reliable sites that sell GENUINE wheels that I can easily swap onto my car?
also, what affordable methods would you reccomend for making it sound better? my friend has a GLA43 AMG without resonators and it sounds great, would love to get a little crackle here and there and was wondering what the best method of doing that is. Bear in mind im on 19 years old so my budget isnt through the roof
Thank you guys, any help is appreciated
Or do a search for "18" AMG STYLE WHEELS" on EBay. Those are replica wheels, and are usually around $800 a set. Any set with a 45mm offset will work on the 205. "Staggered" wheels will be an inch wider in rear vs front and tend to be the most common and look more aggressive.
I have a set of these staggered 18" reps and have been very happy with the quality. Around $700 shipped on EBay. I'm not especially budget conscious (I'm probably the "Dad" age you referenced in your post) but I've found zero difference in quality between replica and OEM wheels as far as being true, balancing up, and the finishes holding up.
Another $800 for Michelin Pilot SuperSport tires. The TPMS on your existing wheels will transfer over.


Last edited by Mike5215; Mar 1, 2017 at 02:25 PM.
Or do a search for "18" AMG STYLE WHEELS" on EBay. Those are replica wheels, and are usually around $800 a set. Any set with a 45mm offset will work on the 205. "Staggered" wheels will be an inch wider in rear vs front and tend to be the most common and look more aggressive.
I have a set of these staggered 18" reps and have been very happy with the quality. Around $700 shipped on EBay. Another $800 for Michelin Pilot SuperSport tires. The TPMS on your existing wheels will transfer over.
Attachment 349930
Attachment 349929
Attachment 349928
BUT to get a little more sound akin to the GLA 45, putting some magnaflows or Borla straight through mufflers does a decent job..
More noise than that then a civic with no exhaust would be my recommendation
Or do a search for "18" AMG STYLE WHEELS" on EBay. Those are replica wheels, and are usually around $800 a set. Any set with a 45mm offset will work on the 205. "Staggered" wheels will be an inch wider in rear vs front and tend to be the most common and look more aggressive.
I have a set of these staggered 18" reps and have been very happy with the quality. Around $700 shipped on EBay. I'm not especially budget conscious (I'm probably the "Dad" age you referenced in your post) but I've found zero difference in quality between replica and OEM wheels as far as being true, balancing up, and the finishes holding up.
Another $800 for Michelin Pilot SuperSport tires. The TPMS on your existing wheels will transfer over.
Attachment 349930
Attachment 349929
Attachment 349928

I'm also looking for 19" AMG rims. Thinking if I should just go with replicas or not hmm..
Or do a search for "18" AMG STYLE WHEELS" on EBay. Those are replica wheels, and are usually around $800 a set. Any set with a 45mm offset will work on the 205. "Staggered" wheels will be an inch wider in rear vs front and tend to be the most common and look more aggressive.
I have a set of these staggered 18" reps and have been very happy with the quality. Around $700 shipped on EBay. I'm not especially budget conscious (I'm probably the "Dad" age you referenced in your post) but I've found zero difference in quality between replica and OEM wheels as far as being true, balancing up, and the finishes holding up.
Another $800 for Michelin Pilot SuperSport tires. The TPMS on your existing wheels will transfer over.
Attachment 349930
Attachment 349929
Attachment 349928
Think they would look good on my base model? I have the spoiler on it so it looks decently sporty but i think tinting the windows and getting bigger rims would make it a lot better looking
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BUT to get a little more sound akin to the GLA 45, putting some magnaflows or Borla straight through mufflers does a decent job..
More noise than that then a civic with no exhaust would be my recommendation
I also lease this car, so any mods would have to be taken off. so as long as theyre easy to install/remove Im in the clear (I have a good relationship with the GM of the dealership I lease from so he lets me slide a little, hence the reason Im 19 and can afford to lease a new mercedes lol)
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I also lease this car, so any mods would have to be taken off. so as long as theyre easy to install/remove Im in the clear (I have a good relationship with the GM of the dealership I lease from so he lets me slide a little, hence the reason Im 19 and can afford to lease a new mercedes lol)
The pre return inspection is done by an independent 3rd party, and MB uses them because they're very good at ferreting out extra lease end charges for wear and tear, and missing equipment.
However, unless the car is louder than stock, they're not going to inspect the exhaust.

I'm also looking for 19" AMG rims. Thinking if I should just go with replicas or not hmm..
I've seen a base car lowered on 20" that looked amazing, so I wouldn't sweat not having the Sport Package, but I'd keep the rim size at 18". Even that extra inch is going to make the car ride noticeably stiffer vs the 17".
Base, dropped and 20":

Last edited by Mike5215; Mar 2, 2017 at 01:47 PM.
Last edited by JBMCL; Mar 2, 2017 at 06:14 PM.
Noob question but what are the major differences between OEM and replicas?
The established EBay vendors (Aspec, OEM Wheels Plus, any vendor with transactions in the 5 figure range) have been selling reps for years and typically have near 100% feedback. If they were selling unreliable crap my guess is it would have caught up to them fairly quickly.
Personally I've run reps on my Mercedes dating back to my 04 S Class. They've always balanced up easily and ran true. The nice thing about a $200 rep wheel is if you curb one it's not quite as heartbreaking as if it were an $1100 OEM wheel. In terms of durability they hold up as well as OEM, and like OEM, if you hit them hard enough they'll bend.
Purists aren't fond of them on general principle but I've never found a compelling reason to buy OEM wheels. In fact I'd trust a rep vs a refurbished OEM. Ideally a decent set of OEM take-offs at a fair price would be the best bet, if you can find them.
In terms of price, the multispoke wheel is a complex design so I'd expect to see them close to that $800 price.
The established EBay vendors (Aspec, OEM Wheels Plus, any vendor with transactions in the 5 figure range) have been selling reps for years and typically have near 100% feedback. If they were selling unreliable crap my guess is it would have caught up to them fairly quickly.
Personally I've run reps on my Mercedes dating back to my 04 S Class. They've always balanced up easily and ran true. The nice thing about a $200 rep wheel is if you curb one it's not quite as heartbreaking as if it were an $1100 OEM wheel. In terms of durability they hold up as well as OEM, and like OEM, if you hit them hard enough they'll bend.
Purists aren't fond of them on general principle but I've never found a compelling reason to buy OEM wheels. In fact I'd trust a rep vs a refurbished OEM. Ideally a decent set of OEM take-offs at a fair price would be the best bet, if you can find them.
In terms of price, the multispoke wheel is a complex design so I'd expect to see them close to that $800 price.
From the EBay 19" AMG replica wheels that I saw for the C300, they are generally staggered and are 1" wider than the OEM versions of the same wheel. With offsets in the mid +45 range, they'll generally sit 10-15mm flusher with the fender (this is good IMO). The downside is that if you run the stock tire sizes, the tires will be much more stretched than the OEM versions leaving the rim edge more exposed to curbing and giving the tire a stretched look.
My 205 is the first Benz I've owned with different offsets front vs rear. The 220 and 221 were all 44mm all around, and their staggered OEM wheels were 8.5"/9.5", (If memory serves) so you could find a set of 45mm staggered reps and keep your existing tires (or 35mm for a more flush look).
On the 205 with higher offset rears and narrower OEM rims you're going to either have to live with a stretch (which I did since the tires were two months old) or spring for new rubber. Also with a 45mm rep the rears will stick out further.
You can see the stretch and the more flush rears on my car:
Last edited by Mike5215; Mar 7, 2017 at 06:06 PM.
For example:
I recently just upgraded my base wheels from 17" to 19" and did the lowering as well.







