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Always believe in the @PeterUbers ! If you're buying wheels on the aftermarket, you must get very detailed pictures of the backside of each wheel.
There is a cheating market several times the size of that for real OEM wheels. I'd insist on a continuous, no cut/edit video uploaded to YouTube that shows the four wheels and then travels from wheel to wheel showing the backside and especially a well-lit, full-frame pause at the backside of each hub (which is where all the numbers are scratched).
You also want photos of the backside of the center plate so you can confirm those part numbers as well. The cap has no part number. The cap is part of a kit whose part # is on the plate.
HI @SerottaD and @bobblehead I asked the seller for very detailed pictures, in fact that was my first step before posting here. I have not heard back fro the seller as of yet, pushing me to just buy some BBS rims and to pass on these. Doing your 'Due Diligence' once again prevails. Thank you both for your advice.
If seller cannot forward you the specs, then it could be a shady posting.
For thousand of $, if I were looking for a used set (real amg), I would have to show up in person to examine the wheels myself. Mind you, pics also do not tell whether the wheels have any bends, hairline cracks, etc. I would also ask the seller to take to a wheel shop to put them on the hunter balancing machine too to ensure they are not warped.
another reminder ... since yours is E53, if those are E63 wheels (real), you need to consider the offsets to ensure they won't rub once you put these wheels on.
2022 S500 AMG, 2011 W204 and 2024 CLE53 Coupe AMG, wife drives ML550 2012
Originally Posted by bobblehead
another reminder ... since yours is E53, if those are E63 wheels (real), you need to consider the offsets to ensure they won't rub once you put these wheels on.
About getting backside photos: When the @PeterUbers referenced post (of which I am the victim) was in play, I trolled eBay for black, "forged" cross spoke wheels. Not one vendor ever sent me backside photos, so that is the magic question. I wanted the photos since, most assuredly, all the counterfeits are made in one place in China. My counterfeit front and rear wheels, which are different widths had the exact same markings on every spoke. So the spoke piece was cast and the width-specific barrel rolled onto the wheel. Putting 600 hp+ through a 295 tire that doesn't have the strength of forging scares the schuss out of me.
Also, re-reading the other post (that Peter referenced above), it's interesting all the intricacies and even potential miscommunication among ourselves. In the end, I think my counterfeit wheels were cast, based on the rough texture of the backside of the wheels. They chose an S-class part number for the 20" "standard" casting. YouTube has lots of nice videos of wheel forging, which apparently is done mostly in Japan and Taiwan. One Taiwan-based video was at an SAI factory, where I've read that both Mercedes and Porsche have wheels made (I thought there was a Porsche GT3 wheel accidentally visible in a background process). JW is also a Taiwan mfr, or so I've read, but haven't learned specifics. Only so many hours in the day, and I'd rather be at a Cars & Coffee.
09-28-2024, 08:38 AM
