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Hi,
I am in the process of purchasing a 2017 SL550. It has some black aftermarket wheels and I want to replace them with the ones pictured that I found on eBay. There are several vendors offering this type of aftermarket wheel that are replicas of the original AMG wheels most often found on this model year range.
No matter the vendor selling, they are likely very similar. Can anyone with experience comment on the quality of these? They range $900-1100 for a set.
Thanks for any info!
Thats a nice car 👍.
While the knockoff’s would be a quick fix, it may be worth trying to find the factory wheels (or even upgrade to forged wheels).
I’ve seen factory wheels go for close to that $1100-$1200 range.
I find It’s a lot easier (and cheaper) to locate these wheels by searching for W218 wheels— CLS550, CLS450, etc… vs searching the same wheels for R231’s, which are less plentiful.
those wheel (R231 and W218) PN’s are:
A2184011200 A2184011100
Good Luck!
btw here are the factory wheels from a night package CLS on my SL
Last edited by crconsulting; Jun 10, 2024 at 01:38 PM.
That's a nice look. I like that paint...seems like a black/pearl kind of tone. Int color is a great contrast.
Someone down below in a related post said this:
I personally think some of these replica wheels get a bad rap from people unjustifiably. The usual comments are basically second hand knowledge - "heard they bend easily." When you think about it, these replica wheels are priced similarly to various entry level rims from popular manufacturers like TSW, Konig, Moda, etc. The huge markup on AMG wheels is just that - paying extra for the name. Go through these forums and you'll hear countless stories of real AMG rims bending.
Is one wheel stronger than the other?
I think it’s very difficult to quantify relative wheel ”strength” outside of a laboratory. It is virtually impossible to quantify comparative wheel strength from Internet forums.
No two potholes are the same, no two tires brands are the same, nor will they have the same pressure. Were the potholes hit under braking? You get the idea, too many variables from poster to poster to quantify relative strength. I can tell you I’ve personally bent both forged and cast wheels. Sometimes, you’re just going to bend the wheel…
What AMG/MB branded wheel gives you is:
1) A consistent manufacturing standard. i.e. materials, manufacturing process and finished wheel quality is repeatable throughout the product line. Things like balance issues should be non-existent.
2) The wheel design/materials and manufacturing process that has been tested, and will meet DOT/TUV standards.
3) Resale value- As the post you quoted eludes too, some people will shy away from knockoff wheels because of perceived (or real) quality issues. Others may not notice or won’t care…
4) While we know AMG rims can and will bend, it would be doubtful and a stretch to claim the knockoff wheel is stronger. Without testing we have to go with what we know, consistent manufacturing standards and materials should win out. Will one wheel save you from bending over another, probably not….
In my case, since I had wheels on my car, I wasn’t in a hurry. I found the 14 spoke turbine wheels within a couple hundred $ of the knockoff’s, and then sold the original wheels the previous owner chromed to break even. It was kind of a no brainer. There are more and more of those wheels now, you just have may have to be a little patient if you choose any of the above is important to you and want to stay in budget. I wouldn’t pay retail for those though
What’s just as important is paying attention to tire pressure and asking yourself just how important run flats are to you.
Good Luck!
Last edited by crconsulting; Jun 11, 2024 at 06:24 PM.
Living here in NY the roads are not good and I have found the factory 19" wheels for my 550SL to get out of round pretty easily. There is a very good wheel repair shop I use that road force balances and trues the wheels up for me. Their advice was to not buy mercedes wheels and to get forged wheels like from HRE. They suggested if I didn't want to pay for the forged wheels get HRE flowform wheels. So that's what I believe I'll do (they are around $475 each wheel) This FWIW
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