I'm looking hard at a 04 E55 and I want to know which model of wheel offers the best weight savings over the stock ones without too much loss of strength. Edit: looks like 11 inches is the widest one can go on the rear wheels?

I dont think you can go 11's without heavy fender work... factory its probably a 10 inch wheel.

Thanks for the info. Anybody know the weight of the factory wheels? Is the Renntech Monolite that best option for dropping unsprung weight? Anything lighter out there? When upgrading is there any reason to go to 19's instead of sticking with lighter 18's from a performance perspective?

Just to confirm, even going to 19X10.5 in back won't work without fender mods? The wheels I want come in either 9.5 or 10.5 for the rears. I'd like the extra width out back if its doable.

Thanks,
Kevin

I have not heard of anyone running 10.5's withouit heavy fender work. Which wheels only come in 9.5 or 10.5's??

These...

http://www.group5motorsport.com/main...&product=VR-PS

But a dealer said that we can order a cutom offset that would allow for the 10.5s to fit our cars. We just have to have 10 confirmed orders of the exact same wheel custom made for the W211.

Kevin

What dealer said this? A MBZ dealer or wheel dealer- I ask because I have not heard yet of anyone running 10.5's in the rears. Damn if you pull it off more power to you. To be 100% certain, contact Peter at Wheel Experts. He has to be the most if not one of the most knowledgeable wheel guys around. Here is a link to his site:

Wheelexperts Link

You might want to confirm this...be sure that the dealer did not say 10 sets of wheels...Usually any custom orders from Volk is a 40 wheel minimum buy in and it will take anywhere from 4-6 months. Not an easy process.

What you're looking for is a tough combination - you want the widest wheel possible (ie: more material) but the least weight (you're going to have to sarifice a bit for one or the other). And no, I doubt you'll get a 10.5 on the rear without modifying the fenders.

What are you using the car for? Drag racing or handling or? The widest possible wheel/tire combination will not afford you the best handling but it will give you good drag results. Important to understand what you want rather than just going for what is popular.

Also understand that you've got yourself a very heavy sedan and the lightest possible wheels on the planet are not going to afford you drastically different results than a weight savings elsewhere (ie: taking your backseat and spare tire out). What are your motivations...think about it

Kleemann fits 19's TS6 10.5 rears with 285 tyres...but I think you need to rolls inner circle (very easy)...but not 100% sure...

Have you checked with CCW? Their 1 pc wheels are extremely light, even in 19" sizes.

You can only run a 285 tire on these cars without modding the fenders so why go to a 10.5 wheel? Bigger wheel = bigger weight. I never understand why guys (including me) want to go with the bigger wheels and still run the same size tire that you could have on a 9.5 rim. Like I said, I've done this before too so I'm not calling you out. Sometimes we need to think about what we really want out of the wheels. I want style but in the end, does the extra inch make that much of a difference?

Derrick

May be 10.5 wheel look better then 9.5...

What's the weight of the stock E55 wheels? A CCW 505A (the wheel in the E pic I posted) in 19x11 weighs 23.8lbs. For comparison, the stock 18x10.5 wheel on my Z06 weighed 21lbs.

Stock E55 wheels run about 28lbs in the front and 30lbs in the rear.

Not bad, but very easy to get a wheel, like the one I posted, that is much lighter and larger (height/width). The CCWs are a screamin' deal compared to the competition and John @ CCW has been building race wheels for a long time. Some may not like the styles he sells, though.

Yes, I've met John before and viewed his shop. I'd buy his in a heart beat if they offered a finish less flashy than the mirror polish. That super shiney finish doesn't look good at all to me.

Kevin

Derrick,

Thanks for the info. I'm in my first week with this car so my learning curve is steep right now. I only want wider wheels if it means that I can mount a wider tire. Thanks for letting me know that it isn't the case. I'll stick with the 10" width in the back.

Kevin

That 505A would look great on an E55 if it just had a brushed aluminum or silver painted finish. I'll call him and see if he's developed any new finish options in the last year.

Edit: CCW still offers nothing other than the mirror polish finish. The guy who answered the phone (not John) seem bothered by having to answer a customer's questions about their products.

CCW also has a "black chrome" finish. Its not chrome at all, just a clear black powdercoat over the polished aluminum that looks like black chrome. Personally, I could go either way. But, for those who don't like mirror polish, it is an option.