e63z06cobra

Okay, I've done plenty of searching and here's my basic question. My E63 will be here this weekend. I would like to replace the stock wheels as I'm not really hot on the stock look. That being said I can see that a lot of options exist, however, many here have chosen wheels mainly for appearance. That is definitely not me. I'm a driver and definitely one with a heavy foot. This is an engineering marvel and I plan to USE it. So, are 20's completely out of the question? I don't want to have to "drive carefully" as I've seen some here state. When I want to thrash my car I don't want to have to worry about laying it up for a while to get wheels fixed all the time. How fragile are these things anyway? Does it need to be a big pothole or just a little bump to knock these things out of wack? Are 19's just as bad? I may seem a little paranoid about this but if I'm dropping 8k on wheels and tires that I can drive on then I'm wasting my time and money. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Kens-E55

A few things to consider:

1.) The larger diameter you go...the more performance you will LOSE!!
ie.-- 19's you lose a little, 20's you'll lose even more performance
(each size up will eat 10-15rwhp)

2.) It's a trade-off between looks and performance!

3.) I have NEVER heard a horror story of owners going w/19's
I have on occasion heard bad-luck stories w/20's

It's really comes down to what's more important--size or performance!!!

e63z06cobra

I don't doubt that a size increase could reduce the final drive ratio and reduce performance but eat up 10-15 rwhp?!?!?!?! Really!?!?!?! What about the fact that if you were to put on an HRE comp wheel you could save about 9 to 11lbs per wheel (as I understand it the stocks weigh 30 lbs, correct me if I'm wrong). Doesn't that make up for it? Also, I thought that with the proper tire sizing it would maintain the OEM circumference, thereby, maintaining acceleration. Help me out in the areas where my thinking is incorrect as my assumptions here could very well be wrong. Thanks for your help.

kaze81

Are you gonna track your car? If not then HRE might be the choice...

e63z06cobra

No, I have a z06 for that I'm thinking HRE's might be the way to go, not sure.

AMG_55

19in hre competition series

im waiting on my set for the 997s, had them on my clk55, drove the **** out of the car (i highly doubt anyone drives harder on the street) and only had a couple of bends, never leaked air, just straightened them w/ an aluminum hammer


i got the hook up on hre's if youre in la

jangy

It isn't just a final drive ration issue. It is a sidewall to metal ratio, center of gravity, etc. Going with HRE competitions will surely help, but going with HRE competition 18" versus 19" will help performance most. It all depends on how picky you are. I'm a performance extremest. You can ask some of my boys on that topic as one has now dumped his 19" forged for HRE Comp 18s. all depend what you do with the car.

e63z06cobra

Point taken. Anyone have photos of 18's on an E55/63? What's the widest wheel you can get in an 18" F/R. I do love a fat lip!

Kens-E55

You're correct to a point but..........
The further away from the center of the axle you put weight(AKA 19" or 20"), the harder it is to spin the wheel. I went with 19's and was 5 lbs lighter per axle and lost a bit of performance. You can check Dragtimes, as my best
performance #'s came with 18" heavy-a$$ factory rims. The factory 18's although heavier, the weight was closer to the center of the hub.
Hope this helps a little bit.

Jangy above says it best - Go lightweight and stay 18's for peak performance!!