dd_kota

down to these two. both are 19x8.5 & 19x10, save 12lbs per wheel and are about 1,000 per wheel. Large pic will be high polish, not silver paint.

Dr Chill

I just stopped in to Renntech today and I have to say that their wheel is just beautiful. They did say that the front rim is 19x8 and had to be made specially for this car-$1195 while the rear is 19x9-$995. The larger wheel costs less since it has several other applications.

I would go with their product as it is extremely light and strong.

Harris

Renntech Monolites do not have the "killer" look. The biggest advantage is their weights. Dont you think the wheel look a bit like Audi stock wheels?

Fikse??? Why Fikse? There are so many wheels out there that look better than that: AMG Style IV, Brabus Mono VI, HRE 547R, Carlsson 1/16, Kleemann TS-6.....

Depending on whether you want look or performance, if you want look, then any of the ones that I mentioned above are better than the Fiske. If you want performance, then Renntech Monolite.

If you want BOTH look and performance, there are ONLY two choices: 19" Carlsson 1/16 Ultra Light (22lbs) and 19" Kleemann TS-6 (18lbs).

JamE55

Get HRE's!! Either 540R's or 840R's!

ZHH

do you know the weight of the stock wheel??

jl88

Man, FIKSE wheels are pimp. How often do you see them on a german car? Next to never

Brabus, Lorinser, Lowenhart, HRE, blah blah blah blah blah they are a dime a dozen

Arnee

My $0.02, HRE or Fiske.

M6toE55

HRE or Brabus: quality, performance, AND class...

Rave E55

Neither, go with SL two peice AMG in 19"

mbprince

of the 2 wheels you show pics of, I would pick the Fikse based on looks alone.

BenzoBoi

I say go with HRE's but I called dibs on the 542R's!~! I have yet to see anyone with them neither have I seen them period. hmmm I should get out more often...hahaha...But eyah I called dibs on the 542R's

dd_kota

i love the amg style IV but i want a wheel with a deep dish effect on the rear a la m5. hre's rock but with tires and polishing im lookin at close to $9,000!!!!! theyre not that f-ing great. brabus wheels are too heavy. im trying to drastically reduce unsprung weight then add another 50-100 horsepower. trying to find ceramic rotors but not on brembo site.

allenjdmb

though I haven't checked, I bet the tire pressure monitoring will still work. Does anyone know? No fitment problems, no interference, and when you get rid of your car, you can sell them to anohter 211/230 guy and get some of your money back.

AMG BRED

i'd go with Fikses

kaneman

I looove the way the AMG Style IV two piece look but they are HEAVY... for that reason alone I've been looking at the Renntech wheels, but my problem is the same as others in that they just don't look that great... I'd love to save on the unsprung weight as I feel it'll really sharpen up handling and give that extra bit of edge in acceleration but I haven't found a good combination of light + beautiful yet and for me the Fikse's don't do it either... so the search continues. I would like to see the Renntech wheels in a different color, perhaps a smoke grey or gloss black. That might change my mind.

JLBMERC

I have the same issues, I want light weight wheels--with all the advantages they bring but that really look good. The RENNtech wheels that are readily available did not do it for me. However, one picture of a black SL55 on their website had those RENNtech wheels but in a smoke silver color--they looked much better. Of course they do not normally carry this particular version---waiting until they get some in---then I'll take a closer look.

jl88

You know you can get wheels painted w/ clearcoat in any color that you want. So you don't have to wait for Renntech to do it. it's only an extra ~$100 per wheel

vraa

I'd go Kleemann TS-6's. How many times do you see them on a German car? IIRC there are non in North America.

jajo

Go for the Fikse's...

I want a set of Fikse's for my M5. The wheels are truly beautiful yet very sporty. And i hear they are light

allenjdmb

, though it's usually on the M3 boards, or the Porsche boards, that people are going to let the unsprung weight make their decision on street wheels. These cars weigh around two tons. I know you're going to tell me you're not the average guy, but most of these cars are driven at about 70% of thier capability, max, and rarely that. We want to add 200 pounds of the best hi-fi, the coolest electronics, the best AC, we hang aero kits on them that make the CD worse, but we have just GOT to have that 10 # less on each corner (didn't you knowI'm really an F1 pilote?). And most of these exotic wheel packages are put on cars with stock ride height/springs/shocks (I don't want to mess up my ride quality--but I do need to save 5 lbs of unsprung weight), with lousy jobs of mounting and balancing, and tire pressures that are never checked or run too low because they don't "ride good", and no thought of an alignment afterward. This is frequently co-mingled by a tire purchase that makes no sense--can you believe people will buy wheels that cost thousands, then try to save $100 on tires? Then comes the post on a web board--why come my big wheels and tires don't ride good? --after some hack has balanced them on equipment completely incapable of getting a round wheel and tire on the ground, with more weight on the wheels the obvious fix.
Puhleeze.
These purchases are made for cosmetic reasons, no matter what you want everyone else to think. Hey, I'm not busting anyone's chops--I've spent plenty of money on some stupid sets of wheels and tires myself! And I'm sure I'll do it again. Just at least make the decision on buying a quality wheel from someone who is going to be there to back it up, and that know something about getting them properly mounted, balanced, and installed.
I guess what I'm saying is that folks should spend as much time getting the tires and the install right as they did trying to save 20 pounds on their 4000++ pound street car.
Sorry. This just amazes me. Flame away.

kaneman

No flames, just a few gaping holes in your thinking. There's a world of difference between sprung and unsprung weight. That 50lbs worth of AC will have less of an effect on handling than 10 lbs per wheel. While ALL weight is evil when it comes to performance, unsprung weight has a much more direct effect on handling and ride harshness. The less work the suspension has to do keeping the rubber planted the better the car handles. Obviously, lighter wheels and tires are easier to keep 'hold of than heavier ones. They also ride better.

With a judicious choice in wheels and tires you can save 15 lbs per corner... THAT is a huge saving. Your comments on getting the installation right are well founded, but the best balancing and mounting job in the world won't make up for that 15 lbs of tire/wheel.

dd_kota

it's simple, 1lb of unsprung weight saved is the same as reducing 6 lbs of sprung weight. 48lbs of unsprung weight equals a reduction of 288 car lbs which is huge. (if they could make a reliable set of ceramic rotors you'd realize close to 750 lbs) vadin of evosport calculated each lb of extra unsprung weight reduced hp by 1/2. in the quest for the ultimate ride you could effectively lose 20-40 hp with heavier wheels. to me that unacceptable. also, anyone who knows jack @ wheels would only get tires balanced on a hunter 9700 road force wheel balancer. hunter's website can tell you where to go to find one. thery're $10,000 each so your local gas station won't have one.

ps. what is an "AC" mod?????

allenjdmb

than more weight. And I'll agree that the unspring weight is more critical. But my point is still that this is a Mercedes SEDAN. There is only so much performance that you can wring out of a 4000 pound box. The fact that wheels are light does not necessarily make them round. I have mounted wheels and tires that cost more than a cheap car that rode just as poorly. I've also owned tires that were nearly $2000 that weren't close to round. Don't forget that these previous posters also wanted to paint/polish their wheels, and that adds weight as well. And although the Hunter force variation machine is great, it is no guarantee of the best ride. Only a very skilled technician with on-car experience can give you the best ride, taking into account the moving mass forced onto the outside of the wheels under load (and of course made more ciritical on these cars because of the fairly high front offset and huge brakes.)
Sorry, I'm just getting too old and too cranky.....(grins)

JLBMERC

I tend to shy away from painting wheels, unless dealing with damage. I have had several wheels painted in the past. They just didn't match up to the quality of the paint job from the manufacturer. Not to mention the hassle of getting it done; finding a good shop, getting it repainted b/c it wasn't right, etc. I feel more comfortable buying wheels with the color I want rather than painting.