BurnR8

Ok, so Axis not for me.... Found some Antera 20"s that look nice....opinions? let the great debate rage on

car_lost

the model name/number would help

platinumsc

Good...maybe that will keep the naysayers quiet. Which Antera are you getting? Post a pic if you can.

BTW, I don't believe Axis was started in 1996. The owner of Axis was working for CEC Wheels back then. Or maybe Dazz Wheels. Axis didn't even exist then. I've been buying aftermarket wheels for 20 years and I'm reasonably sure they weren't around 9 yrs ago. If they were I must be getting old with failing memory. I'll check on it. It's all a moot point but I hate it when people type in big print like they are shouting at us. It's even worse if their facts aren't straight.

Anyway, good luck with your choice BurnR8. I agree that Antera's fit a Benz better than Axis. Antera's have that teutonic feel that's associated with benz and german vehicles.

SoCalCLK

I don't want to mention names, but the owner of AXIS wheels' initials are JC. AXIS Wheels was the name of the retail business where Mr. JC sold many kinds of wheels and tires to the local rice-rocket market. AXIS sold these products out of a retail facility in Southern California. I would mention the address, but it's a moot point. They moved to a newer facility in Santa Fe Springs (again, I can give you a complete property profile---but I would have to charge you) and you should already know where it is anyway. I know all this because he used to be a client. AXIS eventually got out of the retail market (for obvious, low-margin reasons) and began putting the name of their old retail store, "AXIS" onto generic Asian wheels. Thus, "AXIS" wheels were born.

You should clarify in your own mind who DAZZ, CEC Wheels, etc. are before you post an accusation of someone who is crystal clear about the truth and is shedding some light to forum members.

My facts are straight. I thought you knew.

BurnR8

never posted a pic before...hope this works...but this is the wheel....8.5 front 11 rear...

vraa

Tight rim, but don't you think it looks way too similair to the AMG 5 Spokes?

BurnR8

thought about that....but I like the rivets, the LIP for sure and the 11" rear...I am on the fence about the chrome rim, rather have a polish...cuz that bubba hits a curb and it is chip ville...and for the cost of those...would I rather have a case of Mouton Rothschild....still looking...not buying yet, but I like those....11 in the rear is just that much more rubber burning the road :-)

vraa

How big is the lip?
I know on HRE's a 4 inch lip is easy, and on iForged and Avus 5 inch lip isn't out of the question. Usually companies like Antera / Lorinser / CEC and what not go conservative with their lips, or past experience shows.

BurnR8

if I had to guess I would say 3"....

SoCalCLK

Those rims look good on the CLS!

AMG2GO

You should get full specs and pay attention to them on any wheel that you are considering. That should be what pieces are forged and what are cast. what sort of fasteners are used, and most important, what is the WEIGHT of the wheel. First find out what is quality, what is lightweight (and they ALL call theirs lightweight), then decide on looks because there is nothing worse than a good looking wheel that makes your car slower and gives you a harsher ride because its heavier than stock. If a manufacturer won't give you specs, avoid them.

BurnR8

sound advice....thank you...

AMG2GO

I can give you more but I have written many posts regarding this. Weight makes a BIG difference, you are talking 5-10 times more important than sprung weight. Chrome plating adds some significant weight. multi-piece is generally heavier than a single piece wheel. Size makes a difference obviously. Changing wheels can truly affect the performance of the car because it is unsprung, rotational mass.

To give you an idea, my 600 is now about .7 second faster to 60 than stock (measured with same amount of gas on the same road at the same temperature, average of 5 runs in two directions), and all I have done was concentrate on reducing unsprung weight. I went from a 28 pound AMG wheel to a 19.9 pound Renntech monolite, I saved another 3 pounds per wheel switching from a set of Dunlop 9000's to Pilot PS2's, and I saved another 10 pounds per rotor going from stock to a floating design. That's a savings of 22 pounds or so per wheel.

My ride is actually BETTER despite the fact that I went from 18" wheels to 19" wheels, the handling is much better and I am sure the braking is much better. The acceleration is documented. My MPG has increased according to the averages shown on the computer.

There is some real crap out there for wheels. Be very careful of what you buy. It is a critical part of the car.

I have a lot of info on different wheels and their weights if you need them.

BurnR8

Aaaack!....I do not want an oblong egg everytime I hit a chuck hole, but I also do not want a tank sprocket for a wheel either....maybe I will just run the rubber off the 19"s and then make a decision when I am forced to... I dealt a lot with unsprung wheel weight and recipricating mass when I was drag racing motorcycles a while ago....all the guys were spending $1ks on motor work and I concertrated on a strong motor and a seriously light bike....beat them every time... :-)

Ken Uyeda

The Antera 349's are nice. Definately go silver with the high polish stainless steel lip. The lip can be changed out right away if you happen to curb it so you won't have to purchase a new wheel. This style isn't offered in chrome. Silver or custom paint only.

BurnR8

cool....the guy who has them told me they were chrome....stainless is much better...thanks

AMG2GO

True, a 3 piece wheel will allow you to change just the hub if you bend it and that is a plus, BUT.... it usually costs as much as a whole new wheel anyway. So it kinda kills that advantage.

What is the weight of the Antera?

AMG2GO

well I think the larger you go (and personally I think 19" is as big as I would go), the more important the weight becomes. I was shocked when I noticed I had gone 1" bigger and my ride was pretty much unaffected. I am sure it was due to all the weight savings. If I went up in weight, which is usually what happens when you go with a larger wheel, then the ride would have been much worse and bending rims would happen a lot more.

Also don't forget that more NVH (noise vibration harshness) is transmitted through a lower profile tire and with a larger contact patch.

AMG2GO

I just wanted to mention that a fat lip comes with negative offset. Your wheel's centerline is always the same, the hub is moved outward with more negative offset. This changes the track and makes the car understeer more creating a "push" on the front end. Most people will not drive their CLS that hard around corners so having a fat lip is no big deal but if the car was to be driven hard, the affects will be noticable.

Vader55

SoCalCLK
Your factoid means nothing to address the quality of the wheel. Most cast wheels come from europe and asia(goes without saying) Your little amg 18's are know better than most replicas. Don't get me wrong I like amg's but I had to replace mine because they were all bent.

The truth is in people who have actually used the product, Not the love affair and arrogance with the name. I am sure there are some very poor quality out there but not axis wheels because I own them as well as some others I know.

I had real amg's and brabus and they *** bend like anything else. cast wheels bend no matter who makes them so save the money so you can replace your wheels every year or 2 without blowing excessive cash.

You have not had personal experience or any input from a friend on quality issues or I am sure you would have posted it already ? I know the axis story
which your (posts) shows is pointless. You could have just said ...made in asia.

SoCalCLK

The information I shared is more rare than what one can learn from asking John Doe down the street what he thinks about his AXIS wheels. The posts are not pointless because they shed light on the truth about the "importer" (as AXIS manufactures NOTHING), a fact that many did not know until I posted.

Wheels bend, no matter what the brand or country of origin. But a potential customer has the right to know whether he is buying a rim that is MANUFACTURED and ENGINEERED by the brand name on the wheel or if that brand name is merely a front for wheels manufactured an engineered in an unknown plant.

FrankW

I had Axis Phin 19s on my car. They are very well made and passed all the regulations like any other brand of wheels. I went through the same pothole on these Axis where my friend went through with his Brabus Mono VI and nothing happened to the Axis, and guess what happened to his Brabus. Nothing beats the Axis if you are looking for cheaper alternative that still have good quality. Axis contracts out the manufacturing job to different factories, but they do hold most of the design patent other than those of the obvious "copied" styles.

socalclk, i still don't know who makes the wheels for Axis is relevant if they all passed the regulation standard.

Also if you want to buy forged multi-piece wheels you'd be surprised the technology used by Volks and Work are a lot more advance than HRE/DPE/Iforge. The HRE wasn't even that popular till recent years when everyone got into the "gotta have forged wheels" hype.

btw, IMO Antera's for German rice.

Ken Uyeda

Actually, the Antera wheel is a 1-piece wheel with a 2-piece look. The lip itself is a high polish stainless steel sleeve so if you curb the wheel you can have the lip changed out relatively quickly. The process usually takes 1hr but you should wait 24 hrs before mounting a tire on so that the adhesive has time to cure. There is also a new Antera 363 wheel for this car coming soon that I just saw at Sema.

Antera's are cast so they definately won't be the lightest wheel out there. They're not the heaviest either. Definately designed for everyday use on public roads versus the super light wheels that will give you killer performance on the track but will not hold up too well for everyday use due to pot holes, railroad tracks, etc etc... If you need the exact weight, I'd call CEC up and ask them to weigh the wheels made for the Benz. Due to the different offsets and widths the weight will vary a bit depending on if it is a low or high offset so make sure they weigh the ones specific to your car.

nlpamg

I agree with Frank that Antera's are euro rice... CEC is waaaaay too expensive, I think they've past their glory days where they were the exclusive "tuner/supplier" (my fam used to export their products) and are now just trying to rest on their laurels... If you're a celeb and don't give a **** about $$$$ and want the name go to CEC, but if you want more value, there are many many better places...

SoCalCLK

Frank, you have a point. I just wanted to shed some light and let everyone draw their own conclusions. You are correct about how many of the other "exclusive" brands are still susceptable to bending and dents.

If the wheels passed regulation it should not matter, however it matters to me personally. For example, my Casio watch kept time better than my Rolex Submariner, but I prefer my Rolex!

Volks and Work have a long lasting repuation for building quality forged wheels. I used to have a set of Volk wheels back in 1997, and they took a beating from all these So Cal potholes and always held their shape. Godd point!