Whaddaya think of these wheels?

[Geeky1]

Trying to decide if these things look too "ricey" or not... they only weigh 18lbs apiece though... which means better handling. Handling goood... and the AMG wheels weigh like 24-27lbs each... the stock ones probably weigh around 25-30 (they're 15" aluminum alloy wheels with very little open area)

[Geeky1]

forgot teh attachment :rolleyes2

[Geeky1]

sorry in advance for the size of the following pic, but it gives you a good view of the actual wheel

[Black Hawk]

Look nice but IMHO a 5 spoke rim would look better on a Mercedes. Those would look nice on newer models.

[Black Hawk]

http://www.evosport.com/product/images/wheels/hre/645.jpg

:vimp:

[mcwc]

IMO, those wheels are a little too much. I prefer a nice set of 5 spokes or twin 5 spokes. Oh, go 17".

[Geeky1]

mcwc... If I could find a set of not-absurdly-expensive 17" 5 spokes, I would... 17" looks most proportional on that car anyhow. Any suggestions?

Blackhawk... I tend to agree with you. What about these ones (the only thing is they weigh like 25lbs and they're 18s...)

[mcwc]

Now, those look much better.

[Geeky1]

closeup (I'd get the chrome ones probably, but they didn't have a pic of the chrome ones...)

[Black Hawk]

:thumbsup:

[mcwc]

Looks better sticking with OE wheels. I like having a nice set of OE wheels on a car.

[a2jfreak]

I agree; now all he has to do is change the car. ;D

mcwc said
Now, those look much better.

[Geeky1]

:confused:

Anyhow... how much is the extra 8lbs/wheel (excl. tires) going to impact the handling though... part of the reason I was looking @ the BBS rims is that they only weigh 18lbs apiece (!)

[TheBaron]

buy some volk's :-D seriously though, i like the way those look, and shedding a few pounds never hurt anyone. remember that tires for 18's on a benz, at least in my experience, have been absurdly expensive

[mcwc]

Just to add, since you want to improve your handling, have you thought of getting some stiffer springs, thicker front and rear anti-sway bars, chassis braces, and some better shocks/struts? That's what the Turbobricks guys are doing for improved handling along with going to 15" or bigger factory wheels from the 14" steelies.
Oh, one thing on the 18" wheels. One of Turbobricks' main modders recently went back to 15" Virgos from his aftermarket 18", and he gained 3mph and 2-3tenths on the 1/4 mile. I guess you wouldn't care for that little difference since your Benz isn't going to be a 1/4 mile car.

Oh, try going to junkyards and see if you can find some bigger OE wheels. It can be a long cheaper than buying a brand new set.

[Geeky1]

mcwc said
Just to add, since you want to improve your handling, have you thought of getting some


stiffer springs
The only stiffer springs are lowering springs; 18" just barely fit on a stock car... also, it has a self-leveling rear end which would most likely have to be removed


thicker front and rear anti-sway bars
Don't exist afaik


chassis braces and some better shocks/struts?
see above

There isn't much that can be done except changing the wheels. I COULD remove the self-leveling system, but that's not a particularly easy proposition, and whether it helps or not is debateable. Lowering springs are possible, but the car has like 4.5" of ground clearance as it is... Chassis braces add weight. Weight bad. Better shocks aren't an option w/o changing the rear end's suspension...

so I dunno...

[mcwc]

Damn, your Benz is too complicated, and not to mention no aftermarket.
For the sway bars, be a little creative with it. Try a double swaybar mod or modify your existing sway bars by adding another piece of steel to make it stiffer. Give this a read:
4 dollar 25mm+ rear sway bar (http://forums.turbobricks.com/viewtopic.php?t=4874&highlight=)

For chassis braces, they can be as simple as this '78 240GT upper chassis braces (http://www.ipdusa.com/ProductsCat.aspx?CategoryID=369&NodeID=1158&RootID=629). They shouldn't add that much weight.

Since you have access to a machine shop, you can easily fab up a pair of braces for your car. The double or the homemade sways are your choice to make.

Question: the self-leveling suspension doesn't use any hydraulic or gas shocks?

[Geeky1]

Hmm... I'll look into both of those... maybe if I take out the back seat, carpet, headliner, and soundproofing, I can cut enough weight that as long as I add some power with some "VTEC Type R Si Fear This Mugen STi MazdaSpeed TRD Got Rice" decals on it I can probably add chassis bracing without a performance hit :D ;D Maybe I should throw a pair of 4" chrome resonator exhaust tips with blue LEDs in them on it for good measure... ;D

I know very little about the self-leveling system (except that when it breaks, it's damn expensive to fix) other than that it uses a hydraulic pump, reservoir and hydraulic struts in place of shocks to automatically level the rear end with the front. The stupid struts are something like $235 apiece, and the pump is another $500 or so (rebuilt, no less) as I recall... apparently it's cheaper to replace the entire system with the normal suspension off of a 420SEL than it is to replace the self-leveling system...

[Geeky1]

Oh, btw... there is an aftermarket parts industry for it. The company that still offers performance parts for it has more of a monopoly than Microsoft (they're the ONLY guys that make parts anymore, not one of 2 or 3)... www.renntechmercedes.com

They have a performance cam upgrade package that adds like 15hp... it costs something like $4000. The car itself is worth ~$4-6k. For $15k, you can get a grand total of 300-odd hp out of it. However, someone @ www.benzworld.org has a supercharged 560SEC... the mounting hardware and everything was all custom done, and the transmission's been replaced with the 5-speed auto out of the newer cars because the 560's can barely handle the 300-something lb-ft the car puts out stock, let alone the near-500lb-ft (i think) this guy's car puts out... it's a fast car tho...

[mcwc]

:eek2: :eek2: :eek2: :eek2:
Geez, that is really expensive just for a cam! It's like ripping you a new a-hole while making your wallet lighter.