R129 Wheels Swap

[GSEB]

Hi Members,

I have recently bought a beautiful 1998 SL 320 ( R129 ) and have the very sought after AMG Monoblock 18" wheels on the car. I am wondering if anyone who has the AMG I wheels would be interested in a swap deal. The wheels are in great condition and please let me know if you need any more details.

Thanks.

GS

 

[Steeve]

 

[Y15HAL]

Are you saying you have the two piece ones?

 

[GSEB]

These are the wheels.

 

[Y15HAL]

Are they definitely genuine? Can't tell from the pictures....

What are you wanting to do? Get rid of them and want to swap for something else?

 

[Wearsthefoxhat]

I think he is after a deal, his mono blocks for very similar looking AMG 1’s.
imho I think the wheels has suit the car well.

 

[BTB 500]

Hard to be sure from such small pictures but I think those look like replicas (single-piece copies of the AMG I two-piece rims).

 

[Wearsthefoxhat]

Nice looking car though.

 

[Y15HAL]

Yes, look like the reps, but can't be sure from the pictures provided

 

[GSEB]

Thanks for the comments guys and am considering moving to the AMG I look. These do look great on the car but for some reason prefer the non staggered look.

I only bought the car a month ago and relatively new to this game. I cant be certain whether these are original or replicas. I was just wondering whether anyone was keen to swap these for the AMG Is they may have.

Also wanted your view on what ET and rim sizes to go for. Is there much difference in ride quality on 17s vs 18s?

Would be great your feedback on what you have on yours and any advice.

Cheers.

 

[Doodle]

The problem you have is that there's a 4 figure gulf between genuine and replica versions of the wheels you have, with genuine monoblocks valued in somewhere between (I'm not aware of many AMG I monoblock reps). Money is probably going to need to change hands to make a deal, which means knowing which way.

 

[BTB 500]

Thanks for the comments guys and am considering moving to the AMG I look. These do look great on the car but for some reason prefer the non staggered look.

I only bought the car a month ago and relatively new to this game. I cant be certain whether these are original or replicas. I was just wondering whether anyone was keen to swap these for the AMG Is they may have.

Also wanted your view on what ET and rim sizes to go for. Is there much difference in ride quality on 17s vs 18s?

Would be great your feedback on what you have on yours and any advice.

Cheers.

As Doodle mentioned the genuine 2-piece AMG I wheels for the R129 are extremely expensive so aftermarket replicas are widely used. These are made in one piece with dummy bolt heads and no AMG logo, but they look pretty good and are a decent option. Both genuine and replica ones are staggered sets (all the ones I've ever seen, anyway).

Sizes for all the 'official' (Mercedes/AMG/Brabus) rim & tyre combinations are here:

Mercedes-Benz Fitting Chart and Wheel Fitment Guide | Alloy Wheels Direct

Comprehensive wheel fitting chart and guide for Mercedes. Information on tyre and wheel sizes, offsets and PCDs. Find out which wheels will fit your vehicle

www.alloywheelsdirect.net

And the specific wheels here:

Mercedes SL Class Alloys (R129) - Alloy Wheels Direct

Buy some new Mercedes SL Class wheels. Visit Alloy Wheels Direct for genuine Mercedes & aftermarket alloys to fit your SL Class R129 - In Stock.

www.alloywheelsdirect.net

The 18" AMG I is NLA in both monoblock and 2-piece.

I went from 17" non-staggered to 18" staggered on my R129 and didn't notice any difference in ride quality, although the adaptive damping (ADS) on my car could have played a part. The specific tyres fitted to each would be a significant factor too.

 

[GSEB]

Thanks again for the comments and on reflection I think I will stay with the set for the moment. I do however feel that the car is riding a bit high on the fronts. Do you know anyone in the surrey area who can help adjust the ride height.

I have also realised that the tyres on the car are very old so will need to change this which will help with the quality of the ride as the rubber has hardened with very little use over the years.

I will check threads to see which tyres are best.

 

[BTB 500]

I do however feel that the car is riding a bit high on the fronts. Do you know anyone in the surrey area who can help adjust the ride height.

SS Motors (between Weybridge and Addlestone) are very good - I got them to replace the ADS accumulators on my R129:

SS Motors | Mercedes Specialists in Surrey

SS motors is an Independent Mercedes Benz family run service centre, located in Weybridge Surrey.Est in 1990. We cover all aspects of aftersales for your vehicle from routine car servicing to fault diagnosis, electrical and mechanical repairs. We offer a professional and comprehensive service to...

ssmotorsuk.com

The other place I've used in the past is TM Motors in Molesey ... they were also very good:

TM Motors Mercedes specialist service & repair - Surrey

www.tmmotors.net

 

[GSEB]

I use SS for my servicing so great shout. Thanks

 

[BTB 500]

No problem. As you're in Surrey it's worth mentioning that with a 9+ year old car you can get a hefty discount at MB Guildford (and the other Sandown Group dealerships - Basingstoke, Dorchester, Farnborough, Hindhead, Poole and Salisbury). They currently give 40% off labour, 15% off stocked parts and £20 MOTs:

Platinum Programme Offer | Mercedes-Benz & Smart Car Offers From Sandown

Take a look at the platinum programme offer at Sandown. Filter the offers online until you find the right car for you.

www.sandown-group.co.uk

I've been taking my R129 to Guildford since I bought it in 2004 and have found them excellent - never pushing to do extra work (in fact they suggested dropping from yearly to two-yearly servicing on my car because of the low annual mileage), and even happy for me to supply my own oil for servicing.

SS Motors have expert knowledge of ADS so I got them to do the work on that, and TM Motors cleared the fault codes for me after a low voltage incident and did some work modifying the tailpipes on my AMG back box.

 

[QuattroRS6]

I have a soft spot for the R129. That looks like a nice example. Enjoy it!