Bundt rims or not .

[Benz280]

I know their has been much talk about bundts . Depending on your perspective, to some they look great, to others hubcaps are preferred.
Other than the look, is their any noticeable performance benefit given the lighter weight ?     

[MikeSimon]

Any alloy wheel has an advantage over steel wheels due to less unsprung weight. I am not sure, however, if it makes sense to talk "performance" in a W113 ?!?

[Pawel66]

I really do not think there is anything performance related that would be noticeable. It is pure question of taste (I like them). And the usual practicalities that we all know from daily drivers corrected by higher than nowadays tire profile (thank God). These would be:
1. More weight needed to balance (as you do not apply them on the outer rim)
2. Careful with curbs
3. Careful on bad roads

[Jonny B]

Not a performance disadvantage, but after having them on a 107, they are a PITA to keep clean.

[zak]

I think the bundt wheels look good on a 123, but not much else.
They are fussy looking ( in my opinion ) and hard to keep clean.
In fact, when the tires on my 1983 - 107 aged out I swapped the factory14" bundts for 15 " - 16 hole " 560SL " type mag rims.
The 15's have a cleaner look to me and easier to keep clean.

Just my opinion.

jz 

[MikeSimon]

I really cannot agree with the "hard to keep clean" argument. I have had all kinds of alloy wheels on different cars and never had an issue. Not even with the BBS "Honeycomb" wheels. A proper spray-on wheel cleaner and a little higher pressure from a hose (not a pressure washer) is all it takes. Maybe a little agitation with a small brush.

[teahead]

you can get the aluminum "steelies".

Either 14x5.5" or the rarer 14x6" ones.

[lreppond]

I doubt there’s an objectively correct answer here.  It solely depends on the owner’s personal taste.  I’ve seen some cars that look outstanding  with bundts.  My personal leaning is for hubcaps w/white walls.  So what I did is go with aluminum steelies and use my hubcaps & whitewalls.  If the unsprung weight really makes a difference in handling, I can say definitively it’s not perceptible.

[zak]

That is interesting, Len. You maybe lightened the unsprung weight of your car by 100 lbs and felt no perceptible handling improvement.
Yet in reading numerous articles and posts it seemed that reducing the unsprung weight of the car was a positive improvement.
Maybe the benefit is felt in more of a performance car , as Mike Simon commented ?

The rims and tires make up all of the unsprung weight on the car, correct ?

jz   

[dirkbalter]

What about calipers, brake disks, other suspension components……

[teahead]

I think Bundt wheels are kinda...ugly.

Unless the Pagoda CAME with Bundts, why put them on?

If you must do something different than hubcaps, I'd rather get some BBS RS wheels:

[MikeSimon]

The rims and tires make up all of the unsprung weight on the car, correct ?

jz

Plus hubs, brake rotors/drums, calipers, lower suspension arm, rear axle, etc. Everything that is connected below the springs and adds to the load forcing the springs up, thus "unsprung"

[scoot]

I'll disagree with others.  I think reducing the unsprung weight, particularly in front, makes a difference.  I have had the aluminum steelies on two of my cars (a 250C and a 300TD) and the place I would notice it is going around curves on roads that were in poor condition with patches and holes.  I noticed it a lot there.  It isn't going to turn your car into a rocket though.

[kampala]

I would agree with scoot. 

I put aluminum steelies ( look like regular steel) with regular hubcaps on the 280 and I say there is a nice noticeable difference.  The car is more nimble and just feels lighter.  That’s the way I can describe it.  Agree that potholes and such are a little lighter hitting.

The 250 still has the steel wheels and the difference is clear.  I would put the aluminum steelies on the 250 but I like the dig dish hub caps and don’t want to put the later hub caps that the steelies work better with.

[JamesL]

Was chatting about this in Austria. After discussion, I think I concluded I’d go 15” bundts but not 14s
Still prefer the hubcaps though so have the ally-steelies. Oh  but for those in a 15 (not that I could afford the hubcaps)

[specracer]

Rotational mass is every bit as important as unsprung weight. Zero doubt the overall feel of the car will be different with aluminum wheels (assuming they really weigh less than a stock steel).

I personally would NEVER stray from a stock look with hubcaps.

[zak]

Specracer, could you explain rotational mass and why it is important pls. This untechnical guy would like to understand.

It also appears that there is a lot of unsprung weight on our cars based on the unsprung list that Mike Simon compiled. It seems like it is more than just a couple of  hundred pounds in our 2900 lb cars .

A few months back I almost bought a 123 Euro 300D that had 15 inch wheels and hubcaps and even underbody protection. My plan was to swap the 15s onto my pagoda and give the 123 the 14 inch wheels. But the car turned out to be a rust bucket so I passed.
thanks,

jz

[specracer]

I am NOT an engineer. So with that let me attempt... Unsprung weight is just that, its the wheels, spindles, brake assembly control arms etc. Yes this is important. Now rotational mass focuses more specifically on just the mass that is rotating. The rotor, wheel, hardware etc. Think of a bicycle / motorcycle, and how the wheels keep your balance. The heavier the wheels are, the harder the handle bars are to turn the cycle (changing the mass' direction). This mass has to also change direction, with bumps, and even makes a difference in acceleration and breaking. 

[stickandrudderman]

As specracer says, it's about gyroscopic effect.
If you've ever fitted skinny tyres in place of fat ones with no other changes you'll notice how much lighter in handling the car feels.
As for unsprung weight:
The springs and shocks have to control linear movement of all of the components listed previously.
The lighter those components are (wheels) the quicker the springs and shocks will be able to control the linear movement.
Dynamically: as the tyre hits a bump it will be projected away from the road surface thus reducing grip. The faster it can be forced back on to the road the quicker the grip will be restored.

Obviously there are other benefits to weight loss but I'm sure a lot of us could do with that!

[mnahon]

I'd also say the aluminum steelies (or other lightweight wheels) offer an advantage in driving feel. kampala's and scoot's descriptions say it well. Their biggest advantage is over lousy roads, which we have many of here. Secondarily in more agressive driving where the car feels a bit more nimble. I've had aluminum steelies on for a few years and would not go back to the steel wheels.

[UJJ]

I installed 15" Bundt wheels 4 years ago. And yes, quite a bit of performance increase, especially cornering. I changed back to the originals with hub caps this summer, but for only one day.
I do like the look, but a lot of sluggish feeling. I am back to the 15" Bundt and I am much happier driving my SL.
Greetings, Urban

[ja17]

Back in the day most cars of all makes had wheel covers or hub caps from the factory. Aluminum alloy wheels were an optional up-grade. I remember when the later Pagoda cars were offered with the optional Bundt wheels. They were an exciting "sporty looking" upgrade at the time. I still like the look of the Bundt alloys on the Pagoda  (in the sporting sense). These days many cars come standard with aluminum wheels and aluminum wheels are less remarkable to most people. The full wheel covers imply a more finished and sophisticated design. The Bundts are a sportier look. I like the idea of having a set of both! If so don't forget the alloy wheels require a longer lug bolt!

[teahead]

I only care for the 3-piece versions, which I don't think are made anymore:

[Benz Dr.]

I have a set of four 15'' wheel covers. I think they were once on a 600 in case someone is looking for something like that.

[ja17]

Three piece versions? Definitely not OEM Mercedes.