15 hole alloys - did they come in 14"?

[mccrackenj]

Hi all - more alloy questions from me . . .

I've just this moment spotted an ad for a set of Mercedes 15 hole alloys not 200 yards away - BUT the ad says that they are 14" and the tyres are 205/70R14.

Is this possible? or will they be 15" and the seller has got it wrong?

I know the answer is to go and have a look but I want to check it out before I look stupid.

[r129sl]

The original Mercedes alloy wheel, known variously as the Bundt Cake, Mexican Hat or Baroque Wheel, was usually 14" (mostly w123, w116, r107 and early w126 cars but others too) and very occasionally 15" (w116 450 SEL 6.9). This wheel had fifteen holes and often is called such.

The "flat face" fifteen hole wheel first seen on the w201 190 and 190E in 1982 is almost always a 15" wheel (w201, w124, gen II w126, post-1985 r107) but was very, very rarely seen as a 14" (ealry w201 only) (in which case the holes are rather more like slots and there are only 14 holes) and occasionally as a 16" (early r129 and w201 Evo and Evo II).

Going by the tyre size, I expect the wheel you have seen advertised is a 6.5 x 14" Baroque Wheel from a r107 or gen I w126.

15 hole Baroque wheel (14'):


15 hole flat face wheel (15"):

Edited by r129sl on Friday 27th January 21:08

[mccrackenj]

OK, thanks, that's interesting - but the picture with the ad is clearly of a 'flat face' 15 hole rather than 'baroque' - and you can count that there are 15 slots/holes and not 14. So maybe the seller has got it wrong and there's a bargain to be had?

He describes them as "Mercedes Benz 190 Sportline" alloy wheels???

The ad also says clearly that the tyres are 205/70R14. I assume there's no way that 14" tyres could have been fitted to 15" rims?

Curiouser and curiouser . . . .

[MarsellusWallace]

Mmm.There were a lot of copy alloys(non oe) around at the time so maybe the car you are looking at has non oe wheels?

[r129sl]

MarsellusWallace said:

Mmm.There were a lot of copy alloys(non oe) around at the time so maybe the car you are looking at has non oe wheels?

Never thought of that; you're dead right, there were loads of copies. Pukka sportline wheels are 7J x 15 with 205/55 r 15 on the 190, 205/60 R 15 on the 124.

Edited by r129sl on Saturday 28th January 20:23

[bolide]

Ai Caramba! I never realised that the flat-face 15-hole is a minimalist version of the Mexican Hat. The photos make the lineage clear



It also shows that the 190E version of the wheel with the oval holes is a direct descendant



Whereas the W124 version with elongated rectangular holes with the corners cut off is another derivative



Nick Froome
www.w124.co.uk

[r129sl]

Nick, I am surprised at you. The beat continued through the w210 and w211 but the line died out in 2006. The combination of the holes and radial ribs between them is the defining characteristic of this style. You can see it in all of them from the 1990s and 2000s except, perhaps, the R129 12 hole wheel. Sorry for the thread hijack.

R129 12 hole wheel, clearly descended from the Mexican Hat:
|http://thumbsnap.com/G8qPgKFL[/url]

W140 15 hole wheel:


w210 10 hole wheel:
|http://thumbsnap.com/Z7sUoRfQ[/url]

w210 11 hole wheel:


And last of all the w211 13 hole wheel

Edited by r129sl on Saturday 28th January 19:42

[mccrackenj]

PistonHeads - the home of wheel-nerds! Excellent.

Should I be worried about the fact that I find this interesting?

[Pontoneer]

mccrackenj said:

Hi all - more alloy questions from me . . .

I've just this moment spotted an ad for a set of Mercedes 15 hole alloys not 200 yards away - BUT the ad says that they are 14" and the tyres are 205/70R14.

Is this possible? or will they be 15" and the seller has got it wrong?

I know the answer is to go and have a look but I want to check it out before I look stupid.

Yes , early 190E's were available with the 15 hole flat face alloys in a 14" diameter - I had a set on my early 'B' reg 190E . These wheels are very rare now , so grab them if you can as somebody will want them . The early 190 runs on 185/70 x 14 tyres , but these are becoming hard to source in premium brands now .

If you want them for a later 190 or for a W124 , look for the 15" versions . W126 cars also ran 15" diameter 15 hole alloys , but they have a different offset .

The Fuchs/Bundt/Baroque alloys were originally introduced on the W108/109 series and late W113 roadsters , carried on into W114/115/116/107/123 models and are normally 14" diameter , although I have heard that a very few were made in 15" diameter , but have never seen a set .

With all of the above wheels , beware cheap copies which are of poorer quality .