[W126 Coupe] BBS RS Wheels

[Chiappinelli, Joseph]

To me, the first two advantages wouldn't justify a 300% premium in cost =
and the 3rd advantage is subjective. I do know they are harder to clean =
with all those fasteners.

-----Original Message-----
From: mbcoupes-admin@mbcoupes.com [mailto:mbcoupes-admin@mbcoupes.com]On
Behalf Of Sharan Bains
Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 8:17 AM
To: mbcoupes@mbcoupes.com
Subject: RE: [W126 Coupe] BBS RS Wheels


Advantages of fabricating a wheel by the assembly of multiple parts =
(rim,=20
hub, fasteners, gaskets, etc)as opposed to machining one from a solid =
forged=20
billet of aluminum alloy :


Significant advantage no 1 - you can replace components instead of =
having to=20
replace an entire wheel. If you seriously kerb your one piece alloy, =
you've=20
no option but to buy an entire wheel. With a split rim, you can just buy =
the=20
outer rim (which is cheap).

Significant advantage no 2 - split rims are lighter. The outer and inner =

rims can be made from lighter alloy, hence saving weight.

Significant advantage no 3 - they look 10x better than one piece wheels.

Disadvantage - they cost 3x more, but only due to the labour that is=20
involved in putting them together. The component parts would cost no =
more=20
than the one piece wheels.


talbir



>From: "Chiappinelli, Joseph" <joseph.chiappinelli@mirant.com>
>Reply-To: mbcoupes@mbcoupes.com
>To: <mbcoupes@mbcoupes.com>
>Subject: RE: [W126 Coupe] BBS RS Wheels
>Date: Fri, 7 Jan 2005 07:53:38 -0500
>
>Can someone explain the advantages of fabricating a wheel by the =
assembly=20
>of multiple parts (rim, hub, fasteners, gaskets, etc)as opposed to=20
>machining one from a solid forged billet of aluminum alloy?
>
>J.Chip
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: mbcoupes-admin@mbcoupes.com =
[mailto:mbcoupes-admin@mbcoupes.com]On
>Behalf Of Sharan Bains
>Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 5:19 AM
>To: mbcoupes@mbcoupes.com
>Subject: RE: [W126 Coupe] BBS RS Wheels
>
>
>
>Great wheels Jim !
>
>I have refurbished two sets of BBS RS 3-piece wheels. And you do NOT =
need
>professional wheel refurbishers - you can do this all yourself. You'll =
only
>need finishers for the outer rim and the centre piece coloring - the =
labour
>part, which is the greatest on split rims, you can do yourself and save =

>alot
>of money.
>
>I have also refurbished 3-pice AMG wheels. The only difference between =
the
>two is that the BBS RS wheels have 2 rubber gaskets, the AMG only one. =
This
>is due to the fact that on the AMG wheels, the centre piece sits INSIDE =
the
>inner rim and the fasteners go through the inner rim, then the outer =
rim=20
>and
>then the centre piece.
>
>Here are links to pics showing refurb of AMG 3-piece wheels - nothing
>different for BBS RS's except the RS's have 2 gaskets and have 12-point
>fastener heads. The OZ AMG's have 10-point heads.
>
>http://www.printroom.com/ViewAlbum.asp?userid=3Dhakkinen&album_id=3D1645=
82
>
>http://www.printroom.com/ViewAlbum.asp?userid=3Dhakkinen&album_id=3D1732=
11
>
>
>On the BBS RS's, the centre piece sits between inner and outer rim, =
hence
>two gaskets, one between inner rim and centre piece and then another =
one
>between outer rim and centre piece. You'll see what I mean when you =
split
>the rims.
>
>Also, you do not need the gaskets - you can use RVT sealant. It's far =
more
>durable than the rubber gaskets. And it should be availbe fromgood auto
>parts stores. There are 2 types of RVT sealant - clear and black. The =
clear
>is the better sealant to use.
>
>Here's some main points :
>
>- on the BBS RS rims, you'll need 8mm and 10mm 12-point sockets, with =
1/2"
>drive. The fastener head is 8mm and the nut on the rear is 10mm.
>
>- before beginning loosening of the nuts, spry penetrating oil on the =
10mm
>nuts, and leave for a couple of hours
>
>- you may need to hold the fastener head with the 8mm socket whilst
>loosening the 10mm nuts on each fastener, as the fastener tends to turn =

>with
>the nut
>
>- some of the fasteners may be seized (especially on wheels which have =
been
>used on the front where there is excessive brake dust etc). You may =
need to
>heat these before attempting to loosen - otherwise too much force will =
just
>break the fastener. Some of them maybe so seized that they'll break =
anyway.
>You may need to source additional BBS fasteners for these wheels - DO =
NOT
>use aftermarket fasteners. The BBS fasteners are 10.9 tensile strength =
and
>have this figure imprinted on the head of each one, as well as the =
words
>'BBS'. I haev about 100 spare fasteners - they need chroming/polishing, =
but
>they are original BBS RS fasteners. If you break some, let me know and =
I'll
>ship you some.
>
>- Once all the fasteners are out, you'll need to cut the rubber =
gaskets,
>visible on the sides of the rims. There are two on the BBS RS's (it may =

>vary
>for each type of RS wheel, but usually there are two) - take a stanley=20
>knife
>and run it all the way along the gasket.
>
>- Once gasket is cut, take a flat face screwdriver and place it between
>outer rim and centre piece, on the gasket and hammer gently. Do this a =
few
>points round the rim and eventually, the outer rim and centre piece =
will be
>prised apart.
>
>- Do the same for the centre piece and inner rim seperation, cutting =
gasket
>and splitting with screwdriver.
>
>- That's it - wheel will be in 3 seperate pieces.
>
>- the outer rim (dish) should be hand polished, by a specialist =
aluminium
>polisher. They should NOT be chromed. The fastners too should be =
polished.
>
>- the centre pieces and inner rims should be sand blasted, powder =
coated=20
>and
>lacquered. Great if you color-code the centre pieces - vintage 80's =
stuff.
>
>- when putting rims back together, just use 8 fasteners evenly round =
the
>wheel, in the beginning to hold it all together, but do not tighten =
them
>fully. Leave about a 1mm gap between the inner rim and centre piece and
>outer rim and centre piece. In this gap, fill RVT sealant, all the way
>round, in both gaps.
>
>- when you tighten the 8 fasteners fully, the sealant will form the =
seal=20
>and
>at this point you need to wipe off the excess sealant. It drys quickly =
so=20
>do
>this before beginning the fitting of the other fasteners.
>
>- Once sealant is nicely wiped, it will look like an original gasket. =
But
>it's alot better than the gaskets.
>
>- fit remaining fasteners. Each fastener should be tightened to 40 Nm
>torque.
>
>- allow wheels to sit for 24hrs so sealant dries, before fitting tyres
>
>
>That's it ! Fit nice steel air valves and fit the correct size tyres. =
Once
>refurbished and on the car, these BBS RS wheels will now last for a =
good 10
>years without any further need for refurbishment. The BBS and AMG's are =
all
>forged alloy and very strong. You just need to have the correct tyres =
and
>look after them.
>
>To maintain the outer polished dish, use Autosol cream or brasso  - it =
does
>mean a good 10-15 minutes of hard work, but you only need to do it once =

>each
>month.
>
>Whatever you do, do not have the outer rims chromed or lacquered. =
They'll=20
>be
>ruined forever.
>
>BBS RS's look great on the SEC. I bought one set for my E500, but the =
BBS
>RS's look too dated for that car - but they are great on the SEC. =
Almost as
>good as the AMG 3-piece's....
>
>
>If you have any questions, let me know.
>
>talbir
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> >From: JR560SEC@aol.com
> >Reply-To: mbcoupes@mbcoupes.com
> >To: mbcoupes@mbcoupes.com
> >Subject: [W126 Coupe] BBS RS Wheels
> >Date: Thu, 6 Jan 2005 18:51:45 EST
> >
> >Greetings, all, and Happy New Year--------
> >
> >I just received my shipment of 17 inch BBS RS 200 wheels from =
Germany.
> >These
> >are the 1980s-vintage 3-piece "honeycomb" wheels with 34 bolts =
holding=20
>the
> >two flanges onto the central hub.  I will be disassembling them to =
clean
> >them,
> >repaint the centers and exchanging the inner flanges on one pair of =
the
> >wheels
> >to make a "staggered" set for my 1990 560SEC Euro conversion project.
> >
> >My questions:  Does anybody know a source for the gaskets which go=20
>between
> >the three pieces?  What are the torque values for the bolts used to
> >attached the
> >pieces together?  Has anybody found an interest group, and are there =
any
> >directions for disassembly/reassembly?  I've only seen one set in the
> >members'
> >cars pictures.  Who else has a set on their SEC?
> >
> >Thanks in advance.........Jim Rothrock, Windermere, Florida
>
>
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>Postings remain property of MB Coupes, L.L.C.


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Postings remain property of MB Coupes, L.L.C.