Welcome back ladies and gentlemen; I hope you all had a marvelous weekend.  To kick things off this bright September morning, Mercedes has released details of their incenio designer wheels for the newest MB model - the CL-Class.

Available in sizes ranging from 17" to 20" and a number of different spoke designs, Mercedes' incenio designer wheels offer a stylish-yet-functional alternative to the standard wheels already offered on the CL-Class.  Thanks to extensive testing and the latest manufacturing processes, the new incenio wheels offer a substantial weight savings when compared to traditional wheels, while still maintaining Mercedes' trademark strength and durability.

If you're interested, the new incenio designer wheels for the new CL-Class will be available later this year, with pricing ranging from EUR 273 for the 17" wheel up to EUR 407 for the 19" wheel.  Pricing for the 20" 10-spoke wheel (pictured above and immediately below) is scheduled to be announced in October.

To learn more about Mercedes' new wheels, keep scrolling to see photos of several of their incenio designs, followed by the full press release detailing the complete wheel range.

Enjoy.




















OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE


Mercedes-Benz incenio designer wheels - More than just a matter of form

Stuttgart, Sep 11, 2006
The new Mercedes-Benz incenio designer wheels for the new CL-Class have a progressive styling which underlines the exceptional two-door car’s confident looks. The optimised weight reduces the unsprung masses, ensuring an even more direct response from the CL-Class. The highlight of Mercedes-Benz Accessories GmbH’s five product range of designer wheels for the CL-Class is the exclusive 20-inch 10-spoke model. The full incenio range offers a wide selection of wheel designs. There are over 50 options to choose from, with specific styles for each Mercedes-Benz model series. The company has a long tradition in the field and was indeed among the pioneers in the use of light-alloy wheels. Stringent test procedures and extensive checks ensure uncompromising quality.

Retrofitting light-alloy wheels with an individual design is something that is at the top of drivers’ wish lists the world over. Worldwide around 110 million wheels a year are marketed in after-sales, a particularly high proportion of them in the luxury-class vehicle sector. Mercedes-Benz Accessories GmbH is set to introduce an exclusive 20-inch wheel for the new CL-Class Coupé. The new 10-spoke “Alaraph” model will be available from the end of October 2006 in size 8.5J x 20 ET 43 with size 255/35 R20 tyres. The even wider 9.5J x 20 ET 43 format will be available for the rear axle with size 275/35 R20 tyres.

Four further exclusive incenio designer wheels in sizes 19, 18 and 17 inches complete the options available for the new CL-Class. The incenio range for the luxury Coupé comes in “sterling silver”, a particularly lustrous shade with an impressive and intense depth of sheen. All wheels are painstakingly finished and optimally protected by up to four layers of paint.

Standards: uncompromising design and safety

Where the creative process is concerned, Mercedes-Benz Accessories GmbH is able to draw on the expertise of the vehicle development department and the Sindelfingen Design Studio. This close collaboration allows wheel designs to be realised at an early stage: unlike the providers of many retrofit products on the open market, the experts have access to a new Mercedes-Benz vehicle a year before sales begin. Mercedes-Benz Accessories GmbH is equally uncompromising when it comes to safety: because the wheel/tyre combination in question has an effect on performance, the chassis specialists specify the framework for the development: sufficient clearance in the wheel arch must be assured as must compatibility with components in the wheel disc, in other words the brakes, suspension and cables.

In addition to offering an unmistakable look and uncomprising safety standars, the exceptional wheels also meet the highest of demands when it comes to comfort and smoothness. Stringent manufacturing tolerances and constant quality checks ensure good concentricity and help prevent axial run out, keeping unpleasant vibrations away from the interior. Those of a sporty disposition will also find plenty to appreciate: optimisation of the wheel weight reduces the vehicle’s unsprung masses, resulting in an enhanced, more spontaneous steering response.

Acceptance tests: days of ordeal before approval

Regular checks ensure that the wheel’s engineering and looks are always of the highest standard. Before Mercedes-Benz Development releases a wheel for production, the new product must pass the toughest of acceptance tests. Our internal quality and safety standards significantly exceed statutory requirements. The tests extend over several stages and require up to ten wheel sets per model. They include checking the critical dimensions, including the threaded connections, and the wheel contact areas, plus testing the surface for surface and edge corrosion, sub-paint infiltration and scratch-resistance. Material testing, strength analyses and x-ray examinations to check for casting defects complete the extensive programme. Further test stages include:

• the “Impact test”, which tests the behaviour of the wheel when the driver accidentally drives over an obstacle or drives forcefully into a kerb
  
  
• the “ZWARP test” (biaxial wheel test bench) which, over a significantly shorter run, reproduces the effects of a mileage of 300,000 kilometres.
  
  
• and the particularly significant rotating bending test. This simulates the dynamic lateral forces experienced by vehicles when cornering. To reproduce different loads as realistically as possible, two horizontal measuring points are monitored and compared with one another. Only where both measurements lie within the limits set by Mercedes-Benz will the wheel be approved. This test alone takes two to three days and, depending on the wheel model, requires up to several million load-cycle changes, because the test is only complete when the wheel breaks.

Production: intricate processes and optimum materials

When it comes to producing the genuine Mercedes-Benz incenio designer wheels which underline the company’s leading position as a quality provider, only two manufacturing processes are used: the forging process and the casting of high-quality aluminium alloys. All wheels are subjected to a special, ten-hour heat treatment which significantly increases their strength. Further advantages include higher breaking points, lower brittleness and enhanced material strain rates. Wheels which have been heat-treated are also less sensitive to impact strain than those which have not.

Like the standard wheels, all wheel/tyre sizes offered by Mercedes-Benz partners as part of the incenio designer wheel range are included in the COC (Certification of Conformity), which is valid throughout Europe, or carry corresponding certificates.

History: Mercedes-Benz introduces light-alloy wheels in 1970

The new incenio designer wheels represent a high point in the history of the light-alloy wheel. Weight-optimised alternatives to wood or steel wheels existed in the early days of the automobile, albeit only in the world of motor racing or for rare one-off models. The breakthrough into high-volume production only came at the end of the 1960s, when new alloys and production methods were developed. Mercedes-Benz was among the pioneers of this development and offered forged aluminium wheels as early as 1970. These were available as optional extras for the 280 S to 300 SEL 6.3 (model series W 108) Saloons and were manufactured by Fuchs, a German company which also supplied Porsche with its famous five-spoke wheels. The size 6J x 14 and 6.5J x 14 wheels originally offered would not even be contemplated for use on an A-Class today. The optional extra, popularly referred to as the “Baroque wheel” was a true rarity and at the outset only around 4,600 were produced per year.

When demand began to grow for similar wheels for other model series, the product became available for retrofitting. The 20-spoke size 6J x 15 light-alloy wheel (nicknamed the “Police star wheel”) first appeared in our brochures in 1984, as an accessory for the 190 model series (W 201). Soon afterwards this model also became available for the mid-range 200 to 300 E model series (W 124). With increasing demand for low weight, enhanced handling and an individual look, light-alloy wheels really came into their own, accelerated by the rise of both car customisation and motorsport at the end of the 1980s. The series of wheels represents brand history: from the low-maintenance 15-hole wheel (“Manhole cover”) and the 8-hole wheel to the sporty 6-spoke wheel (“EVO II”) every age has had its own particular favourites.

Prices for the new incenio designer wheels for the CL-Class, incl. VAT*:

incenio designer wheel “Almach”
17-inch: € 273 (B6 647 4316)<

incenio designer wheel “Eridanus”
18-inch: € 355 (B6 647 4284)
18-inch, RA: € 362 (B6 647 4293)

incenio designer wheel “Armida”
18-inch: € 372 (B6 647 4333)
18-inch, RA: € 381 (B6 647 4334)

incenio designer wheel “Denebola”
19-inch: € 402 (B6 647 4313)
19-inch, RA: € 407 (B6 647 4314)

incenio designer wheel “Alaraph”
20-inch: Prices from end of October 2006

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