I looked at their stuff when I had my 300m. There website is www.startech-usa.com. Anyone had any experience with them?
Brabus wheels are heavy just like all OEM quality rims especially for Mercedes. They probably have to be to meet TUV certification because Brabus is considered a manufactor. How, can the world's top and best known performance tuner for Mercedes be for "posers". They build high performance engines and tuning parts. Just because their wheels are heavy does not put them in a poser category.Viper 10 said:As a Viper owner, I have talked to Startech several times at SEMA. They make the heaviest wheels on earth and do not test or dyno their performance products. Their brakes for Vipers are untested. Their exhaust for Vipers is untested. Need I go on?
Unless you are all about Bling, stay away from these jokers who are drinking their own Kool-Aid. Brabus and Startech are for posers.
JMO.
Brad
Whoa, Brabus compared to Hennessey???? How can you compare Hennessey to Brabus? Please explain. How can you call Brabus posers??? Your the first person that has ever called "Brabus" posers. I'm sorry but E55 knows what he's talking about. Other then AMG (which is Mercedes in house tuning division), Brabus is the main company that works with Mercedes products. If you think a 6.1 litre engine with 425 hp is impressive then you haven't seen what European tuning companies can do with it. I'm not going type out and explain why Brabus is such a highly respected company for Mercedes products but i've added some spec's for the Brabus tuned SLR below. If you still disagree with the article below and think Brabus are posers after working with the SLR then i'll apologize.Viper 10 said:E55:
You tell me what you get from Brabus other than a dyno queen? All the crap that you are spewing tells me nothing about actual performance. Any "manufacturer" that puts a 55 pound 20" wheel on a car that replaces a 25 lb 18" wheel is just stupid. Any idiot knows that adding unsprung weight to the corners of your car will have a dramatically detrimental affect on a car's handling.
All that I hear from you is that you are drinking their Kool-Aid. Show me something that means more than dyno jockey poser food. What has Brabus done of substance that improves performance in anything other than straight line acceleration.
I will apologize for my comments when you come up with something with substance. Until then, Barbus sounds just like Hennessey... poser candy.
BRABUS equips the SLR with a special self-locking differential. Its 40 percent locking rate further optimizes the super sports car's traction and thus further improves acceleration.
In BRABUS Racing version with performance-improving fuel cooling, custom camshafts and an open racing exhausts system maximum power output of the supercharged V8 engine increases to 660 hp / 486 kW at 6,500 rpm. The exhaust system is not certified for use on public roads. Thus equipped the SLR storms to 100 km/h from rest in just 3.6 seconds and reaches a top speed of up to 340 km/h.
BRABUS further offers professional modifications to body, suspension and interior that further amplify the sports talents of the SLR.
For further improved directional stability at high speeds the BRABUS designers developed a new spoiler for the front air dam. The exposed-carbon aerodynamic-enhancement part reduces lift on the front axle and adds another shot of racing looks. The rear diffuser is also made from exposed carbon.
The multi-piece BRABUS Monoblock VI 20-inch light-alloy wheels with six double spokes command immediate attention. The fully polished wheels in size 9.5Jx20 in front and in size 11.5Jx20 on the rear axle fill out the available space below the wheel arches perfectly.
BRABUS chose high-performance tires in sizes 255/30 ZR 20 and 305/25 ZR 20 as the optimal solution. The conversion to the BRABUS 20-inch tire/wheel combination gives the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren even more dynamic handling prowess.
BRABUS also adds new sporty and exclusive highlights in the interior. The company-own upholstery shop created a BRABUS interior from an exclusive black and red combination of leather and Alcantara, perfectly crafted down to the last detail. The waffle-design stitching of the SLR leather floor is especially elaborate and it alone uses 7,800 meters of the finest thread.
For easier entering and exiting BRABUS manufactured a custom BRABUS sport steering wheel with an ergonomically shaped rim that is flat on the bottom. For manual shifting of the SLR's automatic transmission the BRABUS steering wheel features buttons integrated into the spokes.
The BRABUS interior designers developed precise-fit applications for dashboard, center console and door panels, all made from exposed carbon. They extend the BRABUS exterior carbon look into the interior.
It is obvious that your disdain is mainly for Startech and there lack of or minimal Viper program and I can understand that. Yes, there products for the Viper seems very limited and they have nothing for the Viper to increase it's performance, but to put the Brabus Tuning prowess in the poser category is a very uninformed or biased opinion. Brabus does make full suspension kits to improve handling and as I stated the wheels are heavy just like Mercedes OEM, AMG, Carlsson, Lorinser and just about every other Benz tuner because I believe they have to be to meet the very strict TUV certification in Europe. TUV will not even allow chrome plating from OEM manufactors and will not allow Chrysler to put the cheap chrome clad 300C rim found on the US models on the European models. Hence the reason the exported Euro model has the rim off the US Magnums.Viper 10 said:E55:
You tell me what you get from Brabus other than a dyno queen? All the crap that you are spewing tells me nothing about actual performance. Any "manufacturer" that puts a 55 pound 20" wheel on a car that replaces a 25 lb 18" wheel is just stupid. Any idiot knows that adding unsprung weight to the corners of your car will have a dramatically detrimental affect on a car's handling.
All that I hear from you is that you are drinking their Kool-Aid. Show me something that means more than dyno jockey poser food. What has Brabus done of substance that improves performance in anything other than straight line acceleration.
I will apologize for my comments when you come up with something with substance. Until then, Barbus sounds just like Hennessey... poser candy.