Well, they didn't get stronger by removing about a half inch out of each hole I can tell you that.  OTOH, I removed enough material to get the same # of turns before the OEM alloy wheel lugs seat.  I think that was about 7.5 turns.

Everything about the MB wheels seems better quality, so I am assuming the alloy is as strong or better.   If VW concluded it was safe to machine the wheels to be that thin on the van, I expect the MB wheels will also be o.k.

Dave

--- On Sat, 9/12/09, Bob Stevens <mtbiker62@gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Bob Stevens <mtbiker62@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: Wheel alternatives...
> To: "David Vickery" <david_vickery@yahoo.com>
> Cc: vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
> Date: Saturday, September 12, 2009, 11:19 PM
> Dave,Any idea, based on the amount of
> material you had to eliminate from the bolt holes, what that
> may have done to the OE intended load-bearing capacity of
> these wheels?Just curious.bob
>
>
> On Sat, Sep 12, 2009 at 10:44 PM,
> David Vickery <david_vickery@yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>
> I finally got around to fitting MB wheels on my syncro.  I
> used the OEM MB 8 hole, 15x 6.5 or 7, ET 37 from a 90's
> C class car.  I finally got them to be direct bolt on to my
> or any van.  The hubs are the right size but the thickness
> of the alloy required a lot of machining to get them to
> direct bolt on.  I learned a lot in the process and had
> checked into wheel adapters and longer studs before deciding
> to ream out the holes to the same thickness as the OEM VW
> alloy wheel.
>
>
>
>
> Initially I thought it would be more expensive to get wheel
> adapters, so I went with wheels that had about the right ET
> 37 vs. stock 30.  I wouldn't do it that way again.
>
>
>
> I also had bought the longer studs that were intended for a
> 911 and I bought longer lugs too when I had a 2wd van.
>  That was expensive too and was more involved that I wanted
> to get into so I resold them.  Plus they aren't really
> bolt on when you do that, they only bolt on to a modified
> van.  I wouldn't do it that way again either.
>
>
>
>
> If I had to do it over again, I would find wheels with a
> large offset like ET60 and I would just buy adapters to bolt
> on before bolting on the wheels.  That would be the easiest
> way to go, and in the end the cheapest if you figure in any
> cost for your time and tools or other parts you will have to
> buy.  The drill bits to ream out the holes cost almost $100
> by themselves.  Plus someone mis-informed me and I had to
> buy a second countersink bit.
>
>
>
>
> You can adapt the larger ET wheels easily and the bolt
> pattern options are plentiful from places that sell
> adapters.  You can also get a 25mm thick 5/112 to 5/112
> "adapter" that just corrects the offset and is a
> direct bolt on with MB wheels.  The link below is
> $52/adapter but I think I saw them a little cheaper
> somewhere else.
>
>
>
>
> http://adaptitusa.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=165
>
>
>
> Sounds like the link posted from thesamba has all the
> correct info.  But this was my experience after going
> through it.  And I didn't know about the samba link
> when I started.
>
>
>
> BTW, I did all the machining by hand drill, and it worked
> out fine.  I later found a wheel shop in Denver that
> machines them for $20/wheel.  Oh well.
>
>
>
> Dave in Denver
>
>
>
>