How we engineered three forged designs around the most recognisable silhouette in the luxury SUV world — and why offset mattered more than diameter.
The G-Class is one of very few vehicles that has kept its shape for more than four decades. That makes it a uniquely difficult canvas for a wheel designer: the slab sides, upright glasshouse and exposed spare wheel leave nowhere to hide a poorly judged fitment.
Our G-Wagon study started with a simple question — what does the car look like when the wheel fills the arch the way the designers drew it, rather than the way the homologation process allows it?
Offset before diameter
Most G-Class upgrades jump straight to 23 or 24 inches. We began with offset instead. The factory 22×10J wheel sits at ET36, leaving a visible gap between tyre shoulder and fender. Moving to 23×10.5J at ET30–35 brings the outer lip forward by seven to twelve millimetres while keeping the inner barrel almost exactly where it was — so suspension and steering clearance remain unchanged.
- Bolt pattern
- 5×130
- Centre bore
- 84.1 mm, hub-centric
- Recommended size
- 23×10.5J ET30–35
- Tyre
- 295/35 R23
- Load rating
- ≥ 1,040 kg per wheel
Three characters, one platform
DRX-101 brings a forged mesh that echoes the G-Class’ grille. DRX-213 adds a sculpted, directional face for a more athletic stance, while DRX-305 explores a deep concave profile that reads clearly even from across the street. Each was checked against AMG G 63 caliper templates before a single billet was cut.
The goal was never to make the G-Class look modified. It was to make it look finished.
— DRAXLER design team
You can explore every compatible DRAXLER design on the interactive G-Wagon model in our Projects section, together with the full fitment guide.
