thought I'd have better luck here than the tire forum...


it seems over there its mostly newer-ish cars.


Anyway, having a hard time finding a reputable tire brand that makes 195/70r14 H


Even thought the H is probably overkill, I'd like to see the handling with the higher speed index.


I've always put on whatever Costco had. usually Michelins. And the handling and wear are not impressive.


the only tires to meet the specs that I could find are thunderer, pantera, kumho


not familiar with any of these. but I know thunderer and pantera are manufactured in Thailand. I think kumhos are Chinese made.


any thoughts?


conti, Pirelli don't make that size anymore
Michelins have a new H+T that could fit the bill


I'm thinking the less known brands will take on this niche market as most big manufacturers drop or limit the 14" lineup

__________________
1983 300CD Turbodiesel

Kumho tires are made in South Korea and are a good, reliable tire from what I've read and heard from others that have used them. I would feel comfortable putting them on your car. Just my 2 cents, other members will likely chime in as well.

14" tires is now a tiny and always shrinking market. I can't think of any new car with 14" tires in the last 15 years. If you want to find reputable tires these days you need to move up to 15" or 16". Even quality 15" tires are starting to get scarce.

__________________
CENSORED due to not family friendly words

i would just go with the General Altimax rt43 - affordable and great.

__________________
Andrew
Montclair, NJ
--------------
1982 300D Turbo
120k
Petrol Blue Green

Now might be the time to consider a switch to 15s, such as these:
And with these spacers & bolts.
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/sl-forum/378988-hubcentric-wheel-adapters.html?highlight=hubcentric

Attached Thumbnails

 

Bang for the buck....Kumho Sense
S. Korea made and have the higher load rating with low rolling resistance.

I've had a set on mine for several years now.

__________________
Sam

84 300SD 350K+ miles ( Blue Belle )

I used to have those wheels years ago... didn't like the look and switched to a set of bundts.


those are long gone and the chrome was flaking anyway

__________________
1983 300CD Turbodiesel

one guy on here was complaining that the kumhos gave a mushy ride...

anybody else have this experience. it seems that kumho is popular in this size.

__________________
1983 300CD Turbodiesel

So far I've got-

brand name:
Michelin 91H defender $100
Pirelli 91T $90

lesser known:
Kumho 91H $56

lesserest known:
Pantera 91H
Thunderer 91H

__________________
1983 300CD Turbodiesel

Had bad luck with Kumho lately. Kumho Solus KR 21 bought 2014 made in China. Only 15 k miles. On rear of FWD car most of time, (not Mercedes). If mounted on front, steering wheel wiggles side to side at 35-45 mph. Has about 1/4 inch radial runout as estimated from video of rotating wheel with wheel off ground. Rough and bumpy ride when on front. Less noticed on rear. Never could balance them, maybe runout is reason. Even Landsail made in Thailand has less radial runout.
By contrast, Hankook H724 on my Mercedes rides soft and smooth. Soft handling also. But at least smooth ride.

QC might be an issue with the cheaper tires.

looks like the top contenders are Michelin 91H and Pirelli 91T

all else being pretty equal. which would you choose?

__________________
1983 300CD Turbodiesel

Take a look at Nexen also- a good S Korean brand.

__________________
Marshall Welch
Seattle, WA
1982 300D-T

I bought Kumho 14" tires for my 85 300D in 2007 (KR21 Solus). They were rated 90T. Last year, one of them developed a large bubble in the side wall and then went flat. Luckily I noticed i while parked. The tires were 8 years old, but had only done 25k miles. I could not find H rated tires in our area, so I again bought T-rated tires. This time, Toyo Extensa 90T. With an old car like this that seldom gets driven at highway speeds, I am comfortable with the T-rated tires. In past when this was my daily driver, I used H-rated Michelins, but they are no longer available here.

14" tires are becoming very difficult to find, especially in higher speed ranges. However, I have gone with 14" Toyos on W123 and R107 . Neither will be driven enough to wear the tires out and they should see me through another 8 years or so. Maybe won't have the cars by then!

__________________
Graham
85 300D,72 350SL, 98 E320, Outback 2.5

If you are going to drive 90k miles in 6 years ...go with the defendER from Michelin. It is rated for 90k miles.

Michelin was OEM.

__________________
-- Chris

'95 E300, 216k miles, Silver Surfer
'05 E320 CDI, 138k miles
'07 S550 4matic, 69k miles

Gone but not forgotten:

'76 300D, 350k miles?, SOLD in 1995
'75 240D, 300k miles, SOLD in 1991

Michelin XWX.. go big or go home.


But seriously. The 14 inch tire market is a dry one. The Michelin Defenders are going to be the best tire in the class. Stay away from the Chinese stuff. The General Altimax are a good tire too.

What Pirelli 14 inchers are you see for sale?

__________________
'80 300SD - '83 240D - '00 E55 AMG - '02 G500