Tires for 210k mile '95 e300 diesel

[chronometers]

I am at about 45k on 6-year-old MXV4 Michelin and have about 4/32 tread depth. The stock tire is a 195/65 15". Michelin no longer makes the MXV4.

I decided to pre-order a set of Michelin X-tour tires from Costco and have them installed after the salt disappears from our roads here in OH (late March??).

The Michelin X-tour tires are re-badged Defender XT T+Hs. They rebadge them so other retailers won't have to price match them apparently.

With 1c installation and a $70 rebate from Michelin, they came to $377 for a set of 4 all in. The price included install, lifetime tire rotation and balancing, as well as road hazard warranty. Based on shopping a bit, this seemed to be a good deal.

The tires are rated at 80k so these seem like good candidates for vehicles you think will rack up the miles on.

The MXV4 tires were replaced with the Premiere AS. The technician at Costco told me he steers customers away from them based on their experience with that model. He says many are prematurely wearing down.

The MXV4 and Premiere AS are performance tires and I think you may trade a bit of performance for the Defender/X-tour but the '95 e300 is not a performance car. It is a road car and great for long road trips. The X-tour should be a good match.

[tyl604]

$94 each installed and with a lifetime balance; sounds good to me.

[rmasteller]

That does sound like a good deal. Regarding your car not being a performance car, I disagree. The tires need to perform like performance car tires in times of need. Emergency breaking, steering to avoid an accident or pedestrian, etc. I prefer to lean to the side of performance instead of longevity for this reason, for every car.

[chronometers]

Originally Posted by rmasteller

That does sound like a good deal. Regarding your car not being a performance car, I disagree. The tires need to perform like performance car tires in times of need. Emergency braking, steering to avoid an accident or pedestrian, etc. I prefer to lean to the side of performance instead of longevity for this reason, for every car.

Agree to a point! By performance car, I mean quick acceleration and a car you drive fast and hard (pushing lateral forces, etc.). The E300 is a touring car and I do not drive it aggressively.

Agree you want something that performs well in Emergency situations. Based on the research I did, the Michelin Defender tires do a very good job of wet weather braking and road handling.

Michelin does not compromise on safety performance on any of its tires. The Defender seems to be a good all around selection for our older diesels that are not going to the race track and will be driven many miles.

[torsionbar]

That is a great price, well done. Good to know about the rebadged names, thanks.

[vstech]

Keep in mind that you are not only giving up performance, but you are giving up silent soft ride...

The harder rubber in the 80K tires is a bit harsher, and noisier, but you will likely see an improvement in fuel economy also...

[sixto]

Wasn’t the MXV4 green at Costco also rated for 80K miles?

Not that you’ll push limits but are the MXV4s H or V rated? IIRC Defenders are H rated which gets back John’s comment about stiffness.

Sixto
98 E320s sedan and wagon

[Mxfrank]

In thirty years, the best tire I’ve found for these cars is Kumho Solus TA11. Quietest and mos comfortable by far, and they perform as well as they have to.