Turanza LSH SUCKS in the snow! - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

ksing44 · #1 01-19-2005, 08:14 PM

Turanza LSH SUCKS in the snow!

I switched based on advice from Luke, but right now I wish I had purchased the Michelin MXV4s, even if they are French tires.

I changed from the Michelin MXV4 Energy Plus. The Michelins were not great in the rain, BUT they were quieter and more comfortable on the highway and now I know that they were MUCH better in light snow. I wasn’t expecting a miracle from the "All Season" Turanza, BUT these thing really SUCK in the snow.They are absolutely HORRIBLE!

I liked them in the rain, BUT these things SUCK in the snow. They are absolutely HORRIBLE!

I could tell they were just a little tiny bit firmer, noisier, and less comfortable than the Michelin MXV4s, BUT they SUCK in the snow. I was happy with the improved rain performance, BUT these tires lose in every other category. I even had my wife get some for her rather new Honda Accord. Her car was awesome in the snow with the Michelin MXV4s, BUT the Turanzas SUCK on her car in an inch of snow. They are absolutely HORRIBLE!

I have real snow tires on my OEM rims and I am going to let my wife have them mounted on her car tomorrow. I am going to live with my mistake for now and just use my wife’s car when it snows. I was OK with the Michelins, especially when they were brand new, BUT these Turanza LSH tires SUCK in the snow, even though they only have about 1000 miles on them. They are absolutely HORRIBLE!

I can’t believe how bad these Turanza LSH tires SUCK in the snow! They are absolutely HORRIBLE!

I will NEVER buy another Turanza tire AS LONG AS I LIVE!

I have very nice AMG rims and I hate to switch to my OEM Special Edition wheels with the snow tires. In the past, I was fine in the winter with newer Michelin MXV4s on my AMG rims, BUT not I am SCREWED with these absolutely HORRIBLE Turanza LSH tires. Turanza LSH SUCKS in the snow! They are absolutely HORRIBLE!

I wish I had my michelin MXV4 tires right now!

suginami · #2 01-19-2005, 09:01 PM

I hear you, but the strange this is, if you go to The Tire Rack, and read the reviews on the MXV4's, everyone seems to complain about how lousy they perform in the snow.

rmasteller · #3 01-19-2005, 10:18 PM

ksing44,

So, I don't quite understand. How do you feel about the Turanza LSH in the snow? Could you be a little more clear and repeat yourself to make sure I get it this time?

But seriously now, I'm sorry you hate your new tires. Does your car have traction control? If so, you should have a "snow chains" button that reduces the effect of (but not cancel) traction control at low speeds. This might help you?

Now, what I actually don't understand is why you don't want to use your stock, although limited edition, wheels for snow tires. What gives? I put Nokian snow tires on my stock wheels this winter and it's great! I can't wait to buy new 16" wheels in Feb or March and put some good summer tires on them. It would be easy to switch sets when the seasons change, easy DIY, and you would get the best of both worlds!

DangerMouse · #4 01-19-2005, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ksing44

Turanza LSH SUCKS in the snow!

I switched based on advice from Luke, but right now I wish I had purchased the Michelin MXV4s, even if they are French tires.

Hello ksing44,

Sorry to hear of your troubles with the Turanza LS-H. I am somewhat confused about your comments (not doubting them) given positive comments about the tire's performance in light snow. This evening I drove through one-inch of snow with ice underneath on 205/60HR15 Turanza LS-H tires and stock 15-inch wheels -- no slipping so long as the low-traction button was engaged from a stop.

Wild speculation without hard evidence: I wonder if your 205 profile tires are stretched too thin on the 7,5-inch wheels for stock inflation, resulting in not enough sidewall flex but higher pressures once the tire has warmed up. You might be able to increase traction by reducing tire pressure a bit (at your own risk). I would bounce the idea off Luke before giving it a spin.

--DM

PS - Understood that you did not have this problem with the previous MXV4+ tires. My recommendation just makes the tires usable this winter, if it works.

nhodges · #5 01-20-2005, 12:24 AM

My 235/60-16s were great today. Drove all over the District (where it was not blocked) and up and down I-95.

ksing44 · #6 01-20-2005, 06:52 AM

I don’t think you should assume that I am a less than skilled and confident driver in the snow. Believe me, I have done my share of sliding my car full-lock cornering in the snow and playing around doing donuts. It isn’t me, my car, my rims, the inflation, my wife’s car, or any other thing. It is the TIRES!

The worst part of all of this is that my wife is upset about the tires on her car. I feel like I am in the doghouse because she replaced her Michelins with the Turanzas, based on my recommendation that I received from Luke. It would be one thing if were just me, BUT MY WIFE IS UPSET. My wife’s car was absolutely awesome in the snow before she got the Turanzas. She has front wheel drive, traction control, and anti-lock brakes. This isn’t some strange phenomenon associated with only my tires. The Turanza LSH tires are HORRIBLE on my car and on my wife’s typically incredible snow machine. She purchased her tires from the local tire store and she is going back today to see if she can return them or trade them or something.

I purchased my tires from Tirerack and I am going to ask Luke if there is any way for me to return my tires.

Yes I could use my snow tires, but I thought I would be OK with "All Season" tires, since they are almost brand new. I would have been OK with the Michelin MXV4s.

My wife and I are both VERY DISAPPOINTED with the tires and I may eat the entire $1000.00 cost of the 8 tires and installation just to get them off of our cars.

There are plenty of solutions, but the bottom line is that we hate these tires and they are HORRIBLE in the snow. We both wish we had purchased Michelin MXV4 tires. We will never make that mistake again.

ksing44 · #7 01-20-2005, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by suginami

I hear you, but the strange this is, if you go to The Tire Rack, and read the reviews on the MXV4's, everyone seems to complain about how lousy they perform in the snow.

I am not saying that the Michelin MXV4 tires are great snow tires, EXCEPT when you compare them to the Turanzas.

The Michelins were quite impressive, however, when they were on my wife's Honda Accord that has front wheel drive, traction control, and anti-lock brakes. The Michelins were also good enough, when new, to allow me to keep my AMGs mounted for the winter. I am VERY CONFIDENT driving in the snow, so I could live with a little slipping. The Turanzas just don't cut it!

ksing44 · #8 01-20-2005, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DangerMouse

Hello ksing44,
Wild speculation without hard evidence: I wonder if your 205 profile tires are stretched too thin on the 7,5-inch wheels for stock inflation, resulting in not enough sidewall flex but higher pressures once the tire has warmed up. You might be able to increase traction by reducing tire pressure a bit (at your own risk). I would bounce the idea off Luke before giving it a spin.

Thank you for the help, but I don't think there is any science about it. The Turanzas are just HORRIBLE IN THE SNOW

BadBenz94 · #9 01-20-2005, 10:51 AM

See my reply
http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/mercedes-benz-wheels-tires/112554-1990-300se-need-tire-help.html#post802076

Chris

moi · #10 01-20-2005, 10:55 AM

I have a 91 420 sel,and by my father in law advice,I bought mastercraft avenger tires.They are quiet,smooth and inexpensif.Recently(Christmas day),I drove to Kentucky on snow and ice covered road.While everybody were put p utting along the right lane that was semi clear ,I was doing 60 in the uncleared left lane passing everybody without any lost of traction period!

Luke@tirerack · #11 01-20-2005, 12:53 PM

Sorry that you're not happy with them (even though the perform better than the Michelins in all of our testing and a high percent of our customer surveys) but, contact customer service @ 800-428-8355 ext. 362 and they will try to work with you to get you into the Michelins

ksing44 · #12 01-20-2005, 05:02 PM

I contacted customer service at Tirerack. As was the case with the local tire shop where my wife purchased her tires, Tirerack explained that Bridgestone has a 30-day warranty and that Bridgestone is a “stickler” for meaning exactly 30 days. There is nothing that anyone is willing to do to help us, except that the local shop did offer to mount and balance different tires for my wife, free of charge, if she selected tires from their store.

We are both still trying to decide what to do. I can use the snow tires mounted on my stock wheels and then just switch back to these Bridgestones in the spring, but I just hate these tires now. I suppose I will suffer with the Bridgestone tires, even though I hate them, because I wanted to use any available funds to purchase big swaybars.

I just won’t ever buy another set of Bridgestone tires for as long as I live.

DangerMouse · #13 01-20-2005, 10:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ksing44

Thank you for the help, but I don't think there is any science about it. The Turanzas are just HORRIBLE IN THE SNOW

Hello ksing44,

I understand and can empathize with your experience -- my first set of Yokohamas a few years ago (original AVS dB) wore to the point of becoming dangerous within 10,000 miles. Complete wash on the purchase, spent money on the (then) new Michelin Pilot Sport and was quite satisfied.

The only question I seek to clarify relates to wheel width and tire profile. My 1995 E420 (heavier car) with 205/60HR15 Turanzas on 6 1/2-inch wheels for the past two years has absolutely no problems handling snow. None. I always find myself passing BMW drivers, who struggle to maintain control during a snowstorm.

I have exact replicas of the AMG 7,5x16 Aero II wheels on your vehicle ready for installation. If a 205 profile tire proves too narrow for the wheel and causes traction issues, my only option is a 225/50 tire with an AMG spacer kit. Just my twopence.

Best of luck resolving this issue with TR!
-DM

ksing44 · #14 01-21-2005, 07:18 AM

I have had no problems related to the wheels and I had no problems after 3 years with the Michelin MXV4 in 205/55/16. I am very happy that I went with the 16" wheels, because I think I would have lost too much comfort with the 17" wheels and even lower profile tires. For me, tires seem to make a bigger difference in ride comfort than lowering springs and firmer shocks. I do wish I could fit even wider tires. There is nothing wrong with the 205; I just like the look of very fat tires. In addition, I think wider tires would have a larger volume of air that might improve the ride comfort. The 205/55/16 does look wider than stock and my 16" x 7.5" ET37 AMG wheels moved the edges of the tires out closer to the fender lip, so the car does have a wider more aggressive stance than stock.

Recently I had the alignment tweaked and found out that the caster should have been set to the maximum, since I lowered my car, to keep the front wheels centered in the fender arch. I actually have a little rubbing on the lower plastic cladding even with the smaller 205/55/16 tires. I will have the caster adjusted very soon, so everything will be fine. I would definitely need the AMG spacer kit, if I wanted to try the 225/50/16. From what I have read, some guys are able to run the 225 width without rubbing. First I thought they must have higher offset wheels, but it turned out that some of them actually had lower offsets and still did not have any rubbing issues. There seems to be quite a bit of variability in fitting the wider tires on these W124s.

As for the Bridgestone tires and Tirerack, I just won’t ever buy another Bridgestone tire and I will probably just purchase Michelins from a local tire store in the future. Overall I liked the Michelin tires better and it seems like a good idea to patronize a local vendor. The Bridgestone tires are definitely better in the rain and they don’t squeal the way the Michelin MXV4s did, but I found the Bridgestone tires to be slightly firmer, slightly noisier, slightly less comfortable, and MUCH WORSE in the snow. If I had known that the Bridgestone "All Season" tires were going to be this bad in the snow, I would have purchased Max Performance Summer tires and used my snow tires for the winter. The snow is a big deal to me right now, but I really wasn’t happy about the loss of comfort and the increased noise. I was going to live with it for the improved rain performance, but now I am definitely going to go back to the Michelins.

My 1995 E320 with wider stance than stock

My 1995 E320 from the side, showing the slightly lowered stance