My 1987 300D-T (W124, OM603) came to me with "Douglas" tires, probably bought by the PO so that he could sell the car with new tires without spending a lot of money. The tires so far (a few thousand miles) have been OK. I'm always a little concerned about private-label stuff and wanted to know if anyone here could speak from experience.

The tires I have are "Douglas Touring M+S P195/65R15 89S." The size is what the owner's manual specifies (page 93) for this car; the load rating of 89 is a little light (1279 lbs or 580 kg) compared to the factory recommendation of 91 (1356 lbs or 615 kg); the speed rating S (112 mph) is well under the factory spec of "H" (130 mph). Since I don't plan to carry heavy loads or drive at high speed, this is not a matter of concern.

After doing a little research on the Internet, I have learned that "Douglas" is a private label made by Kelly Springfield (owned by Goodyear since 1935). My tires were made in the 31st week of 2002 in a Union City, Tennessee plant, according to the DOT code. My PO probably bought the tires from Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart has been a retailer of Douglas tires since 1991 and uses them as an inexpensive alternative to its "General" tire line.

Any stories to share (good or bad)?

Jeremy

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"Buster" in the '95

Our all-Diesel family
1996 E300D (W210) . .338,000 miles Wife's car
2005 E320 CDI . . 113,000 miles My car
Santa Rosa population 176,762 (2022)
Total. . . . . . . . . . . . 627,762
"Oh lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz."
-- Janis Joplin, October 1, 1970