I am looking for a good tire at a fair price for my 500SEL with 15" wheels. When I bought the car it had 205x65x15 MXV's on it that were pretty worn out. I am not sure that the size is correct and not having any Benz ride experience I think that they ride a bit hard. The Symmetry tire is about 45% cheaper than the MXV but I am not sure they will handle the load of a 500SEL. Any suggestions/recomendations will be appreciated.

GSMITH,
Your best bet for that car is OEM sized Michelin "Energy MXV4 Plus" tires. They are hands down the best touring tire you can buy. In my experience the right tires are worth getting. When you consider that everything your car does depends on those four little contact patches. Besides, if you consider "how much per mile" difference you pay for good vs cheap tires...

If we are talking a W140 500SEL then your OEM should be 235/65/16. If we are talking W126 then OEM is 205/65/15 or 205/70/14. Since you say you have 15" wheels I would guess your size is 205/65/15. You may want to give the staff at Tirerack a call to get a good second opinion.

Hope this helps...Lee

I've heard also that the Michelin MXV4's improve fuel economy, so they could help pay for themselves. Browsing the tire selection at my local BJ's wholesale club ($110 each for 15" MXV4's) reveals differences between the MXV4's. There are at least two, probably four, different MXV4's: MXV4, MXV4 plus, Energy MXV4, MXV4 plus Green-X. What made me look closer was the treadwear rating being 400 on one of size, and 340 on another similar size. I'm talking 205-65-15 vs 205-60-15. Makes me wonder why Michelin did this.

------------------
Robert W. Roe
1984 300SD 165,860 miles

Does anyone have experience with the Michelin X-One? I ran across this on Tirerack and asked their opinion of the X-One vs. the MXV4. They indicated that the X-One is a somewhat lower performance tire (T rating, softer ride, less crisp response), but has traction equivalent to the MXV4's and is rated with close to twice the treadlife (620 vs 340 in a 205/60-15). Given that it's a little less expensive than the MXV4, it might last a long time. If anyone has experience with them, I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Dave,
Sorry no firsthand experience with the X-one. Have heard it doesn't handle as well but does not ride any better either. Pretty much a budget minded tire (low initial cost, lasts forever, etc) The MXV4, in any of its incarnations, rides great, handles well for a touring tire, and now has a treadlife of 400UTQG for the Energy Plus. I do have plenty of firsthand experience with the MXV4's, all of it ultra-positive. They do everything a touring tire is supposed to with flying colors.

Also, most benz require a MINIMUM of H-rated tires. Not that any of us sustain speeds of approx 130mph (H-rated territory) but if something happened there might be an issue of a insufficiently rated tire on a car. When you consider "how much per mile, month, etc" cost difference I'd just assume have the better tire. If ultra low budget is your primary concern then the X-one is the obvious choice. Just make sure your local tire shop will mount a S or T rated tire on a H or V (maybe even Z) rated car.

Hope this helps...Lee

Thanks, Lee, was just curious if anyone had any experience with them. I've used the MXV series on my BMW's for the last 25 years and we now have MXV4 Plus' on our Honda Prelude. Actually the difference in cost on the X-One's isn't really all that great either, about 10% less is all.

I have X-one 205x70x14 on my 85 380SE. These are touring Michelins. Extremely quiet. They are whitewall but on my car they are mounted whitewall inside (I hate whitewalls). I can't say anything about higher speed performance because I am not pushing my 85 MB too hard. I enjoy cruising a lot though.

MikeB

I am a little confused by the comments abouth Michelins Energy MXV4. Users here are in general very satisfied with those tires. I found, however, a road test of Acura TL with MXV4 on it and here it is what they say:
"What hampered our test car the most during speedy driving on curvy roads was the Michelin Energy MXV4 mud and snow tires that come standard on the TL. They sang and rumbled on almost all pavement types, and squealed like stuck pigs at moderate cornering speeds. One test driver wrote, "These tires like smooth, straight blacktop, and not much else." During our mountain drive, the car understeered predictably on these tires, which provided a progressive and controllable loss of grip near the limit."

MikeB

Having driven Energy MXV4's on both street and track my experience is that they handle VERY well for a touring tire. NO touring tire will match up to a ultra-high performance tire when pushed hard. (as in magazine skidpad or backroad testing) That is just the nature of the beast. Touring tires like to "tour" and ultra-high perfomrance tires follow their description as well. One should buy the type of tire that matches their driving style.

After driving similar cars on a racetrack, some shod with MXV4's and some shod with ultra-high performance stuff you will notice that the MXV4's have less overall grip. However, their straightline stability, ride, noise levels, and predictability at the limit are all equal to or better than most of the ultra-high performance tires. The MXV4's will not give you the skidpad numbers of a dedicated performance tire.

What they will give you is at least twice the treadlife, mud/snow traction beyond what the performance tire could dream of, better ride on just about any surface, and lower noise levels when not being pushed 9/10ths. They usually cost a bit less up-front as well. The reason most benz owners like them so well is that the above qualities match their car's personalities very well.

Example: S320 (W140) people have a big comfy touring car so the MXV4 (in any of its iterations) is a excellent compliment. C36/43 or 500E owners tend to look for something a bit more sporting because it suits the nature of the car (and usually driver) better than a touring tire. It all depends on matching the right tire to the right vehicle/driving style. If you want a tire for ultimate grip then the MXV4 (or any touring tire) isn't for you. If you want quiet ride, long treadlife, year-round functionality, etc then a max-performance tire isn't for you.

Match your personal vehicle type + driving style to the correct tire for that application. If you let us know what model car you have and tell us a little about your driving style/habits/priorities in a tire we will be more than happy to advise on a size/brand/model fittment for your specific application. Or you can call/click on Tirerack for the same service.

Hope this helps...Lee

Lee,

I agree with you 100%. I just had an opportunity to drive Acura TL with Michelins MXV on it and what they said in a road test is more perosnal impression than objective evaluation.

I have MB 380SE with Michelins X-one and I have to tell you that MXV4s will be my next tires. These MXV4s perform exactly as you descibe. They are very quiet and keep the grip very well during hard cornering. I suspect that there was something wrong with the test Acura and nothing wrong with Michelins.

MikeB

My $.02
 

Hello:

First I want to thank Tirerack for being a supporter/contributor of this forum. I have gleaned an immense amount of information from the various categories here.

Second, I am curious as to why 'other' tire dealers are under the impression, or at least try to convince the customer, that the Michelin X-One is 'a better tire' then the MXV4s. Without sounding too harsh, I think its because any tire they have in stock will be better than a tire they don't have in stock, so they can close the sale. One place went as far as to tell me "you're going to have a hard time finding a full set of 195/70/R14 tires”!

I had problems finding a local place to mount tires that I would bring to them, or have shipped to them from Tirerack, so I was forced to buy locally. I will continue my search until I find someone trustworthy to do it with tires from 'outside the shop'. Perhaps the local (20 miles away) MB dealer. I have not tried them yet. If Lee or Luke or anyone can offer suggestions as to how to best approach a local shop about working with items not stocked by them I would appreciate it. I would think they wouldn't mind, because labor is where the green goes, but I suppose with tires you have to support the warranty, and that is a risk they are unwilling to take.

I just got MXV4s for my 79 300CD and so far (only about 100 mi) am very happy with the improved ride and lower road noise. I have yet to see what they do in the rain and snow, but I anticipate being pleased.

…. If Lee or Luke or anyone can offer suggestions as to how to best approach a local shop about working with items not stocked by them I would appreciate it.

Thanks,
J

I have MXV4 + Energy Green Xs on my 88 300 E. I have no complaints about the handling in any type of weather. They have been excellent. The wear is another subject. The first set of MXV4 Energys (no + or Green X) lasted 23K this set is at the wear bars just short of 30K. I use the car for daily commuting and weekend errands with very little hard cornering or high speed running. I am going to replace them with Dunlop A2 sports this time around, cost is the biggest factor. I put some Dunlop A2s on my 2000 C 230 recently and like them very much. They seem be good in handling, ride and noise with excellent traction in dry, wet and snow/ice. If cost is of little concern the MXV4s are very good if cost is a factor look at the Bridgestone RE950 the Dunlop A2 sport and even some of the Yokahamas.

Its interesting, but I believe this thread was back from 99. Amazing, but in a few years, things have changed drastically in the Tire industry. For once, you see Michelin get some stiff competition.

My budget-minded self would Consider Dunlop SP Sport A2s as a nice alternate to the Michelin Eneregy MXV4+ with the GreenX. The Dunlop SP Sport A2 are H-rated and have a UTOG rating of 420 AA A. That AA is the best you can recieve for wet traction. It also comes with a 50k warranty. The Michelin Energy MXV4+ has a H-rated UTOG of 400 A A. However, no mileage warranty. No AA rating in wet. And say almost twice the tire cost (Michelin at $123 versus Dunlops at $63) I don't care if the Dunlops last half as long as the 30k mileage I use to get from the Michelins. Also, The Dunlops perform better then the more touring biad Michelins ever dead. I will take those savings, and put them in my pocket. The ride might be maybe 95% as smooth and quiet, which is a insignificant factor in my mind. The most these tires might be are .5db louder. They were very smooth in my opnion.

I put X-ones I purchased from Costco on the Nissan Quest and can report the following:
1. The rubber compound is hard. Very hard. Tires wore like iron and rode like iron. Showed very little wear after 60,000 miles.
2. They were not particularly quiet, but also didn't notice that they were noisy either. A draw.

I would not recommend them for any car. Buying tires is always a trade-off - tires that last for a long time also have hard rubber compounds so tend to ride hard. Tires that have soft rubber compounds tend to stick to the road well, but wear quickly. IMO, the trade-off with the X-one was not worth it. If I could have done it over again, I would've paid the extra money and bought MXV4's.

BTW, I put on Goodyear Regatta II's on my wife's G20 and was so happy with them, that I put them on the MB. They ride well, but I notice on the Benz that they have trouble tracking straight. I have to keep on adjusting the steering wheel to stay in the middle of the lane now and then. Also, when rotating tires, if the tires happen to be in the "wrong" spot, the car will drift to the left or the right, even when the alignment checks out as fine.

Any other opinions on owners who've used the Regatta II?

I think I'll go with Michelin MXV4's the next time around.

Search Engine Works
 

This thread is an example of how good the search engine works.
I started this thread back in Sept 99 and now in Feb02 and it is still being read. This fourm has a wealth of information for all to easily access and learn.

I actually bought the Symmetry tires back then. Since then they have worked well. They were around $60 at WalMart. They are not sporty tires but provide a good ride in wet or dry conditions.
:) :) :) :) :)

I ordered a set of the 205/65R15 Michelin XGT's today for my SD. Luke told me that the Green X Michelins were being discontinued soon by Michelin. He said that the XGT's have a fast steering response. (SOLD! Just what I've been looking for.) He did say they were a bit noisy, but since I have a diesel, I might not notice it too much. $89 each :) I'll let you guys know how I like them once they are mounted.

I have had the MXV4 energy and the XGTs, I now have the Yokohama AVS dbs on my W126 and they ride & handle better than the Michelins!!!!!!

Michelin needs to wake up to there expensive tires that are no better than certain other tires. They are riding on there legacy and the ride is going to stop one day! XGTs $85, MXVs $120 and the winner Yokohamas V rated for $70.

I would second James L's vote for the Yokohama AVS db, which I have on my daughter's 420SEL -- much quieter than the Michelins and cheaper as well.

Michelins may cost too much, BUT
 

over the last 42 years of tire buying, I have had zero cases of tread separation, uneven wear when the alignment was on spec, and sidewall breaks with them, whereas I have had some or all of the above with almost every other brand. I still often try other tires for a little handling advantage every now and then, but I keep coming back to Michelin; in fact I just finished emailing an order to TireRack (probably bought at least 50 tires there since 1980 or so) for a set of 225/60X14 for my recently acquired '85 300TD -- I wanted better turn in response, but couldn't bear the thought of abandoning those neat stock forged aluminum rims for something of larger diameter.