Other than exotic vehicles, I find serious fault with the opinion that vehicle engineers actually "tune" their suspension to the characteristcs of a particular tire brand.

What they do is choose a tire that best meets the average demands of most of the potential buyers...so you won't find the aggressive tread patterns of the go-anywhere brands because most buyers' SUVs never see terrain more demanding than asphalt...and the associated tread noise would be unacceptable for the average ML buyer.

That said, I am one of those buyers that avoids water puddles when driving my ML! I don't worry about Texas snowstorms in the winter either! ;) And I have 3 MBs to deal with, and with my budget (and meager income), 3 sets of tires every three or four years can throw vacation plans out the window!

I stayed with the Generals when I replaced tires last winter (had to also replace the W124 set a month before). And the SL tires are due for replacement next month (sigh) :rolleyes:...

Mercedes Tire Recommendation
 

The comment concerning Mercedes not recommending the Cross-Terrains because they offer too much traction and do not work well with the stability control system is enough for me to select the Dunlop OEM Grandtreks for replacement and maintaining the original ride. I have been happy with these tires overall performance for the type of driving I do and do not want to risk trying another tire brand/model and being unhappy.

If you look at all the new ML's coming out of the factory there must be some good reasons why Mercedes continues to use Dunlop's. It sure would be interesting to know the reasons why.

I've had the Michelin Cross Terrains on my ML320 for about 12,000 miles now. The ride and handling is better than my stock Dunlops. I purchased mine at Costco. This is the third time I've purchased tires there (previously on two other cars) and the price can't be beat locally. The standard pricing included the following: mounting, balancing, values, roadside protection and free rotations. Watch for rebates too. I saved $50 when I purchased a set of four. Also, Costco might need to order them but the pricing is the same as stock items.

Good luck!

John

ML Tires
 

My vote is for the Michelin Cross Terrains....bought them from BJs Club...road hazard, lifetime balancing, lifetime flat repair, mounting and stems and disposal, lifetime rotation...installed 4 P275/55R17 on a ML430 in Nov of 2002 for $731 (includes CT tax).

They're wearing great, much quieter than the original equipment tires...great in snow or rain. With Michelin 65,000 mile limited warranty, I'll probably part with the SUV before I replace tires again. Definitely recommended.

"there must be some good reasons why Mercedes continues to use Dunlop"

Price?

Generals are good - and cheap
 

The OEM Generals on my 98 ML 320 lasted over 60k and performed OK. I drive in all kinds of weather including snow, both in town and on highways. The Generals are good tires - good but not exceptional. They are also very reliable and sturdy. I have less than 10k on the replacement set ofGenerals. I considered the Michelins but they were over double the price of the Generals. I bought them online from the tirerack.

My 2c

TJ

Mercedes Tires
 

If the same MB mentality for the harmonic balancer design or verdor selection for the balancer is used on tires, I'm really glad I'm using Michelin.

Re: Mercedes Tires
 

I'll give an AMEN to that :D

Tires
 

I have to agree with your reasoning, but I am not aware of any problems with the Generals so I give them and MB the benefit of the doubt - they seem to be good "blue collar" tires (tough and sturdy).

Dunlop Tires
 

In my quest for new tires one thing I have noticed is that Toyota and Lexus brands use Dunlop tires. Hyundai use Michelin ... go figure.

Michelin spends godzillions in marketing costs all of which is paid for by those who buy their product. Is it worth it? If you have a road hazard or your alignment goes out and destroys the tire, the long life you pay for is not worth it. Also, what good is long life if the tire gets old before it wears out? I had purchased the Michelin X-Ones for a Volvo I used to own and I did not enjoy the ride since it became much harder. I have owned Michelin MXV4's where the steel belts broke before the tread was totally worn. Are you starting to get my drift? I really cannot support the price the Michelin brand commands.

I did have one of my Cross Terrains replaced due to an unrepairable sidewall puncture. Cost of the new tire was reduced due to road hazard warranty (Costco) but the price of the replacement tire was still very expensive. So you are right about that.

My tires now have just about 50K miles on them and it looks like they will last at least another 10K mile. So that is about 10K more than my OEM Dunlops. The Cross Terrains also do not ride as smooth as they did when they were new, but I think that is the case with all tires, it sure seems to be the case with mine.

While I don't drive in the snow or ice that much, when I have I thought the Cross Terrains offered better traction.

As far as dry traction I think the Cross Terrains are better but I don't drive the ML agressively at all so the Dunlops would be fine, at least for me, in that department.

When it comes to wet traction I think the Cross Terrains are far superior to the Dunlops.

I will need new tires again soon and I've certainly considered going back to the Dunlops, they definately are much less expensive and a good value. The main reason I hesitate on Dunlops is I think they hydroplane much easier than the Michlens and they don't seem to have really good grip in the wet, at least not as good as the Michlen.

Bottom line is since it rains a fair amount where I live I think it would be safer for me to have a tire that performs really good in the wet. Wet weather performance therefore needs to be my number one priority. Hopefully a good wet weather tire will keep me safer.:)

Edited: I checked the current price difference between the Dunlops and the Michlens and see the Michlens are nearly twice the price of Dunlops. All I can say to that is "Oh Well" I sure wish the Michlens were cheaper.