Hey guys
My stock Generals are wearing pretty thin on my 2001ml320 with 37K miles. Can anyone recommend a new set of tires? Dunlop or bridgestones? Was also wondering i can go up one size to 265? Or should i just stay on 255s. Thanks!!

__________________
2001 ML 320 (silver)
1999 E320 (smoke silver)
2002 Acura TL Type S
1994 Honda Civic EX (commuter)

Michelin Cross Terrains. Much better grip than the old Dunlops had.

I love my Dunlops. They are very comfortable, quiet, and grip well in rain and snow(in Mich.) They wear evenly and at 25000 miles, have plenty of tread left. And at about 60% of the cost, I plan to stay with Dunlop IF I get get 50,00 miles out of them. Generals on ML's ride a lot worse: I test drove them both before I bought my ML320. Also, in my opinion, I'd stay with the stock size. You are already top heavy enough.

__________________
Paul 1987 300 SDL; 2000 ML; '69 MGB; '68 VW Fastback

i'll second the michelins. i recommend them to all of my clients when the time comes to replace the original equiptment tires.

I have the Dunlops on my 2000 ML320 and currently have 44,000 miles on them. They are still wearing evenly and look like they will be good for another 5,000 to 10,000 miles. Like most tires, they are getting a little noisier as they wear down but not objectionably though.

Like others, I am wondering if the Michelins are worth the extra price. I can get the Dunlops for approx. 60% of the cost of the Michelins and, like I said, have been happy with the Dunlop's performance. Many say the Michelin's are better but I have spoken with one person who put the Michelin's on their 1998 ML320 after their General's wore out and didn't like the Michelin's because they wore too fast. They went back to the General's and are perfectly happy with those. I think I have also read other comments on this site that spoke of faster tire wear with the Michelin's.

I guess there is mixed opinion on whether the Michelin's are better. There seems to be universal opinion that the Dunlop's are much better than the General's unless you go to the Tire Rack internet site and their performance ratings show the General's to be better than the Dunlop's.

Wish someone could give an honest opinion on this issue since I have seen so much differing opinion that I will probably just replace my tires with Dunlop's since I have been happy with them, they last 50,000 miles and in my opinion are a good value based upon their price.

My vote is for the Michellin Cross Terrains. My brothers ML has the Dunlops and mine are definitely quieter and have better isolation; it's like a whole new car for me. My father has the michellin LTX's on his truck and I still think mine is quieter but his are also pretty good. (all are light years beyond the Generals)

The michellins have a 65,000 mileage warranty on them so if the other guy found his wore out too quickly he should be able to get that taken care of. It's like night and day versus the generals as far as noise and isolation are concerned. I also think they handle better but I also swapped the rear shocks at the same time so I can't definitively say that it's only the tires.

With regards to price.... 2 points.... 1) how often are you buying tires anyway & 2) it's the only part of your car that touches the ground, do we really want to cheap out here? (your choice of course)

I've also heard very good things about the Kuhmo's but don't have direct experience with them.

You might want to check the links below.

ML320 Tire Recommendation?

wheel upgrade for 1999 ml 320

Pirelli Scorpion Zero.. those tires are amazing.

From this (driving around on a snow day):


to this(unloading firewood on the beach):


They are rock solid performers.

__________________
-----------------------------------------------------

We all are "giving an honest opinion", based on our own experience. I happen to agree with you about the Dunlops. However, it's up to you to read everyone's comments and arrive at an answer which is best for you. There are several good tires out there. Good luck.

__________________
Paul 1987 300 SDL; 2000 ML; '69 MGB; '68 VW Fastback

I just put Kumhos from The Tire Rack on two weeks ago. Obviously can't say anything about the wear yet, but grip, ride, and noise are much better than the old Generals.

__________________
Lenny

There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games. --Ernest Hemingway

'10 GL550/'04 BMW 545/'99 BMW 323/'98 ML320/'87 VW GTI (race)

In my opinion, tires are one of the most important components on any vehicle when it comes to safety. Anything you do in a vehicle (start, stop, steer, simply driving) is transmitted through the tires and any vehicle performance feature is diminished when you try to skimp on this component. A tire that fails while driving can lead to a deadly situation and this is why I always try to find the best tire for my vehicles regardless of price.

I have always felt that Michelin makes one of the best tires available today and some have told me that they perform the best on a Mercedes vehicle. When it comes to the ML class though, Mercedes themselves continues to use Dunlops as the OEM brand which makes me want to replace my tires with the OEM part. Isn't it true that automotive engineers tune their suspensions to the tire that is provided at the factory? If Mercedes does not provide Michelin tires from the factory how am I assured that I am not compromising some performance feature? In my consideration for replacement tires, dollars are not the No. 1 requirement. I want to make sure I am selecting the best tire available.

This maybe true (maybe) in the very strictest sense but tire technology changes. The tire designed and made 3 years ago is likely not as good as the tire made today. Although the vehcile may have been tuned to a tire as such (although I don't fully buy this argument as tires are often different in different markets and I doubt the vehicles suspensions are re-tuned to match) it may perform as well or or better (or worse) with a different tire.

For me, my life depends on the tires I put on daily driver. I however differ with the opinion on the quality of Michelin products.

__________________
-----------------------------------------------------

I was told about 2 or 3 years ago that MB did not recommend Michelin Cross Terrain tires on the ML because their testing indicated that they did not work as well with the way the ML is set up as far as the different traction control systems.

Basically they felt the traction offered by the Cross Terrains was not compatible with the ML vehicles and therefore for liability reasons they were not recommending them. The Cross Terrains so they were saying offer to much traction and the ML traction controls systems would not be as effective. In theory they were saying that with the Cross Terrains the driver aids would kick in later because Cross Terrains offer better traction, and that was not what they wanted.

Michelin has a large test track in the upstate of South Carolina, as I recall it's in Laurens or Greenville. The tires were tested there and I was told that in extreme manuvers they, ie. MB were concerned about rollover.

I have 42K miles on my Cross Terrains and couldn't be happier. The Cross Terrains do seem to delay the onset of the traction control systems operating, in other words they grip better in all conditions. I remember with my original Dunlops the anti-lock brakes function a lot more and in snow that traction control sytem came on a lot more in the wet and a lot earlier.

One more point about the suspension being tuned for a particular tire.
Throughout the life of the ML it has always had at least 2 different factory recommended tires available (except the first year). What your car was delivered with varied all the time from car to car and dealer to dealer etc. I find it hard to believe that they adjusted the settings per vehicle.

What's most important is that when the ML first came out there were very few off-road tires in our size available period. The Generals were pretty good at that time but the tech has really moved on as has the market. I think there are now many more options for tires and most are better so you should consider what's most important to you and buy the appropriate tire. Just think how many times they have adjusted the shock settings for our trucks since the beginning and the same is true for the tires.

I for one never leave paved roads and road impacts, road noise and wet/snow performance were very important to me. The michellins work well for this. Oh yes, and they have a very long tread life.

I don't care what Mercedes-Benz says, I like my Cross Terrains