I made my first long trip in my 190E this past weekend and took it on the highway. The car drove exceptional until up around 190km/h when I could feel a slight vibration. It appeared to be from the backend/differential.
There wasn't a noise or anything but to me at least there seemed to be a slight swaying at times almost as if the diff gears were out of line....I apologize for the poor details but compared with my fathers 2001 Volvo S40 (Canadian spec...5 speed auto from S80) there seems to be something out of line. In long sweepers its fine and handles better than anyfront drive car I've driven (this includes the Volvo, Lexus ES300) but not so in a straight line compared with my friend's fathers '98 540i 6 speed and this is up to speeds of 240km/h. Could anyone possibly offer my any ideas,comments or even stories on this topic? Thank you, MIKE MCKINNEY

------------------
'91 190E 2.6

Your rear tires may be out of balance ever so slightly, Im not sure if it is possible to have perfectly balanced tires. On my Integra, I got a set of 4 new tires and had the tires balanced before I took a trip down to Fort Lauderdale, well the car drove smooth as silk up until around 85mph where the steering wheel started shaking alittle bit. Anyways, why are you driving 190km/h in the first place?

------------------
Adam,
1986 300E

pezzy

I don't drive like that all the time......
I just wanted to see what my car had up there and was impressed!!!!!It got up to speed quickly for an automatic and got to 190km/h in no time at all....It gains speed almost as fast as my brothers contour SVT which doesn't have much over that speed but, would get embarrassed by my fathers Volvo S40 which really comes alive at 140km/h +
I don't advocate reckless high speed travel on public roads but when is 3 o'clock in the morning and nobody is out on the 401 why not?
I appreciated your response and would really appreciate if anyone else had any ideas on this topic? I can say that occasionally the car does wander off course at slower speeds in a straight line but, not all the time. It can be arrow straight down the same road a few minutes later....same road,conditions,
pavement consistancy etc...Please offer anything you can think of!!!

------------------
'91 190E 2.6

My first guess would be tires, second thought might be that you could use an alignment.

190km/h would get you to Toronto pretty quick from London. :)



------------------
Jason Priest
1986 420SEL

420SEL

we do live pretty close....you know what I'm talkin about with the 401 then!!!Have you had any fun out there yourself? Toronto can get pretty nuts at times with traffic. I'll check out my tires but I would doubt that would be the problem. I'll probably have to replace them in another month or so due to wear but the feeling I'm talking about can be felt ever so slightly in the driveline. I'm still thinking diff/rear end or the wheel bearings. Can anyone suggest anything? The first project I was going to perform on my car was the transmission service....should I have anything else checked first? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you
MIKE MCKINNEY

------------------
'91 190E 2.6

Do a search on rear end/linkages. If you haven't done it already.


------------------
J.H.
'86 300E

Inside your gas cap there is a note saying if going over 100 mph, raise tire psi by 8 lbs pressure. At least thats what my 300Ce says....

i think with less pressure at higher speed, the tires will wobble a bit, but by adding pressure you make the tire stiffer which aids in high speed driving.

Alon

------------------
'92 300CE
Metallic Black (Blue Flaked) on Parchment
Clear Corners
94-95 Tail-Lights
Black Grille Insert
78.5k Miles

Future Upgrades:
Sportline Suspension
17" AMG Monoblocks or EVO II's
Euro Headlights
Performance Chip
AMG Exhaust
http://home.earthlink.net/~asherson/my92300ce.jpg
Click here to Go To My 300CE Page

Raising the tire pressure at higher speeds may be a good idea, but I would advise against it. Case in point: when I bought my 1990 300-D it had 4 Yokahama steel radials on it. I drove from Miami to Atlanta at around 75-80 mph. Somewhere on the way home, I checked the air and filled each tire to 34 psi, according to the gauge at a Texaco station and checked the last tire with my own gauge to make sure the other gauge was accurate. Within 400 miles, each tire got a bulge on it and some serious tread separation. I called Yokohama and they sent me to NTB, where they told Yokohama that I has 42 psi. Yokohama said that they woldn't ,make any adjustment. Then I told them how I was planning a website about how Yokohama didn't stand by their tires and they agreed to compensate me for 75% of the cost of any brand of new tires. I got 4 Dunlops and have had no further problems.

But if you DO overinflate, reduce the pressure and watch them at the tire shop when they check it. I don't think this tread separation is all that rare: I have lost maybe a dozen tires to tread separation in the last 20 years.

------------------

shyne,

where on the 401 do you have your fun? Where i live, i have to drive about 100km away from the Greater Toronto Area to have some real fun.

i myself have reached about 195kph on my 5spd 190e2.6 on the 401 but only for a brief moment. I was overtaking an old S-class benz once with about a 60kph speed differential, to show him what benzes are for ... ;-)

try rotating your tires in the recommended pattern (fronts going diagonally across rears, and rears going straight up to fronts) and see if the vibration transfers to the front and is felt through the steering wheel. If it does, then you know it is caused by your wheel/tire balance.

everytime i rotate my tires, or switch back from my winter tires, i take the car out on the highway to see if there is any vibration and at what speed. If it happens at 140kph, i check it see if it goes away at 160kph (!).

happy motoring ...

[This message has been edited by bobbyv (edited 11-06-2000).]

DON'T RAISE YOUR TIRE PRESSURE!

Set your pressure while the tires are cold. As they warm up, expansion will find the right pressure.

Set the pressure cold.

I ran extended high speed on the Autobahn this summer. I ran hours at a time in excess of 110 MPH. I did it on tires that were inflated cold and were H speed rated. They worked great.

Don't overinflate for high speed! This is a safety thing.

------------------
Larry Bible
'01 C Class, Six Speed
'84 Euro 240D, manual, 533K miles
'88 300E 5 Speed
'81 300D Daughter's Car
Over 800,000 miles in
Mercedes automobiles

I'd like to share a recent observation with my 1984 300SD. I have 205/65R15 Toyo Proxes H4's. I haven't been very diligent about checking tire pressures, and I noticed that my left front was a few pounds low, and the rest of my tires were about a pound low. I increased the pressures to 29 psi front / 31 psi rear.

MB recommends 28/30 but the gas station with the free air pump is about a mile drive and it was a slightly warm day, so the extra psi should not be an issue when it cools down.

Anyway, prior to doing this my car seemed a bit "squirrely", almost unstable under certain conditions. Balancing the tire pressures so that both tires on each axle were within a quarter psi of each other seemed to help much more than I would have expected. I noticed improved "tossability" and crisper turn-in. Stability at 70 mph was improved also. Just my observations...

bobbyv and J. HIDALGO....thank you for your replies.....bobby, I live in London around 2 hours away from you where I have plenty of open road especially at 2 or 3 in the morning!!! J. HIDALGO, thanks for the tip on the rear end linkage. Anything could be possible so I will look into things when I have time. I know my tires are not the culprit, although they are worn somewhat, they are within specs and are balanced as I do not have that type of vibration at speed.

------------------
'91 190E 2.6

All I was pointing out is that in my gas filler cover, it says warning raise psi 8 lbs if you are going to go over 100 mph.

All I was doing was relaying that information. I never said he should, just stated what the car says...

I also hope that I dont make claims that I am unsure about. hence the words I think..

Alon

------------------
'92 300CE
Metallic Black (Blue Flaked) on Parchment
Clear Corners
94-95 Tail-Lights
Black Grille Insert
78.5k Miles

Future Upgrades:
Sportline Suspension
17" AMG Monoblocks or EVO II's
Euro Headlights
Performance Chip
AMG Exhaust
http://home.earthlink.net/~asherson/my92300ce.jpg
Click here to Go To My 300CE Page

Ashman; I have the same info on my gas door aswell. I hope everyone who drives their car at highspeed takes tire specs into account aswell. Blowouts are a possibility at speed. 5 or 6 years ago I saw the back end of a 7 series bmw destroyed from some sort of tire related problem. The car seemed heavily loaded as well so the maximum load tolerances were probably surpassed. That tire destroyed the rear bumper assembly, rear quarter, and who knows what in terms of suspension. People really need to spend a little more time on checking tires and pressure in them and take it seriously. Anyways my original problem I noted with my 190 is very hard to describe, I'm thinking of having the rear diff flushed and inspected when I splurge on some new radials in the not to distant future. If anyone else has any other ideas on what the vibration might be coming from the rear of the car at high speed, I would greatly appreciate your reply. Thank you everyone, Mike Mckinney

------------------
'91 190E 2.6

You learn something new every day.

I did not know that there was such a message on the tire pressure decal. I will study it before I get in the car this evening to go home.

I would expect that you still should not exceed the maximum cold inflation pressure indicated on your tires, which is almost always 35 psi cold.

The main point that I was TRYING to make was that you should not raise your tire pressure while tires are warm. If you raise the pressure, do it with cold tires.

Have a great day,

------------------
Larry Bible
'01 C Class, Six Speed
'84 Euro 240D, manual, 533K miles
'88 300E 5 Speed
'81 300D Daughter's Car
Over 800,000 miles in
Mercedes automobiles

Larry,

I completly understand what your saying and am suprised other people where confused by your earlier post. I was wondering if you know what to do though if your going to drive on a long trip in extremely cold climes (I'll be doing so around christmas to Quebec) I know for a fact that my family members up there have tires low on air in the morning hours due to night time temperatures below -25C and wind chills approaching -40C. Do you advise adding air to tires in those kinds of temperatures knowing they'll warm up on the highway somewhat afterwards? Any body have stories to tell on this topic? I have seen blow outs in the winter months around Belleville/Ottawa areas and wondered what I could do for peace of mind. Thank you MIKE MCKINNEY

------------------
'91 190E 2.6

I would not add air to tires when it is that cold outside. Reason is that there is more than likely some moisture in the air line, and you may end up with a frozen valve stem seal. You could end up with flat tires, or tires that will have a slow leak.
If you have a heated garage or shop then not a big deal.

trent,

Thanks for the tip, much appreciated. How could does it get out there in Calgary anyway? I've been out to Winnipeg once or twice and experienced -40C without the windchill warning in effect. That was several years ago. Are you going to put on snows this year? Any experience with a rear drive car at highway speeds during the winter? Any tips or stories would be much appreciated. Thank you Mike Mckinney

------------------
'91 190E 2.6

Yes, Winnepeg can be brutal in winter. In Calgary, it can get down to -30 or -40, but it usually warms up as we get a lot of Chinooks. The warm temps are nice, but is can make for some slushy road conditions.
I will not be putting on snows, as I try not to drive the CLK when the snow is that bad. I did drive it last year to see how it would do, and was pretty impressed.
The ASR works very well at all speeds, and will very quicky stop any rear end movement caused by too much throttle and not enough traction. I have found that it will automatically disengage the cruise control if the ASR kicks in. Shouldn't be using cruise in slippery weather but I wanted to see what effect the ASR would have.
I have found that the ASR is s bit slow to let the power come back on, whether it is slippery or not. Once it cuts back on the throttle, there can be a lag (seems like forever, but is maybe a second or two)
Overall, the car has no problem in winter. I just worry about the morons in the other cars/trucks that have no concept of how to drive in snow/ice/inclement weather. When it is bad out, I take a vehicle other than my CLK.
As for rear drive experience in winter, I have only had one vehicle that was not rear drive, so I guess I have quite a bit of experience.
If you are in snow/ice, GET SNOW TIRES. All season tires will not compare when it really gets slippery. If local laws allow, and conditions warrant,get studs too.
What I like about the rear drive is the ability to steer the car with the throttle. Like on a dry suface, only the threshholds are much lower. You will learn to use smooth inputs for all controls if you want to have control. Big, sudden moves are not rewarded (unless you have space like an open field and want to have some fun)
I learned control a vehicle when I was very young, much to young to have a driver s license. My dad took me out in the half ton truck (GMC with a 454)to the frozen and snowed over field (I grew up on a farm) where there was no danger of hitting any thing, and I would slide, spin, recover, not recover you name it. Sure makes you comfortable behind the wheel.
Years later I would go for the real thing in a racing school, but that's another story.
As far as I am concerned, before people are allowed a drivers license, they should have to complete a course on car control of some sort. I think there would be a lot less accidents due to panic situations.

Sorry, kind of got going there. :o Didn't mean to ramble.
Best of luck through the winter.

[This message has been edited by trent (edited 11-08-2000).]

trent,
Thank you for the tips. I was thinking of getting Continental SuperContact all season radials as they have a tire sale on in my area. Any experience with these? What about Blizzaks for the rears only? I am only a student at UWO and cannot afford much else this time of year. What about sandbags in the trunk during winter time? Anybody with advice please feel free to reply good or bad. Thank you MIKE MCKINNEY

------------------
'91 190E 2.6

I ran Continentals 30 years ago when I lived in Germany and they were great.

A few years ago, I put a set on my '96 E300D because they were much less expensive than Michelins and they were again great.

In sharing posts with another fellow who bought a new C240 at the same time I did, he said that he had Continentals and they were very noisy. I did not have that problem.

They seem like a lot of tire for the money. When I bought them a few years ago, I mail ordered them and it seemed that Continental was making a push into the North American market. I don't know if they were selling them cheap to get some market penetration or they were just cheaper made tires, but I was happy with them.

You can go to the featured cars forum and find the C240 posts to read about his bad experience. He is so dissatisfied, he posted a remark that he is going to scrap them and put on a new set of tires. That's pretty dissatisfied.

Driving as many miles as I do, I go through alot of tires. I've probably driven close to a million miles total on Michelins and have never had anything to complain about. They are round and always balance out well and last a good while. My experience has been that even though they are expensive, you probably spend less money per mile, just because they last a long time and if they require rebalancing, it's because you lost a weight or something.

Good luck with your decision.

------------------
Larry Bible
'01 C Class, Six Speed
'84 Euro 240D, manual, 533K miles
'88 300E 5 Speed
'81 300D Daughter's Car
Over 800,000 miles in
Mercedes automobiles

Mike,

Try to get all 4 winters if you can. No good having traction if you can't change direction or stop.
Even a good set of used winters is OK (check them over carefully though). You can save some $$ that way.
Weight in the truck (sandbags) does help. Don't go overboard though. Remember, all that weight has to be stopped too. In the past I have put 100-150 lbs in the trunk, as far back as possible. I do the same in my truck, but a little more weight.
Blizzaks have good grip, but seem to wear fast. I have had good success with Pirelli W210P as well. They last longer, and aren't very noisy.

I did a 360 spin accelerating up to 60km/h in the rain today!!!!!!!Only accelerating moderately and I lost the back end!!!!!If I hadn't thrown in opposite lock as soon as I did I probably would have hit a telephone poll if it went around again!!!!!! The Bridgestone Potenza's I have on there now are garbage!!!!!!!!!! (195/65R15's) I am spending all my available money at this point on new tires. I was thinking about Michellin X1's or MX4's (195/60R15's). I was wondering if anyone has had experience with these tires and had any thoughts on them. They seem like an exceptional tire, they have 100% more water channeling ability then the Bridgestone's are are rated for 100,000kms. Any thoughts trent, Larry ? anybody?
Any imput greatly appreciated!!!!!!!!!
Thank you MIKE MCKINNEY

------------------
'91 190E 2.6

Hi folks, couldn't help but contribute to this Canadian-dominated thread!
Mike:
I've probably seen you around campus as I'm in London right now myself...
I've had Bridgestone RE930s on for a couple of seasons - they're very stable, firm and grippy for an H-rated tire, but tend to wear quickly. I think you'll find the X1s squishy, especially if you have fun at 190kmh on the 401... you should go with dedicated winter tires on this car, for sure. Don't bother with Blizzaks (had them), save your money and head over to Canadian Tire (just grin and bear it) and pick up a set of their Nordic Ice Trac tires - they're probably made by Bridgestone anyway, are a fraction of the cost and are S-speed rated, even though they have a multicell compound (most others are Q-rated). I've used them for 3 winters now, and they are an excellent tire.
See you around...
Regards,
Nick

Nick,
It's nice to see another Canadian brother out on this page! Your at Western too? Thank you for the advice on the Bridgestone's but I ordered the Michellin X1's this morning before I saw this post. I have confidence in those tires (H rated 195/60HR15's). They are on my father's '01 Volvo S40 and I have personally had that car up to 230km/h on the 401 eastbound around the Woodstock area. These tires offer exceptional wet weather stability aswell so I do not regret my decision. If anyone else has bad stories on this tire or think I'm a dummy for purchasing them, let me know. I love all the comments I have received!!! Nick thanks again for this post (love to see as much Canadian content as possible!). What do you drive? What is Q rated?

------------------
'91 190E 2.6

hi all,

i use Pirelli P600s on my 190e2.6 for summer. Admittedly, these are not the best tires you can buy out there, but i succumbed to the Canadian Tire sale then before learning about this website and all the recommendations with tires (either that or i had a wad of Canadian Tire money back then).

although these are M+S tires, and the "M+S" rating being practically meaningless (being related only to tread pattern and not compound), my traction suffers when it is cold and wet. I believe the rubber compound is the culprit, which hardens and loses grip when the temperature falls.

as such, i have to be especially careful driving in the fall, when it gets cold and usually rains (like now). That means less late-braking, and less exuberant apex-clipping for me. All the more because the benz steering is too slow, and the steering wheel too large to catch a slide effectively.

my next summer tires will be michelins.

Shyne, you can visit the Tire Rack site for tire speed ratings (e.g., Q-rating).

If any of you would like to know about high performance tires I got some tips. Whatever you do do not buy Michelin XGT-V4's, avoid these tires at all costs, these tires came stock on my Integra and they are junk. They are good for dry pavement driving but thats all they are good for, the ABS system in that car got a good workout when it was wet outside. Until I got new tires I was terrified to drive in the rain. I replaced the tires at about 11,000 miles and am now driving on some cheap Grand Spirit tires that excel in every area. I paid about 50$ a tire for these compared to about 120$ for the Michelins.

------------------
Adam,
1986 300E
1997 Acura Integra GS-R

No surprise. Most V rated tires are not considered rain tires. I had a set of V rated tires on my Vette. They were great in every way except for quick wear of course, and rain traction.

Good luck,

------------------
Larry Bible
'01 C Class, Six Speed
'84 Euro 240D, manual, 533K miles
'88 300E 5 Speed
'81 300D Daughter's Car
Over 800,000 miles in
Mercedes automobiles

Thank you all for your reply's on the tire issue. I went with the Michelin X1's
(195/65HR15's) for $118.00 per tire installed
(I live in Canada=good price) I think I made the right decision with the combination of excellent wet weather traction these tires offer(excellent water channeling) and the H rating helps when I decide to travel somewhere on the highway. I had them installed this afternoon since I had no class today and drove home in the rain. Very pleased with the handling!!!!!!! But my original problem with the rear diff still has not resolved itself. I am wondering about changing the diff fluid and was wondering if this could be done DIY and if so whether or not I would need ramps or jack stands to undertake this job. Larry do you use ramps for you DIY oilchanges? Anybody else do something different? Anyone have any tips? I have changed the oil myself before on other machines but both were riding lawn tractors so I was wondering about tips. Thank you for everything folks!!!!!!Any additional replies greatly appreciated!!!!!!
THANK YOU MIKE MCKINNEY

------------------
'91 190E 2.6

SHYNE - it is a do it yourself job if you have the ramps, the right socket and a torque wrench. Make sure you remove the fill plug first and make dog gone sure that it is raised securely! You do not want to put your body underneath and be torquing something that could possible roll off of a ramp or fall off of a jackstand. Take a long hard look at it and make sure it is SAFE to crawl under before crawling underneath.
good luck
engatwork
'95 E320 - 95k miles
'97 Honda CRV - 75k miles

Hi Mike!
Yes, I am at Western (have been forever, it seems...) - I drive a 300E. About the speed ratings, here's a link to tirerack's page with some
info:http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/speed.htm
Regarding your new tires, I'm glad you're happy with them - they will certainly last a lot longer than many of the other choices out there! I'm pretty certain that tire is not offered in an 'H' speed rating, though - only 'T'. One thing to note about speed ratings is that they are not intended to be a 'speed limit' for your tires (you will generally see H-rated for 210km/h, Z for 240km/h, T for 190km/h, etc.) but an indication of the tire's overall performance characteristic - i.e., you don't need to hit 240km/h to feel the performance benefit of a Z-rated tire. That's why I mentioned the S rating on the snows at Can Tire - it's unusual (and better) than almost any other multicell (ice-gripping) tire, like the Blizzaks, which are only Q-rated (160km/h).
As for the oil change, I do all of mine myself too - it's a nice bonding session with the car! You may not even need ramps if you can get under the front of the car - I used to be able to before I installed sport springs - now I drive up on a couple of plywood boards, just about 3" worth.
Regards,
-Nekky

[This message has been edited by Nick Jamal (edited 11-10-2000).]

190 on the 401!!! WOOOHOO!!!
 

Hey it's great to know that there are some people in my area in this forum, we should all get together some day he he he!
I thought I was all alone here :(

I had a friend drive me from work in his lotus esprite turbo and he did 210 around 1am on the 401, that's as fast as I ever went, I'm a bit cautions with speed, I had some incidents :)

If anyone knows any good reaods for the 190 in the GTA please let me know I'm dying to go driving once this hellish winter is over and my car is restored :)

xp

XP,

(almost) every fall when the leaves change their colors, I make the drive up to the Muskoka area, where there are excellent 2-lane winding blacktops. For example, you could take:
* 400 North
* take 11 past Orillia
* after Huntsville, take 60 East - this is the beginning of the interesting scenery and roads
* take 35 - this is the best part, and will eventually merge with 115 and the 401 at around the Newcastle area

Not the place for outright top speed runs, but the winding roads make the drive interesting. And because there are always those slower cars, you will want to test the midrange-to-highend power of your car (better if it is one of those inline-sixes or 16-valvers), when you overtake them. This will also allow you to practice overtaking, which is an important skill on 2-lane roads.

Drive safely though, and give yourself (and other drivers) a lot of margin. My car does not have daytime-running-lights, so I turn on my foglamps, so I will be more visible to oncoming cars and those I overtake (important on winding roads, where other drivers do not see you early enough, compared with long straights).

The winding roads also give you an opportunity to appreciate the high-speed ride and handling of your car. Also, I haven't seen a cop car anywhere there - the winding 2-lane roads are more difficult to monitor because there are less opportunities to get a "fix" on a car's speed (I hope I'm not speaking too soon).

Or, you can take in the scenery with someone special riding shotgun. Or if you are into nature photography, there are many picturesque views (you have to time your visit to have the leaves still on the trees, for maximum effect). Or you can sample the many Bed-and-Breakfasts along the way.

happy motoring!

tire pressures
 

greetings to the 401 GP crowd. A few thoughts on tire pressure; although there are experts in the tire field who have forgotton more than i have learned, i'll give this a crack. For safe high speed motoring, an individual should follow the automobile manufacturer' s specs for tire pressure as outlined in the manual or elsewhere on the car. The auto manufacturer, not the tire company determines what tire pressures are appropriate for a given auto. The tire pressure on the sidewall of the tire is the maximum allowable air pressure for that tire as determined by the tire maker and does not reflect a pressure to be used on any vehicle. Air pressure is critical to the life and safe handling of the tire(s) on any vehicle. The cold inflation pressure as indicated by the auto manufacturer takes into account the weight of the car, the normal intended purpose of the car (luxury, sporting), and the natural rise in pressure in the tire as it is operated at normal highway speeds. The tire itself merely holds the air, it is the air pressure that actually supports the vehicle. As the tire turns, the sidewalls flex causing heat buildup within the tire structure itself. The "normal" pressure is selected after extensive testing by the auto manufacturer at normal highway speeds and takes into account weight, ride, handling, and heat buildup in the tire. The manufacturer's recommendation to raise the air pressure for higher sustained speeds is as a result of the recoqnition that at higher speeds there is more sidewall flex generating more internal heat in the tire. The raised pressure helps minimize the heat buildup by essentially stiffening the sidewall of the tire and preventing more flexing. The heat buildup in a tire can become so high in a tire that is underflated relative to the tire's true need for a certain air pressure, that the tire's components will start to break down, sometimes catastrophically. I have attended numerous accident scenes, where upon investigation, at least one of the tires on one of the involved vehicles indicates that the tire was operated severely underinflated; the sidewall of the tire looked like it had been scorched with a blowtorch. I would suggest that the handling of that vehicle at speed would have been seriously compromised, and quite possibly have contributed to the accident. With the amount of highway travel that the forum's membership travels, i am sure that you have at some point seen the remains of large truck tires on the road. Inevitably, investigation of the vehicle and the tire casing will show that that tire as well as the other tires on the vehicle are underinflated from minimum specs. One of the tire manufacturer's websites has a chart for a specialty tire (ultra performance) showing the adjustments needed for air pressure based on anticipated sustained speeds; it also outlines the decreased weight (load) carrying capacity of the tire as the rate of sustained speeds are raised. The tire pressure ratings in your manual or on the vehicle are minimums for safe operation of the vehicle at minimum load; bear in mind that these ratings may be heavily weighted in favour of ride quality, and not life expectancy or handling.(can you say explorer?)

Mike,

High speed vibration can often be propshaft universal joint (or constant velocity joint if fitted) worn or out of line.

Check the amount of backlash as a guide to the degree of wear.

Mithra, good information! What you said at the end weighs heavily with me. Even before the Explorer/Firestone fiasco I always wondered what agenda the manufacturers had in mind when coming up with tire pressure recommendations.

I typically add at least 4 psi to the auto manufacturer's recommendations for tire pressure - up to the tire manufacturer's max recommendation. This is because in all my years of maintaining cars I have yet to experience an overinflation wear pattern, yet I often had tires with an underinflation wear pattern.

BTW, I too am part of the 401 crowd.

My $0.02.
 

Tire Pressure: Factory AMG package 225/50/16 Fuel filler door 32 front, 36 rear. Continuous speeds over 100 mph: Front 33, Rear 37 PSI. That is from the factory and I only add a lb or 2.

Snows? The Best are NOKIAN Hakka Q. Grip on snow and ice, quiet and very stable. Not great in the wet but it's the trade off for Ice. Also not as good in the dry, but they are snow tires.

I have some all season radials that are like slicks on the snow. Gotta have snows or I can just park it if it snows at all.

My toonie's worth...
 

Hey lads,

I've gotten more bloody speedy tickets on the 401 than I can count. Mostly late night speeding romps. ;)

Best snow tires, IMHO are Nokians. I agree with the previous post. Expensive though. So I use Toyo Observe snow tires. Also excellent and close to on par with the Nokians as far as grip, treadwear and noise go but about $30-40 cheaper per tire. I've used everything from Crappy Tire Nordic tires to Michelin Artic Alpins to Blizzaks. The Toyos are far better. I paid $140 each installed for 195/65R15. Continental snow tires are not very good, I've used them.

In fact I have four slightly used Continental Super Contact tires available. P185/65R15. All four are yours for $100 if you want 'em. :D

For summer use, and for high speed driving, I use AT LEAST an 'H' rated tire. Preferably a 'V' rated. If you are getting that high speed wobbling, I'd put my money on the tires. I'm currently using Toyo Proxes H4 for my summer use. They're very rigid and excellent at high speed. Of course, they're crap in the snow so come November, the Observes go on, whether or not there's snow yet. The Michelin Pilot series is also an excellent tire, but I would definitely go for the 'V' rated. As was stated, the benefits of a HIGHER RATED tire can be felt immediately. They are more stable laterally and less prone to wobble at high speed. Very important things if you indeed travel at high speed occasionally...if you have to brake suddenly at high speed, you'll want good tires...:eek:

At 200 KPH+, the Proxes H4 are as solid as a rock. Myself and a couple OPP officers can attest to this. :)

snows
 

i have presently on the 600sel a complete set of goodyear v rated ultra grips (snows)...they have so far done a great job, and actually handle better than the p6000 summers for the car. For the gentlemen that know the niagara area; the 600sel on these snows will take the curves on the 406 south bound at 4th ave at 120kph with nary a concern, the p6000s get squirrely at 110kph.
Did I just admit that i exceeded the posted limit? egad!