Hi Everyone,

Just curious if any of you who have a newer E-class owners who has replaced tires.

I see a 215/55/16 does not have very many options in terms of tires so going up a size to a 225/50/16 gives me a whole ton of choices.

The difference is less than 2% in overall diameter, yielding speedo reading nearly identical to stock.

Just doing a reality check, cause I sure would like to run a better set of tires for this car.

Thanks,

Travis
E430

Travis,
The rule of thumb when doing non stock fittments is to stay within 3% of OEM rolling radius. You have three possible fittments for your OEM rims.

225/50/16: 1.8% shorter rolling radius, lots of tires to choose from. Everything from mild touring to max performance to browse.

235/50/16: a tricky size to find good tires in. Same size my 500E wears. Is .2% shorter than OEM so is almost a perfect match. The michelin pilot HX MXM is available in this size. If you don't see it on the tirerack website let me know, we should be able to hook you up.

245/50/16: a fair amount of tires in this size, may be a bit wide for OEM rims. Also 1.3% taller than OEM rolling radius.

As for tires, you can't go wrong with Michelin. The Pirelli P-Zero is also a popular max performance tire in that size. Let me know what your priorities are in a tire and I'll be glad to talk it over with you.

HOpe this helps...Lee

I run Toyo tires on both of my cars, and have found them to be equal to or superior in every way when compared to every other brand I've run (usual suspects: Michelins, Pirellis, Dunlops, Yokos, Goodyears, and BFGoodrich...I used to drive 65k/yr so I burned up a lot of tires).

I currently run 225/55VR-16 Toyo Proxes FZ1s on OEM rims (500E), but next time 'round will go to 235/50ZR-16 Proxes T1s. The FZ1s are only a V-rated tire; I bought 'em because I wanted to get at least okay wear, and the previous owner had fed me horror stories of 15k/set of tires (turns out, amazingly, that the car was horribly aligned). Check them out...they're usually pretty reasonably priced, but I doubt they'll stay that way long now that Porsche has begun fitting them OEM. Even the FZ1s stick like glue, which is the best way to keep ASR at bay, no? Good luck!

------------------
Best regards, Michael
'92 500E
'88 300TE

May I suggest going to 17" wheels with 235/45-17. It only cost a little more but you can sell your old wheels to offset that.

If you must stay 16", Yokohama AVS, Michelin MXM, Dunlop SP9000 (soon), and Pirelli P6000 all offer 235/50-16. More selections may be coming soon because the new generation luxury autos like the Audi A6 with V8 engine comes standard with SP9000 235/50-16.

Hi,

I too will be replacing tires on my '97 E320 soon and would like to put 225/55/16 instead of the current 215/55/16. What would you recommend?

Kevin JH

On the 235/50/16 thread: Yokohama makes the AVS Intermediate in that size but that tire has something of a reputation for "scary" wet traction combined with lousy treadlife. The P6000's seem to handle well just generate a low frequency "rumble" or "roar". I've known several MB owners who have switched tires from Pirelli P6000's before the tires were very old. The Pilot HX MXM is a good tire. Handles well, rides even better. Only criticism may be that it is a little "soft" for hardcore driving enthusiasts and by the UTQG it should wear quickly. The Dunlop SP9000 is also a good tire, also a bit soft for the hardcore performance nut, but last I heard the SP9000 was available in 235/50/16 only in Europe. Nobody wanted to touch getting a set over hear. If Audi or someone else makes it OEM then availability shouldn't be an issue anymore. Last I checked the SP9000 was not yet available over here in 235/50/16. Toyo has the VRG tread patterned T1s in 235/50/16 but I don't have much experience with that tire or Toyo's in general.

Kevin,
The advice for replacing non-sport sized W210 tires pretty much holds true for your car as well. 225/50/16 gives you lots of choices in tires, should fit just fine (be a little bit short but within the 3% rule), and should not be a problem with fender clearance whatsoever. 235/50/16 is discussed above in both fittment and tire availability. What I would recommend would depend heavily on your priorities. Are you looking to sharpen the handling a bit from what is there but keep the ride? Do you want to take your car up to "Sport" handling levels? Do you want balls out handling at the expense of ride? What are your budget, priorities as far as wet handling/dry handling/treadlife/noise/etc?
For sharpening the handling but keeping a great ride I'd recommend 225/50/16 or 235/50/16 Michelin Pilot HX MXM's.
For a compromise of handling, ride, and treadwear I would look at 225/50/16 Michelin Pilot MXX3's, Pirelli PZero's, or perhaps the 235/50/16 Toyo T1s'.
For an all out approach you could go to 17" E430 Sport package size of 235/45/17 in any of the max performance tires or really all out with the E55's 18" sizes. Let us know what your looking for and I'll be happy to talk it over with you. As always, give Tirerack a click or call to get the info "straight from the horse's mouth".

Hope this helps...Lee

Hi Lee,

Went to the tire shop today and they told me that for my W210 with stock 215/55/16, 225/50/16 would be too short and make the car look wierd and 225/55/16 might touch the fenders when taking hard corners. I would like to keep the original 16" rims. Do you have any suggestions?

Kevin

Kevin,
225/50/16 is within Tirerack's "3%" rule so it should fit reasonably well. It might slightly increase fender gap but not by much. 225/55/16 is too tall. If you have not already, it may help to call Tirerack to get their opinion on this issue.

If you are keeping the stock 16" rims then give the 235/50/16 size a try. It should be a near perfect match for OEM rolling radius and will clear fenders and whatnot. Call Tirerack and see if they have the Pilot HX MXM in that size. Sometimes they don't put low-stock items in their online search. Failing the Pilot HX MXM's you can try the Toyo T1's or Pirelli P6000's for lack of something better. You could also ask Tirerack if they can get you the Dunlop SP9000 in 235/50/16. As far as I know, that size is only available in Europe but...

You could try using the 225/50/16's and lower the car a bit. Granted that opens a whole other can of worms though... 17" rims are still probably your best bet if you don't like the tire choices available in 235/50/16. (and/or don't feel comfortable with 225/50/16) Let us know how it goes.

Hope this helps...Lee