Does anyone have a great recommendation for summer touring tires for my 1999 E430? I have a great set of winters about to come off, and I am looking for something that meets or exceeds the recommended ratings, etc. Cost is not a limiting factor, but if anyone knows of a good deal, I'd like to hear that too. I am not too aggressive a driver, and I figure a grand touring style tire would be sufficient so there's not much call for a real high performance or track type tire. Two that came up onTire rack that looked interesting were the Pirelli P6000s and Kumho ECSTA SPT. Both had really great reviews and the Kumhos were pretty cheap.

Thoughts?

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Jason Priest
1999 E430
1995 E420 - retired
1986 420SEL - retired

Pirelli P6000s were the first "summer" tires I had for my C280 and I was underwhelmed by them. I upgraded to a 16 inch rim and went with Goodyear Eagle F1 GSD3 and I love them. While they are definitely a performance-oriented tire, they're quite comfortable on the highway. They are amazing in the rain. They were expensive, but I consider them as much of a safety upgrade as a performance upgrade, so I don't have trouble shelling out the money. If you have dedicated winter tires, why not go for a dedicated summer tire instead of an all-season?

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Jonathan

2011 Mazda2
2000 E320 4Matic Wagon
1994 C280 (retired)

I am planning to go with a summer performance tire and not an all-season. They way I selected the tires through Tirerack's search engine led me to believe the tires they showed me were not all season, but summer performance tires. Are the Pirelli's an all-season?

Tire rack has great reviews on the Goodyear Eagle F1s. I may have to give them a try.

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Jason Priest
1999 E430
1995 E420 - retired
1986 420SEL - retired

From what I recall the Pirellis are all season but I don't remember if they have an Mud/Snow rating (M+S) on the sidewall, so I can't remember if they're good for deep snow or not.

Luke at Tire Rack put me onto the F1s. It was a great recommendation.

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Jonathan

2011 Mazda2
2000 E320 4Matic Wagon
1994 C280 (retired)

My first experience - Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus Grand Touring All-Season
My better 2nd experience - Bridgestone Turanza LS-H Grand Touring All-Season
My next experience - Continental ContiProContact Grand Touring All-Season


I always wonder why people choose the tires they do, considering the information available at Tirerack. I started with the Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus because they were very quiet, but I turned against them because of their poor rain performance on my car and because of their tendency to squeal. I hated slipping around in the rain after the tires were just slightly worn and I hated the squealing that occurred, even when just turning around in a parking lot. I switched to the Bridgestone Turanza LS-H, which were definitely better or even great in the rain on my car. The Turanza also seemed to be a better handling tire for me, although that firmer more confident felling came at the price of being slightly less comfortable and less quiet on the highway. By running the Turanza at the lowest tire pressures listed on the gas filler door, the tires are reasonably comfortable, but not as good as the Michelin. I would still choose the Turanza over the Michelin, however, since safety in the rain has to take priority over comfort and quiet. Next I am planning to try the Continental ContiProContact. Based on the Tirerack test results, which seem to be completely in line with my own experiences, the new Continental ContiProContact may be even more quiet and comfortable than the Michelin tires and should be better than the Michelin tires in the rain. They are not going to be quite as good as the Turanza, in terms of the rain performance, but I am hoping they are good enough to feel safe. I’m just not completely satisfied with the amount of noise and the firmness of the Turanza, so I am hoping the Continental ContiProContact is good enough in the rain and as good as they say in terms of quiet and comfort.

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I just couldn't give up on my 1995 E320.

I think it might be like always going back to that same bad relationship with an ex girlfriend.
You feel you love them too much, or you are just too stupid to know any better.



Flickr slideshow of my 1995 E320
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24145497@N06/sets/72157616572140057/