Hi. I like to know if it's a bad idea to combine one tire brand with another one. For example, can I use pirelli for the front rims and dunlop for the rear rims? Would this affect handling of your car in any way? Thanks for your input....Justin..

Justin,
I would always run the same make and model tire on all four corners. It is one thing to vary the size (staggered setup as is standard on the W202 AMG cars) but in my experience it is generally a bad idea to mix/match brands and/or models. I've heard of at least one instance where a guest's cruise control did not work due to running different model tires F to R. (he had Michelin MXX3's and Potenza S-01's and the difference in the same "size" tire seemed to be throwing the cruise and other RR affected gear off.) The problem went away when he swapped to same model/brand tires F/R.

Hope this helps...Lee

I have heard many horror stories from mixing tires, but never a positive story.

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Noah
1999 C43
http://4Noah.homepage.com

There have been many documented problems created by mixing tire brands. Some of the more dramatic problems occur when traction is compromised due to weather or road conditions because the tires will react differently.
Thanks, Luke

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Luke Pavlick
Performance Specialist (ASE Certified Master Tech)
The Tire Rack
(click banner at top of the page
to visit Tire Rack)

I agree, If you can run the same make and model tire on all 4 corners you should. However, If you choose your tires' properly, you shouldn't have to worry about those problems. For instance, you need to have all 4 the same or at least the same type for snow/ice conditions. For wet, make sure the fronts sweep enough water out of the way for the rear ones w/o hydroplaning.

On my 190E, I am currently using 205/55/15 with Dunlop SP Sport 5000 up front and 205/60/15 Michelin Pilot XGT H4 in the rear. The only reason I did that was because I wanted to balance out the cars "understeering" characteristics. It is an odd setup, but no problems with them. The front stays firmly planted while the rear push the car well.

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Chirag (Charlie) Patel

99 Mercedes-Benx ML 430 V8 w/custom TV, Video, UHF, speaker system
93 190E 2.6 w/ an amp, equalizer, and CD-changer, integrated w. stock stereo for integrated cellular phone speaker system
2001 C-Class - Maybe

Thank you guys. I decided not to mix brands just in case. Thanks again.