GET RID OF THEM!!!!!!! I was running a low cost set of Goodyear tires for a long time on my 83 300SD, and they finally got to the point that they HAD to be replaced. I'm talking I couldn't hardly back out of my mall parking spot in the rain b/c they would slip so bad(belts showing). For Christmas my parents bought me four new, toyo tires, with an H rated sidewall. They said that they are the tires that come on the new maxima's? anyway, it's a high performance rain tire, or something to that effect. MAN, what a difference, I don't even feel like I'm driving the same car. It turns better, rides nicer(albeit a bit firmer, but not harsher, almost smoother?) and feels much more solid at highway speed. Also, the rain traction of this tire is INCREDIBLE, I can't even get the wheels to spin if I try! I finally feel like I'm driving a benz, and there is much less play in the steering as well. so to all you running econo tires, save up and get the *real* benz tires, you won't regret it!!!

__________________
83 300SD.......sold
96 integra SE....sold
99 a4 quattro....sold
2001 IS300.......sold
2002 330i.........current.
2004 highlander limited....current.

When I had mid-grade Goodyears on mine, I was having tires fixed every 4 or 4 weeks. Changed to Bridgestone, no tire problems for nearly 2 years. I know these cars are tough on tires, but the Goodyears were worthless. They would not honor warranty on them. They claimed the sidewall failures were due to road hazards. Problem is, the sidewalls were failing from the inside of the tires. How the heck do road hazards get inside a tire ?

__________________
Palangi

2004 C240 Wagon 203.261 Baby Benz
2008 ML320 CDI Highway Cruiser
2006 Toyota Prius, Saving the Planet @ 48 mpg
2000 F-150, Destroying the Planet @ 20 mpg



TRUMP .......... WHITEHOUSE
HILLARY .........JAILHOUSE
BERNIE .......... NUTHOUSE
0BAMA .......... OUTHOUSE

Greetings Ryan,

It seems that your tires are quite worn out and any new tires would have been an improvement. I can't dispute that some tires seem to ride better, or handle better than others, but the trade off is either a weight limitation, longevity, or traction trade off. You can pay more for a 40,000 mile tire that is speed rated with a better traction rating etc. than a 80,000 mile tire that has a lower traction rating, and not speed rated, and it all accounts for the rubber make up of the tire, hard or soft to account for the traction, as well as tread design to shed water but causes more wear in curves. Tires of any grade are rated and stamped for that rating on their sidewall. Do your homework before choosing tires and decide what it is that you want in a tire, performance or longevity?


Charles

__________________
"Tell me and I will listen, Teach me and I will learn, Show me and I will accomplish, Involve me and I will succeed."
'84 300SD 256,000 Gold on Brown (Mileage Award)
'86 300E 246,000 Blue on Tan

as of now i really like the toyo tires, how long they will last only time will tell. They have a treadwear rating of 400 and a traction rating of "A", there is another category that it is rated as "a" for as well, but i don't remember what it' called. The longevity of a tire also varies greatly on how the car is driven.
R

__________________
83 300SD.......sold
96 integra SE....sold
99 a4 quattro....sold
2001 IS300.......sold
2002 330i.........current.
2004 highlander limited....current.

I recently spent a good deal of time researching tires for my Alfa Romeo GTV6 on a wonderful site called www.tirerack.com

They give real-world evaluations on different brands and also comparison tests between brands with a subject car.

I ended up with Michelin Pilots on my Alfa. Expensive, but worth it for this car. For the MB (Helga), I would probably go with one of the Yokohama tires. Half the price, and rated very good by Tirerack.

Please note, that tires are easily the most technologically advanced "thing" on any car, even new cars!
As such there are many nuances within brands. For example, one Bridgestone model might be wonderful in all respects, and another model might feel like crap. They are both Bridgestones and the same size and rating, but different models and very different performers.
They can vary in feel and performance too, even if they are the same model, but different speed ratings.

It is very easy to generalize about brands of tires (Goodyear, TOYO, etc.), but please do not be swayed by what your fathers said!
i.e. It used to be that General tires were universally crap, and had a deserved reputation for tread separation. Now they are owned by the highly respected German company Continental, and Generals are now worthy of consideration.
And not all Firestones are dangerous!

Yes, I know. Tires are very complex, and the more you know about them, the more complex the choices become.
But if I can generalize a bit about brands I would rate the manufacturers like this;
#1 Michelin
#2 Bridgestone
#3 Yokohama

Please check out www.tirerack.com and good luck!

__________________
Ed
1981 300CD (Benzina)
1968 250 S (Gina) 266,000 miles!
1983 Alfa Romeo GTV6 (Guido)
1976 Jaguar XJS-saved a V-12 from the chevy curse, what a great engine!
1988 Cadillac Eldorado (better car than you might think!)
1988 Yamaha Venture (better than a Wing!)
1977 Suzuki GS750B
1976 Yamaha XS 650 (sold)
1991 Suzuki GSX1100G (Shafty Gixser)
1981 Yamaha VX920RH (Euro "Virago")
Solex Moped
1975 Dodge P/U camper


"Time spent in the company of a cat, a beer, and this forum, is not time wasted!"

Can-Do and 240Ed,

Very well said by both of you. I was rather taken aback by a comparison between a new set of tires of any brand and a worn out set with the belts showing. Yes, in this case I would expect quite an improvement even if you had put new wagon wheels on it.

There is an amazing difference between different tires of the same size by the same manufacturer. There is a Michelin plant not far from here that was purchased by Michelin about five years ago. Before that, it was a Uniroyal plant. I've often wondered just what went on during the purchase. Did they completely upgrade the plant, or simply start stamping Michelin on the side of the tires so they could sell them at Target?

Happy New Year,

Ha ha ha! LOL That's funny about wagon wheels..

Re; Michelin plant
NOOOOOOO, they would never do that!
These french people are almost as fanatical to quality as the people who make Lexus's.

Uniroyal? Puh-leeze.

When the American tire companys were virtually forced into making radials by the market place, they made a decision based on simple economics. That is, they decided to make radial tires using the same clam-shell mold machinery they used to make all those bias ply and belted tires on. And they made good tires of this type, actually.
The problem they ran into though, was when they started to arrange all these radial belts along with the bias belts in these molds and then clamp them shut to inject the rubber, the rubber would disturb the orientation of some of the belts, and you would get uneven, lopsided tires. Not so much that most people would notice because by then the tire fitters were using spin balancers to properly balance them. But the problems showed up.
They would typically go out balance after a while, and in the case of General Tire, they garnered the deserved reputation for tread separation. The funny thing is about all this Firestone flap and law suits-Generals were much worse and I am sure caused all kinds of choas over many more years!!

Anyway, Michelin invented a new way to make tires. Their machines bring the carcass together like a pie, thus producing very accurate and stable tires.
Michelins are the only tire I have ever balanced, where you would occasionally find one which didn't need any weights!

When looking at radial tires at your local store, always look at the mold marks! If it has mold flashing running around the circumference of the tread? forget it . If it has mold marks on the sidewalls like a pie, you are better off.

__________________
Ed
1981 300CD (Benzina)
1968 250 S (Gina) 266,000 miles!
1983 Alfa Romeo GTV6 (Guido)
1976 Jaguar XJS-saved a V-12 from the chevy curse, what a great engine!
1988 Cadillac Eldorado (better car than you might think!)
1988 Yamaha Venture (better than a Wing!)
1977 Suzuki GS750B
1976 Yamaha XS 650 (sold)
1991 Suzuki GSX1100G (Shafty Gixser)
1981 Yamaha VX920RH (Euro "Virago")
Solex Moped
1975 Dodge P/U camper


"Time spent in the company of a cat, a beer, and this forum, is not time wasted!"

For what its worth, I have a set of 4 Pirelli P400 tires on my 83' 300D, and they work exceptionally well in the rain. I have heard from trusted sources that Yokohama makes a high-end all season tire that works as well or better than the Pirelli, will outlast a Pirelli, and is less money. I will try them when the Pirelli's wear out, which might be soon, if the short life of the set of Pirelli's I had on my Alfa are any indication.

240 Ed,

Thanks for the tire tutorial!

I'm not sure exactly what you mean when using the "pie" term, but I will ensure that tires I buy don't have mold marks anywhere on the tread. Is this right?

So you believe that the Uniroyal plant would have been updated by Michelin?

Thanks for the info.,

I think what he is saying is that the flashing should be in a radial pattern, like the spokes on a wheel. the flashing should go from the tread down toward the hub instead of in a line around the circumference of the wheel.
I omce had a tire salesman tell me about the "better" way michelins were constructed - radial pie-like chunks instead of a long part that rolled up to make the tire. It was obvious that they were made differently, I just didn't know whether it really made a difference. I guess that it does.

__________________
andy t
'78 300d
'95 volvo 850, wagon
'86 300sdl - engine out, maybe I'll have it rolling by June

whole bunch o' bicycles

wheelguru,

Makes sense. Thanks everyone for the great tire tutorial.

Have a great day,

for whatever it's worth have been running Mastercrafts
for last few years - avail here in the Northeast and
made by Cooper, with good traction/treadwear/ low noise/good handling. Fairly reasonable price about $68/70 .

Now also running 'em on the VW- will see how long they
last as fwd Vw notorious tire eater!!

__________________
1984 300D Turbo - 231k....totalled 11/30/07 RIP