Luke,
Rims just arrived need tires, so many damn choices! Looking for 205/55/16's for the W124 (think 260E) Narrowed it down to:-
Yoko DB's, Mich XGTH4, Dun SP5000. Please note I will avoid snow like the plague but I may be caught out there in the stuff every now and then as I run for shelter Any thoughts? I love hitting those highspeed off ramps hard and because its new york switching lanes quickly and precisely with no suprises is a must. Wet traction a must. Currently running Michelins with XSE. I have a feeling everyone is going to tell me to stick with Mich's right? What's the best time to call Luke? Let me know your thoughts everyone. Would have loved to try the Toyo proxes tirerack but never mind let me know

yal
88 230E (W124)

The Dunlop SP Sport 5000's have the best wet traction and the AVS DB is the quietest. The Dunlop would be my call.

Thanks, Luke

------------------
Luke Pavlick
Performance Specialist (ASE Certified Master Tech)
Please, call me to place orders (800-428-8355 ext. 362)
or mention my name for on-line orders
(click banner at top of the page
to visit Tire Rack web site)

Thanks Luke Dunlops it is i'll have the order in Monday.

Yal,

Was wondering, how're those Dunlops doing? Doing some research on the SP5000, the Pilot XGT V4's, and the AVS db...

thanks,
anthony

Quite nicely thank you
Was a little sceptical about them since I can be a bit of an aggressive driver sometimes and a Michelin fan at that! When I got them I squeezed the sidewalls and they were medium soft and I thought OH OH!
But it is nice to be completely suprised by a tire in these days of over hypeness.

PRO'S: Eats sudden rain down pours for lunch, nice grip (what side wall flex?), quiet (if the Avs db's are quieter then wow because these Dunlops are quiet, even on concrete!), great aggressive looking sidewall, sexy thread, smooth ride, mileage went up, price, price, and did I mention price. In a city that has stealth potholes and serrated curbs everywhere I couldn't justify paying more.

CON'S: Be aware of the break in period. Many people have thrown away their Dunlops dissapointed because of this and I can see why. The longer you drive the better they get. Early aggressive cornering can be quite entertaining and early uneven feedback was felt but gone in no time.

Sorry for rambling...hope this all helps.

------------------
yal
88 230E (W124)
euroheadlights,
clearcorners,
smoke/red tailights
98 e420 sport replicas

yal

Did switching to a 16 inch wheel affect ride quality as compared to the factory size? By the way what is the width of your new wheels

Momentum,
No negative difference in ride quality. My old Michelins were a little harder than the Dunlops so my ride quality has actually improved.
You get less of a body role with the extra rubber and the extra grip you get in corners makes you want to run out and get a suspension upgrade Which I intend to do in a few months.
Went with 16x7.5 205/55/16. The 7.5 size makes the fronts stick out very very very slightly (see the 400E in the featured car section on the left of your screen it has 215's or 225's). You have to look close to see it. The rear tucks in nicely.
No car this big runs on 15's the way a W124 does but I was just getting annoyed with cleaning those wheels
More rambling....sorry

------------------
yal
88 230E (W124)
euroheadlights,
clearcorners,
smoke/red tailights
98 e420 sport replicas

Thanks yal,

I was looking real hard at the Pilot XGT's, but then started seeing all this great stuff about the newer Dunlops and Yokohamas, and the price difference is really giving the Michelins some second thoughts. Glad you're enjoying them though.

anthony

I upgraded my 1987 300e to 16" rims and a new supsension. It was worth the $$$$.

Scott

For a tire comparable to the Perforamcne Touring Tires, I recommedn the Firestone Firehawk SH30 in 205/55/16 for $84 each. Its an H-rated tire, which would last a good 50k miles in MHO.
Next step up would be the Dunlop SP Sport 5000, which offer a great wet and dry traction but on a more performance level. $95 each.
Since you need a little all-season traction, I wouldn't recommend anything else.

------------------
Chirag (Charlie) Patel

- 99 Mercedes-Benz ML 430 V8 w/custom TV, Video, UHF, speaker system
- 93 190E 2.6 (4-sale) w/ an amp, equalizer, and CD-changer, integrated w. stock stereo for integrated cellular phone speaker system
- had a 93 190E m103 3.2, 5-speed trans,
- had a 88 300E 2.6
- had a 84 300TD w/275k+ miles
- 2002 S500/S600 - Maybe in a little more then a year