It's time to buy new tires for Big Benz, as my Michelins are staring to go bald (especially the outside left front - probably need an alignment check too).

I LOVE the Bridgestone Potenzas I put on my '99 Volvo XC, but they don't come in the right size for the Mercedes.

Which tires do y'all recommend?

I love Michelin tires, especially the MXV4 for smooth, quiet operation. You could also try the wheel/tire forum for suggestions.

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Ali Al-Chalabi

2001 CLK55
1999 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Diesel
2002 Harley-Davidson Fatboy
Merlin Extralight w/ Campy Record

oops. I'm so used to my quesitons relating only to repair issues that I'd completely forgotten about that forum.

There's no "best" tire. I depends on your driving conditions and whether you want to emphasize ride or handling, and price is usually a factor with most people.

Saying "Michelin" is better than "Bridgestone" or whatever is folly. Each manufacturer offers different tire models than emphasize different performance characteristics, so you have to start out with the type of road conditions you will see (relative dry/wet/snow) and what performance characteristics you value.

Duke

Good point!

1) I live in the southeastern U.S., so wet/dry is a consideration, but snow is not.

2) I drive over 70 miles a day to/from work.

3) The average speed on the highways I travel is about 75-80mph, but will occassionally head past 90 depending on "road conditions" (i.e. enough other cars going faster than I am).

4) While cornering ability is always appreciated, I'm not about to take this beast auto-crossing. Ride quality should probably be emphasized over handling.

5) Cost is an issue (particularly when the car itself only cost me $4,250).

Thanks again all for all your help over the past year.

I'll admit I was a little hesitant at first, but on my 500SEL ('92) I installed Kumho 716 ECSTA HP4 and am happy as can be with them. They are 235/60/16 with an H speed rating. They ride quieter than the Michelins I had on it before, handle equally and to boot are much cheaper! Visit the "Wheels/Tires" portion of this forum and you will find a lot of similar kudos for Kumho tires on MB's.

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1996 SL320 97K miles
1996 C220 130k miles
1992 500SEL 170k miles <---sold
1986 300E 216k miles <---sold

Very good reply!

The best type of tire for you is a "summer high performance tire". They provide best wet and dry grip in mild temperatures, which you can take to mean above freezing.

Your car was originally equipped with V-rated tires, but H-rated should be adequate if you don't plan on driving over 130 MPH.

Go to www.tirerack.com and input these search criteria along with the size and see what pops up. Also, consider high performance touring tires. Check the "specs" on candidate tires and pay attention to wear rating. Lower means less total miles, but probably more grip. Something in the range of 250-400 should provide good grip and 30-50K miles of service. The Tire Rack price is a benchmark for local shopping. Factor in about $10 per tire for shipping, but no sales tax. Local installers will charge for "installation", but offer "free installation" if you buy from them. Either way you pay for balancing.

The "name brands" like Michelin, Goodyear, and Bridgestone often carry high prices, and they can get away with it because they're household names. Less well known brands like Kumho, Sumitomo, and even Continental and Pirelli make some excellent models that are very competitively priced.


Duke

I switched from Michelins to Yyokohama Avid Touring 205 60 15's and 205 60 14's on my three 126's .there are constructed in the same manner as Michelins .They are quiet, good in both rain and dry,are 80,000 mile rated and are priced much better than Michelins........

at tirerack be sure to read the reviews. it helped me. i just bought the continetal extreme contacts and had the hunter9700 balance. talk about handling and grip i'm impressed. they received the 2nd highest reply rating and at 66$ each good deal.

i used to buy michelins and good years at more than twice the price. well no more i've found my tire. they've been in ice/snow, wet and dry. excellent

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Thanks Much!
Craig

1972 350sl Red/Blk 117k
1988 420sel charcoal/Blk 140k
1987 420sel gold/tan 128k
See My Cars at:http://mysite.verizon.net/res0aytj/index.html

Pound it to fit then Paint it to match!

There is only First Place and Varying degrees of last!

Old age and deceit will overcome Youth and Enthusiasm every time!

Putting the square peg in the round hole is not hard... IF you do it fast enough!

Old enough to know better but stupid enough to do it anyway!

Ditto. Except mine are the AVS dbs. Saved hundreds of $$. Great tire.