I have 16 inch AMG Monoblocks on a 95 E320 Cabrio running 205/55/16 Dunlop SP Sport 5000. The Dunlops having seen better days, so I went to Costco to order a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S.

The manager looks up the 95 E320 in the computer and says the recommended size for 16 inch is 205/50/16; this size is only available as a Pilot Sport or MXM; neither of which I care for. They won't budge on the 205/55 Pilot Sport A/S unless I have something from MB showing the fit is ok. I argued that the last tire shop had similar fitment rules and mounted the Dunlops without a complaint.

No luck.

The manager recommended I try to order through the Costco website- so I go to the website and I use the locate by size; when I pull up a Michelin Pilot Sport A/S here's what it says:
<Use of the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S has not been certified by Mercedes-Benz for use on their automobiles, therefore Costco will not install them on a Mercedes-Benz vehicle.>
This disclaimer shows up on all sizes of Pilot Sport All Seasons..??

Does MB consider this tire to be a problem??

It took a heck of a battle and an AMG document showing the installation procedure for 17 inch monoblocks to get them to mount 225/45/17s on the Hammer Wagon- the computer said NO WAY for a 1988 300TE.

I like Costco for the warranty and convenience; they also have a very good installer at this location...but I'm getting frustrated with the fitment battle..

How can I prove that these tires fit (35,000 miles on the Dunlops doesn't do the trick)?

__________________
Dave

AMG 300TE 6.0

E320 Cabrio

http://photos.yahoo.com/dshimano

See if you can get the current "Approved Tire" list from your dealer and see if they are approved or not. If not, they have a point, but sheeesh it IS your car!

Gilly

__________________
Click here to see the items I have up for auction at EBay

Click here to see a photo album of my '62 Sprite Project Moneypit (Now Sold)

Lookee here:

http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?threadid=89853

MB is not happy with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S

__________________
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

Pilot Sport A/S are not sticky enough for AMG cars.

I would suggest you take the wheels off the car, then take them to costco as "carry out" wheels, then they will mount anything you want.

Austin

__________________
Current Stable:
1994 S500 v140, 210k miles, white with grey.

Former Mercedes in the Stable:
1983 300CD Turbo diesel 515k mi sold (rumor has it, that it has 750k miles on it now)
1984 300CD Turbo Diesel 150 k mi sold
1982 300D Turbo Diesel 225 sold
1987 300D Turbo Diesel 255k mi sold
1988 300 CE AMG Hammer 15k mi sold
1986 "300E" Amg Hammer 88k mi sold (it was really a 200, not even an E (124.020)
1992 500E 156k mi sold
etc.

I now only do what Omegabenz suggests -- take in wheels without the car. I went in there once trying to buy a lower speed rating than MB suggests and they argued with me for an hour. They didn't understand why neither a 210km/h and 240km/h rating mattered on a diesel that had a max speed of 160km/h!

I now walk in with wheels only. They mount the tires (much faster!) and don't treat me like crap because I have an MB and all of the other customers have Toyotas.. They really don't appreciate MB owners buying their tires at Costco.. like we're snobs just shopping there to piss them off or something

Neal

__________________
'83 300SD 335,000km (207k) mi SOLD
'87 560SL 163,000km (101k mi) SOLD
'86 300SDL 356,000km (220k mi) SOLD
'92 500SEL 250,000km (155k mi) SOLD
'90 300SL 140,000km (87k mi) SOLD
'01 S430 260,000km (161k mi) SOLD
'03 SL500 167,000km (104k mi) SOLD
'07 S550 4MATIC 235,000km (146k mi) SOLD
'07 GL320 CDI 4MATIC 348,000km (215k mi)
'13 GL350 BlueTec 4MATIC 170,000km (105k mi)
'14 SL550 72,000km (43k mi)

I spoke to another tire shop that fits many MBs and does all the work for a neighboring Audi dealer. They were aware of the issue with the Pilot Sport A/S and said it has to do with the design being unsuitable for a characteristic "crowned" US road.

The 205/55 vs. 205/50 issue comes from the computer system that has the stock tire for an E320 Cabrio as a 195/60/15 which relates to a 205/50/16 in size. The 300E models have 195/65/15 listed as stock and show 205/55/16 as the "plus one" size.
However the owners manual supplement for the 95 E320 cabrio indicates 195/65/15 as the stock tire.

Now that I found a shop to do 205/55/16s I might try the Conti Extreme Contacts-

Austin- the Cabrio is an AMG in "wheels only" and not modified. I do close to 30k a year, so a high perfprmance all season with a 400 treadwear is a better bet for one years worth of driving.

__________________
Dave

AMG 300TE 6.0

E320 Cabrio

http://photos.yahoo.com/dshimano

I have pilot sport A/s tires and the roads around my house are very crowned, and I really like the tires. I know many MB owners that like them as well.

See if you can get costco to put them on. I know a guy that got about 40k miles on his pilot sport a/s with many alignments and constant pressure and balance checks.

__________________
Current Stable:
1994 S500 v140, 210k miles, white with grey.

Former Mercedes in the Stable:
1983 300CD Turbo diesel 515k mi sold (rumor has it, that it has 750k miles on it now)
1984 300CD Turbo Diesel 150 k mi sold
1982 300D Turbo Diesel 225 sold
1987 300D Turbo Diesel 255k mi sold
1988 300 CE AMG Hammer 15k mi sold
1986 "300E" Amg Hammer 88k mi sold (it was really a 200, not even an E (124.020)
1992 500E 156k mi sold
etc.

See http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?threadid=89853

Since that advisory, Michelin has reformatted the Pilot Sports A/S and restocked TireRack with the reformatted model (Luke has the release from Michelin and will read it to you, tho he cannot give you a copy).

I have been all through this for a real AMG car -- bought the old A/S from TireRack, saw the thread mentioned above, spoke with Luke, Michelin and MB-USA. Sent the old A/S back and waited a month for the Pirelli Neros to come in from Italy (now delayed to October). In the interim, Michelin came out with the reformatted A/S and I bought them instead from Tire Rack.

No ostensible pulling, but one failed after 10 miles (replaced on Tirerack's road hazard warranty).

Don't know if M-B has withdrawn their original advisory, but you could talk with MB-USA and Michelin customer service, as well as with Luke.

__________________
'98 C43 AMG
'88 420SEL
'93 190E Limited Edition (including factory Sportline package)

mercedes has not yet withdrawn their previous advisory.

the issue was with the road crown as mentioned, and the "compensating torque alignment?" that is naturally built into the cars to make em go straight on crowned roads. the original pilot sport AS either made some car pull too much or too little, i dont recall.

as a costco tire center employee i hate it when know it all customers come in and argue with me about tires. irregardless of what they drive. unless you're a tire geek or in the industry i DO know more about em than you do. most of the time. theres been one or two racers that came in and knew thier *****, but pretty much everyone else doesnt.


as for refusing to fit non recommened sizes, its a liability thing. just take the wheels off and take em in and they will do whatever you want em to. and no, you signing a waiver does not release them from second party lawsuits (your wife, kids, someone who hits you in traffic etc.)

__________________
'O=00=O'
bmw 2002.
long live the legend