which tires to buy
 

im going to buy new tires but i dont know which i should buy yet

i have 17inch wheels on my w124 300 turbo diesel
which tires should u guys prefer??



:confused:

If it's a stock suspension, go for a touring tire (h rated or advertised as a touring tire) of high quality. I've actually had excellent results with a set of Continental Touring Contacts, and will likely buy another set. If you go with a performance tire, the tires will out-perform the suspension and make the car feel very top-heavy. This sensation can be improved by moving to Bilstein HD struts, or a Sportline suspension conversion.

Trust me - I've been there:)

I've got Michelin X-Ones. Seem to last forever (I've got 80K on these, and a lot of tread-wear left). A little harsh ride, but overall a good tire.

im going to buy 4 new shocks too but which should i buy which do you guys prefer the stock ones of another???
im next summer going on a long trip so i need some 4 new tires and 4 new shocks :s

are there no more people with experience with other tires i need some real good tires the trip will be i think more than 10 000km (6000miles) so which tires to buy??????/

I agree with the above opinions. For struts NOTHING beats Bilsteins. If you are looking for comfort, go with standard Bilsteins. I don't use Michelines because I believe they are overpriced. But Michs and Contis seem to be prefered by the big MB sedan owners.

Ultimately, call Tire Rack (888-541-1777) and ask their opinion. I trust most of their advice and just bought the fourth pair of tires from them.

I just bought four new Michelin MXV4 Plus and the ride quality, noise, everything is amazing and now the tires don't squeal like crazy around corners like they did.

If I was going for performance tires, I'd go for Dunlop SP9000 just because I've used them and liked them a lot.

Well, Consumer Report I've got today (!!!) tested touring H-rated tires. They rated Dunlop SP Sport A2 at $70 a pop as the top buy . Michelin MXV4 got the identical performance rating but costs $126 per tire and does not offer tread warranty (Dunlop does). I'm running a coupla of SP Sport A2 on my 190, but they seem a little harsh. However, the CR tests confirmed what I've been saying all over this site - Michelin is NOT exceptional, just overpriced (union wages, no doubt).

Oh, yeah, Contis were a distant 3rd.

In T-rated category they liked Yokohama Touring.
Of course, they tested the tires on a Accord, so I don't know how THAT compares to an MB experience.

ey thnx man i dont know yet exactly which tires too buy but i was thinking about Goodyear F1 what do u guys think about that

I would first try and get 225/45/17s. If you have to get your fenders rolled. But a stock suspension with good Bilstein HDs on a 300D Turbo, would really help the road feel. Not only that, more sidewall the better for not bending rims.

I would say all those tired Consumer Reports mentioned are toruing tires for regular profile cars.

If you want touring, then get the Conti CH95s ($77), Not many smooth touring tires in 17s, more performance. The Sumitomos are acutally made by Dunlops parent company. The HTR+ ($99) are similar to the Sport A2s, except more performance oriented.

If you want to get more serious, and have tires that won't expire in less then 3 of these road trips, you want touring. The ones above are probably the ones you want.

Dunlop SP Sport A2's ( what I'm using on a 1990 420 SEL )
Yokohama AVS dB's
Bridgestone RE950's

Those 3 are your best bets for what you seem to need. Stay away from those Conti's.

Just my opinion but I'm sticking to it ! :cool:

We have broken down tires into several catagories and here is a short list of what I have experienced in our
testing. Now remember, we do not have every single tire line in the world so, if your particular favorite is
not in this list it is probably because we haven't tested it. Also, this is my take on the testing that I have
completed here at The Tire Rack on our test track.

Maximum Performance:
These are the absolute best performing tires on the market. Great steering response and wet/dry traction (not
for use in the snow!!!) which is at home on the track.

1.)S-03 Pole Position
2.)Pilot Sport
3.)S-02 Pole Position (discontinued)
4.)AVS Sport
5.)P-Zero Rosso

There is 1 glaring omission in this list. It is the BFG G-Force T/A KD. The reason for this tire not being on
the list is because of its lack of versatility. It is the best performing tire in the dry but, is almost scary
in the wet.

Ultra High Performance:
A step down form the Max tires but, still exceptional performance which fits most application for a street tire
that can be
driven very aggressivley.

1.) Firehawk SZ50 EP
2.) Potenza RE730's
3.) G-Force KDW
4.) Sport 8000
5.) HTR Z II

3-5 are all very close in performance levels.
The noise issues of the 730's have been corrected with the Generation 2 tire

Ultra High Performance All Season
Performance tires which are capable of going through the snow.

1.) Sport 5000
2.) Michelin Pilot Sport A/S
3.) AVS DB
4.) BFG G-Force KDWS
5.) P7000 Super Sport

Budget Performance Tires
Summer performance with a cost effective tire when your budget is a concern. (based on performance not cost)

1.) Sumitomo HTR Z II
2.) Dunlop SP Sport FM901
3.) Sumitomo HTR Z
4.) Kumho Ecsta Supra 712 (best ride quality in this group)
5.) Yokohama AVS ES100

Touring tires
When ride quality and tire life are the most important things for you these are the tires to consider

1.) Bridgestone Turanza LS
2.) Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus
3.) Pirelli P6000 Sport Veloce
4.) Continental ConiTouring CH95
5.) Goodyeay Eagle LS

I hope this helps you in your tire selections

Thanks, Luke@tirerack
800-428-8355 ext. 362

Luke,
Would you be so kind as to tell us your choices, today, 13 years later?

BTW, I had a set of Firehawk SZ50 eps, and they were fabulous. I never found the replacement model? What a shame; Firestone could have used a worthy successor.