ECTurboGSX

What tires are you guys running on your C36's and C43's?

I'm currently running General Exclaim UHP's and they've been ok for a cheap tire. I'm wearing the outside edges on the front though, so I think I may need to add in some negative camber. Time for at least new fronts and I'm leaning towards replacing the whole set.

Car and Driver just came out with a summer tire comparo, so I've been looking at the results to help decide. Here are the current competitors:

1.) Hankook R-S3 - $586 for the set - The bad boy tire of the bunch that I am looking at. If I hadn't been driving my C43 more often, these would be the no brainer as they are the most extreme tire that I am considering in terms of all out performance. From what I have read, the side walls are a little soft and take away from steering precision. We all know that our Merc's could use a little help in the steering precision arena. However, their 140 treadware rating is a little scary considering I may ditch the daily soon and start driving the Merc. That could get pricey.

2.) Continental ExtremeContact DW - $604 for the set - These stuck out to me in the C&D test. I hadn't looked at them before that. They were the most refined tire behind the Michelin PSS at a fraction of the cost. They had excellent wet handling, mid pack dry handling, good feel, and they were quiet. I get a little worried looking at max and extreme performance tires that they will very noisy. I looked at Dunlop Star Specs, which is what we will run on our track car, but I've read a lot about how noisy they are. To me, the Continentals are the appropriate AMG tire, they are very well rounded to go take some hot canyon roads and also can be refined when cruising down the highway.

3.) Kuhmo Ecsta LE Sport - $376 for the set - This choice is about cost. The LE recently very slightly outperformed the Hankook V12 Evo in a Tirerack test and the V12 Evo was second place in C&D's last tire shoot out. It's a decent performer and you can't ignore it being $210 cheaper than the next option.

4.) Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT - 2008 Production Tires, $384 for the set - These won the latest max performance category test on TireRack. From what I have read, very good road tires. The 4 years old doesn't bother me too much as I'm sure TireRack has kept them in decent storage and it won't take me more than another 2 or 3 years to wear through this set. A year or so ago, TireRack closed out some 2007 production Goodyear Eagle F1's and I've been kicking myself since for not picking up a set.

So there you go, that's what I'm looking at. What are you guys running? Gripes, complaints, love them or hate them, etc? Thanks!

ECTurboGSX

Well, ordered the Dunlops. Hopefully they work out well.

winks911

I am running Michelin Pilot sport 2
I won't run anything else
225/40/18 Front
265/35/18 Rear

ChampagneC

I run Nitto 555's. been great so far

DRBC43AMG

I have mounted Michelin PS3 (the latest product) on my 18" Mono's. Have not yet tested them but I was very pleased with the older PS2's. Very quiet on the road and excellent grip.
I had Pirelli PZero Rossos in the past, but I found they tram lined like crazy (dangerous) when wearing out

ECTurboGSX

The Pirelli's actually placed last in the C&D test that just came out. I was really surprised to see that. The Michelin PSS won the test, and I would have liked to have those, but I can't ignore the price difference. The good thing about tires is that I will get to try again in 2 or 3 years.

winks911

I wish I could say the same...My tires get change because of old age rather than wear out I only put about 1500 km per year if I am lucky.......
But I do get to test all the new high end tires that all new Porsches come with.

dearlove

i had serious problems putting any one the power down in my 36, just kept lighting up the wheel with the least weight on it.

Got Kumho ku36 all round and now i'd have to try very hard to brake traction and they get better with heat

The sizes i wanted over here in Australia weren't all that common so i paid $1500 for the set but you'll prob pay 1/4 of that...

Saaboteur

I can't find those Dunlop Sport Maxx TTs on Tirerack at all! Perhaps they are sold out now? That's a pretty good deal.

I just put Bridgestone 760 Sports on the rear of my C55 a couple months back. The fronts are still wearing the previous owner's Goodyear F1s, decent tread on them. I had PS2s on my Saab years ago - quite an expensive tire. Most of my driving on my AMGs is boggo boring daily driving stuff, so I can't justify really sticky and expensive rubber on them. I have treated my S2000 to that though - it wears Bridgestone RE01Rs up front and RE11s out back - I picked up the RE01Rs when Tirerack was blowing them out just as the RE11 was introduced, and of course the rears always wear twice as fast as the fronts...

ECTurboGSX

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....+Sport+Maxx+TT

Go to the sizes tab and you'll see multiples of certain sizes. One is the current production tire at regular price and one will be the 2008 model on close out. They probably aren't available in all sizes. When I looked last weekend for the 225 for the front, they didn't have it listed on close out, but they did last night, hence the rushed order.

nd4spd13

Has anyone tried the BFGoodrich g-Force T/A KDW 2? I'm looking at these, the Toyo R888s, or if I have to, dropping the dough for my favourite Yoko AD08s.
I know that Jayrasheed had the R888s, but I'm a little concerned with how fast they'll wear because tire rack classified them as comp. DOT.


Also has anyone run 225-35-18s in the front?

LawRens

1. Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110- They gripped pretty well when heated. That could probably be attributed to softer rubber or just the plain stupid width the tire was (275/40). Sidewalls were slightly soft, but the grip made up for it, if that makes any sense to you. Mileage did suck though, tires were replaced within 10,000 miles.

2. Bridgestone RE-760 Sport- Got some better miles out of them (15,000 miles) compared to the Hankooks, but at the cost of some grip. Didn't feel as good or stable throwing the c43 around corners (255/40), but gave a quiet ride on the highways. An excellent engineered tire, but will not be getting these again, because they can't be rotated, and are easily the most expensive. (running staggered fitment, and the tires are asymmetrical...)

3. General Exclaim UHP/General G-Max AS-03- Current tires, and is amazing for daily driving. Treadwear has barely taken a dent at 10,000 miles and is well planted in the rain, but of course that's because it's an all season tire. Taking corners, unfortunately, is horrendous. Sidewalls are extremely soft compared to the other two above, and thus results in some intense body roll during turns.

ECTurboGSX

Had any issues with getting a temporary flat spot after sitting for a while? If I went more than a week without driving mine with the Generals, they would develop a temporary flat spot that would take a mile or two to work itself out.

LawRens

Never really noticed if any flat spots occur, but I wouldn't be surprised if it happens. If there are, I don't really feel it on the road when I start driving.

m a x i m u s

I have Bridgestone Potenza RE11's. I love them. But I am partial to BS's ... had the RE01R and the SO3 prior to these.

jgro1976

Reviving this thread since it hasn't been updated in a while. Looking to find out what people are currently running for tires, what they like, don't like, how many miles you've gotten out of them, etc.

Gunther's gonna need front shoes soon, and while I can get used, I'd like to know what I want to replace all 4 eventually as the rears are new, but crap.

Thanks

Sulaco

Kumho delivers fantastic bang for the buck. I always get them if I can.

jgro1976

Hmm, really? I've never owned a set, not sure how I've ever felt about tires other than the major brand names.

What Kuhmo's have you had on the C?

FrenchBenz

I think I have michelin Pilot Sport at the back and Nitto at the front. Can't remember what's the model at the front though. Pilot Sport hook up like crazy. I used to have Kuhmo at the back that worked very well, but no way near the grip of the Michelin PS

ECTurboGSX

As stated above, I got the Dunlop SportMaxx TT's. They are leagues better than the General UHP's but very expensive when not on sale (close to $200 a piece in the stock sizes).

We are running the Hankook RS-3's on our ChumpCar in 255/40/17 and they have been pretty awesome thus far. My friend is running the 245's all around on his E30 track car and loves them as well. If I wouldn't have gotten the deal on the Dunlops, I would have gone with the RS-3's. However, they are not good at all in the rain, so be careful to balance dry performance with whatever wet traction you are expecting. I only drive my C43 when it is nice, so I wasn't too worried about that.

The BFG g-Force Rival is a new Extreme Performance category tire that seems to be pretty grippy, though they are still too new to know for sure how they hold up over time.

How performance oriented are you looking to go?

Sulaco

As of now I have Kumho Ecsta ASX on the front and Goodyear Eagle F1's on the rear. My rear tires are such a strange and often un-used size, that a good number of tire shops charge me through the nose to put anything on them. I'm talking $100 to install a $200 tire, and they WILL NOT promise not to damage my very valuable 2 piece monoblocks.

What I end up doing is browsing Craigslist for months. So far, been through 2 sets on the back of some really high-value performance tires that I snagged for less than $200. In both cases they were bought new by a tire shop, NO ONE ever came to buy them, so they sat there for a year and were sold for pennies on the dollar on craigslist to make room for newer inventory!

99CEEFOURTHREE

I had those kuhmo asx tires on my 43.The worse set of tires I have ever purchased in the 25 years I been driving.Replaced them with conti sport contacts..couldn't be happier.

jgro1976

Wow, great input, thanks everyone. I've been hearing good things about Hankooks, bang for the buck, etc. I currently have PSSs on my MINI Cooper S, and while they're a bit quieter, I think the Conti DW has much better traction at a better price, not as quiet though.

Ideally, since I'll be doing most of my weekend driving/road trips in the C43 (daily driving still done in the MINI), I want something with good performance, good wet traction, and good noise levels and treadwear. Not asking much, right? Ha.

The car will never see snow, so I don't care about that, mainly just dry/wet. I'm definitely going to look at Hankook, and possibly consider the Bridgestone 970AS Pole Position. I had those on my MINI for a short period before I decided to go back to a summer tire (PSS). But the C43 won't be carving corners like the MINI does, so I don't need as crisp of handling for him.

I'd love to see 15-30K out of a set, but that's all dependent on conditions, type of driving, etc, I get that.

Edit: are there any +sizes for tires that are more readily available and cheaper than the stock sizes? For example, MINI recommends a 205/45/17, and I run a 215/45/17.