C-Class (W203) 2001-2007, C160, C180, C200, C220, C230, C240, C270, C280, C300, C320, C230K, C350, Coupe

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Old Feb 3, 2003 | 05:48 PM
  #1  
Margo's Avatar
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From: Scottsdale, AZ
2002 C 230K
Help

I need to get new tires. My Pilot Sports lasted not even 12K miles. My front tires are alright but the backs are not. I have read whatever is posted here plus have gone to TireRack and read their info. I am still not sure what to get. I drive fast, if that qualifies me as an aggressive driver. TireRack recommended Potenza S-03, which are rated 25-30K miles, but when I read the customer reviews, one said that they didn't last even 10K miles. Basically, I want a performance tire; I love the way the Michelins handle, but I want ones that last longer. They don't have to be high performance. I would love some opinions because you guys don't sell tires. I kinda don't trust someone who sells tires to give me their opinion. I don't want to have to get new tires every year! And don't tell me to drive slower, please. Thanks in advance!
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Old Feb 3, 2003 | 07:10 PM
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TNblkc230wz's Avatar
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C320 Coupe
If you drive ultra high performance tires agressively, be they Pilot Sports or S-03s, they will not last very long. However, they are capable of producing a lot of grins per mile
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Old Feb 3, 2003 | 07:11 PM
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2002 C32
High performance tires have lower tread wear than lower performance tires and that is a given accross all brands. Since tire shops will not let us test drive the tires before we purchase them it can be difficult to select the proper tire for your driving style.

Some tires have great performance at the expense of ride quality and road noise. Some are better than others in wet and so on. Since you like the handling of the Pilot Sports then perhaps you should just get another set. The S03's are great tires but they will react differently than the Pilot Sports and will probably wear about the same.

You can search the tire rack web site for a comparison test featuring the S03s, the Pilot Sports, and the PZeros. All are great tires and have their unique character.

Good luck!
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Old Feb 3, 2003 | 07:17 PM
  #4  
Harris's Avatar
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Re: Help

Originally posted by Margo
I need to get new tires. My Pilot Sports lasted not even 12K miles. My front tires are alright but the backs are not. I have read whatever is posted here plus have gone to TireRack and read their info. I am still not sure what to get. I drive fast, if that qualifies me as an aggressive driver. TireRack recommended Potenza S-03, which are rated 25-30K miles, but when I read the customer reviews, one said that they didn't last even 10K miles. Basically, I want a performance tire; I love the way the Michelins handle, but I want ones that last longer. They don't have to be high performance. I would love some opinions because you guys don't sell tires. I kinda don't trust someone who sells tires to give me their opinion. I don't want to have to get new tires every year! And don't tell me to drive slower, please. Thanks in advance!
Again, I have to recommend Toyo T1-S. I think they can serve your need. Durable, less expensive than others, great performance.

Sorry guys, pls dont get me wrong, I am not a Toyo dealer!!!
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Old Feb 3, 2003 | 07:22 PM
  #5  
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From: SC
'02 C230K
Re: Help

Originally posted by Margo
My Pilot Sports lasted not even 12K miles. My front tires are alright but the backs are not.
did u rotate ur tires?
I would think that even the pilot sports would last longer if u rotated them every 3-4k (user's manual says 6.5-7.5k i think)..

i was just wondering since u said the fronts were alright
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Old Feb 3, 2003 | 08:11 PM
  #6  
Margo's Avatar
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From: Scottsdale, AZ
2002 C 230K
They have been rotated about three times since June 02, when I had to buy a tire because I got an unrepairable flat on one. So that tire is still good and the other front tire. Should I buy only two tires, and if so do I HAVE to get the same tires, or can I get very similar ones?
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Old Feb 3, 2003 | 09:11 PM
  #7  
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2010 C300 4matic
For one thing, you should not be worried about taking advice from TireRack. One of the reasons they are so popular is because they are so good at what they do. They do their own testing on many of the tires. You may be concerned that they are just trying to get you to buy the most expensive tires. But from my experience with them, they do not act this way. They want you to have the best tires for your needs, regardless of price, so that you will come back to buy your next set from them also. They are recommending the S-03's because these are good tires.

Anyway, you probably only need to replace two tires now. They should be the same but they don't have to be. It's important to get something with similar grip levels. You would hate for your front end to have more or less grip than the rear. This can make it difficult to drive. Pilot Sports would be good to match. S-03's are probably similar. The Yokohama AVS ES100 is also a good choice at a good price. But anything high performance is going to wear quickly.
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Old Feb 3, 2003 | 09:19 PM
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From: sf bay area
'03 C320 coupe-manual, '07 530i
From a slightly different viewpoint....

My 911 has different sized tires on front and rear. Plus they are directional. Rear wears about twice as fast as fronts. 12K and 20K. About a $K to replace all 4.
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Old Feb 3, 2003 | 09:24 PM
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GLB 250 4matic
i like the toyo's myself and will probably get those next. good tires and i like the way they look. toyo proxes t1-s.



but if you want decent cheap tires, you may want to consider the kumho ecstas. they get good reviews.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/uhp.jsp
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/max.jsp

Last edited by young; Feb 3, 2003 at 09:42 PM.
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Old Feb 6, 2003 | 03:35 AM
  #10  
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if you really want tires that last long go for pirelli p7000. i have them on my car now, don't really like them, but they last really long. i drive my car pretty agressively, and after 15,000 miles they still have 80% tread left. performance wise they probably suck, but these tires do the job for me.
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Old Feb 6, 2003 | 09:55 AM
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You can also look into a set of "Interceptors" which are private branded (made by) Dunlop. I have them on my old Probe GT, and they have the same grip as the OEM Goodyear Gatorbacks... 28K miles and still going strong. and yes I drove them very aggressively. They are also reasonably priced.
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