Alrite guys I have a 2007 C230. With All Seasonal Continentals. I have never driven a RWD car in the snow my entire life. I from long island and we get hit with snow barely but when we get hit we relaly get hit. Should i purchase dedicated snow tires? I read a lot of reviews from EDMUNDS etc etc about the C230 and they said that it does not like snow at all. Maybe they didn't have all season tires? I'll never know. But what is eevryone's experience with the snow with all seasonal tires with this vehcle?

 

Good question. I'm in a similar boat as you. I'm from NJ and I have a 2006 c230 sport with all seasons on as well. I'll prob get a set of blizakks. In a snow storm last year I saw a bunch of bmw's and mb's sliding all over the place in not so much snow so I'll prob not risk it.

 

I was kinda thinking that way....800 for a set of tires of snow tires. Or a 500 deductible for crashing plus insurance increase. Maybe I just won't drive when it snows lol

 

From my experience with 911, m3 - yes buy dedicated winters. This is my first winter with an c320 and I am planning on putting a set on.

 

It would be recommended to get snow tires, but I have used my modified c230 SS in MA winters for 3 years without snow tires and have gotten around pretty well (2 years with stock 17"s and continental sportcontact 2s and last year with my 19" Brabus wheels and Michelin PS2s). it was tricky with the wide Brabus wheels, compared to the stockers, but i could get around if i needed to. As long as the tires have tread and you drive cautiously you could be fine. the c does not like snow, but if you know how to drive and have tires with decent treadlife, you can definitely get around. However, having snow tires is very advantageous and takes some stress off driving in the snow or during a storm. I would not recommend driving in the snow with summer tires on, but if you don't want to spend the money or have some nerve behind the wheel, it can be safely managed. cheers!

 

Be safe to you, your family and friends and those of us that share the road - your operator's manual also states to switch over when the season changes to a constant less than 40 degrees...it is not only snow and ice to worry about but the ability for a tire to do its job, M+S tires are designed for this reason.

The w203 has no trouble in Buffalo snow storms with snow tires and NO 4MATIC...

Here is a simple thing I share with family and friends to convince them to get a dedicated set of tires on a set of rims...

To dismount / mount and balance on a common rim…
Have to ask about mounting and balance if purchased from local shop – might have free rotation – or rotation at a discount with purchase.

Approximates-

$15 to mount and balance per tire at local business
4 tires
$60 total

get 3 years out of the tires
$180

2 driving seasons per year
$360

plus time

High Miles-
40,000 – miles for life of tires
16,000 – miles per year???
8,000 – miles per season

40k (life of tire) / 8k (1/2 year on 16,000 miles per year) = 5 changes

$60 x 5 = $300 x 2 = $600

plus time

 

Snow tires are a must as far as I'm concerned (2005 C230 in Midwestern winters). I ran some Pirelli PZeroNero all seasons for a couple years, couldn't get moving if the car was stopped on any sort of incline, and fished around all over the place even when I did get going. Bought some Dunlop Winter Sport 3D's (awesome snow tires IMO) and haven't worried about snow or ice for one minute since. I'd also recommend throwing a sandbag or two in the trunk (or a couple old dumbells you might have laying around).

However, if you're in an area/situation where you can take advantage of public transportation/taxis for the 5-7 days a year where snow/ice is a real issue, then I'd say it might be worth it to just roll with all-seasons. Especially if you're planning on buying a new set of wheels for your winter tires.

 

You know, since you brought it up I decided to do some research on the Continental ContiExtremeContact tires that came on my 06 and from all the reviews it seems they actually handle pretty well in the snow. Not sure if your car has the same tires or not. I think I'll see how it does in the first snow storm and then decided if i'll buy snows. Good luck and keep us posted whichever route you decide to go.

 

i have driven my c320 around in deep snow and ice just fine with my bridgestone potenza pole position re960. you just don't drive fast and know how the car reacts to the conditions. i would recommend you find an empty parking lot with ice or snow or whatever had have some fun throwing the car around it can teach you so much about your car and help to improve your winter weather driving skills. i was in the middle of my town one night after the roads had started to ice. it was like 10pm and i had just gotten the tires mentioned above. i came to a stop in the middle of town on a hill behind a civic. when the light turned green the civic lost traction and started to slid back down the hill toward me. luckily my car was able to go into the oncoming lane and continue up the hill without even activating the traction control. then on the two lane road i lived on way out in the country going up another hill a suv had slid of the road and the tow truck recovering him was blocking my lane. i had to pass on the shoulder going through about two inches of snow and ice. i still don't know how i made it home that night because my sitter and father were having problems in their cars. my sister was in a 99 Toyota land cruiser and my dad was in a 2007 Toyota fj cruiser. but ever since that night i have had new respect for my c320.

 

SNOW TIRES are a must. Granted I live in Colorado, but when I attempted to drive my car last winter for the first time on icy roads... it was hell. I was going 35mph on the free way and was feeling my **** end slip out every time I feathered the throttle. This car LOVES to go sideways every chance it gets and for that reason, during my lunch break, the first day of driving on icy roads, I bought dedicated snows. I got some kick **** Nitto studless snows for about $600 and they were champs... night and day difference. If you are going to encounter snow and/or icy roads, get snows, end of story. Just so you can prove it yourself... try driving on frozen roads on your normal tires, when you find it ridiculously scary and ultimately stupid... go buy yourself a set of snows.

One exception to this rule is the 4Matic... that car is a trooper on all-seasons.