BLT

Hi All!

I know it's been awhile since I've posted here, but I started working for the upcoming Tron Legacy movie recently and they've been keeping us for 12 hour days every day ): Hardly any time to do anything (And no, can't give you any plot spoilers, sorry!)

Anyhow, my front right tire has an bulging air pocket which I fear will need to be replaced and I was wondering if you guys have any recommendations on the best tire brand which provides equally good handling yet decent softness, bearing in mind I live in pot-hole infested LA. I'm currently on the stock C230 tires and alloys (17" Continental Sport Compact 2, 225/45/R17 91W front, 245/40/R 17/ 91Y back)

Think I should stick with the stock contis, or change to another brand? Though handling is important to me, I used to be more performance oriented and now I want something that gives the best of both worlds. Sorry if I'm asking for too much lol.

Yes, I did STFF, but if you guys have links from any old posts I overlooked, feel free to just cut+paste. Thanks!

PS (EDIT): If anyone wants to sell me their stock 17" tires, let me know too. Thanks!

havoc_vulture

Im running on BFG's
these here http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/tire-...W/tire-details
im happy with them
just a quick opinion on my end XD
PS:also LA driver

phister

i had yokohama s. drive on my stock 17s and I liked them alot. BFG are good too

Glyn M Ruck

Conti's suck & are noisy on these cars. The best tyre without doubt on the W203 chassis for handling & being dead silent is the Michelin PS2. The Michelin PS3 may well also be fine but as yet unproven. PS1 could not be usefully rotated as it was directional.

You must fit non directional tyres to this chassis for optimum life & minimal air pumping noise, also fit tyres with radial bands of tread & no big blocks. To ameliorate feathering & cupping with any tyre on the W203 you must rotate corner to corner - non staggered, & across the axle - staggered every 6000miles or 10,000Km to change rolling direction.

tommy

Luke's (from Tirerack) recommendations have worked for me. See his thread on the "wheel and tire" subforum.

I'll agree with Glyn on Contis, but when I had PS2s, they were loud and wore out quickly; I'm much happier with Goodyear Asymmetrics, though I think that both of these are too much performance than you want.

johnand

Generally I agree with that statement, but there is one Conti tire that is the exception to that rule, and that is the Extreme Contact DWS. It is very quiet, reasonably priced and offers good all around performance. I just have about a 1000 miles on a set and Matt has over 14K. But the rest of Glyn's advice I agree 100%. Haven't run them on the 203, but the Michelin Pilot PE2's would be another good choice. I have ran through 3 sets of those on the Sentra and it is a fantastic tire.

BLT

Hi Guys - Thanks for all the input. Having called up a few tire shops I know, they've confirmed what everyone's said. So far here is my short list:

- Continental DWS Extremes
- Michelin PS2s (The most expensive, it seems)
- Hankook K110
- Sumitomo HTR P01 (Kind of random, I know, but my buddy swears by them)

Anything else you guys want to add/comment on this short list? Thanks again for all the help!

BenzteK82

i was thinking of buying some Bridgestones 760 sports for mine...what do u guys think? I would like PS2 but they are more expensive and they wear out faster....any opinions? PS..I use them for daily driving not really a circuit car. just to work and back and maybe some cruising around...=)

mtnman82

+1 on the conti's suck (IMHO).

I've run through a couple sets of PS2's A/S and really like them, but they are expensive. I've got some Dunlop DZ101's on now (they came with wheels I bought) and have to say I've been pleasantly surprised with them so far (~5k miles). The only thing I'm worried about is they're not A/S tires - but I live in the desert so I'm thinking I might be OK. The DZ101's are also reasonably priced. Before I got the wheels, I was seriously looking at the Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3 as some friends swear by them (but again, not A/S tires). BUT, these are as pricey as the PS2's (even more so?). I've run the Sumitomo HTR Z's and was also surprised, especially considering the price. Don't know how they compare to the P01's... There are definitely better tires out there than the Z, but I definitely didn't hate them.

Good luck with your search!

Glyn M Ruck

The Goodyear F1 Asymmetric is a direct copy of the Michelin PS2 & Exalto PE2. Michelin got an out of court settlement out of Goodyear for this infringement.

It is impossible for a PS2 to be noisy on the w203 chassis new. It can become noisy if not inflated correctly & not rotated or if alignment is out. - They start dead quiet & I've managed to keep them that way for the life of the tyre. Conti's start noisy & become noisier - especially the SC2 & SC3. The PS2 is not a long life tyre. It is a reasonable life tyre for it's level of performance. I'm afraid you can't have it both ways. There is a direct correlation between handling & tyre life. There is no price too high for safety in tyres. Decent tyres improve the safety even on modest cars.

I agree with John that the Conti DWS is the quietest of the Conti's but not as quiet as a PS2 or Exalto PE2

Pre facelift cars with harder bushings handle better but transmit more tyre noise to the cabin.

https://mbworld.org/forums/attachmen...on-changes.pdf

Glyn M Ruck

You asked for the best on a W203 & I gave you that - They are expensive.

I have 3000Kms on a new set on my car at present - 235/45/17 all round this time on 8" ET32 AMG replica rims. The vehicle is an absolute delight to drive as it was on Exalto PE2's. The car came with Contis & I threw them off at very low mileage only partially worn due NVH issues & sidewall issues - 2 out of 4 tyres had sidewall bulges by 6000 miles.

My service manager has tried every tyre under the sun on the W203 due to endless customer complaints about noise. There are only 2 tyres he will recommend. The PS2 & the Yokohama AVS db2

Gramma_Benz

I go thru tires really fast, thus I don't like to spend too much money on tires, trying to find a nice balance between performance and price. I have the Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110's on my fronts right now and I love them. Great tire for the price.

See this thread for a comparison test against the PS2.

https://mbworld.org/forums/c32-amg-c55-amg-w203/317010-good-summer-tire-comparison-against-michelin-ps2.html

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Hankook&tireModel=Ventus+V12+ev o+K110

e24kgold

I just put the Sumitomo A/S PO1, bc my wife drives the car 800 miles a week. They have a 40k treadwear warranty but I wont get that. They seem to perform well over the 4k miles we have put on them. If the car got less use I'd use something else. I was going to get the DWS put they were on back order. Got the Sumi's for $320 at tirerack.

OneOfaKindTrini

Goodyear Eagles, they are actually quiter than the stock continentals.

londonbenzkid

Michelin Pilot Sports for me

JoeVal

Witth Yoko Advan K105, or similar premium series, you cannot go wrong for comfort, handling and durability.

AdidasC230

I really like Khumo Escasta ASX or ASP (I think) cheap 98 buc front and 107 dollar rears, better traction and tread wear then the stupid goodyear F1 which only laster 10k miles. Its what Im buying, from tire rack

BLT

Wow so many different opinions on just one topic. Can't make up my mind ):

Glyn M Ruck

Remember - the cheap option is seldom the best option. The W203 chassis is tyre fussy by design.

e24kgold

I have to say the Sumi's are far better than the stock Michelin Pilot Primacy...at least those were stock on mine

Glyn M Ruck

The old Pilot Primacy was a crap touring tyre.

vdubpower

ive been using kumho ecsta asx all seasons,
im ok with them, have them on teh w203 and 126

in regards to rotating
what exactly is the criteria for staggered set up, as all of my cars are staggered

if the tires are directional you cant rotate - correct?
but if they are assymetric, then arent they riding on different shoulders insdei and outside, depending on how you start it ??

Glyn M Ruck

You can't rotate directional tyres. Only back to front if non staggered.

Non directional tyres do not require to be symetrical. But they have a distinct "Outside" These can be rotated.

If staggered then rotate across the same axle to change direction of rotation.

BLT

Just an update in case people decide to search back later - I ended up getting Hankook v12 K110s and they've been holding up great so far. Ride quality is 5% better than the Contis, and the handling is about comparable. Maybe this is just due to me getting more thread, but I feel that the car is getting about 5-10% better performance. So far so good *knock on wood* and I am pleased so far.

M-bENZ

BLT,

hope you dont mind im using your thread but does anyone using this brand before ? or maybe you know this brand ? I'm saving up for the new set of wheels (19") right now and just dont want to spend too much for the 17" tires but I kinda need the rear one really bad lol.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....RZ2V2&i1_Qty=2

Andy