t1n0

I got 14 months, about 25K miles, out of the GY F1's in front. Not a mile more...
The inside shoulders wore faster than the rest of the tire, and as I was cruising down the road at about 70, the right front shredded, wrapping belts around my axle and strut. I pulled over and the slap-slap-slap went away, but discovered the "belt wrappings" the next day when I replaced them.
I'll never purchase them again, they needed balancing every month, it really sucked.
I couldn't afford new ones in front this time, and they had to be replaced immediately, so I did something I said I'd never do...used tires up front.
I got a pair of Pirelli P-Zero Rosso with 6/32 tread, no patches for $110, mounted and balanced. They ride great.
Now check this: I've run Conti's, PS2's, General Exclaim (never again) and now the PZero Rossos. My car (C32 AMG) came stock with PZero Rossos, I still have a brand new one in the trunk with the hairs on it, and I gotta tell you, the car rides great with them. I had put a pair of used PZR's in the rear a few months ago, and now a pair of used PZR's in the front, and my car rides like it's parked it's so smooth. They aren't as 100% sticky as the PS2's, but damn good enough, and, they are quiet despite being worn at least halfway. Sometimes sticking to factory equipment has a reason, y'know.
If tire rack has a sale on them, I'll take them, but I think I may look into these new ones from Conti, the ExtremeContact DW. They are getting rave reviews, ranked first, and a full set is less than $550 for my car.

BTW, Glyn, thanks for the info on the eccentric kit, but I took my mechanic's advice and took my car to a place that just aligns sports German sports cars, they got my ***** driving straight without the kit; those yahoos at Tire Kingdom didn't know what they were doing, so in effect, I wasted $250 for a "5 year alignment" program bc I'm never going back there again.

I've had some other work done but I'll post it in the right thread.
Botom line: Getting a 'real' alignment and factory spec tires, my car is riding better than ever, pure joy

Glyn M Ruck

Good news! Johnand speaks highly about the ExtremeContact DW. Not popular here but that is because of our climatic conditions.

t1n0

I wondered why the GY F1's, that were supposedly on par w PS2's, were on sale for $130, and now I know...almost impossible to keep balanced for more than a month or two.
The alignment guy told me to bring it in before I bought anything and started changing parts, he's familiar w Benz, BMW, Audi, and said sometimes it's necessary, but it's usually that the person doing the alignment (in this tire Kingdom) weren't familiar with the AMG suspension and details, and he got it riding perfect for the first time since I bought the car.
He also told me to stay away from assymetrics, because that would add to the drift. He told me to get tires that specify "outside" so they can be rotated left/right, bc of my staggered set up.
However, one bad thing is that the front foward bushings that I replace 18 months ago are already cracked again. I had read on this forum that my model goes through those often, but 18 months? It's the lousy roads where I started working recently I'm sure; too many potholes and railroad tracks.
BTW, speaking of road conditions, here in south Florida, the asphalt has sea coral as an aggregate, which helps wet traction, but eats tires like PS2's in even shorter time than usual.
I read up on those Conti DW's, seems to be the next standard for high performance tires, and great price too.

Glyn M Ruck

That is why I stick to PS2's on my car. I've had enough crap with other tyres to last me a lifetime.

phister

How can he say stay away from assymetrical tires when they are the tires that specific outside and can be rotated left to right or vice versa. I'm thinking he meant directional because with those you can only rotate front to rear or vice versa and if you do want rotate then left to right you'll have to unmount and remount the tires on the wheels.

rocafel1a

Just picked up some Continental ExtremeContact DW.
Crossing my fingers that these will last longer than 10k miles I got with my Falken FK452.

mskembo

Typically if you over inflate your tires you will get cupping (the center of the tires wears out before the edges), and if you under inflate you wear the edges faster (can't remember the technical term for that). Those numbers aren't just about ride quality, it's about the synergistic relationship of the suspension (the tires being a part of that relationship). If you over fill your tires you may feel that the suspension is "stiffer", but that won't translate into better handling. In reality you have decreased your contact patch, and the effectiveness of your suspension. If you want to stiffen up your suspension, then put coil overs on it.

splinter

My C’s tire pressure recommendation label list three different fore/aft pressure scenarios based upon anticipated load and speed.

Its Operator’s Manual states, “Tire pressures listed for light loads are the minimum values offering high driving comfort."
"Increased inflation pressures for heavy loads produce favorable handling characteristics with lighter loads and are perfectly permissible."
Never experienced any ''cupping (the center of the tires wears out before the edges)" from having done so.

Although Lynn posted that almost a decade ago, it’s still valid today in many instances.

jtwillia2

I keep my tires about 10 psi over the recommended amount to save a little gas. I'm also about to get new tires, either the Conti ExtremeContact DW or the ExtremeContact DWS. My mom is the website admin for Continental Tire North America, so they're practically free

vdubpower

damn lucky, i almost got DW for my w126 but my size is rare and no one had them, so i went with bridgestone 760s

why dont u get conti -2's or 3 or whatever the top of line tire is if its free

jtwillia2

Guess I should have clarified that I'm getting new wheels very soon and will get tires for them, and for the sizes I'm getting the only models available are the DW and DWS.

Glyn M Ruck

Beware of Sport Contact 2 & 3 on these cars - They start rough & noisy & get even noisier with use. Bad combo with W203.

vdubpower

i think my car came with them initially

then i went with kumho asx ecstas

when they wear out, who knows...all depends on if i end up gettng rims, 18s or 19s who knows

is the amg c55 and c32, are they wider track in rear or have larger fenders that the non amg car, like in the w204, or are they the same across the way

Glyn M Ruck

Mine came with Conti's - terrible. Replaced them very early with Michelin.

C55/C32 same track in rear other than wheel effects. C55 wider front track, C32 same front track is any w203 IIRC.

lkfoster

No problems so far with Conti DWS' on the C55 and the wife's Audi that I can blame on Continental. 7.5cm dry wall screws are another matter.

Glyn M Ruck

Yeah - the DWS seems to be Conti's best tyre for the W203

vdubpower

glyn how many miles do u get out of yoru ps2's

Glyn M Ruck

I have not run a set of PS2's on my car to worn out as yet.

Conti SC2's - threw off at 15,000 Km - noise & harshness
Pilot Exalto PE 2's removed at 56,000 KM 50% worn on original wheels
PS2's have been on the car since then and now at 64,000Km - Changed wheel size.

Friends with W203's that drive enthusiastically get about 25,000 miles out of PS2's or 40,000Km

jtwillia2

Yeah the DWS seems to have the best reviews on Tire Rack from others who own Mercs out of the Conti's available for the W203. It's treadwear rating is also the highest, and is twice that of the Sport Contact.

The General G-Max is also available for some of the sizes relevant to folks with aftermarket wheels; don't think they're available in the OEM sizes. This is a new tire that was just released in April, but every article I've read and everyone I've talked to seems to like it, looks like a great tire for the price. It's General's new UHP to replace the Exclaim, which I used to have on another car. General used to be somewhat of a sub-brand of Continental. Then they separated, but I think they're still tied together somehow, as my mom's Conti discount applies to Generals as well.

91RS

I think I'll be buying new fronts soon, the Pirelli P-Zeros ride like garbage (even though there's plenty of tread left). I've got the Pilot Sport A/S Plus on the rear (which I love), but I want a tire I can cross-rotate. I was going to go with the PS2s, but the Pilot Super Sports are getting good reviews I think I'm going to try them.

BlkBenz8

So my rear tires look bald as mr. cleans head.. Ive been running p zeros but the negative camber got the best of them. Now im going from 255/30/19 to 265/30/19.. Whats another good tire thats not going to brake my bank, im working with 600 but including mounting/balancing.

lkfoster

It's not the camber that eats the tires, our old M5 had another 1.5 deg negative camber and it's rears lasted about twice as long as the C55s that I drive the same way.

phister

Continental DSW are good tires. You can also check out hankook v12 k110 great bang for the buck

jtwillia2

+1 for the Conti DWS

BlkBenz8

Right, im about 1.9 and the inner part of my tire is gone so
I was looking at the V12, it has a high rating but ive never had any expirience with it.