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Currently driving a 2002 C230K 6 speed with 17" summer tires + brembo brakes. Considering to purchase winter tires, but don't know which option is best?
1) keep existing rims + brembo brakes, purchase 4 new 17" winter tires
2) purchase a set of 16" rims + winter tires, and sell the brembo brakes
Which would perform better in snow and in normal condition?

http://www.tirerack.com/snow/SnowSel...&autoYear=2003
Got 6" of snow last week and the tires had very good traction, I am satisfied.
Tirerack is very reputable and easy to deal with as well, had my tires in a few days, mounted, balanced, new lugs and ready to bolt on.
does anyone have any suggestions on all weather, all purpose, really good tires that will fit on the C7 rims. i'm not talking about winter tires (although i'll take suggestions for those too, if they're cheap), but really nice, all purpose tires to put on my coupe with C7 and keep them on. i have about $800 to $1000 to play with, and that includes getting them put on by sears or something.
oh yeah, i know nothing about the specs on rims and tires and all that, like all the measurements and bolt spacing and all that. so basically, what do i need to look for when shopping at tirerack.com or somewhere like that. like what tires will fit on my C7 rims and all that. keep in mind, i know nothing, not even what the numbers mean. when i go on sears.com, i can select my tire size and it gives 3 drop down lists for sizes 1, 2, and 3. what are these and what do i have for C7 rims.
and another, about how much does it cost to have sears put on four tires?
sorry, one more. what are the really good tire brands out there.
http://www.tirerack.com/snow/SnowSe...e&autoYear=2003
This is who I dealt with and he is quite knowledgeable.
KURT-EXT.293
kurt@tirerack.com
We had 6" of snow last week and the tires had very good traction, I am satisfied.
Tirerack is very reputable and easy to deal with as well, had my tires in a few days, mounted, balanced, new lugs and ready to bolt on.
anyone selling the stock setup?
Not being overly mechanical, I have no idea of how much a set of Rambo brakes cost. Are you sure 16" wheels won't fit over them? As greater stopping power is a benefit in all weather conditions, in your case, I'd probably go with 17" snow tires.
Last edited by Mark08859; Dec 10, 2002 at 12:18 PM.
I went this route because I want the staggered AMG wheels for 3 seasons and the C7's for Winter only. When it comes time to sell, I want to have the option to sell the car with the original wheels, then maybe sell the AMG's separately or together with the car.
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
i went w/ the blizzak lm22's based on tirerack's recommendation but i'd have been fine w/ the dunlops. mostly an availability issue from tirerack.
of course, last thurs, when we got 9" of snow, i chickened out and stayed at home...

My 1st set of the Alpins burned down together with my condo, so I bought a new set this fall.
Otherwise you should pick a winter tire that is best suited for your driving environment. Some tires are better in snow, some on ice, some on both, tire rack has some good information on their site regarding this subject.
Pirelli also makes good winter tires.
Will this tire fit the car? When I buy the rims to fit the tire, do I need a specific offset? I HATE the ricer look, I like the classy look of the car now, but didn't upgrade the rims and tires at purchase so that I could get something better than the dealer offer and price markup.
Any and all suggestions would be most appreciated.
Mike
P.S. As requested by a moderator, pics are on the way, just need to create an MB page on my personal website.
Last edited by Franco; Dec 15, 2002 at 07:21 PM.
I have a chance to buy my brand of tire in a 245/45/17 size for a good price.
Will this tire fit the car? When I buy the rims to fit the tire, do I need a specific offset? I HATE the ricer look, I like the classy look.
Look in your manual and take that as a starting guide.
Going with that size will mess up your speedometer. Much better to go with 225/45-17 all around. Matter of fact I would probably put a 255/40-17 or 245/40-17 on the rear for a staggered look instead of a 245/45-17. See what the C32 does and use that as an example. Offset is somewhat of an art because of the wheel design. MB has 37 mm offset on your std wheels. I just bought Brabus replica 17s with an offset of 38 mm (original Brabus had 30 mm which pushed the tire out: i.e. ricer look to me) which is pretty close (1 mm) to the AMGs on the C32.
Look in your manual and take that as a starting guide.
Mike
With a staggered setup and directional tires, there is no rotation you can do without dismounting and remounting tires. Without a staggered setup, you can move tires front to rear keeping them on the same side of the car.
Mike
Check out TireRack.com they have ratings for each tires.







