AndrewK

We have that tire on our 2000 C230, and its AWFUL! The OE P6000s rode much better and had only slightly less grip. We've tried everything to soften these tires up (but not using air pressures under 28/32), but they are rough as h*ll. Maybe we just got a bad set, but I wouldnt recommend these tires for anything other than a swing.

FrankW

it should be that way because of the higher treadwear (harder compound). Harder compound also means harsher ride.

i want to get those because they are not as expensive and they will last longer.

my brother has those on his car. Could be that his car is heavier, so we don't notice a lot of difference.

AndrewK

I guess so, but to me it was strange that the Michelin MXV4s were so much softer, yet were the same size (205/55-16), and close to the same treadwear rating.

Also the Pilot Sport A/S has a 400 rating, but they ride better than the 950s despite being 225/40-18 vs. 205/55-16.

Matt230K

Check out the new Yokohama AVS ES100. They are supposed to be really good tires and they are pretty cheap, not much more than the Kumho's. I have driven on them a little bit, but they are not on my car. They seem pretty good, and they look good too. I think the look of the tire can make a good wheel look even better.

FrankW

MXV4 is turing tire not performance tire like the 950, so having treadwear of 400 is not supricing. also keep in mind that Pilot A/S cost almost twice as much as the 950s. On my bro's car he's running 235/45R17. It's not that bad.

But damn...i just found out there is no 225/45 17 and 245/40 17 for the RE950...

speedfrk

uh oh, I started a tire war
Anyways, the rims are 17x8. They will fit on the front OK? Also, is 225-45-17 the largest that will fit both front and back? I want to be able to rotate them, so I need the largest that will fit both ends.

Margo

I just picked up the car after its "A" service and on the receipt it says "tires almost down to bar, replace all 4 tires." The car has less than 12,000 miles on it. I have those Pilot Sports, not all weather. Is this normal wear for those tires, and if so, what tires do I get next. I already replaced one tire because of an unrepairable flat at $400, now to replace ALL four!!?? It's too much!!! Help, please...

Matt230K

Yes, this is normal wear. This is what you get by using low profile performance tires. They have lots of grip because they are soft, but they wear out fast. So, while they might not need to be replaced immediately, the dealer's advice is probably right. But you don't need to buy the Pilot Sports and you don't need to buy them from the dealer. Tire Rack sells these for less than $200 and you can get other good tires for even cheaper.

So my advice is to get 4 tires on your own, from Tirerack if you choose, and get them installed either at the dealer or another tire shop. But the MB parts dept. will rip you off on tires.

Matt230K

Try looking for Kumho Ecsta Supra 712 or Yokohama AVS ES100. These are my best recommendations and also two of the cheapest. But they are also good tires. You might like them better than Michelins. A lot of people seem to be brainwashed into thinking that Michelins are always the best. Not true, in my opinion.

BrabusCClass

I concur. The dealer will rip you off. If you are not a very aggresive driver the Kumhos are a great set of tires. I had them on my car, then switched it to my girlfriends Audi. They run great. Feel a lot better than the Pirelli P7000 Supersport. I run BFGoodrich KDW2 which are really great tires that can handle my abuse. All these can be found at www.tirerack.com

Margo

Thanks for your quick responses... No, I would NOT buy any tires from the dealer; I just wanted recommendations for new tires. I am an agressive driver..speed, stop, etc. I know it's not great for the car/tires, but I am impatient, especially with the drivers here. So any other recommendations for an aggressive driver? Thanks!

BrabusCClass

Actually unless you track your car the only thing that the kumhos lacked was the launch. It spins more when I take off. At least on the C43 it does but still it corners fairly well. Its very bang for the buck. Do you corner really hard? Is your suspension modified a lot? If not it should be ok.

levelr123g

hmmm, i have almost 20000 on my tires and they are no where near the wear bar. i would never, never buy another set of kumhos, i had nothing but problems with those damm tires. you get what you pay 4.

Matt230K

I have heard mostly good things about Kumho's, but I would recommend the Yokohama that I mentioned above. I haven't driven on them a whole lot, they're not on my car. I order tires from TireRack for all the used cars on my dealer lot and I have been buying these Yoko's for everything with 17's and above recently. They seem very nice, and my Tirerack guys tells me they are very good. Plus, they are not much more than the Kumho's.

FrankW

Try Bstone RE950 if you can find the correct size. It's a little louder than the Psport, but it has treadwear 440 and perform just as good or better than the Psport.

AndrewK

If you can reasonably afford them, the Pilot Sport A/S tires are wonderful. They have excellent traction (especially in the wet), are very smooth and quiet, and also have a 400 treadwear rating! To the contrary, we have Bridgeston RE950s on our 2000 C-Class and they are AWFUL. Grip is decent, but they are loud and extremely rough. The Pilot Sport A/S tires on 18s ride better and are quieter than RE950s on 16s.

BTW Frank, I think we have had this discussion before!

FrankW

Yep...

RE950's probably best for the 17 inch set up. check out tirerack.com's rating for those tires.

Margo

So I assume the Pilot Sports AS wear better... I don't really need an all season tire because we have only two seasons here: summer and summer, and no rain to speak of. I may try the other ones mentioned, though.

Matt230K

As nice as the Pilot Sport A/S might be, you don't need it. It is one of the most expensive tires on the market, and if you don't get snow or heavy rain, you won't need this tire.

I still recommend the Yokohama AVS ES100 or even better the AVS Sport.

AndrewK

Yeah, you dont need it. But the ride and noise control is better than any other performance tire I've ever had. It just depends on whether thats worth the extra $50/ tire.

Matt230K

Actually the difference between the Yoko ES100 and the Pilot A/S is $97 per tire at Tirerack. Those Michelins are not worth an extra $388, at least not to me.

I don't know how partial you are to Michelins, but I have had mixed results with all kinds of them. A lot of people believe they are superior to all other tires, just because of the name. But I have been very impressed with Yokohama and they will be my next tire. My current Pilot Sports are not bad, but I hated them for the first few thousand miles until they really got broken in.

saintvir

Have a look at this thread from Luke at Tirerack.com. These are his impressions of the best tires for each type of performance you want.

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...&threadid=5877

BlackC230Coupe

i wish my pilot sport tires would last me 12,000 miles. I brought my car in for my service A at 5,000 miles and they said need new rear tires immediately. Right now i have 5,500 miles and they are almost bald.

Matt230K

That's a lot of wear. Are you doing a lot of burnouts? I had my pilot sports on until 6500 miles and then I took them off for winter. But they were only just over half worn out. And I wasn't really that easy on them.

AndrewK

Yeah, I'm pretty partial to them. Personally I've never had anything but good experiences with Michelin (but every set of Bridgestones we've had were awful). Plus I have other issues with Bridgestone that drives me to not like that company. I've never owned a set of Yokohamas, but I think I might try them on our 2000 C230 after those POS Bridgestones wear out (the sooner the better! )