Mercedes

Don't excpect much thread life. These are the worst tires that I have ever owned. Not also does te wet traction blow, which I need mainly in FL, but the rear tires are all ready almos completly bald at 16,000. And the front tire I can see the thread wire in one of them

mmgrad

there really is no reason to switch to such large tires... it will make your rims look smaller too.

also, it will make your total wheel diameter larger than your current setup... therefore, it could potentially make it rub (your car looks lowered) and will throw off your speedo & ABS/ESP... somewhat the same effects as putting on 19s on your ride

so, just stick with 225....

mmgrad

max performance tires will never last very long because they are max performance tires. they are not meant to last the 40, 50 or 60,000 miles like all-season touring tires...

the tire compounds for max performance tires are very soft, thats why the performance is so good, but at the sacrifice of the tire life

and there is nothing wrong with W rated tires... they are actually better because W rated tires are Test Proven to be capable of withstanding speeds of 168mph. whereas Z rated tires are only speed rated for 149mph without a test max speed.

i think the manual actually says that the W rated tires should be stock, but that Z rated tires are acceptable alternatives/replacements

Mercedes

I think you are understanding the numbers wrong. 225 would be the width of the ture not the diameter. 45 is the diameter.

Goggles Piasano

According to your post you did change your driving style...From no style (00 328 Ci) to high style (C32).

mleskovar

52K miles on the original Conti's and they still have about 10K to go. Driving style has a big effect on tread wear. Sportier/softer rubber compound tires 'feel' better but you pay the price with quicker wear.

lars

Actually, 45 is the aspect ratio, the ratio of width to height times 100. So a 235/45 17 (17 is the rim diameter in inches, the other measurements are in millimetres) is both wider and taller than a 225/45. Your speedometer will read about 1.4% lower than it should.

Since your car is lowered, Mercedes, my concern would be that the bigger tires might hit the front wheel arch or the inner fender when the wheels are turned and the car goes over a bump. But the change from 225 to 235 is not a big one.

I'm guessing that the Goodyears will be quite a bit noisier than the Continentals.

SOC320

Just to clarify a little.... Actually, 17 is the diameter. 45 is the sidewall. 225 is the width.

Mercedes - That's a pretty aggressive looking tread pattern on that tire and bound to get lots of looks.

As for life of the tread... just look at the "Treadlife rating" for each of the tires that you are researching. The government or some organization uses some benchmark on treadwear. A treadlife rating of 180 means 1.8 times that benchmark. Regardless, it gives you a relative means to compare tires for tread life.

Hope this helps.

FrankW

KOMPRESSORnSC

Actually...that's wrong. This is from Luke's Tire Tech over on Wheels & Suspension:
____________________________________________
Tire Dimensions:
The first number is the width of the tire in millimeters, measured from sidewall to sidewall. To convert to inches, divide by 25.4 In the example above, the width is 185mm or 7.28".

The second number is the aspect ratio. This is a ratio of sidewall height to width. In the example above, the tire is 7.28" wide, multiply that by the aspect ratio to find the height of one sidewall. In this case, 185x0.60=111mm or 7.28"x0.60=4.36".

The last number is the diameter of the wheel in inches.

To figure the outside diameter of a tire, take the sidewall height and multiply by 2,(remember that the diameter is made up of 2 sidewalls, the one above the wheel, and the one below the wheel) and add the diameter of the wheel to get your answer.

Example...185/60R14 85H or 185/60HR14

185mm x .60=111mm x 2=222mm + 355.6mm(14")= 577.6mm or 22.74"

_________________________________________


And as far as treadwear, tires are tested by each manufacturer on their own test facility, so it is best to only compare treadlife ratings within a manufacturer's product line. A '180' from Michelin doesn't necessarliy translate to a '180' from Pirelli.

HTH

SOC320

Ummm... which part of the tire size explanation was wrong? Width, then Sidewall (= Sidewall Aspect Ratio), and then Diameter. Other than sparing the conversion equations, where's the discrepency from what you stated above? Let me know.

As for treadwear, yes the manufacturer tests the tire, but the standard for testing and the baseline is set by the government (UTQG). It does give you a tire to tire relative means of comparison. See below:

Uniform Tire Quality Grade (UTQG) Labeling
Required by the government, the UTQG provides comparative manufacturer information. Tires are subjected to a series of government-mandated tests that measure performance in treadwear, traction and temperature resistance.

mmgrad

a sidewall rating of 45 is not a direct measurement of the sidewall... it is a percentage of the width of the wheel.

so, a tire with, say, a 225/45 and a 255/45 will have a completely different sized sidwall. I know those aren't the sizes you mentioned, but I just giving you a more extreme example so you will understand...

SOC320

Thanks. Yes, that was something I already knew. To keep the original explanation simple, I had omitted it.

Kar don

mercedes... did your car come with the conti sport 2's? I was interested in getting those tires.

FrankW

my sis currently has those tires on her car. it's not as good as the contisport 1 performance wise. The sidewall s less stiff, so that means it wabbles a bit in corner.

Mercedes

Yes they did I don't know why. I presume because my 2002 was one of the earliest builds I got my car in Oct2003. Right now my car has 17,000 miles. The thread wear on the front tires is not that much compared to the rear. If I wanted to get 25,000 out of these tires it's possible. I just do not like the wet traction on them.

Kar don

are these tires loud? how do they ride on rough surfaces and such.

EDC320

My 2001 C320 came with the Goodyears. I have driven over 30,000 miles on them, and they aren't even half way done. I am still on the original brakes too.
I am not a big Goodyear fan, but I've had Michellins on other cars that were more worn out at 15k miles. However, I had Goodyear Wranglers on my GrandCherokee with 20k miles that are garbage, in fact I am changing those for the Michellin Cross Terrains. I think that it all depends on the specific tire and car. I do not think that I would change the C's tires from the Goodyears.
I am contemplating getting a set of snow tires / rims but am not sure if it is necessary. We had a pretty rough winter last year and the car was fine with the Goodyears. Except for getting in and out of the driveway, my 70 mile commute (roundtrip) was without incident. Any advice on the winter tires?

Kar don

I am thinking about the conti sport2's for my lexus.... my C320 came with michelin MVX4 plus and they are great riding, smooth, and quiet tires. Great choice for this car imo.

lars

The Conti Sport 2 is a quiet tire.

Mercedes

The ride on them is actually not bad.

Mercedes

Guys I bought my tires btw. I got this tire from goodYear http://www.us.pirelli.com/en_US/tyre...productid=2626
So far I love the, and got to test them in the rain.

It was $131 per tire

Kar don

if you can return them, please do. The P7000 is a pretty lousy tire IMO. You should have went for the Pzero nero (cheaper than 131 too). You will find that these tires will get VERY loud and are prone to wearing unevenly. P7000 is one of pirelli's older tire designs. There is newer better tires out today.

how many miles do you have on your conti sports?

Halifax

Mine are Michelin pilot. I have over 20.000 miles on them, and they still look brand new.

Kar don

are you serious? Michelin pilot sports? I find that hard to believe unless you drive realllllly slow and dont take corners hard at all.