gaiex

I have 4 continental sport contact tires installed from factory, but I never liked to much of it, they are to hard and have no grip, and in wet roads "OH MY GOD"

The rubber is almost gone and I'm thinking changing all 4 tires.
In my past car (BMW 3.series) I had bridgestone potenza s03 and michelin pilot sport, I liked the S03 a lot, they grip grip and grip

What tires would you install?

vadim

Both S03 and Mich Pilot Sport are great tires. Go with whatever you prefer yourself.

Maybe this link will help you make up your mind:

https://mbworld.org/forums/wheels-tires-suspension-brakes-forum/68013-tires-ones-best-revised-03-25-2011-a.html

FrankW

conti sport 2 sucks. it doesn't grip in dry like the conti sport 1 and it still hydro like the conti sport 1.

go with whatever you prefer. I have Yokohama ES100. They are pretty decent. You can try Yokohama AVS sport if you don't mind changing the tires every 12k miles...LOL They are grippier than the S03 I heard.

HITMAN

Its nearing time for some new p-zero rossos, and i was wondering how wide i can go in the rear on c7 rims

nukblazi

I put 245/40/17 S-03s on my C7s, it pinched a bit but left slightly under inflated, I had a solid contact patch and great traction.

Arfan

Hi guys I need some help in something I don't get. I have an 05 c230 its been lowered with no gap left. I have 18"s on it right now. I bought some 19"s that I want to put on. I want the same over all size I have with the 18"s. The 18"s that I have are staggered: 235/40 in the fronts and 265/35 rear. The wheels I bought were used and they aren't staggered and the tires on them are all 225/40/19. They rub on the front fender. Can some one help me on what tires I need to get to have them the same over all height as the 18"s.

vadim

Use this site:

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

eBalita Editor

what do you mean when you said it "pinched?"

LowCaliTi

anyone know if 16" 203 factory wheel will fit in spare tire spot in the trunk without any modificaton? (sedan) thanks



http://www.msnusers.com/RobsPictureSite2/shoebox.msnw

E320Star

it should

MB-BOB

The factory provided spare is full-size, so any other full size spare should fit in the storage.

ggong5150

The car should have the same size spare in the trunk. Mine came with the 16" factory spare in the trunk.

LowCaliTi

yea you guys are right it is a 16 full size. thanks

blacknova

Hi,

I'm looking to purchase some new tires for my (stock) '02 C230K and wanted to solicit some comments regarding new tire options. I'm looking to spend no > than $500.

My car came with P205/55/R16, Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus (H-rated) tires and currently have ~31,000 miles on them with ~3-4 mm of tread left on the front tires (from what I've been told, that makes me a conservative driver- although I always thought I drove somewhat agressively). Recently, the car has begun to hydro-plane more often in heavy rain so I'm kind of anxious to change them soon.

I have the following questions:

1) Should I even consider alternative tires besides the OEM tire brand/model that came with the car? I'd imagine MB did a fair amount of tire testing to optimize the performance of the car before deciding to go with Michelin or Continental tires. The only problem is that the Michelin Energy MXV4 Plus-es are somewhat expensive at ~$130/tire (UTQG 400/A/A rating). However, after doing some intense research/shopping on tires I noticed tiretrack.com 's test + user ratings indicate a cheaper & better alternative, namely the BFGoodrich Traction T/A (H-rated) tires (UTQG 440/AA/A rating). From browsing mbworld.org and here, I have yet to see anyone mention this model though. BTW...

2) Are there any specific tread/traction/temperature requirements for an '02 C230K? or are they all personal preference? A Tire Kingdom rep. told me that I needed to have at least an 'A' temperature rating for my car. Assuming that is true, I can get the BF Goodrich Traction T/A (H-rated) for ~$100/each (including shipping, installation, and disposal) at Sam's Club.

Some other info:
- I live in Miami Beach, FL where it's pretty much summer year-round with heavy rain usually during the winter- hence my concern about hydro-planing (however, this is not to say that I may move to a colder climate in the next 2 years/30,000 miles).
- Ideally I would like to maximize the mileage out of my tires (ie: > 30,000 miles), but I've been told that you get mileage at the expense of traction/temperature tolerance.
- I drive ~35 miles to/from work each day, most of it highway miles.

Any thoughts or insight into this matter?

Thanks in advance,
-Brian

amdeutsch

MB c-class vehicles have also been shod with Pirellis and Good Years directly from the factory.

respdoc

Steps to take:

1) Search the forum

2) visit tirerack.com

3) Have a nice day

Kar don

if i were you i would be riding on summer tires year round!

respdoc

Taking a guess you haven't spend much time in South Florida.

Living in Tampa 3 yrs. myself I can tell you some of the rain storms can get a little "fun" to drive in..

blacknova

Hi,

A few questions regarding tires on a C230K:

1) Is it me or are the UTQG tire "temperature" ratings for Goodyear tires inconsistent with the speed ratings on them?

For example, for a P205/55/R16 tire, the Goodyear Assurance TripleTred and Goodyear Assurance ComforTred are H-rated (which means they are good up to 130mph), yet only have a temperature rating of "B" (?) (which means they are good from 100-115mph): this doesn't make any sense... (I checked with some other tire websites, and they all list these tires with a "temperature" of "B".... so I don't think it's a typo).

I ask, because I would like to get these tires for their good reviews and high tirerack.com ratings but have been told that I should not get a "B"-rated temperature tire for my type of car.... which brings me to my next question:

2) Anyone know how important the UTQG temperature ratings are in regards to this type of car?

Honestly, since I just use my car for commuting between work/home on the highway, I practically never exceed 100mph (you'd probably get pulled over before then).... so I wonder if I can get away with a "B" -rated temperature tire.

Anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks,
-Brian

SteveS

I think you are mixing apples and oranges.

The temperature grades are A (the highest), B, and C, representing the tire's resistance to the generation of heat and its ability to dissipate heat when tested under controlled conditions on a specified indoor laboratory test wheel. Sustained high temperature can cause the material of the tire to degenerate and reduce tire life, and excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire failure. The grade C corresponds to a level of performance which all passenger car tires must meet under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109. Grades B and A represent higher levels of performance on the laboratory test wheel then the minimum required by law. WARNING: The temperature grade for each tire is established for a tire that is properly inflated and not overloaded. Excessive speed, under inflation, or excessive loading, either seperately or in combination, can cause heat buildup and possibly tire failure.

Speed ratings, like the "H" you mentioned is a govt. rating on the top sustained speed a tire should be run without failure.

blacknova

Is tirerack.com's explanation of "temperature" wrong then?

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/general/utqg.jsp

From the web page:

SpicyC320

Hi all,

I recently noticed what looks like "excessive" tire wear (along with a few minor annoyances such as rear hatch area noise, pano roof noise, random squeaks and rattles on bumpy roads, and rather low 18.6 mpg average) so I brought the car into the dealership.

I have 9050 miles on the car, and service advisor recommended I change out the 2 front tires in another 1000 miles or so. Alignment was checked and tire pressure was checked - all within factory recommendations, according to my service rep.

On weekdays, the car is only driven to/from work (less than 10 miles each way, no bad roads). On weekends, I often take the freeway (10-20 miles each way). Sometimes, there are pothole/poor road conditions on parts of the 280 and 880 freeway. However, it's not really THAT bad; not enough for me to believe that is what's causing the excessive tire wear.

Service rep also told me it looks like I tend to make a lot of left turns since there is more tire wear on that side. Perhaps it is the route I often take to work, but is that enough to cause this sort of wear?

I know these are 17" Z-rated tires, but having to get new tires every year (assuming I drive 10,000-12,000/year) just doesn't sound right.

Any feedback would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

Janice

vadim

What is the tire pressure in the front tires? How often do you check it?

SpicyC320

The tire pressure is to the specification on the driver's door. I have never checked it myself, but have had service technicians, etc. check it for me every now and then. My service advisor told me today that the tire pressure is fine, so I am assuming it is not the tire pressure that is causing the excessive wear and low mileage.

One other thing I've noticed about the car is the engine feels a little rough. The engine sounds loud when I stand outside the car (which I hear is "normal"), but at stops, I can also feel a slight vibration (especially with the stereo turned down). Service rep also told me this is "normal" bc of my bigger engine (V6) and slightly smaller car (compared to C320 sedan).

Not sure if I should take her word for it - I know my old, old E-class would vibrate/shake when at a stop and there is definitely something wrong with the engine on that car (very bad burning smell after driving for an extended period of time). I don't want to find out that something is wrong after the fact - when I discover it needs a hefty repair.

SpicyC320

Sorry, a correction: It's the 2 back tires that I will need to switch out (due to RWD?). The front tires are okay.

I also asked whether a tire rotation is necessary and/or would help. I was told it's better to keep the 2 front tires up front (rather than switching them to the back or something).