warschau

Hi guys !
I searched some previous threads but i did not find my answer in those.

So my quick question is :
Is it worth trading my Mercedes 15" alloy rims (195/65/r15 tires ) for 16" Steel rims ( 205/55/r16 tire) ?
I'm interested in using this configuration ( either 15 or 16 ) for winter.

Is the 16" wider tire and smaller wall better when it comes to handling / stability?
( C200kompressor engine )

Thank you for your answer and sorry for my english.

tommy

Skinnier rims/tires the better in winter.

Steel rims get really rusty really quickly, which only makes them look uglier and not last as long.

For both of those reasons I'd stick to what you have.

Boom vang

the stock size for the W203 are 16" I would stick with the 205/55R16, I use that size for our winter months and works fine and there are not too many worse winters than a Canadian one.

I use alloy rims for the winter as Steelies look awful after a couple of winters with salt and by the time you factor in hubcaps, and new bolts (they have to be shorter for steelies) you might as well get replica alloys or someone's take offs

Alswag

Correction, skinnier rims/tires are better for fuel economy, but they're not good in the winter. In the winter, you want wider tires for more grip, especially in the snow.

Source: I've lived through 18 Canadian winters.

Boom vang

You are so wrong, skinnier tires bite down and give you better traction, wider tires have more resistance and can get bogged dow (you will not be able to ride on top of the snow as the weight of the car will not allow that), check every rally car or WRC that is on snow and ice they go down in width.

A narrow tire and a wider tire has the same surface/contact area on the road but in a different shape (long and narrow vs short and wide), also a wide tire will aquaplane easier than a narrow tire as it will knife through the puddle were as the wider tire will have a harder time and float up

Best rule of thumb is to put on the stock size for your winters and save the +1 or +2 for your summer driving

Don't believe me still here are some sources

http://www.tirerack.com/winter/tech/...jsp?techid=126

http://www.nytimes.com/1990/12/30/sp...ty-001090.html

http://blog.tirerack.com/blog/hunter...ter-for-winter

http://tires.about.com/od/understand...nus-Sizing.htm

TTR

Correction, failed winter tire choice for 18 years.

As for OP:
I kept the OEM size of 205/55R16 for winters and run 225/40R18 for summer.

tommy

Whew. Thought I had really screwed the pooch on that answer for a minute. I'm 47 and have lived in the NE for most of my life. So I'll see your 18 years of snow driving and raise it um, way too many more.

warschau

Thank you for your answer guys.

The thing is, i am more interested if the wider 205/55 tire will give me better handling when it comes to day-to-day driving in wet/slippery conditions.

I will not encounter snow too often, since i live in the city and the roads i use are cleaned pretty fast.

So judging by your answers and given conditions, i might just go for 205/55 and ditch the 195/65.. feels too wobbly ( I had them for last winter and this summer ).

I plan on buying/using 225/45/r17 for summer time.

Boom vang

I raise yours a little bit more, I am 52 and lived in Canada all my life and have to deal with snow from November to March

Boom vang

I don't recall MB using the 15" size on the W203 (perhaps in other markets?) definitely they used 15" on the W202 with option size as 16"

tommy

Damn, boom - you're old!! :-)

adrian_rygg

I my experience you will not feel much difference between 195 and 205. In this case i recommend that you choose the rims with the best tires, quality and tire rutting.
-Norway

Alswag

Really? I've always had better experience with wider tires and even slightly deflating my tires (by one or two PSI) for winter. I've tried skinnier tires and never again would I go down that route.
It makes more sense that they'd bite down more because of the weight being forced to a smaller area, but I've just never had a good experience doing it, neither have my parents.

I don't know. I've had better experiences with wider tires in winter.

Boom vang

Here are some pics from the WRC, their tires are super narrow, our requirements are a bit different. We need a tire that gives excellent traction in snow and ice but at the same time handling on cold dry roads, the compromise would be a -1 / -2 sizing from your low profile tires or sticking with the base OEM sizing for your car. For us in the W203 it would be 205/55R16

And never deflate your tire, that is dangerous and not effective because then you are not applying equal pressure across the tread - don't believe that just look at your tires that have been driving around under-inflated, the wear are at both of the shoulders and not in the center. A snow tire will generate more friction because of the tread and underinflated can cause it to overheat on dry roads at highway speed.

And finally wider can be more slippery than narrower, look at F1 in the rain and even with rain tires they will spin as if they are ice. Rain tires for most motorsports are narrower than the standard dry tire

Gilgorm

OP: Its perfectly alright to use the same size or slightly narrower. If memory serves, my retired C230 used the same size winter tire on the same rims. The car changed from driving on banana skins to driving on tank treads. The car had 16" alloys so I just swapped the rubber every season. I would not recommend steel at all. Cost is one thing but looks and weight also count. You're driving a Mercedes, not an old junker.

warschau

Good point, after further calculations and putting things in balance,i have decided to buy the best tires possible for this size, and that's that.

dougo01

Just my 2 cents after 63 years living in Canada and 47 winter driving.
1. Skinny tires will work best in snow because they don't get hung up like wider tires. But best bet is to use the same size as your summer tires. Then you won't look dorky if you drive to Florida this winter.
2. It's not the snow that kills you, it's the slush that compacts to ice in traffic that causes accidents. So look for tires that have plenty of sipes (the little tiny slits). They don't have to be terribly expensive to be adequate.
3. Lots of alloys available for less than $600. Steelies look terrible.
Hope this helps

TTR

May I suggest the Conti ExtremeWinterContact, Blizzak WS70, or the Michelin Pilot Alpin 3? I know there's a few other tires like the HAKABLAHBLAH (don't actually know the name), but those are the highest rated on TireRack as well as the choices of myself and many of my other friends driving our RWD Euros in 8 month long winters. I can tell you from personal experience going 85kmh on a snow and ice mountain backroad on the Conti's had no drama, oddly enough going 80kmh this summer on that same road felt sketchier haha. Best of luck.

Akhafeez

man what a discussion, i just go back to stock for winter and do just fine

Moviela

Winter? What's different about winter?

Khan28

Stick with the stock setup which will be 205/55/16. Throw in a few extra dollars and get yourself a decent set rims with a good balance of quality along with design but do make sure the offset is correct. Steelies don't belong on a Benz even if you throw decent looking hubcaps on them. As mentioned above the thinner tires are great in the snow. I have personal experience using Bridgestone Blizzak WS70 and would recommend that tire in a heartbeat.

slimpee

Sorry for the bump but i've been concerned about my C230 and the impending winter. I'm in the midwest USA so i'll see snow and ice soon. I have Nitto Motivos on the car now (rear, getting fronts next wknd). Does anyone have experience with these tires in slick conditions?

Or, would it be better to save my pennies and get some dedicated winter wheels/tires?

Disclosure: I do have access to a couple of Jeeps so I don't have to drive the MB in inclement weather but I may also be moving away from said Jeeps.

Boom vang

if you are driving your car in any snow condition or when the temperature is consistently below 7*c (or 45*f in the part of the world that is still using imperial) you should be running winter tires. Regular tires and all/no season tires get harder as it gets colder where as winter rubber stays soft as the temp gets low.

Actually running 2 sets of tires is cheaper in the long run, in 4 years you end up going through 2 sets of tires so might as well have a dedicated set for each season, the added bonus is that winter tires are cheaper than your performance or all/no season tires.

Those that say that because you have 4matic you don't need winter tires, while you get better traction to get going you can not stop or steer any better than RWD and once you lose grip you lose those and I would rather be able to stop or steer then accelerate in bad conditions

slimpee

Thank you for the reply. I consider myself a fairly decent winter driver (lots of practice ) but my experience with rwd cars in winter has not been particularly positive. My gma's old Lincoln Mark VIII was basically worthless and a 91 Cougar I drove was passable with sandbags but not great.

Can the rwd w203 get around at all in snow and ice?

TTR

I would say it's doable. 12 years of brutal Alberta winters with my rwd W203. 5 of which were running all seasons, cuz my mom didn't know better lol.