Have a '09 C300 with 18" AMGs (lease) and got an impact break on left front tire... must have hit a pothole. Only have 18k on Conti Sport Contact 3 tires and I have read online that these tires suck and are prone to bubbles.

I live in Southern California and I had Toyo Proxes 4 on my C230 and loved them and also have Proxes ST on my Yukon (305/50/20). Got quote from my local tire shop to install Toyo Proxes 4 for $400 that included balance, alignment (3 year policy) and Nitrogen. When I got there he said he the inventory at his warehouse was out of stock on the Proxes 4 so he got me a better Toyo tire for same price and I assumed he knew what he was talking about and maybe hooked me up with the T1Rs. When I go to pick the car up he had the Toyo Extensa HP tires installed on my car which are the entry level performance tire from Toyo. I clearly explained to him before I left that I wanted the front and rear to match when I needed to replace the rear tires in about 6 months. The Extensa does hot have a 255/35/18 tire. The Proxes only have a 255/40/18 which is close enough for me. Needless to say I was pissed off that he lied and told me he got me a better tire for the same price which in fact he got me a cheaper tire for the same price. Why do tire guys need to be so shady...?

He said since the C300 is staggered and can't rotate tires that no tire will last more than 24k miles which I know is complete BS. I also heard from another tire shop that the weight of the C300 is hard on the tires.

So today he is calling Toyo to have new Proxes 4 delivered and supposedly is going to return the Extensas as defective. I am sure he will sell the Extensas as new to another customer. I am wondering if I should push for the T1Rs. I am a "spirited" driver and drive mostly highway about 80 miles per day. I would love to get at least 25-30k out of a tire (assuming I don't hit another pothole). How long would the T1Rs last compared to the Proxes 4?

Not many posts for me here but this is a great forum for info. Thanks in advance for the help....

 

Being told by local tire shop that Proxes are on b\o from Toyo til June\July. So it looks like I am going to get the Pirelli PZero Nero tires. Read some good reviews on these tires here and on Tire Rack so I hope they are good since they are gonna cost me $50 more per tire over the Proxes. Crossing fingers I get at least 25-30k miles out of them.

Also... do you guys ever pay a tire protection plan when buying tires? They added $10.99 per tire for this and I think it is crap.

 

Conti Sports are horrible i would change all 4 asap