houwy

hello,

my car's front passenger-side tire has a little bubble, and the guys at topline estimated the cost for a new tire + labor to be ~$290. does that price seem fair to you? also, i checked out this thread: https://mbworld.org/forums/c-class-w...need-help.html, and it sounds to me like the continental tires that the '09 c350 came with kind of suck. is there anything comparable to the continental tires in looks/size but better quality?

thanks in advance,
carol

Sportstick

What is most important to you? Ride comfort, performance handling, mileage? Will this tire see any snow? Will you have dedicated winter tires, if needed, so that snow/freezing temps are not important?

It is true that there are many better tires than the original Continentals and many forum members have upgraded. But, to find the right answer for you, we need to know what experience you want.

houwy

thanks for the quick reply, sportstick!

i guess comfort and mileage would be the most important. i live in california, so extreme weather conditions/ temperature isn't an issue. so maybe all-season tires? i really don't know much about cars, so i really don't have a clue about what i should expect from the type of tires i pick.

Sportstick

Glad to help.....this will be a lot easier than you think.

Based on your preferences, I suggest the Michelin Primacy MXV4. Both Consumer Reports and a well respected web site that sells tires online show data highly recommending this tire, which will suit your needs. Consumers who bought this tire through the web site rated it #1 in the category. It won't be a commonly purchased tire on this forum, as it is of the Grand Touring All Season category, while most folks here are getting more performance-oriented tires.

The easiest thing to do is to find your local Michelin dealer (they are having a $70 off sale right now) and get exactly this name of tire...they have other models which sound similar and are not as good.

Others may respond with other suggestions, and some will be less expensive. My preference is never to skimp on tires, the only real contact your car has with the world!! I've had decades of rewarded faith in Michelin quality and performance, assuming one picks their best model for the purpose.

Last point...I bought and had the same tires installed on my daughter-in-law's car, who happened to have the same preferences as you. My son got a higher performance model!

justthinking

I would go w/ Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus and I would change both of the front tires at the same time..
The $70 off offer I believe only apply when you buy 4 tires...so you might be out of luck on that part..
Take your car to shop such as Discount Tire and have them match the price from tirerack..
BTW, what's your wheel size? how many miles you have on the car right now? and which conti tires you have right now?

Sportstick

I think you're suggesting tires you and I would like. Given the choice to select "performance", she did not say that mattered to her, but said she wants ride comfort and mileage. I have the Pilot Sport A/S and they are great, but that would be a mismatch with her personal requirements. Yes, I was assuming a set of 4 tires would be purchased.

justthinking

Michelin Primacy MXV4 does not has the 245/40R17 needed for the rear tire..

Sportstick

That's a very good point!!

However, I would guess that having staggered tires is of little to no importance here. And, according to 1010 tires calculator, the 225/45-R17 which are made and spec'ed for the front will fit all four wheels. A 225/45-R17 fits a 7"- 8.5" wheel. The benefit of having a tire of this level of quality and comfort for her will outweigh the issue of not being staggered, I would submit.

absolutleo

highly recommend costco. road hazard warranty included for 60 months or 2/32 tread.

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus are roughly $180 front and $210 rear + $15 install per tire.
i think the other one was
Michelin Pilot MXM4 ... roughly $150 front and $200 rear + $15 install per tire. (reviews for this tire don't seem to be nearly as good)

RedG

You should still consider Continental tires. Aftermarket purchased Continentals have a 12 month full coverage warranty for Road Hazards. Michelin, Goodyear, no other company provides you that. Not to mention you can also get the Continental Extreme Contact DWS. Not to mention the Michelin's really in the end are average in todays tire market. The Pilot HX MXM series tires tend to wear poorly, especially on the shoulders, and aren't at all the best traction, or longevity.

The Pilot Sport A/S is second best to the Continental Extreme DWS lineup. And have a 50,000 mile treadlife warranty, WITH a 60-day ride trial. Ask Michelin to provide that...think twice before trading out of Continental.

Sportstick

We seem to keep wanting to recommend what we would want, instead of what she would want. Why suggest Ultra High Performance category tires to someone who is most interested in ride comfort and not performance?

Regarding Michelin, there is enough diversity in their line-up that one cannot say the brand is average, unless you are averaging the really great ones against the lesser models, like the HX MXM you picked out, which I did not suggest. Both the Primacy and Exalto finished first in their classes in the CR testing. On tirerack.com consumer surveys, DWS excels in light snow and some comfort issues, but gives away steering response and cornering stability, which would seem to be more important to performance-seeking drivers. The majority of Contis, like the ones on some of our cars, are remarkably poor. They provide the marketing device of the warranty to help compensate for lower levels of product quality and performance to attract value oriented buyers.

So much money is spent on low-usefulness mods...don't skimp on tires!!!

justthinking

I would go with Continental Extreme Contact DWS or Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus for my own car..
The only problem with Continental Extreme Contact DWS is they are pretty hard to find..

Do not recommend Michelin Pilot MXM4, they are average at best as far as control and comfort and thread wear is not great compare to the other 3 choices giving here..

Michelin Primacy MXV4 is really good, probably the best tire for the luxury version of w204 and for those w/ 4-matic and want a more comfort ride..
It will offer slightly more comfort and thread life in exchange for slightly less handling and control compare to DWS and A/S Plus..
However, since OP has a C350, it really is not wise to go away from staggered..
Not to mention, if OP didn't complain about the comfort fromthe conti, any tire she gets will be a improvement already..

OP, your quote of $290 to get 1 tire replaced is simply too expensive..what I think you should do is give us more info about your tires and car..
1. how many miles on the tires already?
2. exact what conti tire do you have
3. how is the thread wear on the front tire that's still good

Sportstick

Good discussion.....she said she didn't know much about tires, so this may sound a bit confusing, as she should check into the tire tread, not thread, as in the really thin string used for sewing.

Azn_C300

Topline is known to be pretty expensive. Try Sonic Motorsport in Mountain View. He uses Hunter system to mount and balance. Ask for Darwin and tell him I sent you.

Sportstick

....I also meant to ask, in this situation, why do you think this? What do you think would be the actual trade-off as the tire fits and the result is four of the same tires?

justthinking

I just don't think it's a good idea consider OP said she doens't know cars all that well to go away from OE spec, you never know what will happen like dealer may blame her for change the wrong tire size and not honor warranty or tire shop may end up w/ mis-match wheels (one 7.5" and one 8.5" on the front then another 7.5" and 8.5" on the rear) not that will cause any damage, just to prevent confusion..

I don't know why you are pushing these Primacy tires so hard...don't get me wrong, they are great tires, but they are not the only right answer in this situation and the alternative is not that far worse in term of ride comfort..
It's not like if she doesn't get Primacy MXV4, she would go from a ride comfort of 10 to 5...it's more like going from 10 to 9...most ppl won't even fell the difference...

Sportstick

Fair points.....although I did not anticipate the shop swapping wheels to new locations, but that is easy to prevent with the awareness you raised. Should be no problem for the tire size, as that would be the size the W204 chassis is designed to handle for the Luxury model at all four corners.

As for Michelin, a few things make me recommend them so highly versus the next two (models of General and Bridgestone) based on 14+ million miles of consumer input on tirerack.com:

1) Best experience with quality, low balancing weight needed, fewest out-of-round conditions.
2) Best overall ride and performance in her desired tire category.
3) High brand recognition for her reassurance and easy to find dealers for the uninitiated, i.e. Costco, for example.
4) Widespread availability for emergency replacement, if needed.

She'll have these for a long, long time, so my approach is to go for the best for the situation, and she may well learn to appreciate the difference. But, your point on keeping the rear wheels at the back is valid.

justthinking

Hey Sportstick,

Don't get me wrong, I am 100% agree w/ you that Michelin Primacy MXV4 is one of the best if not the best tire for comfort ride..
Those are the same tires I told my aunt to put on her E320 and she has nothing but praise for them..
Too bad Michelin didn't offer the Primacy MXV4 in 245/40R17..

Sportstick

Thanks....and no problem either way! We're here for the conversation, and I appreciate your constructive comments!

houwy

thanks for all the input! i guess i should give you a little more info. so the tires i have now are the SportContact 3 225/40 ZR18 92Y. they have about 15k miles on them. i don't know how to measure the tread, but the guys at topline didn't mention anything about the other three tires. when they offered to replace the one tire, i just assumed the other three are fine. so the $290 is $209 for the tire itself and the rest is for labor? i'm not sure what kind of rims i have or if it even matters, but here's a pic if it helps. sorry for the crappy quality, it's the only picture of the car i could find.

thanks a bunch guys!

justthinking

houwy, you have the 18" amg 5-spoke wheels...in this case, Michelin Primacy MXV4 won't have the size you need...
Go with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus might be your best bet...

houwy

oh yeah! so my car is currently at my cousin's place because we're remodeling the house and don't have anywhere to put him. the cousin just told me "225/40 ZR18 92Y" and i know they're continental tires, so i can't be 100% sure they're the sportcontact3 i linked earlier. i thought that string of numbers and letters was the catalog number or something. i'll go check the model number and tire tread tonight. anything else i should look for?

Sportstick

Given the 18" size, I agree with JustThinking. The Pilot Sport A/S Plus are outstanding...have them on my car...far superior to the Contis you have now. If you are a "comfort-seeker", next time take the smallest wheels, which provides a taller side to the tire for more cushioning...and if still with MB, look for the Luxury model if possible, instead of Sport, for additional ride comfort.

RedG

[quote=Sportstick;4109177]We seem to keep wanting to recommend what we would want, instead of what she would want. Why suggest Ultra High Performance category tires to someone who is most interested in ride comfort and not performance?

That is precisely what Michelin's Pilot series tires are, performance tires. Ranging from high performance touring, to extreme performance of the Pilot Sport Cups. It shouldn't be discounted that all performance tires ride uncomfortably when they don't. I have rolled on nearly all the tires on the market, and have put about 30,000+ on my BFG KDW2's (summer wheels) with equal comfort to my Assurance Tripletreds on my factory wheels.

I didn't say they weren't good tires, and if that is what is best suited to the OP usage, than I would concur. However, she will generally be spending a lot more money for a marginally better tire (if at all), which is highly subjective anyways. Different vehicles, different drivers, different conditions all affect how a set of tires will perform on each car.

But knowing the OP has the C350 sport model, maybe she bought it precisely because it performs well? And just because Continental provides a better aftermarket warranty it doesn't mean they are less quality than Michelin's.

They stand behind their product more than Michelin does, and that says a lot to some people.

Indeed. Go for the tires that provide you better warranty support and customer service, go Continental.

Sportstick

So much which could be discussed back and forth!! But, I think we've all made our respective points and the OP can make her decision.....so, just two questions....when do you take delivery on your new Hyundai and how much are you getting for the C Class on trade?