Townshend

I have a C350 and need to replace the tires on her. Since I'm in the US I have a RWD car and since I live in Chicago I have the snow. Any good recommendations on a all-season tire to use? BTW, I have the 19" AMG wheels as well. Thanks!

Sportstick

If you MUST use one set of tires year round, the answer is pretty easy...Continental DWS...clearly superior to all other all-season tires for water/snow. But, I run rwd in Detroit, and won't do that...in the winter, Blizzaks go on both cars, and we even have DWS on the E for the rest of the year!

LaicepsYdobon

All my previous 4matic cars had Michelin Pilot all seasons on them and I loved them. My current 4matic has Pirelli P-Zero Nero all seasons but I wouldn't recommend them because the sidewalls are thinner then the Michelin's and they tend to develop bubbles when hitting larger potholes. For the past six years I had no issues with the Michelins however this year I already went through two Pirellis so far.

Yuille36

I have to second the motion, on the Continental Extreme DWS. I have them mounted on my E63.

Townshend

Thanks guys. My current complaint with the Continentals is that I've owned the car for a month (bought it with 16k miles) haven't hit any major potholes yet have bubbles forming on 3 out 4 tires and they are Continental ContiSportContact 3s.

I switch in and out of Blizzaks in the winter on my other car and they're solid. But I'd prefer to have just one set on my daily year round.

Sportstick

There is no comparison between the Continentals which come OE on the car versus the DWS. Chevrolet makes Impalas and Corvettes. The OE tires are a low-cost driven, fuel economy exercise, which is true of almost all OE tires. Check out tirerack.com surveys and the testing section on DWS...it's as if from a different company. I threw away the OE Contis when buying the DWS.

redfox302

I have all 4 Continental DSW tires as well; after both rear tires OE Michellin feathered due to cambering. I had them since 30K with no problem until now 46K. It's less costly then Michellin. I still have both front OE Michellin with 30K on them; sitting in the garage. Let me know if anyone interested.

jctevere

Definitely get DWS if your going with all-season. The Michelins are great, but sometimes you can find DWS for so cheap - that you could almost buy 2 sets for the price of one set of michelins. They are definitely quality tires and even though the OE tires are continentalz - should not be compared.

Plus, the DWS do much better in snow and water covered surfaces than the michelins - with a slight sacrifice on dry road performance. But the way I look at it - I rarely ever drive near the limits of any tire on dry surfaces, and if I were - I wouldn't get an all-season and would get a summer tire. And I would much rather improved winter/wet performance. Plus they are rated to last over 50,000 miles.

Townshend

I don't seem to have found that to be the case yet.

I got a couple quotes, both with road hazard. DWS's come in around $1050 while the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus's are coming in around $1k. Has anyone used the Michelin's? From what I can see they appear to be fairly equal.

Sportstick

Not sure where you get your quotes, but 4 18" DWS arrived, with shipping, for $673 from tirerack.com. Mount/balance, and road hazard cannot be that much of a difference.

I have those Michelins on my C Class...excellent tires, but not in the same league on snow as DWS. Again, read the survey results on tire rack. You will see they are not equal. Michelin better for dry performance, steering response, etc. But, the results and the testing shows DWS are essentially in a category of their own on snow versus other all season tires (but still not Blizzaks!)

Townshend

I just quoted out the DWS's on Tire Rack at $788.47 shipped. The A/S Plus would be $1003.11 shipped. I'm on 255/35 and 225/40 18" wheels.

Glyn M Ruck

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus or Plus ZP.

Sportstick

Glyn,

I have great respect for your opinion, and find frequent agreement, but have you experienced a Chicago winter? Someone in Virginia might get away with Pilot Sport A/S Plus, but not in the Windy City. If he doesn't want to swap for dedicated winter tires, he will benefit greatly from the DWS over any Michelin short of their snow tires. Do you feel differently? I've tried my Pilot Sport A/S Plus in snow and would want something better.

jctevere

Yeah, I would have to agree with Sportstick on this one (wow, this is a rare occurence... )

My father used to have Michelin Pilot Sport A/S on his SL500 (granted its a roadster) but it did terrible in the snow, could barely make it up or down the driveway without slipping and sliding. However, same car and same rims with Continental Extreme Contact DWS he is actually able to use his SL500 when it snows (light snow), with little to no wheel slippage.

Sportstick

Twice in one day! We both really like your tail light treatment.....

I was in NYC last weekend...must have been drinking the same water!

Alba

I have been very happy with Bridgestone Pole Position II A/S (RE960). But my use profile is different. I am more focused on wet performance & hydroplane resistance than snow performance.

Glyn M Ruck

Sportstick - I'm with you all the way. My experience is in Burlington Ontario & it's Blizzak tyres all the way in a severe winter. It has to be the best non studded around.

The OP wanted all year round cover & to me there is no such thing in extreme conditions. The compromise is too great. You may as well lock up the car for winter.

I posted the A/S Plus's as one of the better All Season tyres IMHO. It is also chassis dependent. The DWS is in my opinion the best tyre Conti makes. I always have that niggling suspicion of the sidewalls.

Michelin's X-Ice is a good snow tyre - I have no experience of the Alpins

Townshend

I suppose time will tell, I ended up putting on the A/S Pluses.. hopefully they'll hold up during the winter. So far I enjoy them quite a bit though. Got them installed for $1k out the door.

I'd rather have better performing tires in the summer than the two months I'll need them in the winter. Worse comes to worse I'll put on Blizzaks or Hakkas which I've heard very good reviews about as well.

hotcorner216

I live in southern california what's a good tire for all seasons? I want a quality high speed tire

Sportstick

Michelin Pilot Super Sport...just don't take them anywhere near snow or very cold weather.

kevink2

You are fine for 3 seasons, parked for most of the winter. Pick up a set of 16" rims & 205-55-16 91H winter snow shoes. Tires are less expensive for this size.

Look for these wheels, as they are a proven fit on the C350.

16" Winter Tires for C350

You want to have control over what a Chicago winter throws at you, and not be limited by it.

.

popp

Nokian wrg2

Your welcome. I'll except Paypal donations for saving your life in a winter storm

boost420

A new tire that has come out is the General G-max, which replaced the Exclaim Uhp (kind of interesting that they replaced a summer high performance with an all season), but with a tread rating of 480, some good reviews, and the cost, I will give them a try. Btw, General is owned by Continental.

Here is an image of them:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/BigPic...S03XL&i1_Qty=2

Pete7874

Yeah, the RE960 is a good 3-season tire, but its winter/snow performance is bad. I have them on my 530i and I ended up buying dedicated set of winters because the RE960 just wasn't safe enough during Chicago winters.

I ended up ordering a set of Conti DWS for the wife's C300. A friend hooked me up so I got a really good price on them. Now I just need to find the time to get them installed...

mikapen

On my C-Class RWD, I have worn Michelin Pilot Alpin PA2 and PA3, Michelin X-Ice 2, and the Conti DWS. I bought the DWS after the raves on TireRack and various forums. Big disappointment!
My dedicated X-Ice tires actually handle better on dry pavement than the DWS, and of all those, the DWS is the worst on wet pavement. I have tried tire pressures +10 to -5 from recommended and they still feel like W60 Blizzaks. Cushy ride, though.
My ranking on ice and packed snow from worst to best is PA2 -> DWS -> PA3 -> X-Ice.
I just reinstalled my X-Ice for the winter and am debating scrapping the Conti's instead of installing them next spring. YMMV.