rb23lb

My rear tires are DONE-zo.... Wear Bars are even thinning... Fronts have probably 7k left....

I am at 27,700 miles...

I know the OEM conti tires are super hard rubber in order to max out the MPG rating for the car stock...

But I want the most comfort possible and the LEAST amount of road noise....

Is this still possible with Low-Profile tires on this car?

I know I have read some people recommend the Michelin PS2 tires as the best but just wanted to see what people have to say here before I drop hundreds of dollars on what might not be the best option for what I am looking for....

I don't care how much they are, I just want to know what are the softest and provide the most ride comfort but still fit on my current rims..

Thanks in advance for any comments on this that may help

Sportstick

In your 18" staggered OE size, Continental DWS wins both ride comfort and noise from reviewing both Tire Rack surveys and their own road test data.

I have these on our E350 in 18" size, and would confirm their findings versus my 17" Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus on my C. As you are prioritizing ride comfort and noise, outstanding performance tires such as PS2 and Super Sport will not be as satisfactory on ride comfort and noise, although they would handle/respond much better.

rb23lb

thanks for the info

so PS2s are loud or are do they feel about as harsh as the stock Conti super sports?

guess i will go with the DWS then... but if I do, how much performance will I lose do you think? like should I expect a slower 0-60 time and worse handling around corners and stuff or are there other aspects I should be aware of?

C300Sport

I hit 29,000 miles on my stock 17s and the rears are getting close to the wear bars. I have been waiting on wearing out the rears to move up to 18s but I have been a little worried about a harsh ride, so I am in a similar situation.
I ordered a set of 18" TSW Interlago's with the DWS tires today. From everything I have read, the DWS is a smooth, quiet and stable all season tire that I hope will negate most if not all of the expected harshness from moving up from 17s to 18s.
Of course the fact that the wheels only weigh 18.8 lbs a piece shouldn't hurt either...

ralawren

I ran DWS on my 128i for two years. They are quiet, handle well up to about 70% traction. When I pushed them hard on the ramps you can feel the sidewalks bend. no where near as firm or responsive as the Goodyear NCT5 RFTS that came stock.

If you are not interested in tearing up the neighborhood DWSs will be fine.

Sportstick

Completely agree. If you don't typically drive aggressively, you may just feel some softening of steering response, but you will feel no loss of acceleration. 18" DWS also have been reported on this forum as having a different sidewall construction than 17" and feels better in cornering. The rest of the time, you will have tires with about the best ride and quiet that fit your car.

Kreuzfeuer

+1 for DWS...

I ran a staggered set on my last Crossfire, and hit the Dragon several times. While they certainly weren't as responsive as the PS2's, I never had any "white-knuckle" moments...

Straight-line traction was great, hyrdo resistance is brilliant. Quietest tires I've ever owned.

ltcinf

+1 on the DWS tires. Wore the OEM rear contis out at 22K. The DWS's are a night and day difference and would highly recommend them. I drive in washington DC traffic everyday and have a very comfortable and quiet ride, evn with all the construction around. Handling has all been very good although I'm not sure i would try and race with these. However at 47the years old I a little past that stage.

I went up one size on me C350 to 235s in the front and 255s in the in the rear on stock wheels with no issues.

ltcinf

One last thing. Wet weather traction is the best i have ever experienced. I can accelerate very quickly and drive VERY comfortable at the 80+ mph range with true confidence. I can feel the total control verses the OEM contis that feel like i was on ice once a drop of rain hit the ground. Good luck!

rb23lb

awesome info... thanks everyone... iwill be going with DWS for sure...

what do you mean you moved up in tire size to 235/255?

you mean there are more than one size of DWS that will fit the 18" OEM wheel and it is a matter of preference?

amdeutsch

Couldn't resist on that one.



Have you ever looked at the tire spec page and see what rim width is acceptable for a given size? And thereafter looked at the sizes above and below?

Hint:
Look for a wider tire with a lower profile in your wheel size. You'll be amazed at the numbers you'll see.
225/45 & 255/40 can fit the same width rim; at the extremes.

ltcinf

rb23lb,

I have the AMG 17 inch wheel staggered. Original tires were 225/45R17 91 H on the front and 245/45R17 91H on the rear. I went to 235/45ZR17 94W front and 255/40ZR17 94W rear.

They fit great and give me a little more meat on the pavement.

MBRedux

I ran the DWS for 14K miles before dumping them... not a fan... sorry.

joshg1001

what is the difference between the Michelin PS/A/S, Michelin PSS, PS2ZP, and PS2... LOL

lleeoo

Actually, there's this Yokohama Advan DB and I hope they are available anywhere in the States.. The Advan DB dry and wet tractions are not bad, comfortable, but the treadwear is a different story probably because the compounds are rather soft.. Just from personal experience with them on my W210 (sold the car ages ago) and oh, almost forgot, we don't have snows here so I can't comment on how they performed during winter

http://www.yokohamathailand.com/en/Y...a-ADVANdB.html
http://www.yokohama.com.au/ourtyres/...spx?tyreid=240

Sportstick

Makes perfect sense...I believe you do not prioritize ride comfort and quiet above handling and performance...true?
PSAS+ is an all season high performance tire....same class as DWS, but trades off wet/snow and some quiet for superior dry performance, sharper steering response, etc. PS2 is a higher performance summer only tire and the ZP (zero pressure) is just the run flat version of that same higher performance summer only tire. Super sport is their ultimate performance tire, again, summer only. But, returning to the OP's question, none of those outstanding tires offer ride comfort and quiet of DWS, but all will outperform on steering response and handling. Life is a series of compromises!

ltcinf

Well said sportstick. If I want a go-cart tight steering type ride I will jump in was son's 1.8L Turbo GTI, lowered and running PS2s. But at 47 years old, I kinda like a soft quiet ride when cruising and some good performance when I need it. While the DWSs are not track tires they certainly do the job well and good excellent when the weather turns bad.

rb23lb

so the advantages of the bigger DWS tires is that they have better grip since there is more meat on the pavement?

any other differences I should be aware of in the different sizes of DWS that fit the 18" OEM wheel?

and are there just 2 sizes of DWS that fit the 18" wheel or are there more than 2?

sorry in advance for my tire ignorance... never have bought tires that are different than stock before...

Sportstick

There is a pro and con, as usual! A wider tire will help with handling in dry weather, but will reduce snow traction if you plan on using this one set of tires all year. Snow traction is optimized with narrower tires. Also, rolling resistance will increase with wider tires, and may slightly reduce fuel economy. So, this trade-off exercise is dry handling vs. snow handling and mpg.

ChrisB.

Purchased the DWS's based on the reviews. Luv em!

rb23lb

what size u end up getting?

rb23lb

another question... what is the difference between the DW and the DWS?

I live in So- Cal and I never drive in the snow and only rarely drive in Rain...

Would I be better off with the DW then and does anybody know if they are the same quietness?

thanks
rb

C300Sport

I just got back from having my new wheels/tires installed and I love them. I went from stock 17" Pilot Sports to 18" DWS and they ride SIGNIFICANTLY better. It's not just a "I think this is a little better because I want it to be better kind of thing" but a very noticeable improvement.
One question for you guys. Could it be that the 10 lbs of weight I dropped by going with the rotary forged wheels help as much as the DWS tires?

C300Sport

The DWS stands for Dry, Wet and Snow so I am assuming the rubber compound on the DW(Dry and Wet only)will not be as pliable when cold??

Sportstick

DW are great tires for summer. They do well on dry and wet surfaces. But, they will not be as quiet or ride as comfortably as DWS and they should not be relied upon for temperatures below 40 degrees F.