Maybe this should be in the tires section but my question is specifically regarding the tires for the C350 sport sedan.

My 2012 came with the ContiProContact All Season tires which are described on Tire Rack as touring tires. Is this right? I would have expected some kind of performance tires, maybe not summer but something that was not as squishy, vague and noisy.

Are these the standard on the C350? Could I have asked for or request now something more performance oriented?

Thanks.

 

Mercedes does not offer tire options nor does any other manufacturer to my knowledge. It's just the luck of the draw. Personally, if I were ordering a new car, I would inform the salesman that if the car came with Conti tires, I would refuse delivery. The dealer could swap wheels with another car in stock which had one of the other brands used.

When I ordered my C300, I knew it would show up with H-rated low bidder tires so I ordered what I wanted from Tire Rack to be shipped to the dealer before the car arrived and they swapped tires before delivery at no cost to me. I then sold the originals on Craigslist.

 

OEM tires would usually be the lowest cost for the car manufacturer. Most folks switch those out for Conti DWS (all seasons) or Pilot Sports PS2.. or some high performance rubbers.

 

Thanks. I guess I just don't understand then why Mercedes would put sport suspension as standard on a model, to say nothing of the Sport designation in its name, and then saddle it with touring tires as standard. My 350Z and 335i, as befitting more sporting vehicles, both came with Bridgestone summer tires, which were definitely not the cheapest option for either company.

 

Vehicle manufacturers prioritize:

- Cost
- Low rolling resistance to improve their CAFE rating for mpg
- Generally acceptable ride/handling balance, biased to ride

Some other manufacturers do offer tire options, such as SRTs which come with all season performance tires, but have an OE option for summer only performance tires. In our case, there was no choice unless you happened to get tires from another of MB's OE sourced tires...they use (at least) both Continental and Michelin as far as I know. The Michelins would have been of comparable performance level, although likely better executed than the Continentals.

At this point, you can do what others have done. I discarded my OE ContiProContacts at 2,000 miles for my Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus which have performed extremely well, although I am now finding what I would consider early wear on the rear tires (down to 4/32 at 20,000 miles of usage, while the fronts are still 8/32). Tirerack.com also shows that Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS are excellent.

 

Yeah, going to see if I can unload them somehow and get some Michelin or Bridgestones summers. They only have about 200 miles on them now so shouldn't be too hard.

Thanks all.

 

Again, the OE formulation of these Grand Touring category tires likely offered them the lowest rolling resistance. Manufacturers will go to great lengths for a tenth of a mile of Corporate Average Fuel Economy to avoid Federal penalties.

 

I’ve had good luck with Michelin's Pilot Sport A/S Plus during harsh L.A. winters.
Promptly swap ‘em for PS2s or Super Sports come spring though.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....ort+A%2FS+Plus

 

Yeah, I had the Pilot Sport 2s on my 335i here in Jersey year round. They are definitely a superior performance tire.

 

So the Mitsubishi Galante Avis rental I received from the service department has the same ContiContactPro tires. High five!

Time to fill out my Mercedes Benz customer satisfaction survey that I just received this morning.

 

RWD 335i ? We had some rough winters in this area few years back ... ok then, or did you have a back-up winter car?

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If you look at AUDI, BMW, and MB (I think), the oem tires ( typ Continental & Michelin) may have several identical sizes in a tire-rack listing, but only one of them is the approved tire. The tire mfg works with the tire co to get the best suspension performance from their special tire brew. Seems like a little over the top to me.

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No, my only car. Anything more than a 1/2 inch or so, I parked it and stayed in. Luxury of being able to work from home.

 

I also have a question. I know that a lot of people recommend Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus and Continental Extreme DWS. From tirerack.com, those tires belong to the category of "Ultra high performance all season" and have speed rating of W or Y, while ContiProContact is in the category of "Grand Touring all season" and rating H.

Aren't W or Y rated tires much stiffer than H-rated tires and thus more noisy?

The tirerack.com seems to say that Michelin Primacy MXM4 is one of the best in "Grand Touring all season" and H category.

 

Not sure about stiffness and I think compound and tread have roles to play. All I know is that the Contis seem noisier to me than the runflat Michelin PS2 summer tires I had.

 

That’s not necessarily the case. Seems somewhat counterintuitive doesn’t it?

Although NVH attenuation ranks relatively low amongst my selection criteria (vs. response and traction),
some ‘ultra high performance’ all-season and summer tires also do remarkably well in those areas.
There’s no denying that the ‘grand touring’ MXM4 provides a quiet ride and decent tread life though.

cswang’s disappointing “squishy, vague and noisy” tires can be rectified by judiciously choosing appropriate replacements.

 

I like my Conti DSW tires. (245/40 ZR17 91W) They have a harness of 540, so that they last longer than the stock tires. I decided to sacrifice a little noise and ride for a longer lasting tire. I can get around 45K miles on my rears. Actually I don't notice much of a difference with the harder tire. IMHO it still rides nice.

 

I am willing to put up with some noise and stiffness for traction and feel to inspire confidence on on/off ramps and other sweeping curves in the road.

 

Yeah some folks like the softer tire to help quiet it down. For me, I can take off-ramps from I-95 here in VA upwards of 50MPH which is plenty fast enough for me. Not that I'd ever be condoning the doubling of the off-ramp speed limits.

 

I’ve had good luck with Michelin's Pilot Sport A/S Plus during harsh L.A. winters.

Harsh Winters in L.A. Lmao!! That's priceless. Come to Canada or North East USA. You'll think your in Antartica.

OE Conti's are Garbage period. If you had Mich's equipped you got lucky. If your driving in Snow. No all season tire will give you adequate performance in snow. If you don't go summer tire most are good in rain. Only Drag Radials are crap in rain Good Luck.

 

A very loose, general rule, often broken.

I know someone else commented on this, and I'm in agreement. When I got W-rated DWS for another car, I was surprised how flexible the sidewall was, as tested by hand off the rim. A V-rated tire, same size but summer rated, had a much stiffer sidewall.

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