Domm

I saw a lady the other day in an IS300 with large patches of bald spots on her rear tires (probably all her tires were the same) and couldn't help but think that she could kill somebody if it were to rain, which is extremely likely up in the Bay Area. After that I decided to check my tires and I noticed that the tread on my rear tires are getting low and I think it is better to change them sooner rather than later.

To get to the point, I just made this thread to ask everyone what kind of tires they have and their opinions on them (compared to stock). I have stock Michelin tires and they've been quiet and comfortable so far. I'm not really leaning towards high performance tires, more of an all around tire with moderate performance. If anyone has ever been to Santa Cruz and driven on highway 17, it's a blast with all the curves and slopes (too bad vans/trucks feel they can also perform as well, especially in the rain, and decide to draw cops after they swerve/flip onto the opposite side of the road).

I've been looking at Continentals and Michelin, but any other recommendations would be appreciated!

zhighman

I got the Michelin Pilot Sport Plus A/S a few months ago.

Much better than the stock tires. Handled snow like a champ (with 4matic). For a brief period (~500 miles) they were pretty loud. They've gotten better but still a bit louder than the stock tires.

jetflyboy

I have the MB dealer installed ContiSportContact3 on mine. I have less than 2k on them. I checked them just before you posted and they seem to be almost brand new. I don't think I'm getting the best ride my car should provide, and I am attributing this to these tires. I am running 32 psi front and 35 psi rears on the AMG 18" wheels.

However, from everything I heard, when it is time to get new tires, I will be getting the ExtremeContact DWS, as it seems everybody here swears by them. Just my observation.

Sportstick

Depends on what is important to you. The DWS on our E deliver superior comfort, quiet, outstanding wet and light snow traction, with very good overall performance. The Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus on the C provide reasonable comfort and noise, but outstanding dry steering response and handling and are OK in the wet and light snow. Pick your priorities and choose your best tire. Don't forget to check out Bridgestone Potenza RE970AS Pole Position which have emerged as a strong competitor to that model of Michelin.

Of course, if you live where it doesn't snow, there is a different array of choices among summer tires!

jetflyboy

Fair enough. I live in a place where it never snows, might get an ice storm once a year, spring and fall are kinda wet and very short, but the summer is long, dry and scorching hot (it is already 90 today). I looked into the DW tire rather than the DWS, but other than that, my research has not been up to par. I am confident I can search the forum on the subject, but I'm still new here, and will do my research, but I am all ears and eyes for any and all suggestions Comfort and noise level come first on my list, performance is a third.

Karl09

I have the continental extreme contact dws and I absolutely love them. Very little noise, tons of traction, and wearing awesome ! (I work at americas tire/discount tire so I've been through my fair share of tires, these are my favorite !)

jetflyboy

Thanks for the input

Sportstick

Based on these priorities, Michelin Primacy MXV4. This tire will exceed either the DWS, DW, or any of the others we already mentioned on those characteristics.

TexFinn

My wife's C350 still has factory installed Continentals in the rear. Each of the fronts have been changed on separate occasions at a dealer when the car had under 10K miles.

With the car now having 54K miles, there's not much tread left anymore, so it's going to be time for new ones soon. Haven't decided on a brand yet, except that they are not going to be Continentals. Nothing specifically against them, but I think I can get much better bang for my buck with some other brand.

Domm

Thanks for the helpful information. Its seems that the DWS tires are considered, overall, a very good tire. Does anyone have experience with Bridgestone, Goodyear, or Falken tires? Also, does having the added capability of semi-snow tire performance on the continental DWS diminish some of the dry/wet performance compared to having a tire just for dry and wet weather conditions (continental DW). I'm asking because it doesn't snow very often, if at all, in San Francisco but continental DWS are only $5 more than DW.

I found a useful review on Continental Extreme Contact DWS as well if anyone else is curious:

http://aphnetworks.com/forums/topic/...ter-ice-tests/


How would you rank DWS/DW in terms of the priorities they fulfill from top to bottom?

Sportstick

Neither provides similar comfort and noise to the MVX4. DWS and DW are quiet different, despite the apparent name similarity. DWS's strength is wet/snow traction with very good (not excellent) overall performance in the usual dry condition. DW is a summer only tire which should not be used below 45 degrees F and has very good performance, but is not as good as the same Max Performance Summer category Michelin Super Sport. I suggest you spend some time at tirerack.com and review both the owner surveys as well as the tests Tire Rack performs. The former indicates large sample owner responses, while the latter is more objective expert juried data.

jetflyboy

Thanks for the advice, Sprtstick (I feel like I should call you Mr. Stick
I do not plan on taking corners at high rate of speed, or race down the roads like the devil, but since I got a "sports" edition MB, I like to know that should the situation require such action, the tires will deliver.

I also have read in many places in this forum that people do not really care for the ContiSportContact 3 which I have now on my car. Yet, on tirerack.com it's almost twice as much as the DWS. Is this proof that "more is less?" I am sure these two tires serve different purposes

Please excuse my lack of knowledge, but I am pretending to be a sponge here and absorb everything, so when it's time to buy the new tires, I am well prepared with many opinions.

Sportstick

Only my wife calls me "Mr. Stick", so Sport is fine for short!

You are right that there is a general consensus that, other than the DW and DWS, nothing Conti makes gets much respect here, and the tirerack.com ratings seem to support that low evaluation. I would not go by price to try to discern quality. Look at their tests and consumer ratings (which are not directly comparable between categories, ie. 8 on Ultra High Performance is not comparable to an 8 on Grand Touring). But, the test results are comparable, which is why I am suggesting the Primacy MXV4 for someone who values ride and noise above all else.

jetflyboy

Thanks again, Sport

FWIW, I really enjoy this forum. So much respect for everybody and their opinions and everybody is willing to share their experience and lend a helping hand.
I guess that's why we drive Mercedes Benz. Pure Class.

Sportstick

You are welcome, and welcome to be with us. Glad you are here! We encourage all opinions, but we are the opposite of Congress....we are Progress...if we disagree, we aim NOT to be disagreeable!

Domm

Agreed. I joined only a month ago and everyone has been helpful.

nvmichael

Would the Primacy MXM4 be equal or better than the Primacy MXV4?
Comfort and noise are top priorities for me and I do see snow.
Thanks

Karl09

If you decide against the Continentals, another great seller is the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus

Sportstick

Take a look here:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey....jsp?type=GTAS

nvmichael

Thanks. Heck of a decision...

Domm

Heres the survey list of summer tires which I'm looking at since we get no snow here in the Bay Area:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...n&autoModClar=

And another list of all seasons which include the Michelin pilot a/s and continental DWS:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...jsp?type=UHPAS

RLE

Not everybody.

pnoyworx

You can't go wrong with DWS, for the price and tire wear it is at it's best. Our state has a unique winter, where our roads ice is slicker then other places and this tire performs very well in ice and snow. We also get about 9months of rain, and these tires made it seem like 9 months of dry roads. It's performance rivals those of higher prices in the same category for cheaper. I've had them on many of my cars and still do. I wish I could use them on my MB, but since it runs a 14/32 thread depth I can not run it with my wheel setup.

xXHotelCrazyXx

Nitto Invo

jetflyboy

Well, Sport, guess what? Michelin does not make this tire in my size, or I should say I cannot find it anywhere. I found the MXM4 for the rear but not a one for the front. And I am one of these people that believe in having the same tire on all sides.

I don't want to keep dragging this thread, but you pointed me in the right direction to search, and I am very appreciative.