Tire Recommendation
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 36
Likes: 1
From: Fairfield County, CT
2009 C300
Tire Recommendation
Hey guys,
This morning when I was driving in a down pour, I noticed my car was acting weird (not gripping very well to the road). I checked my tires using the penny trick with Lincoln's head and lo and behold I need new tires. Now, I'm curious as to what brand has good all-season tires as the winters here are brutal. I have always had crappier cars so I usually just put the cheapest tires on it, but seeing how this is my first luxury vehicle I would like decent tires. Any recommendations?! Also, my tire size is 225/45R17
Thanks
This morning when I was driving in a down pour, I noticed my car was acting weird (not gripping very well to the road). I checked my tires using the penny trick with Lincoln's head and lo and behold I need new tires. Now, I'm curious as to what brand has good all-season tires as the winters here are brutal. I have always had crappier cars so I usually just put the cheapest tires on it, but seeing how this is my first luxury vehicle I would like decent tires. Any recommendations?! Also, my tire size is 225/45R17
Thanks
Member
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 166
Likes: 2
From: New York City
2009 C300 Sport 4Matic
Whichever came stock. Mine was continental continpro contact. Lasted forever, handled great, felt planted in rain and snow. After thousands of miles I "upgraded" to highly reviewed and highly reccomended Michelon Pilot AS3. The car is now sluggish, takes turns above 15mp poorly, hydroplanes, and feels nothing like it use to. YMMV.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 36
Likes: 1
From: Fairfield County, CT
2009 C300
I wound up going with a recommendation. For some reason I hated the way my continentals felt (had them prior) but anyway, I went with the Bridgestone Potenza RE970 A/S tires. Apparently if you make a big stink about how Town Fair Tire won't price match, they give you $137 highly rated tires for $87 each. It wound up being $511.21, for all 4 tires mounted and balanced, a 4 wheel alignment instead of the usual front alignment and I get free tire rotations, flat repairs and balancing for the life of the tires.
Senior Member
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 300
Likes: 13
From: GA, USA
Current: '19 E450 Cabriolet - Past: '19 C300 Coupe, '12 SLK350, '16 E350, '14 C250 (x2), '09 CLK350
Continental ExtremeContact DWS is a safe bet for all seasons that are affordable and will last long. They also have a great ride. Stock ContiPro Contacts also work well, but in my experience weren't as good in the rain, just a notch more slippy.
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
From: Denver, Colorado
c300 4matic
I wound up going with a recommendation. For some reason I hated the way my continentals felt (had them prior) but anyway, I went with the Bridgestone Potenza RE970 A/S tires. Apparently if you make a big stink about how Town Fair Tire won't price match, they give you $137 highly rated tires for $87 each. It wound up being $511.21, for all 4 tires mounted and balanced, a 4 wheel alignment instead of the usual front alignment and I get free tire rotations, flat repairs and balancing for the life of the tires.
Last edited by rccarver; Aug 15, 2015 at 08:40 PM.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 36
Likes: 1
From: Fairfield County, CT
2009 C300
I love the Potenza's. They are a lot better imo than the Continentals that were on before. I've noticed in the 3 days they have been on that the ride is a lot smoother.
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MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 1,071
Likes: 349
From: Fredonia, WI
2012 E550 v8-Biturbo
Interesting. On my other car, I "upgraded" from Potenzas to the Pilot Sport AS3 and I find them much worse in all conditions. While many people rave about the Pilot Sports, I haven't had a good experience.
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Member
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 146
Likes: 2
2013 c350 Coupe
+1 for the Continental DWS. I've only had mine for about a month or so, but for the price and the reviews on tire rack, they seem to be a really safe bet. I upgraded from Michelins and while I hadn't had any issues with those either, I was forced to swap them out with very little wear due to a sidewall bubble (which can happen on any tire). The first recommendation from my local tire shop were the Pilot AS3 for my new tires, but their reviews in snow seemed to be quite poor, so I kept looking for alternatives until I found the DWS, which had solid scores in all conditions.
Super Member
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 613
Likes: 42
From: NYC
2014 C300
Whichever came stock. Mine was continental continpro contact. Lasted forever, handled great, felt planted in rain and snow. After thousands of miles I "upgraded" to highly reviewed and highly reccomended Michelon Pilot AS3. The car is now sluggish, takes turns above 15mp poorly, hydroplanes, and feels nothing like it use to. YMMV.
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 330
Likes: 16
From: North Carolina - Research Triangle
2025 C300W4 AMG, 2023 GLC300 / previous 17 GLC300, 15 BMW 228i, 13 C300, 12 C350 Coupe
Tire Recom. Michelin A/s 3s are loud
We had A/S3s put on the car in February. The handling improved significantly over the OEM Continentals. But the road noise also increased and mileage dropped by 1-2 mpg. They are definitely stickier and did well in cold weather in NC and VA.
Member
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 126
Likes: 22
2009 C350, 2015 S550
I guess it depends on the Michelins but the pilot super sports are horrible. I kind of regret getting them now because while we dont have many snow days where I live. The few days we did have ,which turns into mostly ice, I had to walk to work because the tires become like hockey pucks.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 473
Likes: 15
From: SF bay area
C300 sport
I guess it depends on the Michelins but the pilot super sports are horrible. I kind of regret getting them now because while we dont have many snow days where I live. The few days we did have ,which turns into mostly ice, I had to walk to work because the tires become like hockey pucks.
I've done a good amount of reading about the Michelin pilot super sport and Continental DW, as well as the Michelin A/S3 and Continental DWS. The Pilot super sports and DW are SUMMER tires, while the DWS and A/S3 are ALL SEASON tires. I have the DW's on my front wheels and DWS on my rear wheels, my brother has a full set of Pilot Super sports on his 335i. They are all great tires. I'd recommend checking out the tire rack and comparing their ratings.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,019
Likes: 358
15 S550 4Matic, 86 560SL
If you plan on driving in winter weather AT ALL (that includes temps below 32-deg even when it's dry), you should be buying All-Season tires. The AS-3s and DWS are both great choices. If you have another vehicle you can use when the temperatures get cold, or if you live in a warm climate, then you're safe with summer-only tires.
