armoredsaint

For those of us that live in the snow prone region, what brand of tire/wheel combo or just switching out tire only?

Merlin1

Will none MB wheels invalidate warranty?

c4004matic

Absolutely not. Theta simply have to be the right size.

vic viper

Have fitted these:




With Goodyear UltraGrip 8 225/45x18 and TPMS sesors.

c4004matic

I don't have the car yet. But I already had a set of Michelin X ice 3's with rims delivered to the dealer. That way as soon as the car arrives they can swap them and I can be on my way. They have excellent snow and ice traction (blizzacks are a little better on snow but not ice) and they have superb dry road manners, almost as good as all seasons (this is the part where blizzaks suck).
Unless you have no need for money, do not buy at the dealer! I paid less, 1300, for the rims and tires than I would have paid for only the rims at the dealer, plus the rims are good looking alloys, not "steeles". Tire Rack of course.

armoredsaint

what style of wheel did you get?

BenzC400

Pirelli Sottozero Serie II runflat winter tires on C400 19 inch multi spoke wheels.

Sportstick

Michelin X-Ice xi3 are excellent. But, also read the review on tirerack.com for the new Blizzak WS80, a new tire model this year. These top two performers continue to leapfrog each other with each new model, which is good competition for our benefit. Tire Rack will also find wheels which fit, or you can also find excellent MB style aftermarket wheels at powerwheelspro.com. I've bought a few sets from them and quality and service have been excellent.

None of these choices have any effect on warranty as long as your choose the proper sizes.

c4004matic

https://www.tirerack.com/wheels/Mini...dClar=&sw=1600

c4004matic

That is the only winter tire available for the 19 inch rims. Which is the reason I went with 18's. It not a bad tire, but the combo of ultralow profile and wide tires limits their performance in deep snow considerably. They'll be better the all seasons but not as good as they can be with a higher profile tire thinner tire. In fact what MB recommends is four rims of the same size as the front in 18's (per manual).

c4004matic

I haven't tried the new blizzaks but their sidewall design makes me think they'll be similar to the past. Its the reason Blizzaks are a little better in deep snow handling but much worse in the dry. The issue is the knobby high and straight outside edge of the tread, its good for chomping into the snow but it also has no "rollover" when you turn on dry roads thus affecting handling very negatively. On our previous odyssey (FWD) they affected handling so badly I had to get rid of them after one season. They made the steering follow every rut and groove on the road, they were horrible. On my F150 (RWD) they were torpid but otherwise fine. The X ice has a more rounded edge, that does limit their deep snow cornering slightly compared to the blizzak but it makes a positive world of difference in all other situations.
The new improvement on both the blizzak and X'3s is H (130 mph) speed rating. They are otherwise very similar to their predecessors in design, Blizzaks still have the knobby edges Michelins are rounded:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....l=Blizzak+WS80

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....odel=X-Ice+Xi3

Check the head on view of the tread and you will see where the big difference is.

Dabo

Those wheels are nice! What are they?

BenzC400

The C Class is not the vehicle of choice for driving through deep snow no matter what wheel/tire combo you choose.

c4004matic

Anything over 2 inches is considered deep snow as the tire is considered.

Again the 19 sotorezzos will be better than any all seasons on the same rims but worse than they would be on 18in higher profile tires. If you live in an area where there is only occasional snow they will do just fine. If you live in an area where snow is a 5 mth or more ordeal there are better choices.

In my area (north central WI) we don't get big dumpings of snow, in general they are 6 inches or less, however, the snow rarely melts, in fact snow happens when things get a little too warm. The snow that falls in November sticks around till March or April, plus, the other 20 other snowfalls in between!

c4004matic

BTW never swap tires only!!!!!!!

Tires are not meant to be dismounted once they go on a rim, the next place should be the dump. Mounting and dismounting repeatedly greatly increases the chance of damaging the tires bead or chaffer. BTW the damage my not be visible leading you to possible (though rare) catastrophic tire failure. If you are going to use winter tires always have them on a spare set of rims. Much safer and much easier

Sportstick

Yes, I see to what you are referring and I don't doubt your experience. And, X-Ice xi3 are great tires, as my son experiences on his BMW X1. Perhaps because I "put away" my enthusiast driving persona for the winter, I never had the same experiences as did you with the WS70 I had on the W204. I just sort of assume winter is something I have to "grin and bear" until civilization rolls back around in Spring and I drive much more sedately (for example, no hunting for empty traffic circles!). The WS70 served me well for several seasons as my priority was every bit of snow capability I could get with rear wheel drive for my sloped driveway...and they never failed me! My long-term solution is called San Diego....that's not a tire model....the city!

Sportstick

Perhaps, but not everyone wants to drive a Wrangler! But, there is nothing inherent in the C Class which makes it any less capable than any other passenger car and many so-called crossover/sport utes. Deep snow (other than ground clearance, depending what "deep" means to you....so don't drop the ride height!) is mostly about the tires!

vic viper

It is an OE wheel, they come staggered as well.

c4004matic

Don't take me wrong were talking best and bestest here. The issue I had with the Blizzaks were only on a FWD van, on my truck they are really good, if squishy. Since our winters are so long and I travel quite a bit I prefer a tire that drives as close to regular tires as possible. Even here with our long snowy winters most of the driving is on cleared roads so true deep snow traction is only necessary when they haven't had the chance to clean the roads. With 4 matic and any dedicated snow tire the C's should be snow monsters able to handle anything except snow deeper than its water fording depth (the bottom of the body, about 7 in. with airmatic on "high"). Personally I wish the Michelin pilot sport winter was available in our size. Those are very good snow tires (enough for the snowflake on the mountain symbol) that drive as well as summer tires in the dry, they were outstanding on my old RL.

vic viper

Michelin Pilot Alpin is available in most W205 sizes


Had them on my S204 in 18" but I didnt like them as they were pretty loud.

BlackjackM

Considering that the C300 comes stock with 17in wheels, why is everyone going 18? I have a set of wheels and blizzaks from my C Coupe that I'd want to use on the W205 next season.

vic viper

Same reason most people like bigger wheels for summer use, they look a lot better

armoredsaint

I assume no issues with brake clearance at all?

iammrsam

i am in canada , the dealer initially quoted me a 17" package for my C400 (downsize) but called me to say they noticed brake clearance issue and switched my order to an 18" package (Pirelli Sotozero & original MB wheels).

c4004matic

No way, the more sidewall the more effective the tire! Its just that we all want to maintain the look of the car as much as possible. 19 might be too extreme to get the full benefits, 18 are a better compromise and 17 are the best.
For maximum snow effectiveness the trick is skinnier and taller! You want to dig into the snow.