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I am looking to purchase new tires for my C300 and was planning on getting the Continental DWS 06 Plus. I have 18 inches wheels that are 225/45R18 front and 245/40R18 rear. I went to my local tire shop and they told me the front tire does not come in the proper specifications since it is not XL rated even though they have the exact size I need. Does it really matter if the tire XL rated (whatever that means)? Also curious to hear from anyone who has purchased these tires for their C300 and if they ran into a similar problem.
Yes it matters. XL stands for extra load. XL is needed for cars that weigh in near 4000 lbs. There are mainly three aspects you need to match when replacing tires. Size is the obvious one, but then there is the speed rating and the load rating. The latter is very important if you don't want a major tire failure somewhere down the road.
For example the proper rated tires for the front are 225/45R18 95H XL. H is the speed rating and 95 XL is the load rating. Can't go below that, and shouldn't go below H for the speed rating, although for US roads if you drive at or below the speed limit then the speed rating isn't all that important. H for example is up to 130 mph. U is the next one below that which is up to 124 mph.
Having said that, though. Tirerack lists the DWS 06 Plus as a suitable replacement, despite the fronts having a lower load rating. Might wanna give Tirerack a call and talk to one of their specialist. Definitely interesting that they would list a front tire with 91 load rating only. However, the DWS does have a higher speed rating of Y, so they are built tougher to sustain those higher speeds.
I'm actually going to buy the same tires, Continental DWS 06 Plus. Only difference is that I'm upgrading to 19in wheels and changing to a squared set up. Going to run 235/35/19 all around.
I'm actually going to buy the same tires, Continental DWS 06 Plus. Only difference is that I'm upgrading to 19in wheels and changing to a squared set up. Going to run 235/35/19 all around.
How do you do that without messing with the speedometer and the whole driving dynamics?
08-15-2022, 04:08 PM
