ajc7755

I just purchased a 06 C55 a month ago, so this would be my first post.

Looking at the remaining tred on the rear Pirellis it looks like its time for new tires. I also live in KS, and eventually snow will happen and if its not to heavy then I would be driving in it. On that setup here are my questions I'm hoping someone can answer.

1. What summer tire should I get to replace my current set? This is not a track car so I don't need the best tire, but I would like them to also last for more then 10K miles.

2. Where can I look for a relatively cheap winter tire/wheel setup for when the fun snow comes?

Thanks in advance.

ajc7755

After doing some searching here is the tires I'm debating from cheapest to most $$. I would appreciate anyones opinion if they have any experience with any of these tires in a dry or wet conditions for a summer tire.

Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110
Yokohama S.drive
Bridgestone Potenza RE 760 Sport
BF Goodrich g-Force T/A KDW 2

Gramma_Benz

I think the Hankook Ventus V12 evo K110 are an excellent tire for the $$$. I used to buy the Kumho ESTA SPT's but I like these better. I never buy anything too expensive cause I go thru tires so fast. I typically only get 12-15K out of a set.

rockjock

Check out a rim and tire package from Discount tire using the TSW rims and Yokohama W Drives (thats that I used all last winter here in MN-no probs at all-18x7.5 rim and tire)-I'm running Falkin 615's now and should get appox 15k miles out of them-there was just a review of tires in (iirc) Car and Driver-no surprise-Dunlop star specs won....

JG26_Irish

I had Fusion ZRi's on my olde C36 as well as my track car and they performed way better than the price would imply. I could get 10k out of the rears on the C36 but doubt they would last as long on my C32. The Fusions have impressive wet road traction as well. I (almost) never drove the Benz in the snow and when I did they only did barely adequate. I understand that they also offer a more all weather tread that might be better for winter.

My current C32 had Pirelli Pzeros on it and I got caught in the snow in it last winter by accident. All I can say is that overpowered rearwheel drive in snow is a recipe for disaster. Without the ESP I would have never made it and would not recommend the car for regular winter use unless your trip is short and flat (Ok your in Kansas it is flat, lol). Today I have the Bridgestone Re050 PP on the C32 and they are waaaaay better than the Pirellis in the dry but no better in the wet. They cost twice as much as the Fusions but as far as I can tell they are no more than 10% better in dry traction if that much...

For great dry, excellent wet and adequate track performance, the Fusions are hard to beat for the money.

Irish

griza

I had KDW2's on my Audi S4 and loved them....Great in wet and dry....Tirerack will be a good place to start for finding a winter setup....

How do like the C55? I am looking at getting into one in the next month or two. Would like to know your impressions so far.

Viper98912

I'll be trying out Falken FK452's next go around.....

ajc7755

Thank you all for your responses. Unfortunately being my only car it will be driven in light snow at the most, the rest of the days I just work from home. Which is why I will get a dedicated winter setup when that time comes.

griza,

My last car was a 2003 Mach 1 Mustang which I also drove in light snow and actually only got stuck once. I love the C55 compared to it though. The handling, power, style and luxury are much better then any of the other cars I looked at when I was looking for a new car. Now I didn't have a huge range to look at because I wanted 4 doors, but this blew them all away.

willc55

The C55 is more than capable in light to moderate snow conditions. I live in NYC and as long as you invest in winter tires you will be absolutely fine. It's nice that some people have the luxury to "never drive the Benz in the winter", but I neither have a garage or the inclination to pay for one, and even less inclination to pay for a beater. So instead I bought a set of used OEM CLK500 rims from a guy on craigslist and a set of Dunlop SP WinterSport 3Ds, and happily drove around all winter, and never lost traction once. You just need to use some common sense, keep it in C mode and avoid mashing the throttle.

In fact, the picture in my sig is of the winter set up.