559EVO

I'm tired of just spinning out in first gear, want to see some setups that work.
I'm talking about from a dead stop or from a 20mph roll, let's see some reviews? I plan on getting forgestars in 18's, lighter wheels also mean less traction.

MIKESV8

the pirelli p-zero's that came with the car were up in smoke when i wanted them to be just by flooring it. on my michelin ps2's, they hardly give. i think they're the best, right before street slicks.

Gramma_Benz

I've used PS2's iin my rears the last two times and yes, they are exceptionally sticly, but I also only got like 5K outta them.
Granted I'm putting out 366 torque to my rear wheels, so they break loose pretty easily.

kent426

Dunlop Direzza Star Spec. Get the last two editions of grass roots motorsports where they test ultra performance street tires against against race tires.

MIKESV8

i'm coming up on a year for my new tires on february 11. my front ps2's look brand new still, but i rears are getting a little low. i think they should be gone again in february (i got new tires for my birthday, february 11 so i'm thinking about getting ps3's in the rear. i get them at dealer cost anyways.

alpha8a

Never tried the PS2s, but have heard good things about the Bridgestone RE-11s. I'll be trying those tires in the spring.

MIKESV8

are those the first street tires to handle 1g turns or whatever? they sound sick, i'm gonna wait for the price to drop. next set

EVOII_Racer

I use to have the Pirelli P Zero Roso but the Continental are just the best tires you can buy on the market nowadays! (apart from slicks of course) They are absolutely incredible trust me! In front I have 235 and 265 at the rear

http://www.conti-online.com/generato...ontact-5p.html

Sure, I changed my suspensions too but the grip is just phenomenal!

MIKESV8

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hey i know you! you're the guy that did the full engine swap! yea. anyways. i still think you should've got a blower. but you have what, 440hp? do street slicks. it's the only way you're gonna get what you're looking for.

Quicktwinturbo

traction is your major concern, might as well go with the drag radials.
If not

PS2 or other extreme performance tires should do.. Factory OEM tires are crap and remember, they are old..

91RS

Michelin is the best tire out there. Pirellis are junk and Continental isn't far behind. I put the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S Plus on the rears when the Pirellis were gone in 3k miles. When I first put them on in the summer they would not break loose in a straight line just punching the throttle. Now that it's cold they break loose a little bit, but nothing like the Pirellis.

PC Valkyrie

If budget is not an issue, the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 is really a great tire, both on the streets and on the track. I've set my fastest laptimes at Mosport on my C55 on those tires.

If you're on a tighter budget, I would recommend the Dunlop Sport Maxx TT. I chose these as replacements for my summer tires on the C55 after I wore out the PS2's. The track testing from Tire Rack certainly suggested that these tires were pretty damn good for a high performance summer tire. With these tires, I was only 0.3 seconds off my pace at Mosport recently. I was very impressed.

However, for those who want a more "extreme" high performance tire with lots of grip (and less of longevity), you can consider either one of the following: The Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec, or the Bridgestone RE-11.

Last year, I put the Star Specs on my 135i and they were indeed very impressive on the track. Dry grip was phenomenal, and they are "wider" than their track width numbers suggest. This year, I put on the RE-11's, and my laptimes decreased some more on multiple tracks. Both are pretty hardcore, but if you want ultimate grip for a street (non-R compound) tire, they are pretty good bets, in my opinion.

Bottom line: you can't go wrong with the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2's if budget is not an issue. The only negative thing I can say about them is the outer shoulders are relatively soft and wear relatively easily with track duty. In my opinion, the Dunlop Sport Maxx TT has been an excellent replacement tire on my C55 this year, as I have not noticed any signficant difference on the street or the track.

If ultimate grip is what you are after for a street tire, then either the Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Spec or Bridgestone RE-11 would be awesome. They just have very low tread wear ratings.

My experience only applies to street and lapping on a track/road coarse. I have little experience with drag racing, so take my advice with that perspective.

alpha8a

PC Valkyrie, thanks for your reviews on the tires. Glad to hear that about the RE-11s. Isn't the treadwear between those and the PS2s nearly the same (as far as the ratings)? I've also heard great things about the Star Spec Z1s, but I don't think they are made in 19" diameters.

thtguy

I am currently running Falken ZE-912's 265/25/18's on 9.5" wheels. The extra 20mm makes a big difference I think. I don't spin unless I am at full stop and floor it hard! I know the Falken's aren't the best plus they are all seasons. They were on the car when I bought it, and the fronts were brand new, replaced the rears with the same hopefully this set will wear out when the fronts do then I will look at other options. just hard to justify more than the $163/tire when most wear in out in about 15K or less mile, especially since I am not racing and here in FL there aren't a lot of curvy roads... wish I had this car when I lived in the mountains in VA.

Quicktwinturbo

25????? Holy shiz....

Is it possible to fit 245 front and 265 rear on stock wheels?
Will it rub on c or slk?

thegreatfnr

I think I remember reading about someone doing 265 in the rear recently. I have 255 on the back of mine

Been running the dunlop direzza star specs for over a year now and I like them alot.

thtguy

whoops typo.... 265/35/18 in back 235/40/18 up front.

25 series would be funny looking... saw a Eurovan at Pasco BugJam last weekend that had 20 series tires in the front... there was no sidewall whatsoever.

I get no rubbing at all. I have Mandrus Millenniums 18x8.5 front 18x9.5 in rear they were on the car when I bought it. Not sure of offset, might detail car this weekend, if I do I will see if there is an offset stamped in them.

spr

I've had every tire mentioned. The yoko A08D's are far better and are better than z stars and re11r's. I run the yoko's rear and dunlops front to balance the car better, and yes this is even so after playing with the adjustable sways, kw2's and playing with tire pressures...

As far as size. I run 235/40/18 front and have run 265's rear, but the rubbing is too much under full compression to deal with. Yes, I have rolled and modified the fenders as much as you can do without welding and paint. The section width of 265's z stars is just too wide. I went back to 255's yoko's no problem. Again I'm running -1.8 camber all around with 9.5 sl55 22 spoke rears. The rims and tires are actually for sale/trade for stockers with a couple hundred....

thtguy

The problem with rubbing is more than likely your offset. SL offset is too far out for the C class.

as an example proper offset for an 18x8 wheel in the back on a W203 C class is 32 on an SL it is 25

I believe my 18x9.5 are 35 and factory SL 9.5 are 27 I believe

MIKESV8

aren't your slk wheels wider in the back? and there's a guy on here with i think o4' sl55 rims (yenno, the ones with tons of spokes) and he has 265's in the back and 245's in the front. it rubs in the front.

spr

No you're wrong all around. Sl55 22 spoke are 8.5/ 9.5 18 et30/33. Do your research.

Quicktwinturbo

I'm currently using 235/255 set up on my C55.. Slk could def use bigger tires though...

RLx02

nitto 555R 285/35/18 is what I had for the summer. I do not recommend them for daily driving as they rub over everything by yourself. But they grip and you can launch like a bat outta hell.

MIKESV8

i wasn't sure on the exact size sean, but there's a guy on here with them on his car. he says they rub alot.

thtguy

Sorry Sean you are right, but I will add that the 2mm difference from 35 to 33 could still cause to rub, esspecially if it is only slightly under full load. which is why mine don't rub with 265s.