Moving to the snow...should I sell my C55?
My second question is what do you guys think I can get off of Autotrader or eBay if I do try to sell it? It is a 2005, 49,000 miles, no nav, service performed 2,000 miles ago so 8,000 left. Will need new brake pads next service most likely. Tires in front are about 70% and back is 40-50%. It is black on black. No major dings, nicks, road rash, etc. Overall, pretty good condition.
Thanks for any help!




https://mbworld.org/forums/c32-amg-c...ntersport.html
As someone else mentioned, if you are going to need to drive, snow or shine, every day, I would recommend getting an AWD vehicle. Either that, or the less costly option, is that you buy good snow tires and a good set of snow chains (C55 with snow chains looks a bit silly but I certainly wouldn't hesitate to do it). Search the forum for information about snow chains, I posted a good link to where to buy some I have used in the past on low profile tires. You use the snow tires most of the time to get through the muck (1-4 inches of snow and slush). You slap on the chains on the really bad days where you need to get to work in 4+ inches of snow.
Last winter (I live in Northern VA), my snow tires (no chains) saved my butt more than once. I drove home from work in the middle of a blizzard we had last winter and past by more abandoned Mercedes, BMWs, and Audis with all-season and summer tires on them than I could count. That being said, that particular night, in which I was driving home in 6-8 inches of snow, is not something I would want to do on a regular basis. As I drove home (I made it, thankfully), the car was constantly trying to slip and slide out and I had to constantly be correcting the wheel to ensure I kept going straight.
When the weather gets bad, the main problem with your average RWD is getting stuck on hills in traffic. This is what led to a majority of the congestion during the winter storms we had here last year in Northern VA. People in their Mustangs and CLKs would be slipping and sliding on a two-lane road on a hill, backing up traffic for miles. I will say that my snow tires did give me the grip I needed to plow up hills, so that is certainly a benefit.
Just remember that no matter what path you choose, nothing beats smart driving in bad weather. In my Mercedes with snow tires, I took my time and was careful about where I stopped (not on hills), and made it home with some difficulty. I see people in SUVs flying down snow covered hills just because they have the ground clearance and 4WD, those people often times end up off the side of the road in a ditch.
Best of luck to you! In an ideal world we could all garage our C55s and have an alternative DD!
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Where you are going I would run Blizzaks or nokias in the winter on dedicated amg rims. Make sure the tires have a snowflake pattern. Go narrower. Do not mess with bogus aftermarket wheels use AMG so you will minimize pothole problems. Put some kitty litter or sand and a shovel in the trunk. Run RainX winter wash fluid. Get a good ice scraper and a good car cover if you have to park the car outside on post.
Read your owners manual to set the car up for winter.
Find a big snowy parking lot to learn how the winter set up works. Less is more.
On icy snowy highways watch out for Ram pick ups and Range Rovers. If they go 50 you can go 40. Then watch them end up in the ditch. Get a handsfree set up for your mobile phone.
If all else fails stay home and warm!
My second question is what do you guys think I can get off of Autotrader or eBay if I do try to sell it? It is a 2005, 49,000 miles, no nav, service performed 2,000 miles ago so 8,000 left. Will need new brake pads next service most likely. Tires in front are about 70% and back is 40-50%. It is black on black. No major dings, nicks, road rash, etc. Overall, pretty good condition.
Thanks for any help!
Last edited by grane; Jul 14, 2011 at 01:54 PM.
Are there better winter cars? Yes. Is it a reason to sell your C55 if you otherwise love the car? No.
http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=1...01&name=Nokian
http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=1...01&name=Nokian
and the only thing that bothers me are the other drivers out there.
It seems like Blizzacks or Nokians are king among the forum...now which to decide from? Can anybody tell me why they pick one over the other?
Pardon my ignorance (I've been a Southern boy all my life), but why do I need cat litter and a shovel? I'm guessing cat litter for weight and shovel for digging out?
Thanks for all the help thus far!
My second question is what do you guys think I can get off of Autotrader or eBay if I do try to sell it? It is a 2005, 49,000 miles, no nav, service performed 2,000 miles ago so 8,000 left. Will need new brake pads next service most likely. Tires in front are about 70% and back is 40-50%. It is black on black. No major dings, nicks, road rash, etc. Overall, pretty good condition.
Thanks for any help!
Last edited by DuaneC63; Jul 14, 2011 at 09:31 PM.




Last edited by wawy; Jul 15, 2011 at 11:22 AM.

It seems like Blizzacks or Nokians are king among the forum...now which to decide from? Can anybody tell me why they pick one over the other?
Pardon my ignorance (I've been a Southern boy all my life), but why do I need cat litter and a shovel? I'm guessing cat litter for weight and shovel for digging out?
Thanks for all the help thus far!
I would put the studded tires on an AWD winter beater with some clearance like a used rav4 if you can afford or want one. Having an LSD in a beater helps too. I would not want a BMW rwd or such unless it had LSD.
I run a g and if it is terrible I stay home. It is the X3 drivers and anything rover or ram that make it dangerous.
Benz are wonderfull cars but their construct is poor versus salt and abrasive, all four fenders have to be redone on mine and all four dorrs too, my toyota Echo 2000 is in better shape with twice the mileage.
benz + winter = Bad

This is the home of the distinguished 10th Mt Division. Do you have any idea how much snow they get there? More in a day than VB gets in a season. He needs ground clearance and a block heater not a bummer beater sled.
As far as rust goes you should wash your undercarriage once a month no matter what season. Summer dust is a polishing compound and screws things up.
This is the home of the distinguished 10th Mt Division. Do you have any idea how much snow they get there? More in a day than VB gets in a season. He needs ground clearance and a block heater not a bummer beater sled.
We get maybe 2 or 3 snow "events" every year, typically only a few inches, and a handful of days with icy roads. Every couple of years we'll see a 10-12 inch snow event, but the main roads are usually plowed the same day and all you have to worry about are the side roads.






