tpmbz67

I am about to purchase or lease a new C43 AMG and have some questions about tires. Have identified a car that suits my needs with the exception of the fact that it has "Summer Performance Tires." I live in Northern California but do travel to the Sierras on occasion in the winter. Am wondering what the difference is between these tires and the all-seasons, in general winter conditions and also in the snow. How much difference does it really make, and also would there be a cost-effective way to swap tires on a new vehicle soon after buying it or would you essentially be wasting that cost?

MrMeth90

I live in Lake Tahoe and we had a dusting of snow a few weeks ago and summer tires WILL NOT WORK. Hence the name Summer, if there was a real snow storm I doubt I would make it out of the driveway. I have a lot of experience with Mercedes in the winter up here. All seasons are okay if you are just stopping by for the weekend. But for a full time resident I have a winter set of wheels and a summer set of wheels.
My opinion though...please don’t drive to Tahoe or Mammoth with summer tires, you will regret it. And possibly hurt yourself or others. BE SAFE

tpmbz67

Thanks for the reply. I can't go with winter tires because I'd only be using them on a few select occasions in the Tahoe snow. So the better option would be all season. The car does have AWD which has to help .. I'm currently driving an Audi A4 with Quattro and all-season tires and it handled decently when in the Tahoe snow. If I lived there all year as you do I'd probably buy a Subaru or similar.

MrMeth90

the biggest thing I wanted to convey was the summers are worthless and dangerous in the snow. All seasons will be fine as I mentioned but storms in Tahoe is a winter season only for low cars like this.
This will be my first winter with the C43 instead of a C300 or Audi A4 but once you put the C43 in ECO it performs almost the same.

MASSC450

I agree...and Summer performance tires are pretty much useless on wet roads too when the temp is lower than 40 degrees. The rubber compound at temps lower than 40 degrees turn Summer tires into bricks, they have way less siping than A/S tires, and Summer tires will wear out quicker at the lower temps.

I have run the stock 18" AMG wheels with the stock A/S run-flat tires for two Winters now here in New England, and they've been fine.

tpmbz67

Thanks and I will take heed and put some All-Season tires on the ride as soon as I get it (or after I've burned a few miles on the summer performance tires) then swap then back out in the spring. Seeing as you have a C43 AMG, do you have any recommendations for a decent All-Season tire for this vehicle and for 19 inch wheels?

autopal

I'm a firm believer in two sets of tires, as I see all seasons on performance cars as too much of a compromise, all year round. If you have very mild winters, and you are getting the car with all seasons, then, I could see your point in keeping them. If, however, you are getting the car with performance summers, why would you not just buy a set of winters? You are going to be swapping tires anyway, so if you are going to have two sets, get summers and winters. Can you get by year round with all seasons? Of course you can, but the best all seasons are inferior to dedicated winters and summers in their respective climate, especially braking, and your AWD doesn't not help one bit when you press the brake pedal. Man, you spend a lot of dough on a powerful performance car, so treat yourself to the proper rubber and enjoy the best of both worlds.

tpmbz67

Thanks for this reply. My problem with buying winter tires is that I will be driving 95% of the winter in mild conditions that rarely go below 40 degrees and no snow. (Actually the summer tires are better for the winter rain in the Bay Area.) So the only use I will have for the non-performance tires is the 4 or 5 times I travel to Tahoe in then winter. And there's no way I'm going to swap off winter tires just for those trips and then re-fit the summers when I come back home. So I'm assuming that the all-season, while certainly not preferable to the winters in snow, are the only reasonable compromise for someone who doesn't live full-time in snow conditions. The idea would be to keep the all-seasons on through the winter and switch to the summer tires come spring.

autopal

Remember, on these forums, we only give our opinion, so you have to take the information, and do what you think is best for your situation. Remember though , that winter tires are not only for snow and ice, it is the best rubber when the temperature is 7 degrees celsius and below, so depending on the average temperature in your city, you might be able to drive with them from November to March. Are you going to be swapping back to summer tires in spring? You would be giving up some performance in the summer with the all seasons as well. Anyway, as I said, you have to do what you think is best for you, but I don't call them all seasons, I call them no seasons. Cheers!

Mr. J

I swap my summer tires for Michelin Pilot AS3+ for the winter months here. They do fine in like snow and have excellent grip in the cold and wet. In dry conditions, I think they grip just as well as the stock Conti summer tires. I'm running on the 19'' factory wheels.

ErikM

I suggest you visit The Tire Rack https://www.tirerack.com read the reviews. Top rated All Seasons Michelin AS/3 Plus, Pirelli P-Zero AS Plus, Continental DWS-06, BFG Comp 2 AS Plus..

I have the Pirelli P Zero AS Plus on my Infiniti been very happy with them.
FYI Not every company does the correct front and rear sizes.

tpmbz67

I just got the Michelin AS3+ as well today. Have to say that it's a considerably more comfortable ride than the run-flat summers that came stock. I will save those tires until I trade-in the lease. Hope to have a good experience on the few occasions I use it for snow. Doesn't feel like I'm sacrificing much in handling and I prefer the non run-flats (will get a quick repair kit for the trunk and lack of spare and risk the consequences of a blow-out minus the spare ..)