jschulz79

So I'm thinking about swapping out my 2011 C63 for a new C43. I'm going to lease this time, so I'd rather avoid buying a set of dedicated winter tires if possible. I know winter tires are obviously better, but I'm wondering if anyone has just driven the stock 18" all-season tires in the snow. And if so, what has your experience been. If it's not doable, I'll just opt for the 19" summer tire package and get some winter tires.

unr1

What city/area do you live in?

Gungaslow

I live in Boston MA and I got the 19” rims but swapped out the tires for Continental dws06 all season.. last winter they were great in the snow for me and not bad this summer.. I hate swapping out tires for winter/summer so I settled for all seasons..the awd of the c43 was great in the snow with the dws06..

splunge

I live in Toronto and have driven C350 4MATIC for 4 years with 18 inch All Seasons with no problem . I'm planning to trade in for a C43 cabrio next year and will stick with the 18 inch All Seasons to avoid the inconvenience of changing every few months . Un- fortunately in Canada the 18 inchers are not included in the 'performance exhaust package ' , which to me is a must have , however the dealer has agreed to retrofit the wheels/tires after delivery .
One caveat - I'm retired and therefore have much more discretion as to when and where I drive re the weather !

MASSC450

Two Winters so far with stock 18" AMG wheels & A/S tires...so far so good.

Star4life

what brand did your car ship with? I have the pirelli c7 all season run flat and its been getting colder and in the rain they were less than desirable.

jschulz79

I'm in the Detroit area, so obviously snow is an issue.

jschulz79

Yikes - I was afraid of that. I was wondering if they only paired the performance exhaust with the 19 inch summer tires. When the time comes I'll have to see if they'll agree to do the same retrofit...because I absolutely have to have the performance exhaust.

MASSC450

Continental tires...

Star4life

I live in Detroit area as well.

I can tell you the US spec c43 can be ordered with 18" wheels all season tires with performance exhaust as I have it. Only issue is the speed limter is dropped to 130 MPH so a tune or a diag ses with the dealer or someone with star is needed to remove it. Just dont drive over the rating of your tires if you can wait a few months ill be driving my c43 with 18" and all seasons this winter and will let you know how it handles in Michigan.

also can tell you to avoid all Michigan dealers except the Bloomfield hills one on woodward near Birmingham.. they are the only nice ones but still charge higher than most other places. I ended up purchasing my car in Pennsylvania because no Michigan dealers wanted to sell a car and be competitive. the c43 i looked at on the Novi lot was still there 3 months after i bought mine. He told me "it would sell this weekend" "this will be your last chance". Then as I was leaving didn't care about my business and said I dont care if you buy it, it will be gone by the end of the week. I guess he ate his words. Also the novi dealership does not offer loaners to anyone who doesnt buy a car with them. my buddy got his BMW out of state and the dealer he goes to always gives him a loaner. ill try bloomfield hills for my next service to see if they will give a loaner.

but living in Michigan i would highly recommend 2 sets of wheels and tires with a performance vehicle. if you need to get all seasons, the michelin pilot sport As/3 are very good performance but the snow wasnt great when i had them on my RWD c280 before this car. it may be different on an AWD car. also lease rates on the c43 arent that great.

jschulz79

Thanks for the feedback. Haven't had experience with any other dealerships, but the one in Bloomfield Hills is where I get my C63 serviced now. They've always been really good. Based on some of the feedback I've seen, it sounds like going with dedicated winter wheels / tires might be the way to go. Could probably pick up a set for around $1,200...so I guess it's not the end of the world.

tpmbz67

I have a C43 on order and, like those here, wanted the performance exhaust which only came with the summer performance tires. I don't do a lot of snow driving but get up to the Sierras five or six times a winter and would therefore like to put some all seasons on the car and swap them out with the summer tires come spring. My question is whether it is difficult to get all-season tires for the 19 inch wheels? I'm fine with the extra expense and having the tires changed when the season comes (or maybe just leaving the all-seasons on if that's what I decide.) But will it be a problem fitting them on these rims? I certainly don't want to buy two sets of wheels as well ..

Star4life

they make all seasons in teh 19 inch size. not an issue. just do a tire rack search. it would be faster than looking for answers here. stick to michelin conti bridgstone, maybe pirelly if you want to be a bit cheaper.

Gungaslow

look at post #3 in this thread

VinceBlue

Hey man I'm in Detroit area and I have the selenite grey coupe . Which one do you have ? I've never seen another c43 around here . Anyway, what winter set are you gonna get? It's gonna be my first winter with this car. Was thinking Blizzak or SottoZerro . I have the Pirelli 19" summer performance and I like them a lot but obviously have to swap them out . I'm gonna do tire rack

Star4life

i am going to attemp to run the stock all seasons my car came with. we will see how it goes. if not well, i will get x-ice michelins or the blizzaks.

Dino944

We often get lot of snow where I am too. So after a lot of research, I bought 18" winter wheels and a set of Michelin X-Ice XI3 (and TPMS) mounted and balanced from Tirerack. The Blizzaks are maybe a little better in very deep snow, but people complained about the handling of them on roads without snow, saying they made the handling of the car too mushy and unpredictable. Supposedly, the Michelins maintain closer to the original handling traits on dry cold roads. I haven't put them on the car yet. I'll probably put them on sometime next month. Good luck with whatever tires you choose.