silver430

So what have your experiences been with tires? My '02 430 came with Michelin Pilot Sport. Do you advise staying with these or would you recommend another brand? Any brands to "stay away" from also? I'm not as aggressive of a driver as I used to be so I'm looking for a balance b/t Wet/Dry Handling, low noise level, and relatively good treadwear(at least 15k miles). Suggestions?

funky102

I need suggestions too......my tires lasted 10 months......they are Pirelli PZero's...... they are for 18" Monoblock AMGs...thx

Newbie

Since I got the car, I've had Yokohama AVS Sports, Pirelli P-Zeros, and Bridgestone S-03s. The Bridgestones are amazing- they totally live up to their reputation. I thought the AVS Sports were good, but nothing can compare to the S-03s. They're awesome in the wet and dry, which is more than I can say for the other two. Definitely the stickiest tire I've used.

However, since you said you're not as aggressive a driver and all that, those high-performance options might not be what you're looking for. Hope it helps anyway though .

fubar

I have Bridgestone Protenza's and have been very happy. Quieter, just as sticky, seem to be lasting longer, and we half the price.

JamE55

Get Bridgestone Potenza SO-3's Pole Position! Not only they are good but bang for the buck!

djamer

Gentlemen,

I found the following post by one of our members at TireRack who gave his insights on the best and worst of tires..good reading
_________________________________________________
Tires ...which ones are the best ????
We have broken down tires into several catagories and here is a short list of what I have experienced in our
testing. Now remember, we do not have every single tire line in the world so, if your particular favorite is
not in this list it is probably because we haven't tested it. Also, this is my take on the testing that I have
completed here at The Tire Rack on our test track.

Maximum Performance:
These are the absolute best performing tires on the market. Great steering response and wet/dry traction (not
for use inthe snow!!!) which is at home on the track.

1.)S-03 Pole Position
2.)Pilot Sport
3.)S-02 Pole Position (discontinued)
4.)AVS Sport
5.)P-Zero Rosso

There is 1 glaring omission in this list. It is the BFG G-Force T/A KD. The reason for this tire not being on
the list is because of its lack of versatility. It is the best performing tire in the dry but, is almost scary
in the wet.

Ultra High Performance:
A step down form the Max tires but, still exceptional performance which fits most application for a street tire
that can be
driven very aggressivley.

1.) Firehawk SZ50 EP
2.) Potenza RE730's
3.) A520
4.) G-Force KDW
5.) Sport 8000
6.) HTR Z II

3-6 are all very close in performance levels.
The noise issues of the 730's are mostly related
to larger/heavier cars with rear wheel drive.

Ultra High Performance All Season
Performance tires which are capable of going through the snow.

1.) Sport 5000
2.) Michelin Pilot Sport A/S
3.) AVS DB (quietest tire I have ever driven)
4.) BFG G-Force KDWS
5.) P7000 Super Sport

Budget Performance Tires
Summer performance with a cost effective tire when your budget is a concern. (based on performance not cost)

1.) Sumitomo HTR Z II
2.) Dunlop SP Sport FM901
3.) Sumitomo HTR Z
4.) Kumho Ecsta Supra 712 (best ride quality in this group)
5.) Yokohama AVS Intermediate


I hope this helps you in your tire selections

Thanks, Luke@tirerack
800-428-8355 ext. 362

silver430

Thanks All for your input! Thanks for the "food" djamer!

djamer

If you decide to go w/ Tirerack to make your purchase, ask for Oscar or Luke. They helped me w/ my questions when i purchased my suspension from them.

djamer

Silver

Has anyone here ever had problems with the front tires wearing unevenly? My driver side front tire began wearing noticably quicker then the passenger side front tire, and I thought it might be an alignment problem. The tires were both wearing down quickly on the outsides. When I had my one free alignment done at the dealer they said that everything was perfectly aligned. If my alignment was straight, along with camber, my tires should have at least worn evenly shouldn't they? I just got new tires and I don't want this to happen again. Could it have been because maybe the tire pressure wasn't even or something. When I had my new tires put on I told them to inflate them to 38 psi so hopefully this will alleviate the problem. Any replies are greatly appreciated!

Ted Baldwin

.............It is interesting to see your post regarding uneven tire wear in your CLK. I have had the same problem. At the time I had Toyo proxes t1-s tires with only 9000 miles on them. I had severe tire noise and whenm my tires were checked, the inside portion of both front tires were completely worn. I assumed it was an alignment problem and I changed my tire and had an alignment done. All is well now, but I did have an alignment when the worn tires were initially installed. I have since read from several other posts that the CLk's are prone to uneven tire wear. I just pretty much dismissed the posts thinking that the owners must have had alignment problems as I thought I did. Now your post. I am begining to think that CLk's do infact have uneven tire wear problem.


Ted

Safet

I have Pilot Sport's and I think they're great. Gonna try the Bridgestone S-03's.

karl k

Front tire edge wear is a problem everywhere, except at the MB tire service.

MB tire service maintains, that because of the camber set at 8 for many MB cars rather than 3 for non-MB cars, the edges wear out faster...normal for MB.

Consequently, many original Michelin Sport tires have no tread on the sides at 10-15,000 miles, if they follow the recommended pressure: 32 lbs. up to 130 mph, as per instructions inside gas-filler door.

I adjusted my pressure to 38 lbs. front, to compensate for, what I consider pre-mature wear at 8,000 miles. Today @ 14,000 miles, I had MB service check the tires with a depth gauge, - and I have another 5-6,000 miles left on the front tires.

...and 6 mm out of 10 mm tread left on the rears: Possibly another 14,000 miles!!

The following thread might help.

https://mbworld.org/forums/showthrea...&threadid=8267

Silver

Thanks for all the quick replies so far guys! Hey Ted, when you said that you had uneven tire wear on the front tires, did you have the same problem that I did, where one of the tires on the front was wearing quicker than the other tire on the front? I wasn't sure if this is what you meant. My driver side tire wore down faster than my passenger side tire. Was wondering if this is what you experienced as well, besides the fact that the outsides were both wearing down faster than the rest of the tire. Hope this makes sense. Thanks again!

mmgrad

Silver:

The common problem most CLK drivers are experiencing is that if you set the front tires to the specified psi on the fuel door, they will feel under-inflated. Hence, they are riding on the sidewalls.

Which in effect over time, will cause the inside and outside of the tires to wear quicker then the center of the tires. This should be the same with both front tires.

If one is worn out different, then one might be inflated different from the other.

If both front tires are inflated properly, check to see if the car's camber is off. If the car is still under warranty, you can have them check the suspension/alignment/camber adjustment.

But remember, alignments are only covered in the warranty up to 12,000 miles. Check with your warranty booklet for more details about coverages.

Good luck resolving your problem, and please post your end results/fix.

My dealer has agreed to replace my front tires due to their wrongful factory settings. Just gonna give my tires a few more thousand miles before I get them swapped for new ones (thats what my advisor told me to do... hehehe)

Ted Baldwin

...........the inside portion of both front tires were worn. what is the correct tire pressure then for the front tires?


ted

mmgrad

through my experiences, if only the INSIDE of the tires are worn, that means there is a camber problem.

If you lowered your car, then that will definitely play a role in the inside wear. If that is the case, then you might be to purchase a camber kit to correct it.

Correct psi? This depends on what size rims/tires you are running. If you are running stock 17", most of the members here have switched to about 37psi on average. This should help you even out the wear on the front tires.

fubar

Thanks to all for this info. I have had my 430 for 2 years (36K miles) and am on the second set of tires. The first set (Pilots) lasted 18K miles due to my spirited driving and the current set (Bridgestone Protenzas) are wearing unevenly in the front. Based on the feedback from this board I just raised the pressure in the front to 38 lbs. I expected a harsher ride. I was surprised to find an improvement in ride and the steering was much lighter. Haven't pushed it yet so I cannot comment on the performance in agressive driving.
Thanks again,
fubar

karl k

Did you get the S-03 or RE-730 Bridgestone Protenzas?

The RE-730 is a much longer wearing tire and COSTCO sells them for $150 per tire.

Whatever Potenzas you got, are they noisy?

fubar

730's. Paid $180 at WheelWorks. Thanks for the Costco tip.

I agree that they are better wearing than the Pilots. As they are wearing in the front, they are getting louder. New they were quiet and smoother than the Pilots. 18K miles and, with the exception of the front sides, lotsa tread left.
Cheers,
fubar

llakers

" Bridgestone S-03s. The Bridgestones are amazing- they totally live up to their reputation. I thought the AVS Sports were good, but nothing can compare to the S-03s. "

I agree with that. i have S-03 for about 3-4 month and they are the best. the grip on the road ia amazing, no noise.

Ronen

karl k

At what mileage did you increase the fronts to 38?

Did you run them at 32/33 before?

At what pressure are you running the rear tires?

Are they even? How much tread left after 18,000 miles on the RE 730s?

tnx

fubar

Just today at 18K.

Yup. Per the gas door directions.

Backs are even and have lotsa tread. Fronts wearing much more on the edges. Prolly still good for another 5K at least.

fubar