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... are tough to find. Really, not too many choices out there, and the rear sizing seems to be the limiting factor.
I've been thinking and researching this issue for a while. I've tracked my BS a month ago at Laguna Seca, and I completely thrashed my PZeros (which were not ideal track tires). They were greasy, and chunked pretty badly.
Now for some new tires... has anybody fitted 295/30/19 on the stock rear wheels? I tried to search for topics on this issue, but I cannot find enough hits to justify this choice. I'm looking at a set of Michelin Sport Cup 2 tires, but the for the rears they are only available in this size. Also, we would have quite a few more choices if we could use this size on our wheel. According to the TireRack website, the recommended rim width for 295s are 10-11" wide, and our rear wheel is 9.5".
I have heard nothing but great things about this tire, how it grips and lasts for a long time. Specially compared to the Pirellis (180 tread wear rating vs. 60 for the P). And I drove a friend's car with these tires on and they were awesome. Otherwise, I would have to "settle" for the Corsas.
Michelin actually makes the Cup 2 in the standard size (285/30/19) for the CLK Black. I believe it’s a Mercedes or BMW factory tire (why you can’t get it from Tire Rack), but you can order direct from Michelin (https://www.michelinman.com/shop/tyr...-19--allsearch) or possibly a local tire shop.
As a hopeful future owner, this is the tire that will go on my car as soon as I get one.
In Europe P Cup 2 are are only available in 285/35 and not 285/30.
On My BS I have just mounted PS4s 265/30 295/30
Are you still driving with the PS4S (295/30) on the stock 9.5 rear rims? Have you or anyone you know run into any issues (e.g. bottoming out, degraded cornering performance, too much side-wall flex, etc.)? Was thinking of changing my tires (evo2) to get better traction so would appreciate any input. Thanks.
Last edited by souljas_1; Mar 6, 2019 at 12:24 AM.
Are you still driving with the PS4S (295/30) on the stock 9.5 rear rims? Have you or anyone you know run into any issues (e.g. bottoming out, degraded cornering performance, too much side-wall flex, etc.)? Was thinking of changing my tires (evo2) to get better traction so would appreciate any input. Thanks.
Michelin actually makes the Cup 2 in the standard size (285/30/19) for the CLK Black. I believe it’s a Mercedes or BMW factory tire (why you can’t get it from Tire Rack), but you can order direct from Michelin (https://www.michelinman.com/shop/tyr...-19--allsearch) or possibly a local tire shop.
As a hopeful future owner, this is the tire that will go on my car as soon as I get one.
Hi, this size (285-30-19) in the Sport Cup 2s are actually run-flat tires (OE on the Corvette), which we cannot use in combination with the non-run flat fronts in the 265/30/19 size. The run flats are not available in the 265/30/19. So it's one or the other.
So I decided on the 265 front and 295 rear Sport Cup 2 (non-run-flat) combo on my CLK BS. No rubbing, no handling issues, no perceived loss of power (due to a slightly taller tire). So far so good. Haven't taken it to the track yet in this configuration, though.
Hey so after I replaced all my tires to the PS4S (front: 265/30/19, rear: 295/30/19), I noticed the car was drifting to the right so took it in for a car alignment. Since the dealership wasn't able to get the vehicle on their alignment machine due to its lower ride height (did balance all 4 tires), had a custom shop perform the alignment. Well, the vehicle still has a slight drift to the right so planning to take it back next week. Based on their alignment results (see attached), I'm thinking it may be related to the camber adjustments though they told me that the rear camber adjustments are not specified. Before the alignment, the tire pressures were set to Front: 38, Rear: 34.
Are these configurations in line with what others have set for their vehicle? Any insight is appreciated. Thanks!
Last edited by souljas_1; Mar 31, 2019 at 12:30 PM.
I noticed we have very similar front camber settings, but you have more negative rear camber. I am not sure how to convert my toe in setting from inches to degrees. I drove the car with PZeros on the track, and it really drove well, but with severe lack of grip. I haven't tried the new Cup 2 tires on the track yet.
Car tracks true when straight without any veering to any side, if that is what you are concerned with. Hope this helps.
These cars do like to follow the crown of the road. I align probably 10 Mercedes a week. Having a little more caster on the passenger side than the driver side helps fight fall off. But before having the caster increased on the passenger side, I would first swap the front tires/wheels side to side to eliminate a radial pull. You would be surprised at how often we find a pull stems from the tires and not the alignment. This is a quick way to test for this. If the car pulls to the right now, you will either eliminate the pull or get a pull to the left after criss-crossing the front wheels. Since you state the pull started after new tires this might very well be the case. If the car drives exactly the same, make sure the car is neutral (no pull) on flat concrete roads. Super sensitive cars will follow a crown and may drive straight on different roads.Also asphalt roads get rutted and will pull a car around as well. If none of these things change the way the car drives, have an alignment shop add about .5 degree more castor on right. Not ideal for tracking the car but may be needed to help fight a fall to the right.
I noticed we have very similar front camber settings, but you have more negative rear camber. I am not sure how to convert my toe in setting from inches to degrees. I drove the car with PZeros on the track, and it really drove well, but with severe lack of grip. I haven't tried the new Cup 2 tires on the track yet.
Car tracks true when straight without any veering to any side, if that is what you are concerned with. Hope this helps.
I remember now. When I first got the car several years ago, one of the first things I noticed was that the initial turn-in was fantastic, very snappy like the car was literally on "rails". A quick turn on the steering wheel, the car would change direction RIGHT AWAY. I really liked it. But, on the road in a straight line, the car liked to "wander" a bit from side to side, tending to follow any irregularities of the road. This was specially marked on the freeway, and it became a bit annoying.
So I brought it into West End alignment in Gardena, CA, and my trusted alignment guru over there found that the car was set to ZERO toe in in the front, and that would explain the driving characteristics I just mentioned. He then dialed in a very, very small amount of toe-in, and that really minimized the tendency to "wander" at the expense of a little bit of lost "turn-in" snappiness. I miss the turn-in, but I don't miss the "wandering" straight line drive it used to have. An OK compromise for me.
Appreciate all the detailed responses! Went back to the alignment shop and they verified the tires/wheels were fine. After making the following alignment changes, the vehicle tracks much better than before. Looking at the differences from before, the only one that stands out is the front Toe for both wheels are now exactly at .10 degrees. Crazy to think that such a small change could have made a noticeable difference in the driving characteristic of the vehicle! Only regret is that I should have got these tires much sooner!
"Went back to the alignment shop and they verified the tires/wheels were fine"
Please detail this statement. Did they cris-cross the front wheels and retest drive before putting back on alignment machine? What exactly were the steps performed in order? Are the front tires still in same position as they were before? Just curious as that small of a change in front toe is insignificant assuming the new before #'s were the same as your old final #"s . Your last post only has the final #'s. It doesn't have the before #'s like your original post. Also, if you look at your original post, they never touched the front end. Camber, caster, and toe are the same before and after. The .10L and .07R toe is the same as .09 and.08. They are both total toe of .17. What they adjusted originally was the rear toe. It also seems they didn't add any caster to passenger side.
Glad it is driving straight and that it is good now. Just trying to work this out mechanically as I am OCD
"Went back to the alignment shop and they verified the tires/wheels were fine"
Please detail this statement. Did they cris-cross the front wheels and retest drive before putting back on alignment machine? What exactly were the steps performed in order? Are the front tires still in same position as they were before? Just curious as that small of a change in front toe is insignificant assuming the new before #'s were the same as your old final #"s . Your last post only has the final #'s. It doesn't have the before #'s like your original post. Also, if you look at your original post, they never touched the front end. Camber, caster, and toe are the same before and after. The .10L and .07R toe is the same as .09 and.08. They are both total toe of .17. What they adjusted originally was the rear toe. It also seems they didn't add any caster to passenger side.
Glad it is driving straight and that it is good now. Just trying to work this out mechanically as I am OCD
Hey. Yes, the dealership originally only recommended the alignment route after the noticeable right pull during normal driving and especially during acceleration (which is how I really came to know of it) didn't change after criss-crossing the wheels. The alignment shop also verified that the tires/wheels were balanced properly and then performed the alignment. The right pull during acceleration was completely gone but just felt there was still a slight tendency to pull right so due to my OCD took it back to have them re-verify. Well this time they drove it on the highway per my recommendation and made these slight alignment adjustments - front tires still in the same position. Tracks great on level roads so looks to just be the car wanting to follow the crown of the road.
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