jprescott

I just spent the last 5 days searching threads on this over done topic. I damaged my ContiTourings and wanted to replace the set. Some useful info I'd like share that I'm not sure we have answered. After talking to multiple gear heads, local tire guys and Luke at tirerack here is what I found. For those of us who put road noise and comfort over all else ( and there seem to be quite a few on the w211 board), perhaps the better options out there are the Michiline pilot sport A/S, Yokohama DbS2 and the Avon tech 550. Issues mentioned on this board in the past about Michiline are no longer valid ( tire update prevents slippage). Yokohama DbS2 are newer and have longer tread life than prior. Avon tech are new but in surfing around were the higher rated as I could tell .In the end I went with the Avons and the drive quality in terms of road noise and comfort is great at high and low speed. I recommend Luke at tire rack( he moderates tire board) but do your own research. Again, these are my reccomendations for highest quiet comfort (not performance) for 245/45-17s on a w211. Incidentally the knowledgable guy who put my tires on said it amazes him that MB puts the ContiTourings on this type of car.

ATS

Aren't the ContiTourings made in Germany. This may explain it - they probably have some amazing deal worked out. By the way, the ContiTourings 2 are the fastest road tires on the market right now, so they must be good tires to get such a high rating.

DWP

You more or less answered this question, but just to be clear - do the Avons provide better ride quality and less road noise than the OEM Contis, especially on poor road surfaces?

My major gripe with my '03 E500 - my only major gripe - is that ride comfort and road noise on poor road surfaces are very bad for luxury-class car. That's with the Airmatic in "Comfort." There is just way too much thumping, banging and rumbling transmitted up from the road - in audible and tactile form - from expansion strips, patches and the like. It makes long rides on roads like California 99 very wearing and unpleasant. I tend to blame this on the Contis, since newer W211s tend to have OEM Michelins, and owners of the cars don't seem to report ride and noise issues.

alewifebp

Stay away from the Pilot Sport A/S's. They cause the car to pull to the right, and they are explicitly not supported by MB, see previous threads about this tire and the associated Star bulletin.

jprescott

I debated swapping out the dead tire with a new Continental but I've had the same complaint as you. For a luxury car I had road noise . Not too bumpy. Either way, after much debate I sucked it up and relaced the whole set(even though I only have 12,500k miles on them). Nice improvement and a nice subjective decrease in road noise and less bumpy at low speed and on highway. I'm in sunny Cleveland where the roads $uck at this time of year and so far so good.

jprescott

I mentioned this in my origional post. No longer an issue with pulling and slippage. The inherent defect was fixed and all old models were recalled. I did not go with the Mich Pilot because it did not rate as well with road noise and they are quite a bit more expensive.

MB Fanatic

Hmm I have the Pilot Sport A/S on my E320 and on my E55 right now and they seem to be fine. There is no pulling to either direction and they track great. The E350 will be getting a set of these as soon as I pick it up from the dealer on Monday.

skip2929

I did the same search for my E500 Wagon.....have my sport/appearance wheels shod with snows, which really worked well this Pennsylvania winter. Found a new set of E55 take-offs from a 2005, 8&9, 18's on ebay......was most interested in quiet/comfort.....ended up with Yokos AVS db s2's, 245/40/18, and 275/35/18, to keep the diamater the same due to 4matic sensitivity. WOW am I impressed......they are MUCH more comfortable and quiet than the original Contis that were on 17's.

I have bought many tires from Tire Rack over the years, but talked to a sales agent a couple of weeks ago that was in a major rush, really not interested in my concerns, and just wanted to sell me the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2's. This is the only time that I have ever had this treatment from Tire Rack, but did make me search else where. Spoke with both Dave and Jim at Discount Tire Direct 1-800-707-8473.......they were GREAT....less expensive, fast delivery to one of there installers, and answered all my questions. They even followed up with a call to make sure everything worked as promised. Give them a try.

jprescott

Should let us know the tire rack sales guy name so we can stay away.

HELL ONA HARLEY

Did your tire installer use stick on tire weights like the type used by MB, or the lead type that mount on the rim??? I'm going to be in the market for tires soon and want to know my options...

skip2929

Stick on, the same as O.E.M.......

3199cc

I would say Kuhmo Ecsta ASX. Relatively inexpensive and provide a very quiet ride, although they do lack in the handling deparment in comparison to more expensive tires.

Bundy

I put Toyo Proxes4 all seasons on my E500. They have been very acceptable in handling and noise. My only complaint would be snow/ice performance.

HK_CLK500

I like my Pirelli Nero M+S alot
it's the quietest tire I've ever experienced
and the tire feels better and "gripper" after 10,000km
I've drove mine for 30,000 now and the tire shop told me still have 80% of thread left, which sound impressive for me

cigarette.888

QUOTE]
I have Kuhmos , AST and very unhappy with them .NOISY like a tractor tire and handle about as well. They were on car when purchased .A quick fix I assume , they retail for $100.00 ea.

AMGAffalterbach

Michelin Defender for long life, quiet, all season tires if performance isn't your objective.

65aircooled

I can't afford to have winter/summer tires due to lack of storage space, in fact in my 23 years living in NJ I never had two sets of tires in any car or truck. When I bought my E320 it had Bridgestone tires, after a lot of internet research I decided to take a chance on the Continental Extreme Contact DWS and I can tell you that so far is one of the best tires I have had in any of my cars. It is a very quiet tire, a bit soft maybe, and it has a very decent grip on snow, so much so that we never stopped using the Benz this winter.