nsraja

I have a E-500. Michellin 245-45-17 is selling for $254. Quite surprisingly I see tires at tirerack and discounttire.com for as low as $69. There is a tire called General Exclaim UHP selling for $79 each... Is it safe to run on that tire? That is 1/3 of the price of a Michellin. Even if it wears out every 10000 miles I would still be a winner and I get to drive on new tires every year. Almost all user ratings about the tire are good. I dont see any reason why I should not buy these tires.

Any raves from folks in this forum?

jscavo

Bump

Double Eagle

I wouldn't touch the General tire. There are many previouse posts on this topic. Do a search and you will find them. I'm very pleased with my Pirelli P-Zero Nero M&S which I got at America's Tire Store near me for about $150 each. Look at the Tire Rack web site for a good review of available tires with test results for many

BudC

What is the speed rating of that tire? You should use at least an H-Rated tire, especially with an E-500.

There is a saying that you may not always get what you pay for but you never get what you don't pay for.

BTW, cheaper tires may actually last longer than more expensive tires but they won't be as safe. I get a kick out of naive tire buyers asking salesmen at Discount Tire if there is a tread warranty

RobertG

There is also a saying "you get what you pay for" .Think about the reason that these tires are so cheap, perhaps because they are made in a hurry, less quality control , inferior materials, and so on and so on.If you feel safe riding on cheap tires then go ahead.Tire noise is also a big factor especially since you have e-500 , I don't think that you would like to hear road or tire noise all the time.

revstriker

Although I probably wouldn't opt for a $69 "cheapy" discount tires, there are some nice, quality tires out there for much less than a Michelin.

By the way, I bet when you give them your car stats, or enter it into their website, you will find that those "el cheapo" tires are not even offered for your car.

x15jq

whoever said they wouldnt touch the general tire really doesnt know much about tires. The general is one of the best bang for the buck tire, check the TIRE section of the forum and luke constantly reccomends it. Fuzion Zri is another very good tire for the money.

HELL ONA HARLEY

Got to agree with the eagle on this one..... Bought these exact tires at America also and could'nt be happier....

Kev04C320

Had those on my C320 for two years and loved them too.

RobertG

The statement that you say Bang for the buck would make a person even more nervous about buying those tires
Traveling @ 80 mph+ I'd like to feel more secure that my tire will not blow ,shred or fall appart. If youre happy with them that's great but if those tires are that good then there would be more owners chiming in about them

x15jq

the tire just got released less than 7 months ago just like the Fuzion line. Dont take my word for it, the ratings dont lie on tire rack ask luke.

tbone

ditto. I had these on my car when i was still using my stock rims. Good tire for daily driving.

lkchris

E500 is a pretty expensive car and features pretty much the latest German/European technology, usually considered the best.

So then, somehow replacing high-tech Michelins with cheapo Generals or something Japanese or Korean doesn't quite fit.

To maintain that aura of intelligence that others perceive in you because of your ownership of a Mercedes, it behooves you to set aside the proper amount of dollars to keep your car maintained in the style to which it's accustomed. Others can see this.

PS: This reminds me of the 1970s when all 450SLs came with Michelin XWX, a V-rated tire that cost $150, which was an outrageous price at that time. VERY many wound up with Sears Roadhandler whitewalls at replacement time. This was best carried off by simultaneously wearing a leisure suit.

RobertG

amen

nsraja

So I went ahead and bought the General UHP and the tire handles better than the stock Continentals. The tires are bit noisy though, I have put 17000 miles on it so far and the tires still have lot of tread. May be next time I will go for better tires to see if I can get the noise to go away. I am particularly impressed with how the tires handled in snow driving. (The continentals never moved an inch when there was more than few inches of snow).

locomercedes

I just replaced Pirellis P-zeros Nero M-S with the Generals Exclaim UHP. Lots of good reviews all over the net, Continental makes them. They are pretty good tires, haven't noticed much difference performance-wise with the Pzeros, plus they save me a good chunk of change. My only gripe with the Pzeros was the threadlife- not that good. We'll see with the Generals.

vettdvr

I have now 4 sets of tires on our E500 in the last 70,000 miles. 2 sets were pulled at 17,000 for NOISE due to cupping. 2 sets ran quiet with no wear issues. Every tire shop said,, car,, not tires,, Even tire mfg said car,, could not be my tires.

BUT

The tires made US or Germany ran quiet and wore even,, the tires made in Japan made noise and cupped.

Ok,, baited you enough,, brands

Conti Touring Factory,, quiet smooth ride even wear.
Dayton's UT1 Technology,, noise hard, cupped pulled off
Coopers premium tire,, , noise hard cupped pulled off

Michelin Pilot Sport,, ran smooth,, quiet even wear,, still same car,, only change was tires. So now convince me the car is the problem. Therefore,, I would recommend stay with Mich. or Conti's to have the New car ride and even tire wear. Or you can save a few $$ and listen to your radio with earplugs, Your choice. Just my opion based on my own observations and my car,, your mileage may vary.

emilner

This topic always amazes me. The single most important part of your automobile is its tires. Only four little patches touch the road, everything else dynamically relies on the tires to perform. Why in God's name someone would look to cheap out on tires is beyond my comprehension. And to do it in an E500 I can understand if it is an economy car and money is real tight, but money cannot be better spent than on a good set of tires.

I remmember my firend who listened to all those people who said toyo proxies were great. He put them on his EXT and was amazed at how scary they were in the rain, right up to the day he skidded out on an average ramp and did some decent damage to the truck. He never looked back and ponied up for a better set.

This should relegated to all of those 'why should I buy premium gas for my Mercedes' threads...

spclagent7

So... what do you guys think about hammering on a $5 Fram oil filter on the next oil change?

locomercedes

Define "cheap out"

emilner

Buy a tire based on price not performance. This is the one area of a car that performance should be paramount...

locomercedes

We're not buying based solely on price. We did our research. There are many good reviews of the General Exclaim UHP tire all over the net, including tirerack (average above 8 in all categories surveyed with over 850 reviews) http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....el=Exclaim+UHP . In fact, the tire is ranked #1 among ultra high performance tires, above more expensive Michelins, Dunlops, Bridgestones. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey...y.jsp?type=UHP

Also, the tire is being recommended by many bmw owners in forums, particularly M3 owners. A tire doesn't have to be expensive to be a good tire.

RobertG

It's good to hear that you got that many miles from a set of lower priced tires, I commend you on being brave enough to put these tires on and stick with them this long.

Davel

Some tires are better than others as-far-as all out performance, but as long as your using a tire that meets the MB specs for your car your are fine. A $69 tire is not going to meet those specs, a $69 tire on a $60K automobile is not a wise choice

shaunls1

well i know they are a cheaper tire but i have the truck and suv version on my escalade in a 305/40/22 and the truck handles and rides better that it did with the factory 17's with goodyears.they do seem to be a little softer in the side wall area when driving agresive but they where 130 a tire and perform great for the money. i know some one who has that tire in a 20 inch version and has has they for a wile on his truck with no problems and he is in the travel trailer bussiness like i am and pulls 25-30 ft trailers with no problems.