Abe

Had my E500 for one week now, and put 200 miles on. Car developped a vibration at 60 mph, and pulled to the right. Upon inspection, dealer found all four tires had flat spots on them. MB is replacing all four tires under warranty. The tires on the car are Continentals. Too bad, MB went with such cheap tires.

MarcusBenz

I would not say that Continentals are cheap tires, they are a Germany company, just like the car you are driving. I think it is like any other tire that might sit for a prolonged amount of time or just a bit under inflated. They do have a tendency to get a flat spot. I would say that it is rare that all four will get it at the same time, maybe just a bad batch of material. My point being that you can't say that something is cheap from one incident!!

benggolf

I find that rather unusual because they normally woud overinflate the tires to prevent flat spotting during shipment.

Sometimes my C320 (Michelin Pilot Sports) is left parked for over 3 months and would hear abnormal tires noise when driving off, but the noise would disappear after 5-10 kilometers.

Glad to hear that they will replace all your tires under warranty. If you like better performance and handling, I suggest you get Bridgestone S03s even if you have to pay a little premium to get them.

bmms8

well....i dont know **** about tires, but i was wondering what kind of tires would have a quiter tread or whatever on our e500...we usually get our tires from costco, but does anyone know of really quiet tires we can get when our stock ones get bad. Also, the stock tires are...245 or something......is that the size or what...my bro has 17's on his civic with the lowest profile tires....they are very small rubber off the rims, so is that a lower # than 245? Also, would a higher profile increase quietness....we really dont care about handling at all

pocholin

I think speed rating and wideness of tires are the key factors to roadnoise. I have Yokohama AVS S/T 275-60-17 on my suburban and they are loud (V rating), I used to have 275-60-15s before but they were not Z rated but S rated and they were totally quiet.
I used to have 275-40-17 on my Impala, the quietest (and best) tire I ever put on that car were Kumhos ESCTA 712 (W rated), now I'm having second thoughts if I should put that tire or the new Kumho ESCTA MX since they are Y rated

Ratings go as follow:
Speed Rating - Miles/Hour - Kilometers/Hour - Typical Use
N=87 MPH, 140km/h, Spare Tires
P=93 MPH, 150km/h
Q=99 MPH, 160km/h, Winter, LT Tires
U=124 MPH, 200km/h
H=130 MPH, 210km/h, Sport Sedans
R=106 MPH, 170km/h, LT Tires
S=112 MPH, 180km/h
T=118 MPH, 190km/h
V=149 MPH, 240km/h, Sports Cars
Z=149 MPH, 240km/h and over, Sports Cars
W=168 MPH, 270km/h, Exotic Sport Cars
Y=186 MPH, 300km/h, Exotic Sport Cars

bmms8

so U-Rated tires will be quieter than Z-Rated tires?

pocholin

Yes, they should for the most. At least that's the way it was explained to me at Discount tire (a friend i always buy my wheel-tire needs from)

bmms8

oo, i c, maybe if we had a geo metro i could get N-rated

amg55

Continentals are not "cheap" tires in general.
All tire manufacturers have better and worse models, but overall Continentals are found as stock tires on many of the best cars in the world.
If you want specific alternatives to yours, or quieter tires, or whatever, go to Tirerack.com and the selection menus will give you appropriate alternatives, for which you can read reviews from previous buyers.

bmms8

oo, i c, thanks, i never called them cheap, i dont know if you are talking to me though

pocholin

Still i wouldn't put them on any of my cars, it is just the image Continental tires has spread here in the US

99ML430

HMMMM interestingly enough I will be replacing a set of Continentals (ContiSportContacts) this week due to defect. You are right, they are not cheap, they are just crappy.

benggolf

How quiet a set of tires get is a combination of thread and carcass design as well as rubber compound used. Suggest you do some research on the Tire Rack site.

Lender1

Abe:

You're right, Continentals are lousy tires. In the past ten years I've had four Mercedes sedans. The first three had Michelins and my current one, an E 430, has Continentals. No problems with the Michelins but I had to replace the Continentals even though they were not worn out because of ride issues. Look at the Tirerack website. Original equipment Michelins are about $40.00 more each than original Continentals but a new M-B can come with either.

William Gardner

OB_330CiC

I have to say that I would never buy Continental tires for any of my cars....I've had Michelins, Bridgestone Potenzas and Yokohamas on my BMWs... they came standard on my new 2001 BMW... I had to replace them at 12k miles, they became very noisy around 8k and their grip degraded quickly... I had Contisports..... unless they've improved on their design and quality I plan to swap out the Continentals on my wifes E500 after first couple k miles.... strictly based on my experience.., others may have had better luck.

MitchE500

I think the choice for tires on the E500 may have something to do with size availability.

I believe the tires on the E500 are:

Continental - Contitouring Series
Size: 245/45R17-95H

From the Michelin website I have found two possible replacement choices.

Michelin - Performance Touring Series - Pilot MXM4
Size: 235/50R17-96H

or

Michelin - Luxury Performance Series - Energy MXV4 Plus
Size: 235/55R17-98H

With either Michelin choice the tire is narrower and has a higher wall ratio.

It seems Michelin does not make a 245/45R17-95H tire in these two series.

Does this make any sense as to why MB went with Continental?

E55 KEV

The August 2002 issue of Tire Review states:

"Sears and its NTB unit have dropped Continental brand tires from their tire offerings, but will continue carrying General brand tires.

allenjdmb

but I am going to say that no Benz of mine wil ride on them. This is typical MB/Daimler Chrysler cost cutting...that's all.