So I know it's only the beginning of summer, but I need to start looking at snow tires because it gets very heavy with snow in the winter where I live in Michigan. The first thing I looked at were snow tires, as opposed to new wheels. I went to tirerack.com (highly praised on this forum) and they left me with four 18" options.

>Continental ContiWinterContact TS810 S
>Dunlop SP Winter Sport 3D
>Pirelli Winter 240 Sottozero
>Pirelli Winter 240 Sottozero RFT

Price really isn't an object here because they're all between $200-269 per tire, and I'd rather be safe than sorry. I'm opening a poll so you can tell me whats your favorite tire in this selection. Please also post why you like that tire as well. If you recommend a different tire, that's fine too, just please tell me why you like that tire better.

Next order of business is whether or not I should purchase a new set of rims for my E350. I always used to have a summer set of rims, and then a winter set because my winter set always used to get beat up from the salt and snow. I was looking at buying some replica E63 rims (Style 810, correct me if I'm wrong) to replace for summer wheels and I would use my real AMG Style 811 as winter wheels now. Please tell me if this is a good idea or not or if you suggest a different wheel. Thanks and sorry for the long post!

 

None of the above......Blizzak WS60...they are made in E class size, per the Bridgestone web site...but Tire Rack does not show them in stock now...I plan to make this purchase for our 08 E350

 

I just noticed you are in Detroit. Call Motorwerks 248-668-6793. They are an authorized Tire Rack shipping and installer location and they can do all the ordering at the same price. I've been using them and get great service. Pontiac Trail near Haggerty.

 

Tires: personal preference.
Wheels: a must !!! Just remember that the aftermarket wheels are probably made in Asia, and don't come close in quality to the OEM wheels made in Germany or Czech...hence the price difference. Even so, you won't regret getting aftermarket wheels for your snow tires.

 

Definitely agree on the wheels...the dismounting/mounting/balancing each season to use one set of wheels is costly and time-consuming. Get new wheels once, with tire pressure monitors already installed. And, for winter tires on the E, go for 17" wheels.

 

I think there was a miss-understanding. I'm thinking about using my genuine AMG wheels for the winter (18") and getting new summer wheels that will probably be E63 replicas (18"). Not the other way around. Sportstick, why would I want to go with 17" wheels anyways?

 

I'm not sure what MB suggests but easily one of the highest rated winter tires at TR (not sure on the 3D?) are the Dunlops which we used as our guide--it turned our Subaru into true snow/ice gripping machine..amazing patiented compound allows excellent H rated speeds on dry then due their thing when the going gets tough, we have them mounted on steel rim's with nice OEM hub caps--- hard to tell they aren't alloys..saved huge green..hey it's a subie.

 

The best snow tire in any application is narrower (more psi on the contact patch) and smaller (less mass). Going from a possible 17" to 18" is directionally incorrect as the higher mass of the larger wheel requires more torque to start rolling and more braking to stop....both of which are going the wrong way for low friction surfaces. If a 16" would fit over the brake/hub, that would be even better, but I don't think it does. There is a 245/45-17" Blizzak WS60 which shows as compatible with an E Class. I suggest finding some 17" wheels from Tire Rack and ordering 4 mounted assemblies with pressure monitors. Even if you don't go with 17" wheels, get the narrowest tire which fits your wheel.

 

I went down a size with my winter setup. Dunlop winter sport 3D in 245/45/17 mounted on AMG 5 spoke style wheels. Package came to about $1k off tirerack. I considered all those tires including the various Blizzaks and chose the 3D based on reviews. They served me well last winter...

 

My Dunlops (WinterSport 3D) were 200 each, and my AMG knock off rims were 115 each. Mounted, balanced and shipped were under $1,300 from TireRack. How much cheaper can an 18 inch set get?

 

New wheels is the best option but remember then that new tire pressure monitor sensors will be required as well. Add $400 to expected cost.

The tires in your poll are all "cheapos."

Choose between Nokian, Blizzak, or Michelin instead.

 

I use Pirelli Sottozero's for my winter setup - on my original 18" AMG rims - and I couldn't be happier with the results.

The car turns into a tank on any type of snow (even deep snow) or ice. Highly recommend them.

 

$200 per tire is cheap? Even I can't call that cheap! It seems to me that Blizzak and Dunlops are popular choices.

 

I can't seem to find which of the Blizzak snow tires would fit on my oem AMG wheels? Help please!

 

Not sure about 18" and still think 17 is the better solution, but the Blizzak model to get is the WS60, and only the WS60, which is the most aggressive model, designed to replace studded tires.....and they work very well on my rear wheel drive C Class in Michigan winters. 245/45-17 works on the E.

 

I found a Blizzak LM-60 tire that the website says will fit my car, 265/35R18 XL and 245/40R18 XL. Can you verify if that is a quality snow tire and/or will fit my stock rims. I completely understand why you want me to have 17" rims, but I cannot do that at this time, sorry. Thanks for looking out for me though!

 

Quality should not be a concern. Fitment should be on the Bridgestone web site, if not Tire Rack. There is a difference between LM and WS....WS is more dedicated to snow/ice/freezing temps and has a different compound. I don't know of anything better for the purpose. LM will likely balance winter with dry weather performance, based on their description, so it likely won't be as good as WS in snow/ice, but still may be quite good....I don't have experience with LM series.

 

...for the best snow performance you want a skinny tire with a tall sidewall. Accordingly, you should get the smallest wheel size that fit your car with the narrowest snow tire that'll fit that wheel and still have the correct load rating...

 

Luckily I finally found a nice set of used wheels to mount them on a few years ago so the only real problem with my Dunlop SP's are the fact that I need to take them off come warmer weather.

 

I think that everyone looking to answer your tire questions are forgetting to ask the MOST pertinent question: How are you going to drive the car this winter? I ask this because I'm a seasoned veteran of 2-set setups and can tell you that the type of driving you do is the most important factor in choosing tires, not the size, not the contact patch, and certainly not the sidewall. The "Performance" winter tires (as tire rack calls them) are NOT the best performing snow tires. This is a very important thing to note, because most people think it refers to the tires, but it actually refers to the car. "Performance" snow tires are designed for people who still drive fast and hard ON DRY PAVEMENT during the winter. If you intend to drive like a civilized person, and less than half of your driving is on the freeway then you should get "Studless Ice and Snow" tires as these offer better traction in snow than "Performance" tires do.

Now, on to the size questions. The Size plays a roll here because many of the Studless high-traction tires are not available in 18"+ sizes, or in very few profiles in these sizes that might not be compatible with your vehicles overall diameter. This would be the main reason for moving to 17" wheels. Next is the section width. Your E-Class is heavy enough that 225s are the narrowest I would go on the rears. You could stagger 215s on the fronts, but it would make it more difficult to find a matching set of tires. Your car has enough torque that anything smaller that 225 on the rear will be exceedingly easy to break loose and will cause wheel-spin (the enemy of winter traction). Sinking through to the pavement with a skinny tire and driving through unabated is a romantic idea, but I live in Wisconsin, which is just like Michigan, and can tell you that it's nothing more than that: A romantic idea. You will get the best traction and forward motion with a tire that is narrow enough to sink and compress the snow, aggressive enough to grab it, and wide enough to to hold on to something (snow or pavement) and not just spin. If you go too narrow the tire will simply slip against the wet/icy/snowy pavement before motivating that tank impersonating a car you're driving from moving forward. Also, keep in mind that wider is generally better for stopping, snow or not. I know we get a ton of snow, but do you want to dramatically compromise your dry stopping distance for a marginal (to be generous) gain in snow stopping? Heavier weight is a GOOD thing for snow traction. Higher weight means more torque is absorbed by the wheels moment of inertia. This helps to keep the wheel from quickly reacting to changes; accelerating or braking. These are normally bad things, but that's because you have ample ability to regain traction on dry pavement. You do not on snow, so any wheel spin or slippage is a bad thing.
Believe it or not, I run staggered 225 17s on the front and 235 17s on the rear of my C32 in the winter, and it gets unbelievable traction. I would have run 215 on the front to cut even better, but the sizing wasn't an available option. I weigh significantly less than you, and knew I would never hook up a narrower tire than that in the rear with the torque curve this car has. You have less torque and more weight so cutting through is an even bet for you. I had a Catera that weighed 4000 lbs. and a bit less torque than you've got. It worked great to run 225 square on that car, so I'd bet that would work great for you. BTW, I've run Dunlop Wintersport M3 and the Graspic on the Caddy and the Graspics were much better in the snow for less than half the price, just FYI.

Now to Brand/Tire. If price is truly no object for you then get Nokian Hakkapeliitta tires. There is no comparable substitute on this planet, and no one who knows what they're talking about will argue with that. I run the Hakkapeliitta R on my C32, and ran the RSi on my Crossfire SRT-6 (245-45-18 on the rear). I drove the C32 through a foot of snow last winter down unplowed roads, and through a median turning lane that had more than 2 feet in the middle and did not get stuck, and that's in a car with less than 5" of ground clearance, so I was literally pushing a curl the whole time. I even passed a stuck Police cruiser while cocked about 45-degrees sideways rolling a curl down my drivers side after turning through that median. The cop just looked at me slack-jawed and wide-eyed. In my personal opinion if you do not want to or cannot get Nokian tires, then Dunlop are preferred. Michelins are my next choice. Beyond that you're on your own, but remember; if you're not going to do mostly high-speed or aggressive driving get studless ice and snow tires, which are cheaper anyway, for the best snow traction.

 

I Live on Long Island & don't use Snow Tires. The car is my daily driver in all Seasons.

 

Thanks a lot for the detailed run-down! My driving is 50/50 Highway and City, and if last winter is like this one coming up, I'll most likely be doing 50/50 Snow and Dry Pavement. That being said, I want to achieve a balance of a skinny/thick tire. Like before, 17" is not an option. If I read your information correctly, I think I am stuck right in the middle of everything that you said. I'm leaning towards Blizzak or Dunlop at this point. Please correct me if I'm wrong Kapium.

 

I drive a 2008 E350 and just moved from Los Angeles to Santa Fe. I'm worried about the winter and have no experience driving in snow. My driveway, which is unpaved, has an upgrade, and I've been told I'll never get out of it with my rear-wheel drive. I've heard that snow tires are more important than all-wheel drive. Is that true? Would I be okay in my E350 with snow tires?

My lease expires in Dec 2010. Do I get snow tires just for this winter? Do I see if I can trade for a AWD?

I hear there isn't that much snow here in Santa Fe, but the problem is that there are many unpaved roads that don't get cleared.

Any help and advice is appreciated.

Thanks,

Rex

 

Hey there! This is going to be my first winter with the car so I don't know from my experience, I still can't even find a tire that will work, so I need help too haha! I am going to use my stock 18" wheels. Good luck!

 

The best snow tires are Nokian. I used to swap wheels on an ML and a E300.
Then they made a wonderful tire that works in all four seasons and laughs at snow.
The WR SUV for the MLs and the WR for the sedans. I just put four of the WRG2s on
the E500 4matic. I love them. The reviews on them are stellar.
http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=1...me=Nokian+WRG2

For rear wheel drive only it will be better to go with just snow tires, but your lease issue
throws a wrench in that. Personally after having experince for over 15 years with the
Nokian product I thing the all season WRG2 will be fine and you do not have to change
wheels. The do have a snow rating and are amazing in the rain as well.

However at 18" wheels I would be going down in diameter and width. Separate winter wheels
and good set of Nokians that fit your climate. If you have trouble on the chocies just holler.
I have tried 4 styles of the Nokian Hakkapeliitta tires. All amazing in snow, slush and even
mild icing conditions.