apuig

Hello to all, new at this. I am thinking of buying a set of NEW 245/45/17 Contitouring Contact M+S tires for my 2007 E350 sedan with 4matic (and sport package) and get rid of my 18 inch wheels (they are beautiful, but too stiff for Boston roads). I live in Boston and wanted to know if anyone has advise on how well this tires will perform in the horrible Boston winters: snow and rain. I DO have 4matic. Also, how are they? Noisy, quiet, durable? I know they come stock/OEM on many new MB models.
thanks

SolidGranite

I'm somewhat confused by your post. Are you considering 17" wheels as well to go with your new tires? What kind of tires do you have now? What is your tire pressure? Have you had Mercedes check your suspension?

The reason I ask these questions is I have the stock 18s on my '09 and drive around downtown Chicago in very harsh winters WITHOUT 4Matic and I am very cognizant of harshness, comfort etc.. The roads around here are also very bad as I'm sure they are in Boston as well. I would hate for you to spend all this money in order to switch to 17s for a marginal gain in comfort. I strongly recommend attempting to fix the issue while leaving your 18s in place to save money and also have a much better looking setup.

apuig

What tires are you using SolidGranite? I have currently 245/40/18 Khumo (high performance tires) on my car and they are terrible in the snow DESPITE my 4matic. I was thinking on changing to 17 inch wheels with all-season tires (Contis) OR, just put all-seasons on my 18 inch wheels. I was thinking of going to 17 inch to improve the ride (it is very hard on these terrible Boston roads).
thoughts?
AP

LOVEMYBS

Keep your 18" wheels and seriously consider purchasing (4) 245-40-18 Michelin A/S plus tires. I've done a lot of tire research and these tires are without a doubt the best all-around all-season tire you can buy (high performance summer and great traction in water and snow in the winter). I've used them on my 05 E55 with great success and will soon put them on my 07 E550 4Matic. Granted Boston roads are worse than NVA or DC but not by much. Tire Rack sells the tires for around $225.00/tire but you can get them cheaper on eBay. JMHO.

hagar852

Fellow New Englander here on my 3rd season with the OEM tire. They handle fine in the snow/rain and as to how noisy they are, well I couldn't tell you how they compare since it is the only tire I have driven on with the E350 since I got it.

I was going to replace them with Toyo Versado LX's when I need to replace them, but the tire has been fine for me and I have driven 20,000 miles on them so far.

SolidGranite

I have the Michelin Pilot All Seasons as well and I must say these tires are a perfect blend of all things considered. (snow, rain, dry performance, noise) I suspect the Kumho's are the reason for the poor performance. Get the Michelin's and don't look back! Report back with what you think.

apuig

How do the ContiTouring Contacts M+S compare to the Michelins Pilot A/S?
thanks

SolidGranite

Tough to say but I think most people will agree the Michelins are a better tire. Check out the ratings on TireRack.com.

Sierra Grande

I hear what you're saying. More sidewall will put more cushion between you and the road. However, I think solidgranite is right about the effect being minimal. With 17s you're only really going to put an additional 1/2" of rubber between you and the road. I think you would have to go with a considerably smaller rim to get a truly noticeable effect. Simply having low tread will make your car's ride more harsh and noisy. You would notice a much bigger difference in ride quality, in terms of impact absorption, by simply letting a few psi out of your tires. This of course causes wear, handling and safety issues to rear their ugly heads. Somwhere there must be a compromise.

LOVEMYBS

Conti's are noisier and don't wear very well. You'll get at least 40-45K miles out of the Michelins which BTW are also quieter.

rhythmmd

You should check out the Nokian wrg2. http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=1...me=Nokian+WRG2. It is one of the few all weather tires that has a snow rating. It is no surprise that your summer tires have poor grip in the cold. I bought the WRG2 SUV's for my honda pilot. So far they ride as smoothly as my OEM tire. I can't wait to see how they fare this winter.