.....
E350/E550 coupe in the snow! Any opinions?
Super Member
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 617
Likes: 0
From: Suburban Philadelphia Area
'11 350 4matic - '14 Stingray: Gone, BMW 530i, Porsche 944 Turbo, Porsche 356, Mitsubishi 3000GT
My 350 Sport 4matic handled very well in our last snow storm with stock tires...go figure.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,914
Likes: 261
From: Ontario,Canada
...24 GLE53
My wife had a CLK500 with four snows. Performance was mediocre at best. She now drives a E350 4M with all season tires with no issues. She has always had coupes and convertibles in the past because they were sportier and more woman like. Now,however, Old What's Her Name is in her f@#^k the show I'd rather go stage and will never go back to RWD.
Member
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 103
Likes: 1
From: Canton, MI
'11 E350 4MATIC
HEAVY SNOW IN MICHIGAN... 4MATIC (Pictures)
I am having snow storm now. I told myself that this would be the best time to test drive my 4Matic and get crazy with it.
But... after hours of hardwork yesterday... washing, waxing and polishing, the car whispered to me, not to be driven today...
Yesterday was a very clear and pretty much Spring weather, 51F..
So I obey....
Two weeks ago, I happend to drive this car on the highway with fully covered Snow... The 4Matic handling was superb in this kind of conditon. Few times the Yellow Triangle flashes but I could not tell the difference that the system was working. Drove like normal. But after cleaning her the whole day yesterday, I don't think I have the courage to torture her... maybe next time....
But... after hours of hardwork yesterday... washing, waxing and polishing, the car whispered to me, not to be driven today...
Yesterday was a very clear and pretty much Spring weather, 51F..
So I obey....
Two weeks ago, I happend to drive this car on the highway with fully covered Snow... The 4Matic handling was superb in this kind of conditon. Few times the Yellow Triangle flashes but I could not tell the difference that the system was working. Drove like normal. But after cleaning her the whole day yesterday, I don't think I have the courage to torture her... maybe next time....
Newbie
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: CT
1987 300TD; 2001 E55
I'm in a similar situation - considering an E550 and am leaning towards RWD (more fun, cheaper, less to break, etc). It'd be my only car. Currently live in CT with several ski trips to VT each winter. Has anyone driven a RWD E550 on snow-and-ice snow tires (i.e., not the performance winter tires that are 265 in the rear) and how was it? i'd imagine it'd be fine but i can't get a clear read from these forums. Context for the question (my experience, then my theories) are below, in case they help qualify your comments.
My experience is based on my primary snow car, an '87 300TD, and the other car which I generally don't drive in snow, an 01 E55. Both are RWD. I figure the E55 is similar to an E550 power-wise and in snow. The 87 has 4 studded nokian hakkapeliitta 2's, and the tires make it fantastic in snow - climbs snow-covered hills that a friend's audi quattro (with summer tires) can't get up and it turns / stops faster than any AWD car with with all-seasons. The E55 isn't as bad in snow as i'd expect, it's actually comparable to the 87 on it's all seasons despite the E55's 275 wide rear tires (both pretty bad though).
Now we get into the theories (and the reasoning behind why i'm hoping an E550 RWD will be ok for me). I feel there are two types of driving in snow - getting going and going fast. For getting going, AWD is clearly better than 2WD. In practice, this is only an issue on hills and in my experience i've never actually not been able to get up a hill in my snow car when it has the right tires on it - though i've had to put weight in the back, get speed up, fishtail the whole way up, etc a couple of times. So have any of you been unable to get up a hill in your E550 RWD with snows? Can you turn the traction control off enough to allow the snow tires to spin/dig through the snow and get down to firmer ground?
The other type of driving in snow doesn't have anything to do with getting going, it's about how fast you can safely go. I would imagine that this is almost entirely the tires and very little with the number of wheels getting power. However, i keep on hearing folks say that the 4matic's feel way more stable than the RWD cars. Is that because the RWD cars come with summer tires that are wider in the rear, and therefore they really are worse (but it can be fixed)? or is it because people don't like the feel of the rear end sliding a bit when under acceleration (understandable, but different than not being able to control direction and stop)?
btw - my rec on best snow tire (if you don't mind a little squishy on dry roads) is a Nokian Hakkapeliitta. the studs may be overkill in most spots, but the tires turn my rwd car into a tank and i can literally turn rings around any awd car or suv with esp etc. Mercedes has a recommended size for winter tires for each car model (for instance, my 01 E55 is taken from a 18in wheel and 275 rear tire down to a 17 wheel and 245 rear tire). Also, if you google "miata tire size" there's a guy on a miata forum that made a tire circumference calculator that you can use to match the rolling circumference of your winter tires to your stock tires.
My experience is based on my primary snow car, an '87 300TD, and the other car which I generally don't drive in snow, an 01 E55. Both are RWD. I figure the E55 is similar to an E550 power-wise and in snow. The 87 has 4 studded nokian hakkapeliitta 2's, and the tires make it fantastic in snow - climbs snow-covered hills that a friend's audi quattro (with summer tires) can't get up and it turns / stops faster than any AWD car with with all-seasons. The E55 isn't as bad in snow as i'd expect, it's actually comparable to the 87 on it's all seasons despite the E55's 275 wide rear tires (both pretty bad though).
Now we get into the theories (and the reasoning behind why i'm hoping an E550 RWD will be ok for me). I feel there are two types of driving in snow - getting going and going fast. For getting going, AWD is clearly better than 2WD. In practice, this is only an issue on hills and in my experience i've never actually not been able to get up a hill in my snow car when it has the right tires on it - though i've had to put weight in the back, get speed up, fishtail the whole way up, etc a couple of times. So have any of you been unable to get up a hill in your E550 RWD with snows? Can you turn the traction control off enough to allow the snow tires to spin/dig through the snow and get down to firmer ground?
The other type of driving in snow doesn't have anything to do with getting going, it's about how fast you can safely go. I would imagine that this is almost entirely the tires and very little with the number of wheels getting power. However, i keep on hearing folks say that the 4matic's feel way more stable than the RWD cars. Is that because the RWD cars come with summer tires that are wider in the rear, and therefore they really are worse (but it can be fixed)? or is it because people don't like the feel of the rear end sliding a bit when under acceleration (understandable, but different than not being able to control direction and stop)?
btw - my rec on best snow tire (if you don't mind a little squishy on dry roads) is a Nokian Hakkapeliitta. the studs may be overkill in most spots, but the tires turn my rwd car into a tank and i can literally turn rings around any awd car or suv with esp etc. Mercedes has a recommended size for winter tires for each car model (for instance, my 01 E55 is taken from a 18in wheel and 275 rear tire down to a 17 wheel and 245 rear tire). Also, if you google "miata tire size" there's a guy on a miata forum that made a tire circumference calculator that you can use to match the rolling circumference of your winter tires to your stock tires.
Super Member
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 617
Likes: 0
From: Suburban Philadelphia Area
'11 350 4matic - '14 Stingray: Gone, BMW 530i, Porsche 944 Turbo, Porsche 356, Mitsubishi 3000GT
I'm in a similar situation - considering an E550 and am leaning towards RWD (more fun, cheaper, less to break, etc). It'd be my only car. Currently live in CT with several ski trips to VT each winter. Has anyone driven a RWD E550 on snow-and-ice snow tires (i.e., not the performance winter tires that are 265 in the rear) and how was it? i'd imagine it'd be fine but i can't get a clear read from these forums. Context for the question (my experience, then my theories) are below, in case they help qualify your comments.
My experience is based on my primary snow car, an '87 300TD, and the other car which I generally don't drive in snow, an 01 E55. Both are RWD. I figure the E55 is similar to an E550 power-wise and in snow. The 87 has 4 studded nokian hakkapeliitta 2's, and the tires make it fantastic in snow - climbs snow-covered hills that a friend's audi quattro (with summer tires) can't get up and it turns / stops faster than any AWD car with with all-seasons. The E55 isn't as bad in snow as i'd expect, it's actually comparable to the 87 on it's all seasons despite the E55's 275 wide rear tires (both pretty bad though).
Now we get into the theories (and the reasoning behind why i'm hoping an E550 RWD will be ok for me). I feel there are two types of driving in snow - getting going and going fast. For getting going, AWD is clearly better than 2WD. In practice, this is only an issue on hills and in my experience i've never actually not been able to get up a hill in my snow car when it has the right tires on it - though i've had to put weight in the back, get speed up, fishtail the whole way up, etc a couple of times. So have any of you been unable to get up a hill in your E550 RWD with snows? Can you turn the traction control off enough to allow the snow tires to spin/dig through the snow and get down to firmer ground?
The other type of driving in snow doesn't have anything to do with getting going, it's about how fast you can safely go. I would imagine that this is almost entirely the tires and very little with the number of wheels getting power. However, i keep on hearing folks say that the 4matic's feel way more stable than the RWD cars. Is that because the RWD cars come with summer tires that are wider in the rear, and therefore they really are worse (but it can be fixed)? or is it because people don't like the feel of the rear end sliding a bit when under acceleration (understandable, but different than not being able to control direction and stop)?
btw - my rec on best snow tire (if you don't mind a little squishy on dry roads) is a Nokian Hakkapeliitta. the studs may be overkill in most spots, but the tires turn my rwd car into a tank and i can literally turn rings around any awd car or suv with esp etc. Mercedes has a recommended size for winter tires for each car model (for instance, my 01 E55 is taken from a 18in wheel and 275 rear tire down to a 17 wheel and 245 rear tire). Also, if you google "miata tire size" there's a guy on a miata forum that made a tire circumference calculator that you can use to match the rolling circumference of your winter tires to your stock tires.
My experience is based on my primary snow car, an '87 300TD, and the other car which I generally don't drive in snow, an 01 E55. Both are RWD. I figure the E55 is similar to an E550 power-wise and in snow. The 87 has 4 studded nokian hakkapeliitta 2's, and the tires make it fantastic in snow - climbs snow-covered hills that a friend's audi quattro (with summer tires) can't get up and it turns / stops faster than any AWD car with with all-seasons. The E55 isn't as bad in snow as i'd expect, it's actually comparable to the 87 on it's all seasons despite the E55's 275 wide rear tires (both pretty bad though).
Now we get into the theories (and the reasoning behind why i'm hoping an E550 RWD will be ok for me). I feel there are two types of driving in snow - getting going and going fast. For getting going, AWD is clearly better than 2WD. In practice, this is only an issue on hills and in my experience i've never actually not been able to get up a hill in my snow car when it has the right tires on it - though i've had to put weight in the back, get speed up, fishtail the whole way up, etc a couple of times. So have any of you been unable to get up a hill in your E550 RWD with snows? Can you turn the traction control off enough to allow the snow tires to spin/dig through the snow and get down to firmer ground?
The other type of driving in snow doesn't have anything to do with getting going, it's about how fast you can safely go. I would imagine that this is almost entirely the tires and very little with the number of wheels getting power. However, i keep on hearing folks say that the 4matic's feel way more stable than the RWD cars. Is that because the RWD cars come with summer tires that are wider in the rear, and therefore they really are worse (but it can be fixed)? or is it because people don't like the feel of the rear end sliding a bit when under acceleration (understandable, but different than not being able to control direction and stop)?
btw - my rec on best snow tire (if you don't mind a little squishy on dry roads) is a Nokian Hakkapeliitta. the studs may be overkill in most spots, but the tires turn my rwd car into a tank and i can literally turn rings around any awd car or suv with esp etc. Mercedes has a recommended size for winter tires for each car model (for instance, my 01 E55 is taken from a 18in wheel and 275 rear tire down to a 17 wheel and 245 rear tire). Also, if you google "miata tire size" there's a guy on a miata forum that made a tire circumference calculator that you can use to match the rolling circumference of your winter tires to your stock tires.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 2,240
Likes: 5
From: New Jersey
E550 4MATIC
I'm in a similar situation - considering an E550 and am leaning towards RWD (more fun, cheaper, less to break, etc). It'd be my only car. Currently live in CT with several ski trips to VT each winter. Has anyone driven a RWD E550 on snow-and-ice snow tires (i.e., not the performance winter tires that are 265 in the rear) and how was it? i'd imagine it'd be fine but i can't get a clear read from these forums. Context for the question (my experience, then my theories) are below, in case they help qualify your comments.
My experience is based on my primary snow car, an '87 300TD, and the other car which I generally don't drive in snow, an 01 E55. Both are RWD. I figure the E55 is similar to an E550 power-wise and in snow. The 87 has 4 studded nokian hakkapeliitta 2's, and the tires make it fantastic in snow - climbs snow-covered hills that a friend's audi quattro (with summer tires) can't get up and it turns / stops faster than any AWD car with with all-seasons. The E55 isn't as bad in snow as i'd expect, it's actually comparable to the 87 on it's all seasons despite the E55's 275 wide rear tires (both pretty bad though).
Now we get into the theories (and the reasoning behind why i'm hoping an E550 RWD will be ok for me). I feel there are two types of driving in snow - getting going and going fast. For getting going, AWD is clearly better than 2WD. In practice, this is only an issue on hills and in my experience i've never actually not been able to get up a hill in my snow car when it has the right tires on it - though i've had to put weight in the back, get speed up, fishtail the whole way up, etc a couple of times. So have any of you been unable to get up a hill in your E550 RWD with snows? Can you turn the traction control off enough to allow the snow tires to spin/dig through the snow and get down to firmer ground?
The other type of driving in snow doesn't have anything to do with getting going, it's about how fast you can safely go. I would imagine that this is almost entirely the tires and very little with the number of wheels getting power. However, i keep on hearing folks say that the 4matic's feel way more stable than the RWD cars. Is that because the RWD cars come with summer tires that are wider in the rear, and therefore they really are worse (but it can be fixed)? or is it because people don't like the feel of the rear end sliding a bit when under acceleration (understandable, but different than not being able to control direction and stop)?
btw - my rec on best snow tire (if you don't mind a little squishy on dry roads) is a Nokian Hakkapeliitta. the studs may be overkill in most spots, but the tires turn my rwd car into a tank and i can literally turn rings around any awd car or suv with esp etc. Mercedes has a recommended size for winter tires for each car model (for instance, my 01 E55 is taken from a 18in wheel and 275 rear tire down to a 17 wheel and 245 rear tire). Also, if you google "miata tire size" there's a guy on a miata forum that made a tire circumference calculator that you can use to match the rolling circumference of your winter tires to your stock tires.
My experience is based on my primary snow car, an '87 300TD, and the other car which I generally don't drive in snow, an 01 E55. Both are RWD. I figure the E55 is similar to an E550 power-wise and in snow. The 87 has 4 studded nokian hakkapeliitta 2's, and the tires make it fantastic in snow - climbs snow-covered hills that a friend's audi quattro (with summer tires) can't get up and it turns / stops faster than any AWD car with with all-seasons. The E55 isn't as bad in snow as i'd expect, it's actually comparable to the 87 on it's all seasons despite the E55's 275 wide rear tires (both pretty bad though).
Now we get into the theories (and the reasoning behind why i'm hoping an E550 RWD will be ok for me). I feel there are two types of driving in snow - getting going and going fast. For getting going, AWD is clearly better than 2WD. In practice, this is only an issue on hills and in my experience i've never actually not been able to get up a hill in my snow car when it has the right tires on it - though i've had to put weight in the back, get speed up, fishtail the whole way up, etc a couple of times. So have any of you been unable to get up a hill in your E550 RWD with snows? Can you turn the traction control off enough to allow the snow tires to spin/dig through the snow and get down to firmer ground?
The other type of driving in snow doesn't have anything to do with getting going, it's about how fast you can safely go. I would imagine that this is almost entirely the tires and very little with the number of wheels getting power. However, i keep on hearing folks say that the 4matic's feel way more stable than the RWD cars. Is that because the RWD cars come with summer tires that are wider in the rear, and therefore they really are worse (but it can be fixed)? or is it because people don't like the feel of the rear end sliding a bit when under acceleration (understandable, but different than not being able to control direction and stop)?
btw - my rec on best snow tire (if you don't mind a little squishy on dry roads) is a Nokian Hakkapeliitta. the studs may be overkill in most spots, but the tires turn my rwd car into a tank and i can literally turn rings around any awd car or suv with esp etc. Mercedes has a recommended size for winter tires for each car model (for instance, my 01 E55 is taken from a 18in wheel and 275 rear tire down to a 17 wheel and 245 rear tire). Also, if you google "miata tire size" there's a guy on a miata forum that made a tire circumference calculator that you can use to match the rolling circumference of your winter tires to your stock tires.
MB World Stories
The Best of Mercedes & AMG
Manual Mercedes? 6 Times Sindelfingen Let Drivers Have All The Fun
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Verdad Gallardo
8 Classic Boxy Mercedes Designs That Have Aged Like Fine Wine
Verdad Gallardo
Flawlessly Restored Mercedes 190E Evo II Heads to Auction
Verdad Gallardo
Electric Mercedes C-Class Unveiled: 11 Things You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes EQS Gets A Major Update: Everything You Need to Know
Verdad Gallardo
5 Underrated Mercedes-Benz Models That Don't Get the Love They Deserve
Verdad Gallardo
Mercedes 300D Has Pushed Well Past 1 Million Miles and It Ain't Stopping
Verdad Gallardo
10 Most Reliable Mercedes-Benz Models You Can Buy Used
Verdad Gallardo
Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 98
Likes: 8
From: New Mexico
2019 E63s
E550
I ended up getting an E550 sport (2WD). I live in MA and so the snow this year has been pretty bad. I did not bother to put snows on it. Having driven it a couple of miles, I am sure you could make it work - 99% of the time. As someone pointed out, years ago, just about everything was RWD. Yes AWD is better for the getting going part (and yes you can turn the traction control off), but I waned 2WD for the reasons you mentioned, what I thought would be better, lighter feel/handling, simpler, less costly, etc. What I decided to do was get a 3 month rental to keep the car out of the winter mess and salt. The cost of that was about 1/2 the cost of a nice set of snow tires and rims. It means driving a car I do not like very much during the worst of the winter, but it in the end it may be cheaper in terms of wear and tear - even if I had a 4MATIC.
Newbie
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
From: CT
1987 300TD; 2001 E55
Thank you all. Good to know that the RWD and AWD cars come with the same tire model (if not size). Also, you have a pretty creative solution to the winter aspect, what with the 3 month lease and all. I like it, on the other hand i'm attracted to (an have empirically acted consistently with) the camp that believes a car is meant to be driven and there's little point in babying it for the next owner, so i'd be torn between having a dedicated winter car and just enjoying my fun car year-round. anyways, i'm rambling and the basic point is that these cars don't appear to be any different in snow than a "normal" rig, and i can make my decision accordingly. if anyone has experiences to the contrary, i'd appreciate hearing them. Thanks again.
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 350
Likes: 0
From: NYC
'12 CLS 550 4matic
Good luck regardless of the tire, I had an 08' CLK 550 as a DD, that was brutal in the snow. Way too much low end torque for any tire to really grab in the snow, let alone dry weather. From a stop, I could break the tires loose on dry pavement w/ just a blip of the throttle. Loved the car, but as a DD, it was NG. I actually terminated my lease early because of it and hopped into my E550 4matic, now all good!
Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 98
Likes: 8
From: New Mexico
2019 E63s
Thank you all. Good to know that the RWD and AWD cars come with the same tire model (if not size). Also, you have a pretty creative solution to the winter aspect, what with the 3 month lease and all. I like it, on the other hand i'm attracted to (an have empirically acted consistently with) the camp that believes a car is meant to be driven and there's little point in babying it for the next owner, so i'd be torn between having a dedicated winter car and just enjoying my fun car year-round. anyways, i'm rambling and the basic point is that these cars don't appear to be any different in snow than a "normal" rig, and i can make my decision accordingly. if anyone has experiences to the contrary, i'd appreciate hearing them. Thanks again.
I respect and understand your thought about driving the car you bought for enjoyment. It makes sense. If you use the E550, even with snows as a DD, you should be prepared for a few days a year where you might just have to say -- not today :-)
Newbie
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
2008 E320 Bluetec
Winter tires - Blizac WS60 are the best
I use Blizac WS60 (winter studless tires) on my 2008 E320 Bluetec (diesel). It handles pretty good in this configuration, stock size 225/55-16. I have them mounted on a new set of aluminum rims with new TPMS tire sensors. It cost me ~$1100 total with installation, taxes, and lifetime balance and rotation through Discount Tire. The OEM Michelin All Season MMX (??) tires were terrible in the first winter. I almost ended up in a ditch on a straight icy road, while I was completely stopped in traffic. I say that the road was straight, but it had a slight curvature to it for drainage. My car started going sideways towards the ditch and I had to feather the throttle so that it does not go downhill. After that scare, I overrode my wife's objections and got the blizacs for her MB and for my 3000GT VR4. Both cars handle great with the blizacs. My brother likes the same blizacs on his 2011 Audi S4.
I think now they make a new tire WS70, so you'll have to read which is better. My blizacs are going in the 3rd winter now and they are not even half used up. One thing to watch out is that the top speed on the WS60 is only 110 mph. I'm fine with that and I did not want a performance winter tire because I was looking for maximum winter snow/ice/extreme cold weather handling.
However, I should say, that in mildly cold weather above ~35 deg F, the car does not stop as well on dry pavement. If the weather gets really warm (like in spring or early winter) such as 55-60F, you have to drive extra careful as the car cannot handle emergency maneuvers. My VR4 started fishtailing when I changed lanes suddenly in warm weather.
Of course, I use dedicated max performance summer tires on my cars for the other 3 seasons.
-Mike-
2008 E320 Bluetec
1995 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 - SOLD
Chicago Area
I think now they make a new tire WS70, so you'll have to read which is better. My blizacs are going in the 3rd winter now and they are not even half used up. One thing to watch out is that the top speed on the WS60 is only 110 mph. I'm fine with that and I did not want a performance winter tire because I was looking for maximum winter snow/ice/extreme cold weather handling.
However, I should say, that in mildly cold weather above ~35 deg F, the car does not stop as well on dry pavement. If the weather gets really warm (like in spring or early winter) such as 55-60F, you have to drive extra careful as the car cannot handle emergency maneuvers. My VR4 started fishtailing when I changed lanes suddenly in warm weather.
Of course, I use dedicated max performance summer tires on my cars for the other 3 seasons.
-Mike-
2008 E320 Bluetec
1995 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 - SOLD
Chicago Area
