When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I drive '14 E-350 Sport package.
The vehicle came with Continental tires. One thing for sure - those tires were amazing. A bit on the hard side but handling was just great.
Since we had a lot of nasty potholes after last winter it happend: one tire blew up and unfortunately I was far from home. The local tire store got me Toyo tires instead. SO I made home with 4 new Toyo tires. Nice ride, soft handling but …. as soon as i push the car a bit into the curve… the wheels lost the grip. It seams to me the top speed was lower than I used to do it with Continentals.
Now I have a set of new tires I can not push the car too much.
I am just curious if you guys experienced something like that.
Greg
Tires are very important to the performance of a vehicle. May I suggest watching some of the test videos on www.tirerack.com and maybe look at the test charts for some of the tires.
Top speed is pre-progammed by Merc. Your tire choice won't affect your car's pre-progammed top speed.
So we can better help, we'll need to know the specific model of Toyos and Continentals that you're writing about.
By the way... when Car & Driver reviewed the 2012 E550 4Matic, they noted the Pirelli P-Zero all-seasons were significantly worse performers than the Continental ContiProContact all-seasons. Both were OEM tires.
Top speed is pre-progammed by Merc. Your tire choice won't affect your car's pre-progammed top speed.
So we can better help, we'll need to know the specific model of Toyos and Continentals that you're writing about.
By the way... when Car & Driver reviewed the 2012 E550 4Matic, they noted the Pirelli P-Zero all-seasons were significantly better performers than the Continental ContiProContact all-seasons. Both were OEM tires.
"One difference we could do without, however, was the fitment of 18-inch Pirelli P Zero Nero all-season tires (sized 245/40) on our test car in place of the Continental ContiProContact all-seasons that were on the last E550 4MATIC we evaluated.
With the new car’s added weight and the Pirellis reducing the chassis’s grasp on the road to a gentle hug, 70-mph panic stops stretch from 169 feet to 180, and lateral grip slips from 0.86 g to a meager 0.81."
I did not measure any performance values, just my feeling while taking curves. On Continentals (original tires) I was able to drive much more aggressive into the turns while Toyo lost grip on all four wheels. It happened twice and made me thinking this model of Toyo tires is more pleasant to drive but not as for a performance driving.
When I was tire shopping a few months back to replace my OEM Michelins, I visited at least 6 tire shops from chains to independents. Most seems to want to sell me their go to tire whether that was Goodyear, Toyo or whatever and didn't seem to care what I was driving other than the tire size and speed rating of the OEM. I did run into a couple of old school tire guys during my search that claimed that only Michelins or Continentals were good for a Mercedes. They went on and on about how the car was setup and would wear on the edge more with the wrong tires. And that only those two brands would last the expected time on the car. I found their stories highly entertaining more than anything. Although one of them was recommending Continentals even though they didn't carry that brand. I ended up getting a deal on another set of the OEM Michelins that made it not worth pursuing other options. But I still wonder if there is truth to their claims.
Not sure if one brand's is perfect for an entire line of Mercedes. I've had good luck & only one bad experience (noise) in replacement tires for my Corvettes, BMWs, Mercedes, Fords & Jeeps over the years.
Even though we have E400 bi-turbo V6, my wife won't ever reach the limits of the car, since she treats it as more a luxury car than performance car. So it's the quietness & soft ride of the tires are more important to her than high performance.
For my last 2 Corvettes, I've had Goodyears, Nitto, & Michelins on them. At the Ron Fellows Corvette performance driving school near Vegas, they prominently advertise Michelins, they use orig equip Michellins, but the Instructors says that it's mostly advertising since their racing experience use other brands. I've found that the Nitto 555's, at half the cost, ride extremely well, quiet, & very comfortable. Of course, being in Houston, I don't have to deal with snow & ice, just switch it to weather mode on rainy days, otherwise, it handles just fine when pushed to 90% of its limits. Honestly, I can't really use all of the 460 hp, so I won't need to pay $2000 for a orig set of tires.
When I replaced tires on my 2010 E350 I went from Pirelli to Conti very happily. Now my 2014 E350 came with stock Conti's and I agree, they have a nice confident stance and hold for my driving style.
I would recommend calling the tire store back and negotiate an upgrade if possible rather than being miserable until the tread wears off.
"One difference we could do without, however, was the fitment of 18-inch Pirelli P Zero Nero all-season tires (sized 245/40) on our test car in place of the Continental ContiProContact all-seasons that were on the last E550 4MATIC we evaluated.
With the new car’s added weight and the Pirellis reducing the chassis’s grasp on the road to a gentle hug, 70-mph panic stops stretch from 169 feet to 180, and lateral grip slips from 0.86 g to a meager 0.81."
and absolutely the worst all season tire in rain or snow that I have ever owned. Next set will be Michelin Pilot AS-3. Very highly rated by almost everyone.
Yup, the Mich Pilot A/S indeed get outstanding reviews on tirerack.com; however, their snow perf ratings are noticeably lower than the class-leading Contys (DWS and PureContact) and even slightly behind the Pirelli P-Zeros. Odd, but the #'s are true. Only you can judge how the ratings translate to your driving conditions, of course.
To the OP, I'm led to believe that new tires need a ~500mi break-in period before they perform as designed. Maybe you need a few more miles, but then again that would just about seal the deal on returning them (assuming that's even in play).
