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So I noticed one of my wife's tires on her W212 was pretty much bald, so I had to move up my tire replacement timeline. I had planned on either OEM Pirellis, Contis or perhaps Michelins. I cross-shopped each with my local tire guy, but the only thing he had in stock in my size were these Sumitomo HTR A/S PO2s. They weren't really on my radar, but they were less than half the price of all the other tires that I left him a list of, to check on for me.
I went home and did some research on them, mostly on Tire Rack, comparing them to all the other tires I was interested in, and surprisingly they rated as high, or even better than, all the other tires on my list. I figured what the hell, they were only $500 for the set, mounted and balanced, W-rated with the 45,000-mile treadwear warranty (H or V is 60,000 miles). If I didn't like them it wouldn't be a big deal to get a better set in the fall.
The first thing I noticed was an eerie (best word for it) silence in the car. I had OEM Pirellis before this. The car was silent now. I had no idea how much road noise I was picking up from the previous tires. As a quiet ride was probably my #1 concern (my wife has a 200-mile a day commute) I was thrilled with this.
I didn't tell her anything about the tires other than that I bought a set. Her first drive to work, she texted me "OMG these tires are so quiet".
I took the car this past weekend down to the AF base, about 3 hours from me. Driving rain the entire weekend. The car was one-finger-on-the-wheel stable through everything, deep standing water and all.
Haven't had them in snow yet but as my wife works from home when it snows, it's not a huge priority for me.
At less than half the price of the usual tires I'm seeing cross-shopped here, I strongly urge you guys to look into these Sumitomos. I can't say enough good things about them.
What country they are manufactured in?
Lot of US citizens have aversion to "Made in China" stuff, but when it comes to tires -especially trailer tires the Chinese stuff is top shelf.
Thanks for the review. I might need tires for my SL500 soon and since the car does not put much mileage, I don't want to spend top dollars for tires that will age with good thread.
It's always good to have tire options and glad you tried something new. Please come back after 6 months or so with an update since your wife puts so many miles on her car. It's good to see how these things wear and if they become noisy after several thousand miles.
What country they are manufactured in?
Lot of US citizens have aversion to "Made in China" stuff, but when it comes to tires -especially trailer tires the Chinese stuff is top shelf.
Thanks for the review. I might need tires for my SL500 soon and since the car does not put much mileage, I don't want to spend top dollars for tires that will age with good thread.
Sumitomo is a Japanese company and it should not matter in which country their stuff is made in. They run plants with their own strict methods and quality control is good as in a Japanese plant.
I put these tires (in H rating) on my C32 AMG, and have had them in dry, wet, and snow,
Smooth ride, responsive, quiet, great 4 season traction. Agree with the OP that these are awesome tires.
Sumitomo is a Japanese company and it should not matter in which country their stuff is made in. They run plants with their own strict methods and quality control is good as in a Japanese plant.
Replying here to my own message. Forgot to mention it really does not matter what tires you buy, chances are it is Sumitomo rubber as they supply rubber to almost every tire maker in the world.
I put these tires (in H rating) on my C32 AMG, and have had them in dry, wet, and snow,
Smooth ride, responsive, quiet, great 4 season traction. Agree with the OP that these are awesome tires.
I've got about 5K on them so far. Just drove from Denver to Washington State with car loaded and pulling a trailer at 75-80 mph in wind, rain, snow. No issues.
02-25-2018, 10:03 AM
