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Hi all- I have a 2012 E350 4matic, and it's time for new tires. Tire size is 245/45x17. Currently have the Continental MO's, and I have no issues with these tires, thus getting another set of the same tires is not an issue
I like the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4. A tad over $900 for a set of 4 at Costco. They do a free 5 year road hazard with free rotation/balancing and flat repair.
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
Originally Posted by cetialpha5
I like the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4. A tad over $900 for a set of 4 at Costco. They do a free 5 year road hazard with free rotation/balancing and flat repair.
had those for the last ? years, going to replace them with the CrossClimate2's as they are approaching worn out (6/32nds in the front, 4/32nds in back). They've been kind of noisy the past year or two, they were awesome
Can you recommend something more consumer friendly around the $150 - $200 USD range? Michelin PS4's are nice but for 250 USD each they are pricey for me.
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
get something like a Corolla that has smaller wheels that use a less expensive tire size. Mercedes E is an $60,000 luxury car and you're complaining about $1000 worth of tires that should last 40K miles (Pilot AS4) or 60k (CC2) ?
Sure you would use cheaper tires but on any car you should buy quality. Tires are important for ride, grip and handling. The $250 savings isn’t worth it for cheaper tires that offer subpar performance.
Hard to get much cheaper than $929 installed for 4 tires. They do have the Firestone Firehawk AS V2 for $660 for a set of 4 tires. Not sure if they're any good though, Firestone hasn't had a good reputation since their Ford Exploder days. Pretty much everyone is happy with Michelins, other brands, well who knows. Sometimes you just have to pay extra for peace of mind and not get stuck with a cheaper, crappy tire. After all, the only thing touching the road on your car is the tires. When you're in the $150-$200 range you could also be in the no name Chinese tire range. I think there was one Chinese brand that had a big recall on their tires, didn't actually meet the spec for an all season tire. There's all sorts of horror stories about no name tires, early tire failure, not getting advertised wear, unsafe, etc. They basically cut corners to give you a cheaper tire. Cutting corners is one thing when it's something that doesn't matter that much, but I'm not really into that when it comes to tires.
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
I've had various cheaper tires in the past that were OK when brand new, but by the time they were worn down to 75% of their original tread, never mind 50%, the traction went to hell, and the ride quality and noise were awful. Meanwhile, Michelins tend to be good til they are nearly bald.
I've had various cheaper tires in the past that were OK when brand new, but by the time they were worn down to 75% of their original tread, never mind 50%, the traction went to hell, and the ride quality and noise were awful. Meanwhile, Michelins tend to be good til they are nearly bald.
Yeah usually my Michelin's go the usual way, the insides of the tires are worn down to nothing, but you don't really notice it while driving. Usually shows up when getting a state inspection or when I check just before winter.
Hi all- I have a 2012 E350 4matic, and it's time for new tires. Tire size is 245/45x17. Currently have the Continental MO's, and I have no issues with these tires, thus getting another set of the same tires is not an issue
Open to suggestions of other tires to consider-
Thanks!
1. Sounds like factory 9x17s, right? May I suggest 255/40 instead of the 245/45. I run 255/40-18 on the factory 2014 rims and they look great, filling up the wheelwell a tiny bit better.
2. I have run two sets of Conti ControlContacts (from America's Tire/Discount Tire) and they are great! Excellent grip, good in the wet, stay quiet as they age, and their mileage warranty pays off at the end of their usable life. I'll do it again without hesitation at the next change.
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
Originally Posted by Edward993
1. Sounds like factory 9x17s, right? May I suggest 255/40 instead of the 245/45. I run 255/40-18 on the factory 2014 rims and they look great, filling up the wheelwell a tiny bit better.
2. I have run two sets of Conti ControlContacts (from America's Tire/Discount Tire) and they are great! Excellent grip, good in the wet, stay quiet as they age, and their mileage warranty pays off at the end of their usable life. I'll do it again without hesitation at the next change.
Edward
255/40R17 only have a load factor of 94, the 245/45R17XL specified for the E350 are 99
These are heavy cars. They call for XL rated tires because of this. A lighter rated tire will be cheaper but stands a higher possibility of overheating and blowing out at the worst possible moment.
Post #5 is blunt but accurate.
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
Originally Posted by cetialpha5
Yeah usually my Michelin's go the usual way, the insides of the tires are worn down to nothing, but you don't really notice it while driving. Usually shows up when getting a state inspection or when I check just before winter.
that suggests you were running too high of a tire pressure, at least if by 'inside' you mean the middle of the tread. Look up the 'chalk test'.. basically, you draw some chalk lines across the tread and drive 100-200 feet in a straight line, then inspect the chalk. if the chalk is gone from the middle but not the sides, you have too much air, if its gone from the sides but not the middle, you don't have enough air. do this to both the front and rear tires.
that suggests you were running too high of a tire pressure, at least if by 'inside' you mean the middle of the tread. Look up the 'chalk test'.. basically, you draw some chalk lines across the tread and drive 100-200 feet in a straight line, then inspect the chalk. if the chalk is gone from the middle but not the sides, you have too much air, if its gone from the sides but not the middle, you don't have enough air. do this to both the front and rear tires.
now, if by inside, you mean one side of the tire is wearing more than the other side, you have an alignment issue.
It's a standard Mercedes things, can't really set camber but you can buy bolts that let you adjust it. I get alignments all the time, all they can really do is adjust toe. It's basically the inside edge of the front tires. Basically MB specs are set up so that if you're doing 100+ on the autobahn, you get normal wear, but we don't really drive like that so it's common for lots of people to have the inside edges of the front tires worn out. Only solution is to rotate the tires more often. At least when mine are worn out, I get close to 40k out of a set of tires rated for 45k.
I replaced my tires earlier this year with Summit Ultramax HP A/S. Bought them off Amazon for $310 then paid $100 to have them installed, mounted and balanced. Plus I had two new tire sensors installed and the other two rebuilt. So far i really like these tires. I have yet to drive in snow so cant comment on that. But highways, backroads, rain, they are great. very quiet and the ride is smooth even with having the sports suspension.
The previous tires were new when I bought the car 5yrs ago, I only replaced them due to cracking, the tread was still ok.
I have always been buying the lowest price tires with good reviews for all previous cars. Never had a flat, never needed a tow truck, never drove off the road due to tire issues.
get something like a Corolla that has smaller wheels that use a less expensive tire size. Mercedes E is an $60,000 luxury car and you're complaining about $1000 worth of tires that should last 40K miles (Pilot AS4) or 60k (CC2) ?
Unfortunately/fortunately the 2012 e350 is not a $60k car any more, more like a $15k car (maybe) depending on location and mileage/condition. Bad part is the maintenance and parts are still like a $150k car lol.
Tire prices are crazy now a days like everything else. My truck which I run 295/70-18s ST MAXX which I can get 75-80K miles out of use to cost $850 a set when I bought my truck, now they cost about $1800 set.
To the OP, I had conti tracs on my car when I got it, they were end of life but still performed good. I put cheapo tires on Laufenn S FIT AS on and although they perform well in wet weather and all that they have weak sidewalls and as such do not handle nearly as well as the conti tires did. Will see if I can get the 40k miles out of them. They are wearing evenly even without properly rotating them like I should. I keep them at max pressure where the conti's I ran about 5-10psi less than max for a little better ride. Just my experience.
255/40R17 only have a load factor of 94, the 245/45R17XL specified for the E350 are 99
Hmmm, I have never heard a "load factor" rating on tires being a consideration, ever in decades of being a car/mc geek and wrencher! I've had wagons, SUVs, vans, and still have a Suburban with 219k miles and towed and never heard of this rating (except in trailer tires), and this in decades. I am sure it's important if anyone is loading their carto the hilt then driving it thusly consistently?? Is loading one's MB to its max really a common practice is my question, toward which that owner should decide accordingly, of course. For most "typical" use, putting on any good brand tire of solid repute covers the safety aspect; and yes, good tires are critical IMO as I don't skimp here given what's riding on the tires! Fwiw, our E350 has worn 255/40 Contis repeatedly over 120k miles, with sustained touring day after day at times: never a hiccup or complaint, let alone any problem. Everyone's criteria for "good" or "necessary" differs, so I guess I'll leave it at that.
Tires are probably the most important part of your entire car from a safety perspective. I would need a pretty good reason to skimp on any aspect of the tires on my daily driver (a reason much better than a few hundred bucks)...
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
Originally Posted by Edward993
Hmmm, I have never heard a "load factor" rating on tires being a consideration, ever in decades of being a car/mc geek and wrencher! I've had wagons, SUVs, vans, and still have a Suburban with 219k miles and towed and never heard of this rating (except in trailer tires), and this in decades. I am sure it's important if anyone is loading their carto the hilt then driving it thusly consistently?? Is loading one's MB to its max really a common practice is my question, toward which that owner should decide accordingly, of course. For most "typical" use, putting on any good brand tire of solid repute covers the safety aspect; and yes, good tires are critical IMO as I don't skimp here given what's riding on the tires! Fwiw, our E350 has worn 255/40 Contis repeatedly over 120k miles, with sustained touring day after day at times: never a hiccup or complaint, let alone any problem. Everyone's criteria for "good" or "necessary" differs, so I guess I'll leave it at that.
the payload on my wife's E350 wagon is 1080 lbs, that includes driver and passengers and luggage. 4 large adults and a big dog and boom, you're at it.
different size tires are designed for different vehicle sizes. The W212 is a fairly heavy car (GVWR of my wife's wagon is 5721 lbs, 2600 kg) and specifies XL (extra load) tires, eg 245/45R17XL or 245/40R18XL, and these are only available in specific sizes.
all tires, after the size, like 245/45R17XL, is a load and speed factory, like 99Y ... Load Index 99= 1,709 lbs (775 kg) per tire, Speed Rating “Y”= 186 mph (300 kph) (ok, "Y" is excessive for a E350, "V" would be plenty).
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
Originally Posted by Left Coast Geek
the payload on my wife's E350 wagon is 1080 lbs, that includes driver and passengers and luggage. 4 large adults and a big dog and boom, you're at it.
different size tires are designed for different vehicle sizes. The W212 is a fairly heavy car (GVWR of my wife's wagon is 5721 lbs, 2600 kg) and specifies XL (extra load) tires, eg 245/45R17XL or 245/40R18XL, and these are only available in specific sizes.
all tires, after the size, like 245/45R17XL, is a load and speed factory, like 99Y ... Load Index 99= 1,709 lbs (775 kg) per tire, Speed Rating “Y”= 186 mph (300 kph) (ok, "Y" is excessive for a E350, "V" would be plenty).
Fun fact. My 2019 Expedition Limited 4x4 SUV has a GVWR of 7450 lbs, with a payload of 1504 lbs.... That means it's curb weight is only 1300 lbs more than the E350.
Tires are probably the most important part of your entire car from a safety perspective. I would need a pretty good reason to skimp on any aspect of the tires on my daily driver (a reason much better than a few hundred bucks)...
Yeah until your steering link goes out..... that is a interesting uncontrolled drive to the side of the road when it does.
2016 E350 4Matic wagon, 2019 Ford Expedition, 2019 Chevy Bolt EV
Originally Posted by Quint22
Yeah until your steering link goes out..... that is a interesting uncontrolled drive to the side of the road when it does.
gotta say, 45 years or so of driving a wide range of cars, many of them quite old and very high mileage, and thats never happened to me. My brother did have a front king pin completely break on a 1968 Plymouth Valiant that had been our dads, and had been driven into the ground with minimal maintenance, this caused a front wheel to completely fold under the car on a very low speed turn just a couple blocks from his house.
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