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Has anyone had any luck finding snow tires (not all seasons) in E53 tire sizes? I have the 20 inchers, if it matters....
I've never had issues with finding snow tires for any of my prior cars, but I seem to be coming up empty on Tire Rack and Nokian (my two go-tos). Yikes!
Interesting that Discount Tire has a tire model/size that was unavailable in Tirerack. I always used Tirerack as my reference and if unavailable in Tirerack, I never explored any other option. This is useful information for me.
Interesting that Discount Tire has a tire model/size that was unavailable in Tirerack. I always used Tirerack as my reference and if unavailable in Tirerack, I never explored any other option. This is useful information for me.
Interesting because I don't buy from Tirerack because Discount Tire has full service stores near me. They have over 1,000 stores. One may be near you.
Interesting that Discount Tire has a tire model/size that was unavailable in Tirerack. I always used Tirerack as my reference and if unavailable in Tirerack, I never explored any other option. This is useful information for me.
ua549, how do you like the Alpin 5s? I need to get snow tires for my 2025 AT and my options are the Alpin 5s or Pirelli P Zero Winters.
I simply did a product availability search. I've never owned winter tires though I've been tempted to put them on a beach buggy. Being a Florida resident I've never driven in snow though I've seen it in pictures. Winter conditions here are in the 70's and 80's. Yesterday it was 87° F.
have been through many downstate NY winters with all season tires without issue.
Bingo ! When I lived in rural Washington, closer to Mount Rainier, snow was very prevalent throughout the winter. I got through all of that, with my Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 4s (A/S = All-Season). Never had to use dedicated winter tires. Of course if driving through deep snow is a regular need, then dedicated winter tires are the way to go.
My X5 with all seasons did fine in most snow on ski trips to Lake Placid and Hunter. Somewhat concerned that the much lower E53 will not fare as well.
Anyplace where deep snow is involved, will need dedicated snows. As long as they are diligent about ploughing streets etc., the high quality A/S tires will get the job done. Either way, winter tires or not, the E53 is not a deep-snow car. Even the E450 All-Terrain, with an additional couple of inches of ground clearance, is also not a deep-snow vehicle, whether equipped with dedicated snow tires or not.
The snow tires not only have the chemical compounds embedded into the rubber within the tires, that allow the tires to remain pliable, when the temperatures drop, but also have the tread pattern and the grooves, to bite into the deeper snow. The All-seasons have the exact same winter compounds in portions of their tread (allowing the tire to grip, reasonably well), but their tread-patterns are more designed for the dry and the wet, and not deeper snow, and thus they will not bite into the deeper snow, as well as the dedicated winter tires.
Here's my 2022 E450 All-Terrain (currently with my brother), heading into my cabin near Mt.Rainier...........driving through well over a foot of snow. Eventually, when the snow got even deeper, the car obviously could not move, until my neighbor arrived with his tractor to get me out.
Stupid move, I know, but shows how important is Ground Clearance, over-and-above the tires themselves, if DEEP snow is involved.
I have used Blizzacks, Pirelli , dunlop, and Michelin pa4 most recently. Michelins for 90% are awesome on Sclass and E450 Allterrain. Great in the dry and wet, snow also. But if you have lots of ice and deep snow with ground clearance its Blizzacks!!!
Good to know. I'll most likely be using the stock wheels for winter, but do you have any specs on the package?
The winter wheel package comes with Pirelli P Zero Winter tires on 19" wheels..
Front: 245/45 R19 102H 19x8.5
Rear: 275/40 R19 105H 19x9.5
If you want to stay with the 20 inch wheels that come with the car, Michelin Pilot Alpin 5's are available in 104 and 105 load indexes. They have a W speed rating.
Last edited by Mercuccio; Nov 24, 2025 at 03:38 AM.
When I was looking for 19" wheels for my E53 I ran into very limited options. MB USA looked to Europe to get advice on the specs of their 19" wheel option for the E53. That 19" wheel was not available in the USA this spring when I purchased my 2025. Also, I have the 390 mm front brakes.
When I was looking for 19" wheels for my E53 I ran into very limited options. MB USA looked to Europe to get advice on the specs of their 19" wheel option for the E53. That 19" wheel was not available in the USA this spring when I purchased my 2025. Also, I have the 390 mm front brakes.
Manufacturers and dealers tend to keep winter wheel and tire packages in inventory in November and early December. Between February and October, they might not be available. They are trying to sell 100% of inventory by January. It's possible the US didn't have any stock in the spring, but they may have them now. If you have a customer focused parts department, you may be able to get on a list with your dealer in the summer, and they can order for you in September.
Having the Michelin Pilot Sport All Season tires on the 20-inch wheels as OEM equipment is a major selling point for me. I would prefer to have the same tire but with more sidewall to survive spring potholes. Since the car doesn't have any space for a spare tire, I hope I'm in cellphone coverage to call the tow truck when I lose the 20-inch wheel and tire to a pothole. The PSAS tires should be available year-round. Where I live, I can probably get by on PSAS tires in the snow.
If we can get 19" wheels for the winter, then there are plenty of winter tire options with an acceptable load index. Bridgestone Blizzak 6, Hakkapelitta R5 and Michelin X-ICE full snow tires are available. Pirelli P Zero Winter, Vredestein,Wintrac Pro+, and Continental Wintercontact TS are available in the performance winter category. My preference is the Michelin CrossClimate2 all-weather 3PMSF tires for occasional heavier snow, but decent wet and dry performance as we get into spring and fall. It is also possible to buy CrossClimate2's in July to be prepared for winter and in February when you lose a tire to a pothole.
In the 20" wheel size, Michelin makes the Pilot Alpin 5 performance winter tire. They should be out there, but it may require a search to find them.
My guess is that there will be less winter tire options for the 21 wheels, but I haven't explored that since I wouldn't use 21-inch wheels in the winter. Tire Rack has Pirelli P Zero Winter tires (in Mercedes AMG markings) available for the 21-inch wheels, but the load rating is lower than that of the Mercedes E53 package. They have the same tires with Tesla markings. A Tesla should be heavy like the E53, so Tire Rack may be confident that they will work. Many installers will not install a tire with a lower load rating than what the manufacturer recommends. I am hesitant to go to a lower load rating myself, but some of the latest generation M5 owners are going with lower load ratings and calculating the tire pressure adjustment to get access to all season tires.
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