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Don't be seduced by a tire classified as "all season" (like the OE Pirelli) or a tire with a big knobby tread as being the best for year-round driving. Go with an all-terrain (A/T) class tire with a "mountain/snowflake" imprint on the sidewall. Cleanse your brain from thinking "all-terrain" means intended for off-road rock crawling. An A/T mountain/snowflake tire from a quality brand will make you happy January through December.
Which brand would you suggest?
I've heard good things about Toyo A/T and Nitto Ridge grapplers.
This is my ‘18 with Ridge Grapplers. After about 3700 miles or so I noticed a little accelerated wear and progressively louder “mud tire” hum at speed. Other than that it was a good performing tire both off and on road for me.
I've heard good things about Toyo A/T and Nitto Ridge grapplers.
I put Yokohama Geolandar A/T G015's in size 275/55-R20 on my 2019 G550 (the OE size was 275/50-R20), and have run them about 7,000 miles year-round through 2 Colorado winters. I'm pleased with how they ride and handle in all weather and road conditions, and they have a 60K treadwear warranty. Toyo and Nitto are good tires, as are Michelin. Just be sure you find a tire with the mountain/snowflake if you want snow traction.
I drive my 2020 G 63 primarily on dry roads. But, I spend a couple months each year on snowy roads in the Utah mountains. I don't feel comfortable with the OEM Pirelli Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico tires (performance summer tires) on snowy roads, so I'm determined to find a good replacement tire.
I don't want to buy a separate set of winter wheels/tires, and I would prefer not to go to the trouble of swapping tires as the seasons change (I'm also lazy). I talked to my Mercedes dealer and a couple of tire shops in Salt Lake City (lots of experience with dry and snowy roads), and they suggested several tires for the 22 inch wheels on the G 63. None of these tires are the exact same size as the OEM Pirelli Scorpion Asimmetrico tires (295/40 22 which is 11.6” wide x 31.3” tall), but they are very close 285/45 22 which is 11.2” wide x 32.1” tall (0.4” narrower and 0.8” taller than OEM). My Mercedes dealer assured me the slight size difference was acceptable and would not cause any problems.
I'm sure there are other tires out there that are worth considering, but the following tires are the ones I'm considering for my driving circumstances. Since good performance in snow and ice is important to me, I only considered tires that have the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol. All of the tires on my list do well in winter road conditions as well as dry road conditions. One of the tires, the Yokohama Geolandar, is also rated as an "All-Terrain" tire so it also does well off-road. One thing to keep in mind is winter tires will probably need to be replaced more often if used year-round. That's a consideration for me, but not a deciding factor.
I found some reviews on winter tires by tire experts at Norwegian magazine Autofil. These reviews were very comprehensive. Spoiler alert. Continental (the German tire manufacturer) seems to come out on top a lot. Pirelli and Michelin are always close behind, so it's hard to make a wrong choice IMHO
Since I get my G soon I don't need to touch the tiers until November. I do live in state where we do get snow, not a ton but enough where I'd like a good tire.
Reason being, I'd rather have a good all year round tire so I don't have to switch them in and out since I'm lazy.
I'm glad to hear that your Pirelli winter tires do well for you.
I have 22 inch wheels with OEM Pirelli Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico tires (summer tires) on my 2020 G 63. I spend a couple months a year in the mountains of Utah, so I am motivated to replace the Pirelli summer tires with tires that will work well in both snowy conditions and dry roads. After reading all the comments about how "All-Season" tires really don't work well in the snow, I was motivated to find a better solution. I don't go off road at all, so I don't necessarily need "All-Terrain" tires.
I spoke to my Mercedes dealer, as well as tire guys at tirerack.com and a local tire shopping SLC, and it seems that winter tires (with the mountain and snowflake symbol) would be a good solution for me. I questioned the tire shops about winter tires on dry summer roads (I also read a lot of reviews), and they say winter tires also do well in dry conditions. The ideal solution (as you know) is to have a second set of wheels/tires for winter use and swap back and forth as seasons change. But, I'd rather not go to that much trouble since I'm only in snowy conditions two months a year.
Michelin X-Ice, Pirelli Scorpion Winter and Continental Viking Contact all get very good reviews, and they are all available for 22 inch wheels. None of these come in the exact size of the OEM Pirelli Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico tires (295/40 22), but they are very close. My Mercedes dealer (and the tires shops) said the slight size difference will not cause any problems (I was glad to hear that).
Pirelli makes several different winters tires. I am looking at buying the Pirelli Scorpion Winter tires. Which specific flavor of Pirelli winter tires do you have, and what size did you choose? The Pirelli Scorpion Winter tires are available in several different sizes for 22 inch wheels (see below).
OEM summer tires
Pirelli Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico (summer tires)
295/40 22 (11.6” wide x 31.3” tall)
Pirelli Scorpion Winter tires
285/40 22 (11.2” wide x 31” tall) 0.4” narrower and 0.3” shorter than OEM
285/45 22 (11.2” wide x 32.1” tall) 0.4” narrower and 0.8” taller than OEM
295/35 22 (11.6” wide x 30.1” tall) same width and 1.2” shorter than OEM
The tire shops I spoke to recommended 285/45.
My dealership installed Pirelli scorpion winter 285/40/R22 tires on my 2021 G 63. I had no problems getting around this winter. I’m getting ready to have them swap back to my summer tires.
02-28-2021 | 11:24 AM
