BlownV8

The Continentals were bad from when they were brand new until the time I replaced them with Dunlop SP's. I won't say the Contintntals on my GL were the worst tire I have ever used on any car but I will say they were right there near the bottom of the list.

The Dunlop's were good from start to finish. I never noticed any change in handling or sound throughout the time they were on the car. Had I stayed with 19" rims, I would have purchased the Dunlop's again.

Benzo 003

Take a look at the Nokian WRG2...pricey, not easy to find, worth their weight in gold. An "all-season" tire with perfect reviews....I am putting them on in the spring, hoping to make the winter on the factory Conti's with 23k on them....

http://www.nokiantires.com/tyre?id=1...me=Nokian+WRG2

alx

pricey, not easy to find, worth their weight in gold as they are not available in 275/55/19 size...

Benzo 003

oddly, the Nokian website does not offer all of the available sizes on line...check with an actual tire dealer and get a quote....

JimBarnhart

I'm at 53,000 miles on my 2nd set of Contis, probably need new tires before the snow - which could be any day.

My friend just got some of the Hankuks for his ML and saved a ton. Too bad they don't make the 111 rating.

thebishman

You are right in that a new tyre should always seem to 'ride' better than one worn out. However, I always felt even when the GL was brand new that the ride was overly harsh, especially over road imperfections on the highway, etc. Initially I placed this down to the air suspension, but I am convinced now that some of that 'harshless', (poor compliance?), was due to the Continental tyres as it is markedly less with the Pirellis. The vehicle also seems to be handling better than at any time in our 16 months of ownership.

I'll see how the Pirellis handle winter conditions versus the Contis, but frankly doubt they would be worse.

Bish

alx

i am thinking about them. 111 is the rating that can withstand full load of people + luggage + 7500 trailer at 100 degree weather.

if you never hit all those at the same time i think the 107 would be just fine.

i am certainly going to try them on my gl.

alex
few cars

JimBarnhart

I went to the Hankook website and they do have a 275/55R19 Ventus AS that is a 111 load rating.

I'm going to investigate further.

stickygreen

Just be glad that you 19" wheel guys actually have options.

There is currently only one 275/50/20 runflat tire for us with '09+ Bluetecs, and it is the OE Goodyear LS-2 for $420/ea at tirerack.

2thdr

I would simply upsize to 285/50/20 and go with the Continental CrossContact UHP (http://www.conti-online.com/generato...n;tabNr=4.html)

Bonus that it's load factor is 116 and it is W rated. Approved for 8.0-10.0 inch width wheels.

I wish Nokian stepped up and offered the stock 20" size in the WRG2 SUV. I use those tires on my wife's old Civic and it handles like a mountain goat (OK, a little faster than a mountain goat).

stickygreen

I don't believe that tire is a runflat, which I will need. There are a couple of 265/50/20 runflats out there, but have a lower 106 load rating (vs 109) and have VERY poor reviews on tirerack.

The Goodyears are actually halfway decent tires and I do like the added safety of runflats, but the price is ridiculous. They were $340ea when we bought the GL (vs $420 now)

thebishman

The runflat is designed to go what? 50 miles at the most when 'flat'. At that time, you would need to replace the tyre as it would be most likely destroyed. In your place I would buy a non RFT tyre and carry a repair kit, (Slime and a small airpump; about $19 from Target), and enjoy the superior ride and the money saved.
Bish

stickygreen

All valid points, and I would do just that if it were my daily driver. The GL is currently being driven by my 60 yr-old mother, so it is still worth the added cost to ensure she never has to sit on the side of the road to repair a tire or wait for AAA.

This happened already soon after purchasing the vehicle...11pm on a country road about 5 miles outside of town, a tire went flat from a huge pothole, but we were still able to get home safely without even having to stop. And you're right..the tire's structural integrity had been compromised so it required replacement, but luckily the MB wheel/tire warranty took care of that.

Didn't mean to hijack the thread, but just wanted to point out how much easier you 19" tire guys have it than those of us with 20" runflats, as far as replacement goes.

JimBarnhart

I just put the Hankook Ventas AS tires on my 07 GL450 last week. We have had two snow storms since then and they've done pretty well in snow. Of course the ride and steering are much better than my Conti's that were showing wear bars. We'll see what I think a year from now. They have a 65,000 warranty, so I assume that is some indication I should get more than 25,000 I got from the Conti's.

evoviiiyou

Thanks for your post and info. 29,000 miles here and I need some new treads before the first big snow hits here in Ohio. I am ordering these Hankooks tomm. Looks like Discount tire has them for $185 ea. I also noticed that these tires have a much better tread wear rating than the stock Conti's. Here is the link:

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/di...yp=Truck%2FSUV

RickyN F355

hey just curious why not use the pirelli ice and snow? the guys on the Range Rover board rave about them and they even say u can use them all year round and still get 30,000 miles out of them. according to tirerack they come in the gl550 sizes.

JimBarnhart

We have GL450's with the 19" wheels. The GL550's are bigger (20"?). In the 19" the only option is the Pirelli Zero, not the snow and ice. I went with the Hankuk's since they have a higher warranty and cost $50 less per tire.

JimBarnhart

That's funny. I called Discount Tire in my area and the guy said the Hankuk's were POS's and tried to sell me the Dunlops. So I went somewhere else and paid about the same price.

RickyN F355

tirerack shows the following sizes for the ice and snow:
265/55R19
255/55R19

JimBarnhart

The 19" OEM for the GL450 is 275/55R19.

nitromilt

just put on a set of the perilli ice and snow in a 19" on my 09ML.At first blush they seem to work very well.All the hiways around here are clear of any snow and ice so i drove it on some side streets....they work very well.

RickyN F355

id love to know how the ice and snow compare to the nokian WRs, not just in the snow but also during the rest of the year. anyone experience both of those?

RickyN F355

i know, but its always better to have winter tires be a bit narrower so those sizes are perfect.

thebishman

I was asked which specific tyre I purchased for our 320 CDI and how I thought of them after having them for about 1,000 miles. Here is the link to the Tirerack:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....utoModel=GL320 CDI&autoModClar=

There are three versions of the Pirelli Zero. From what Luke told me, there is no difference; just buy the cheapest one available.

I am extremely happy with the tyres. They still provide excellent handling and ride characteristics, and I can tell you that they are handling, (sorry about the pun), the blizzard we are currently dealing with very well for an A/S tyre. Great traction in 6-8" of snow/ice. I feel very confident in the truck with these on. Highly recommended.

Bish

evoviiiyou

So after our first snow I decided to go with some tires on my wife's GL450 and decided to go with the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza's, as they had a 600 tread wear rating and most importantly had the 111 side wall rating. I also loved the price. I have to admit that I am surprised as to how well these "smaller" than stock tires fit these MB 19" wheels. They fit perfect and better yet made short work of the 3" snow we received last night in our subdivision. They sound quiet as well on the 65 mph highway cruise test. All in all, I would say these Bridgestone DuelerH/L Alenza's in the 255/55/19's are a 9.0 out 0f 10. Only the mileage will tell the true tale on if the 9.0 rating stands. Anything has to be better than the stock conti's in terms of longevity (I got 28K miles on the stock conti's with every 6-8K mile rotations). Here's the link for those of you who are interested:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....omCompare1=yes