550 in the snow or ice?
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Charger, Saab & Aston
550 in the snow or ice?
So the Northeast got bombed a bit last night and we had the pleasure of having to attend a wedding in NJ, commuting from Long Island. Luckily for us, the wedding was a day wedding and we made it home before things got real interesting. This was the first time the GL has seen snow or ice, and it wasn't much. I was driving and there were spots where I didn't think the traction was too good. I'm guessing the 550 is a compromise with the bigger wheels and maybe different tires from the 450. For those of you who have 550's, have you had them out and about in bad conditions? If so, how did you feel about it's abilities? Since this is my wife's vehicle and used to haul the kids around, I might want to make the move to snows if it isn't that good as is. Thanks!
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a few
typically the tires on all SUVs pretty much suck...first thing i do is change the tires. On my RR HSE they come with pirelli scorpions...they sucks so i put nokian WRs...on the escalade same thing, i put nokian wrs...x5, same stroy...the tires these SUVs some with from the factory are fine for the dry, but nowhere near safe for the snow, especially the gl 550, range rover supercharged, escalade with the 22s, etc...
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From: NYC
2008 GL550 Obsidian Black/Black
I think the gl550 drives more like an all wheel drive car than an 4x4 suv. The traction is way different from my other suvs(LX470,Range Rover). I had a problem this morning in Whitestone driving my kids to my brothers house, the street has a steep hill and i couldn't make it up,had to go around the block.To make it worse, once i went around i saw an Explorer come up the same hill that i couldn't.(To be fair the street was not plowed at all). I understand the tire/wheel on the 550 are more performance minded but on my Range Rover i had 305/40/22's and never had a traction problem. I must say though it was pretty cool going down that hill using hill descent...
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a few
I think the gl550 drives more like an all wheel drive car than an 4x4 suv. The traction is way different from my other suvs(LX470,Range Rover). I had a problem this morning in Whitestone driving my kids to my brothers house, the street has a steep hill and i couldn't make it up,had to go around the block.To make it worse, once i went around i saw an Explorer come up the same hill that i couldn't.(To be fair the street was not plowed at all). I understand the tire/wheel on the 550 are more performance minded but on my Range Rover i had 305/40/22's and never had a traction problem. I must say though it was pretty cool going down that hill using hill descent...
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Joined: Sep 2009
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From: Chicagoland
2008 ML350 4matic
I just put Continental Extreme Contact DWS tires on my ML....these tires are a virtual carbon copy of the Nokian WRG2s at 110.00 less per tire. So far, OUTSTANDING. Road noise is zero and snow and ice have been phenominal. Mind you, I have only had roughly 2 inches since the install, but I have had zero traction control activations and push through like it was dry pavement.
Just another option, I was about to pull the trigger on the Nokians but then found the Contis last minute...worth a look.
Just another option, I was about to pull the trigger on the Nokians but then found the Contis last minute...worth a look.
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From: .
08 GL450
The GL 550 comes from MBZ with two different tires : an OEM Continental 21 " with a " summer performance " tread compound , and which turns hard as a rock below 40 degrees, no matter what the tread pattern looks like or it's depth and is dangerous in cold/icy/snow conditions .
Other one is the OEM Pirelli 21" which has an " all-season " tread compound that remains pliable in very cold temps .
Even with AWD , manufacturers warn about this . As an example ,all Audi
" S " models come with " summer performance" tires and even though they have AWD, owners are warned they should switch to "all-season" or even snow tires in wintry climes .
Other one is the OEM Pirelli 21" which has an " all-season " tread compound that remains pliable in very cold temps .
Even with AWD , manufacturers warn about this . As an example ,all Audi
" S " models come with " summer performance" tires and even though they have AWD, owners are warned they should switch to "all-season" or even snow tires in wintry climes .
Last edited by MKW; Dec 22, 2009 at 12:04 AM.
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Charger, Saab & Aston
The GL 550 comes from MBZ with two different tires : an OEM Continental 21 " with a " summer performance " tread compound , and which turns hard as a rock below 40 degrees, no matter what the tread pattern looks like or it's depth and is dangerous in cold/icy/snow conditions .
Other one is the OEM Pirelli 21" which has an " all-season " tread compound that remains pliable in very cold temps .
Even with AWD , manufacturers warn about this . As an example ,all Audi
" S " models come with " summer performance" tires and even though they have AWD, owners are warned they should switch to "all-season" or even snow tires in wintry climes .
Other one is the OEM Pirelli 21" which has an " all-season " tread compound that remains pliable in very cold temps .
Even with AWD , manufacturers warn about this . As an example ,all Audi
" S " models come with " summer performance" tires and even though they have AWD, owners are warned they should switch to "all-season" or even snow tires in wintry climes .
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From: Chicago, IL
Real Cars
I just stuck Pirelli Scorpion Ice & Snow on my 320 and I cannot stop raving about what a monster this thing is in the snow. I had the Continental all-seasons before which were ok, but we are literally talking night and day with these Pirellis. Bring on the blizzards, I will enjoy confronting them.
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From: .
08 GL450
If it's M+S, then it will stay pliable and get you through . OTOH, that 295 width tread could " float " if you are not careful in slush !
Also take into consideration whether a vehicle is near 100% urban -snow driven in a flat area ( like Chicago ) vs use in snowy /icy mountain terrain with it's steep inclines and switchbacks ( like a Lake Tahoe ) .
Last edited by MKW; Dec 22, 2009 at 12:07 PM.
Thread Starter
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 127
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Charger, Saab & Aston
If it's M+S, then it will stay pliable and get you through . OTOH, that 295 width tread could " float " if you are not careful in slush !
Also take into consideration whether a vehicle is near 100% urban -snow driven in a flat area ( like Chicago ) vs use in snowy /icy mountain terrain with it's steep inclines and switchbacks ( like a Lake Tahoe ) .
Also take into consideration whether a vehicle is near 100% urban -snow driven in a flat area ( like Chicago ) vs use in snowy /icy mountain terrain with it's steep inclines and switchbacks ( like a Lake Tahoe ) .
