New tires at 19K? need help!
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 23
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From: Reading, PA
GL450
New tires at 19K? need help!
Hi everyone, I have an 08 GL450 - I just took it in to get State Inspection and I need 4 new tires! The car has 19,120 miles on it. Dealer price for the Continental 275 55 is $1460. My husband has suggested the Hankook Tire. Does anyone have suggestions??? Any other good tires for this car?
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
From: Reading, PA
GL450
wow, I am thinking that tires only lasting 19K is crazy! Did you research any other brands? How long did yours last before you had to replace them?
It seems as if this tire issue is similar to one that occured with the S class years ago... super soft tires on a heavy car.
It seems as if this tire issue is similar to one that occured with the S class years ago... super soft tires on a heavy car.
Super Member
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 814
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15 GL550
wow, I am thinking that tires only lasting 19K is crazy! Did you research any other brands? How long did yours last before you had to replace them?
It seems as if this tire issue is similar to one that occured with the S class years ago... super soft tires on a heavy car.
It seems as if this tire issue is similar to one that occured with the S class years ago... super soft tires on a heavy car.
http://www.lancerevoclub.org/faq/handling.php
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Joined: Sep 2005
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From: Albuquerque
'10 CL550, '12 GL550
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 252
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How many miles are folks with 20" Goodyear Run-flats experiencing? The Goodyears are expensive at $500 each. I was debating if I should get the 19" standard wheels (tires cost half) but the 20" wheels look much nicer IMHO. Plus, the added security of Runflat is nice when driving around with kids. The appearance package at $1400 is a bargain considering the price of the tires.
I test drove a GL with the 20" and the ride was very nice.
I test drove a GL with the 20" and the ride was very nice.
Super Member
Joined: Jul 2009
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15 GL550
You are correct, they ride very well, particularly at high speeds. That is what you are paying for.
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Super Member
Joined: Feb 2009
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From: NW corner of CONUS
2008 GL 320 CDI, 2004 VW V10 Touareg TDI
The Michelins ride and handle better at higher speeds than the Contis' anyway!
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Joined: Apr 2008
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From: Cali
2011 GL450
How many miles are folks with 20" Goodyear Run-flats experiencing? The Goodyears are expensive at $500 each. I was debating if I should get the 19" standard wheels (tires cost half) but the 20" wheels look much nicer IMHO. Plus, the added security of Runflat is nice when driving around with kids. The appearance package at $1400 is a bargain considering the price of the tires.
I test drove a GL with the 20" and the ride was very nice.
I test drove a GL with the 20" and the ride was very nice.
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 456
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From: East Coast
19 MB G63, '18 RR Dawn, '15 RR ATB LWB, '14/'08 MB GL550, '11 MB CL63 AMG, '11 X5 50i etc etc
I just changed all 4 tires on my 08 GL550.. Got almost 35K out of them.. Dealer says I did pretty well.. Got 1 tire under warranty on count of flat.. Guess warranty was not a waste.
The new tires have returned the new truck feel. The beast is back and dare I say better
The new tires have returned the new truck feel. The beast is back and dare I say better
Super Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 711
Likes: 11
From: NW corner of CONUS
2008 GL 320 CDI, 2004 VW V10 Touareg TDI
I just changed all 4 tires on my 08 GL550.. Got almost 35K out of them.. Dealer says I did pretty well.. Got 1 tire under warranty on count of flat.. Guess warranty was not a waste.
The new tires have returned the new truck feel. The beast is back and dare I say better
The new tires have returned the new truck feel. The beast is back and dare I say better
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 456
Likes: 3
From: East Coast
19 MB G63, '18 RR Dawn, '15 RR ATB LWB, '14/'08 MB GL550, '11 MB CL63 AMG, '11 X5 50i etc etc
I had 21" Continental Tires (OEM) - go for 433 bucks each on tire rack and dealer put em in at 445 each plus 75 bucks for install of all.. Oh they convinced me to get a 199 buck wheel alignment as well (said it was a good idea with 4 new tires - maybe that's why truck is better than ever now)... oh yeah there was tax too.. So 3 tires and alignment ran me in total around 1700 bucks.. Lucky for me I saved about 500 bucks for the flat that was repaced under warranty.....
Junior Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 33
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From: Houston metro area
2010 E350 and 2008 GL320CDI
Hi everyone, I have an 08 GL450 - I just took it in to get State Inspection and I need 4 new tires! The car has 19,120 miles on it. Dealer price for the Continental 275 55 is $1460. My husband has suggested the Hankook Tire. Does anyone have suggestions??? Any other good tires for this car?
One of my tires had a chunk of rubber missing at this point. We asked the dealer if the OEM tire warranty would cover the tire defect or the obviously horrible miles in service of the set of tires--they laughed at us.
So we drove over to Discount Tire and got ourselves a deal there, along with a real treadwear mileage warranty.
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2009
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GL450
19K miles is almost exactly how much I got from my 19" Contis on my '08 GL320. I also had rather nasty hydroplaning problems with the Contis at speeds as low as 50mph. As soon as they wore out I bought a used set of 18" OEM wheels on ebay, bought 4 Michelin Latitude (OEM) 18" tires from Tire Rack and put them on. Now going on 30k miles on the Michelins with about 20% more tread left. No more hydroplaning. I won't TOUCH Contis again. The Michelins ride and handle better at higher speeds than the Contis' anyway!
The Michelins ride and handle better at higher speeds than the Contis' anyway!Fourdiesel – I have long considered downsizing the wheels on my GL450 from 19” to 18” to access the wider variety of tire options (particularly off-road treads). Did the wheel swap require any vehicle changes to insure the speedometer & odometer remained accurate? Also, alignment or suspension concerns? Thanks
Super Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 711
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From: NW corner of CONUS
2008 GL 320 CDI, 2004 VW V10 Touareg TDI
I did nothing to the alignment and the handling remained the same - at least according to my 'seat of the pants' calibrated measurements
Same for the odometer and speedometer - I haven't noticed any discrepancies. I didn't calibrate either metric before the swap and both seem pretty accurate after also. I typically cruise at 72mph traffic permitting and haven't gotten even one ticket (although at that speed I certainly wouldn't expect that to happen). I guess I should get out my little hand held GPS, make a run and have IT tell me my speed independently. Distance too!
If you DON'T plan to replace your Tire Pressure Monitor senders with new ones (you will have to move your old ones to the 'new' wheels if you don't buy new) you should consider buying new valve stems and nuts from your local dealer. I found it impossible to remove the old ones without stripping the threads on the stem part - something that would have cleaned up nicely with the right size metric thread die - but a size I just couldn't get without a special order.
Same for the odometer and speedometer - I haven't noticed any discrepancies. I didn't calibrate either metric before the swap and both seem pretty accurate after also. I typically cruise at 72mph traffic permitting and haven't gotten even one ticket (although at that speed I certainly wouldn't expect that to happen). I guess I should get out my little hand held GPS, make a run and have IT tell me my speed independently. Distance too!
If you DON'T plan to replace your Tire Pressure Monitor senders with new ones (you will have to move your old ones to the 'new' wheels if you don't buy new) you should consider buying new valve stems and nuts from your local dealer. I found it impossible to remove the old ones without stripping the threads on the stem part - something that would have cleaned up nicely with the right size metric thread die - but a size I just couldn't get without a special order.
Last edited by Fourdiesel; Oct 4, 2010 at 08:34 PM. Reason: add TPM info
