jbak31

Are they run flats or regular? I'm particularly interested in the GLS450 19' and 20's.

First One

The GLS 450 I test drove had Continentals on it. I've been curious as to whether they all have the same tires.

Wanty

My 350d came with 21 Pirelli P Zero, have had them replaced within a month of ownership now running Continentals and could not be happier.

First One

I watched a video a few minutes ago & that GLS 450 had Continentals too. I wish they would ship mine...it's been built over 2 weeks & is still sitting in Tuscaloosca.

Wanty

I've heard that Kumho's are a preferred supplier to MB, I told the dealership if my car came with those I wouldn't take the car.
Hopefully he was joking, as I'm not a fan of that tyre brand.

350MH83

What's wrong with the P Zeros? I have them mounted as well on mine.

Wanty

Tyre's where damaged in the delivery process resulting in vibration throughout the vehicle, only noticeable at highway speed. That's what I was told by MB

fabbrisd1

Kumho is a preferred brand by MB on North American Sprinter's... Kumho is not a approved brand for passenger/cars-SUV's..

Since you spell Tyre - have no idea which country you are in ...

silvertige

Continental Cross Contacts. GLS 550

Wanty

Australia

baobay

I Have the continentals 19 inch and could't be happier. Test drove a GLS 450 with the upgraded "sports tires" and noticed a bit more road noise. I think the appearance package comes with the Pirelli tires.

vkk0210

Lets see how long these Conti's last but I'm glad they are All Seasons. Hopefully they are manageable in snow, if not then need to look for snow tires in winter.
13'450 with Pirelli Scorpions were done at 23K miles. Got them replaced with same ones at Discount tires with 60K tread warranty.

jbak31

That's why I'm going with the 19's... there are no runflats for the 19 wheel though, as far as I can tell.

baobay

I don't believe any of the GLS come with run flats. Even the AMG models have a collapsible tire and a pump built in to inflate it.

BlueClk63

21" Contis on the 63

bonboon

Same here. Continental Cross Contact UHP.

Bought some Pirelli Scorpion Winters for Nov-March cause I wanted to err on the side of unstoppable in the winter

Christian K

What's the difference? I have Pirelli 21" on my new 500, and I'm not 100% happy. It feels a bit "nervous" on the road.

Wanty

I'm sure you are like me and know how the car should feel, first thing I noticed was the tires where over inflated, plus unbalanced , yes unbalanced. ( I have the report in writing ) From there it got progressively worse when driving at speed , I was told the tires where damaged in delivery but I have my doubts. I sincerely hope my car has no long term damage.

dfride

Teh dealer claims the cross contact UHP are all season tires but the tire rack considers them summer only tires. Do you have any idea why the discrepancy?

bonboon

the all season rating is a touch generous. That being said, the tires are def serviceable in the winter, not necessarily a liability by any stretch.

for me me there have been too many situations where I didn't feel as comfortable as I would have liked on the slippery stuff

dfride

Dealer says the Cross contacts UHP are "all season". their order sheets show all season tires, but tire rack has them in the "street/Sport truck summer" category. I had a 2010 GL550 that had the same issue. i called tire rack and they indicated it was a summer tire. i then called Continental and asked what category the OEM tire at the time should be in and they said "summer". I then asked how Mercedes can have the same tire as all season since the sidewall on the OEM tire says M+S or all season and their reply to me on the phone was "Mercedes told them to do it". Below is the tire racks comments on the tire;

"The CrossContact UHP is Continental's Street/Sport Truck Summer tire designed for luxury-oriented and high-performance four-wheel drive sport utility vehicles. Like all summer tires, CrossContact UHP tires are not intended to be driven in near-freezing temperatures, through snow or on ice.*

CrossContact UHP tires use a silica-enhanced tread compound to combine wet and dry road grip with rolling resistance comparable to passenger car tires. The compound is molded into an asymmetric tread pattern that features stable outboard shoulder blocks linked to a continuous rib to promote steering precision and cornering stability. Independent tread blocks flank a circumferential center rib to enhance directional stability and straight-line tracking. Multiple lateral grooves are combined with four, wide circumferential grooves to promote efficient water drainage that enhances hydroplaning resistance and wet traction.

*Several Original Equipment (O.E.) sizes are branded with the M+S symbol to identify they meet all-season design standards and are suitable for driving in occasional light snow. These sizes are identified as M+S on the tire's Specs tab."

so...my question is...are certain sizes of the tire all season and some not??

bonboon

Certain sizes (for certain manufacturers like Benz, Land Rover, for example) may have MS designation at the request of the car manufacturer but the real question is how trustworthy that designation is with such a low bar being described by Continental. They say they are not meant to be used in freezing temps on the one hand but then says it's ok to drive through occasional light snow.

I think the bottom line is if I was going to run one tire all year long where I live, it would be the Continental DWS that's available now in that size (the last time I checked). In my experiences a more proper all seasons tire

look at the snow ratings on that tire left by others , too

http://m.tirerack.com/tires/ratings-review.jsp






meanwhile tire rack has removed winter ratings for the UHp entirely, I'm guessing because of the confusion Conti has caused in branding it MS. Lots of folks haven't been able to reconcile that rating with real world performance

dfride

I know it's been a while since there was a post in this thread, but my ordered GLS550 just arrived and I'm taking delivery next week. The tire issue hasn't changed regarding the M+S designation stamped on the stock tire but according to Continental it's not technically and all season tire.

What I'd like to know is if there is any feedback anyone can offer regarding the stock tires in freezing conditions and more importantly in snow and wet conditions below freezing. My wife will be primarily driving this truck and i don't want to risk using the stock tires if they aren't the best option for me. I'm really looking for comments indicating confidence in these winter conditions I mentioned or a lack of confidence. I don't necessarily want to get rid of the stock tires but i also want the best option on the truck with my wife at the wheel.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

bonboon

see my post directly above and would add I have dedicated scorpion winters I use between nov and march. spend 100 dollars to take them off/on two times a year and the tires cost say 1350 or so.

its a no brainer imo if you see snow, ice.

dfride

I understand and agree with you about the dedicated winter tires. I have an unusual situation which I don't want to get into here. In the case of this truck I don't want to have to swap out wheels tires twice a year. I'm looking for a good all season tire so I don't have to swap out the wheels and tires. I already do this with one of our other vehicles. I would like to make the decision to use the stock tires for the first 15K-20K if that's all they really last for OR swap them out if the winter performance feedback is not good. I haven't heard any overly negative feedback on the stock tires.